Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Not for the Faint of Heart!


Leaving the hospital after surgery.

I distinctly remember going for the sonogram that would tell me the sex of the twin babies I was carrying. Although I preferred if our first child was a boy, I was sure it would be two girls. Girls were easier. (Yes, I now know that is NOT true and a whole other post!) When the doctor revealed that we were most definitely having two boys, I was in shock. I walked into the waiting room and said, "Boys? What am I going to do with boys? I don't know what to do with boys!" Boys picked up creepy crawling things, they got dirty, and they broke things. Sometimes even themselves! Let me just say how thankful I am that this has not been the pattern of the last fourteen years with my boys. However, a few weeks ago . . .



The orthopedic surgeon said it was a bad break, a really bad break. When the surgery was said and done, a permanent metal screw and three temporary metal pins had been inserted into the bones of Nathanael's right arm. The surgeon indicated that the temporary metal pins needed to be removed by this week, so we were relieved to find a orthopedic specialist who could do it locally. I was in admin meetings all afternoon and was secretly relieved that I wouldn't have to accompany Robert to the doctor's office for the procedure. Robert was with Nathanael when he went for his post-op appointment a few weeks ago and had the surgical bandages removed and a cast fitted. He said it wasn't pretty and I should be glad I wasn't there to see the metal pins protruding from Nathanael's arm.



Our understanding was that removing the pins would be a fairly simple, in office procedure. The doctor sawed the cast off and they got a good look at how things healed over the past few weeks. The three inch incision from the screw placement was pronounced and pink, but healing well. The sight of the metal pins was a little much for Nathanael who became obviously bothered by the sight. When Robert showed me the pictures, I understood his reaction. It looked like something out of a horror movie. Only one of the three pins slid out easily. The other two took some twisting and tugging (gag). He was relieved to have it done and over with. The arm is still very fragile, but the doctor indicated it was best not to recast it because they were concerned he wouldn't be able to regain movement if he didn't start moving it soon. He will have to be very careful for awhile. There's a real possibility he could re-break it, and that would be a major surgery.

Let me preface this by saying that the following pics may be too much for some.

I warned you!

9 comments:

Matthew Nasekos said...

So glad that you were able to get it done locally!!! I am also glad that Robert has a strong stomach!!! We so enjoyed seeing you last weekend!!! I would love to keep in touch as much as you can!!! Thanks for hanging out with us and going to church with us on Sunday. I know that it meant alot to Karina.
We will pray for Nathaniel's arm.
In Christ Alone-
Sheila

Matthew Nasekos said...

So glad that you were able to get it done locally!!! I am also glad that Robert has a strong stomach!!! We so enjoyed seeing you last weekend!!! I would love to keep in touch as much as you can!!! Thanks for hanging out with us and going to church with us on Sunday. I know that it meant alot to Karina.
We will pray for Nathaniel's arm.
In Christ Alone-
Sheila

Melissa E. said...

I mentioned before that our daughter had pins when she was four years old. I didn't realize at the time that they would just pull them out with pliers!! I tried not to look alarmed but that was the closest to crying that Hannah got throughout the whole ordeal. (except when she came out of surgery and was all loopy and confused).

Yikes! I kind of remember not realizing that they would be sticking out of her arm like that, either. I wish I had taken pictures like you did!

From the looks of things, her break was in exactly the same place as Nathaniel's. OUCH!

Have you had any other broken bones in your family?

Tami said...

Ugh! You're right. Those pictures are a little tough. I can't imagine seeing it in person. Thank goodness for Robert! :)
So glad Nathaneal is healing...we'll be praying that he takes good care of that arm in the coming weeks.

Heidi and Felix said...

Awww! OUCH! Poor kiddo! Hope all mends well.

Felix

Debora Hoffmann said...

Oh, poor Nathaniel! I'm glad he's on the mend.

Leah Spring said...

Ok, umm...eewwww! I shattered my wrist a year ago, and am now sporting lots of titanium inside. The first time I saw the incisions in my arm I threw up!

Courtney said...

His arm looks great and like it's healing really well! I'm praying he can keep it safe for the next few weeks to let it continue to heal. :)

Ashley said...

It would have been hard for me to see this, also. It hurts me to see my children hurt. Thank goodness for Daddies!! JC is a lot stronger than I am and can hold up better for our boys in certain situations.

I hope he takes it easy and can let it continue to heal. No more being Tarzan, Nathanael!! You have scared all of us half to death!

You know it's funny how you were when they told you that it was 2 boys. Now you can't imagine your life without them. I wouldn't know what to do with a GIRL - HAHA!!! I really thought this one was going to be a girl, though, but nope, it's another boy!!! :) I am kind of relieved because I am scared of the "unknown." lol