First broken bone

Well, it happened. One of our kids broke a bone, and it wasn't the kids I thought it would be. Kari swung off the back of her pull-up bar (on purpose) and misgaged the landing. She fell badly on her ankle, and it was obvious that it was more than just a sprain. It happened at 5:05pm. Greg took her to urgent care, got x-rays, saw the dr, got confirmation that the end of the fibula was indeed fractured, got her fitted in a boot, and came back home by 6:05pm. I think one hour at urgent care is a record. Amazingly quick. It was a Tuesday evening, and Kari was determined to still go to youth group, so we took her. The Wilsons brought their crutches for Kari to borrow, and she was good to go!

Her appointment to see the orthepedic doctor was in the middle of the day a few days later. She already had an orthodontist appointment to get her Herbst appliance/hinges out that morning (hooray!), so we made a day of it and had lunch at Arby's in between appointments.

The doctor decided she didn't need to have it casted, just has to wear the boot for 4 weeks. I was relieved to hear we weren't going to have to deal with the hassle of a cast. Kari was slightly disappointed at first but admitted that it would have gotten old after a day, so she was glad, too. :) We had to add some extra padding to the top of the crutches, as they were hurting her sides after a couple days. It's been a week since her injury, and Kari is about ready to ditch the crutches and walk with the boot. That boot is a pretty amazing thing. It has a button to pump air into it so that the foot is cushioned with air and secure. It will be very nice to not have to deal with the crutches anymore. Her school has a lot of stairs, and she goes up and down them many times a day--14 times, it turns out (she counted). Her friends have been very sweet and have helped her carry her stuff and make it to and from her classes and locker. It's a bit of a challenge to maneuver hallways on crutches with a backpack, a lunch box, and a clarinet case. Our independent child is ready to regain her independence! 

Kari and Gracie have been crutch buddies this last week--pretty cute. Gracie has given her tips and lots of empathy. :)