Hello. My name is Abby. I'm eight years old and I was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome when I turned two. My parents work hard to help me make sense of the world around me and this blog is meant to help others understand my world and my journey with Rett Syndrome.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Ouch!

Miss Abby has fractured her arm again.  Sigh.  It's a small break, actually 3 small breaks, but a break nevertheless.  Again, we didn't figure out what had happened until the day after it happened.  Determining that cause of pain in a child that doesn't talk, can't point to a spot that hurts, and has a high pain tolerance is VERY difficult.  Wes and I laid her on the bed and started poking all over her body to see what made her cry.  Even with a broken arm, she didn't flinch when I manipulated her arm.  

She was upset a couple of times last night, so I thought she was just tired or was having acid reflux.  She would get upset for a while, and then calm down and sleep for a while.  This morning, however, she was even more upset and we noticed that she wasn't stemming with her right hand-a dead giveaway.  She always pats her chest with both hands.  We immediately took her to the children's hospital for an x-ray.  We went to a new one in the area, which was amazing.  They have made the hospital like a funhouse for kids.  We actually had a woman who came in to entertain Logan while Abby was getting her splint.  She brought toys and slushies.  It was fun for all, even Abby, who did not mind laying in bed watching cartoons and snacking all morning.  

Apparently, when she lost her balance yesterday and fell back, her arm was fractured, even though we caught her before she hit the ground.  Maybe her arm hit before we caught her?  Maybe it was fractured earlier in the day when Wes reached for her arm when she was losing her balance?  I don't know because neither incident was really all that noteworthy.  She was upset, but not inconsolable.  She has been getting very anxious about falling, so we thought she was just scared, not hurt.  She loses her balance a lot, but we always catch her.  I guess we are going to have to be more careful about how we catch her.  Honestly, I was waiting for child protective services to come in and question how it is that this is the second break in a year and we don't know how it happened.  But they didn't come and the doctors were very good, even though we had to correct a couple of them that Abby's diagnosis is Rett Syndrome, not Tourette Syndrome.

Abby is doing fine, though.  Now that her arm is in a sling, she isn't upset at all and  was told that she was the best patient that they had ever had at the hospital.  The hospital has only been open a few weeks, but I didn't tell her that.  She was beaming.  That's my girl!   


7 comments:

  1. ouch! these girls are so tough. glad you figured it out.

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  2. Aw poor Abby. Sounds like she was really brave at the hospital. It's awful, isn't it, when you just don't know what hurts. (Amy had an inflamed hip-joint once, and we were doing the same as you - pushing and prodding to try to work out where it hurt.) Funny (but not) that they misunderstand Rett as Tourette - I've had that too. ('Yes, she's about to start swearing any minute now.')
    Hope Abby continues to do fine and makes a quick recovery. xx

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  3. I LOVE her! She is such an angel, she as always is in my prayers!

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  4. Thanks ladies. She is quite the trooper.

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  5. I am so glad to hear that she is better, so sorry to hear that you had to go through it all. I can't imagine the feeling of being on guard all the time to catch her. I think that she needs to come to California to relax from the whole thing ;-) It would do mommy good too! Hugs to you both!

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  6. Poor Abby, and poor Mommy! I know it's heartbreaking for something to hurt and no know what to do because you don't even know what's hurting her. I'm glad you were able to figure it out and hope her arms heals very quickly. I love that she is smiling despite everything!

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  7. So sorry Abby had to go through that (and you too!!!). Glad that you figured it out so quickly - nicely done mom and dad!!! I always tell people "Tourett's"? Oh, I WISH she had that, then she'd talk"! Honestly, even with a hurt arm, could she BE any cuter in the pics??? Hugs to all of you!!

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