The knee again

Shaun was injured this week. Again.

Usually, if the weather's nice, I allow Shaun and Jordan to go outside and ride their bikes and scooters while I get lunch together. We affectionately refer to this as "PE time". It works well for us. By the time lunch rolls around we're about half-way through our day, school-wise. The kids are more than ready for a little break to clear their heads and they also need get rid of some energy.

Such was the case on Wednesday. The weather was gorgeous, and I had the windows and doors open while I was in the kitchen. Therefore, while I didn't actually see the accident happen, I heard it as plain as day. I heard Shaun's scooter rolling into the car port and then there was a huge crash... a beat of silence... and then some ear-piercing screams. I ran outside to find Shaun laying on the floor of the car port, holding his knee, and shrieking in pain.

Now can I just say, without being mean, that my oldest child has a tendency to be just a little bit dramatic. So I didn't overreact to his screams. Or the fact that he couldn't walk. The fact that he had fallen on his left knee further added to my ability to be calm. You see, about a month ago he fell on the same knee and bruised his knee-cap. It only recently has gotten back to normal. Because of the CP, Shaun's left leg is weaker than his right, and he always "favors" his left leg. So, I assumed that he had just re-bruised the left knee-cap and was afraid to walk on it.

I knew he really was in pain, so I humored him... I carried him inside (which was no easy task... he weighs 90 pounds now!), settled him in the recliner, got some ice and gave him some Advil. He cried and screamed whenever he moved at all... which alarmed me, but I decided to play the situation by ear, hoping that this case would be like most others and that he'd be back to normal in an hour or so.

Didn't happen. He sat in the chair, in the same position for the rest of the day. The only time he moved was when I carried him to the bathroom, and then he went to bed. Late that night, he was able to move his leg a little, and Chris and I both assumed that he was on the mend.

After a very, very long night, I woke up to discover that the knee was hugely swollen and that Shaun was in even more pain than he was the day before. I called the doctor, who said to bring him in. My mom came to help. It took both of us nearly 30 minutes to get him outside. Every movement was painful for him. I began to feel tons of remorse for not taking him in the day before. I called the doctor back and explained what was going on. They said to just go ahead and take him to the ER. So we did.

Chris met us there. X-rays were performed, which showed no broken bones but plenty of swelling. (Duh.) We were referred to an orthopedic surgeon who, thankfully, agreed to see us that same afternoon. At the end of the day, the diagnosis was: a severely bruised knee-cap.

Uh-huh.

Should I begin the pursuit of a medical degree? Just kidding.

Seriously, we are so thankful that it wasn't something more serious. We were all (Chris, my mom, and myself) were all beginning to get a little worried considering all of the pain Shaun was in. We were given an ace bandage, and immobilizer, and instructions to come back for an MRI if he wasn't any better by Monday.

Today- Friday- Shaun's doing a little better. He still can't walk, but he's able to sit up by himself and he's even moving his leg a little. Huge progress! He doesn't seem to mind the fact that he's immobile. He's content to relax on the couch and watch NetFlix. We've managed to squeeze in school without too much resistance. I guess he figures he's stuck, so what else is he going to do!

Jordan is being sweet to his big brother. Mostly. I just walked into the living room to find Jordan laying on the other end of the couch with his leg propped up, like Shaun. He told me that he fell and hurt his leg. I figured he deserved a little attention, so I made a big deal over his injured leg. Just like that, miraculously, he was healed!

Now...what can I do to make Shaun heal as quickly?