When I saw my boy jump off the porch to save some helium balloons one Saturday evening in April, I thought he had his first broken bone. We went to the ER and nothing was noticeably broken on the X-rays, but the radiology told us to follow up with an orthopedic doctor. We did. He also couldn’t determine much from X-rays because the injury was near Ben’s growth plate. He ordered an MRI, which happened that Tuesday.
We went back the following day to talk about the MRI and make a plan. It was a non-displaced fracture, so essentially the MRI showed an injured heel but no cracked bone. He has to stay off of it completely for four weeks and the doctor is hoping he can then gradually start walking and applying pressure. He hopes Ben is young enough for it to heel quickly and not have to stay off of it the normal eight to ten weeks.
He was a champ figuring out how to maneuver school and home and life in general with crutches. His big sister helped him get into school and his friends were helpful getting his stuff from his locker and to classes once he’s in there.
Days seems longer for him right now. It’s exhausting to ask for help more than he’s used to doing, miss out on being active, walk on crutches, and try not to dwell on the pain in his foot.
Honestly, my boy was sad when we left the orthopedic doctor’s office. Four weeks sounds like an eternity when it means no more PE this school year or soccer this season. Soccer camp was in five weeks and basketball camp was seven weeks away.
Thankfully, swimming is fine, although it hasn’t been great swimming weather since the last day of school. He’d fished and kayaked. This isn’t how we wanted the spring leading into #88daysofsummer to be, but he’s adjusted and made the most of it.
We went to the orthopedic yesterday for the four-week follow-up appointment and he hoped he’d be putting on the second tennis shoe he brought in the car. Unfortunately, he’s supposed to wear the boot for a few more weeks, but he can walk and run on it.
I had to cancel soccer camp, but basketball camp might happen. He can stop carting around the crutches, thankfully.
Oh, and he caught the balloons for his little sister as he jumped off the porch that April evening.
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