Ewan's Fractured Collarbone

Wasn't it just recently we were in Gleneagles Hospital having Faye's leg casted from her luggage accident? Why are we back again?

It happened yesterday evening. Wushu ended on time at 1900 hours and Ewan was the last to leave. He was playing with his coach [教练] and they were laughing away. It was a heartwarming sight and I left them to it. As he was saying goodbye and walking towards me, his 教练 gave him a last "I'm going to catch you" goodbye treat which my son always liked. He made a dash towards me while looking at his chaser behind him. A clumsy trip and he fell hard onto his left shoulder. He cried immediately from the pain and his 教练 got to him first, helping him to stand and gave him a "You will be fine" pat. 

To be honest, the fall looked rather normal and I did not rush to attend to him. I hugged him and asked where the pain was, hoping to give it quick rub and send us on our way. However, he squirmed and wailed even louder when I touched his left shoulder. 

"Oh No. I think he dislocated his shoulder.", I thought. Snippets of his elbow dislocation came rushing back and I applied all tests that I picked up from his last A&E visit for that incident. 

It was an unfortunate accident and I do not blame anyone for it. Especially not his 教练 because we like him for being fun-loving, engaging with children like mine. I am thankful that as a student of Martial House, he is insured [to a certain amount] for any accidents or injuries that occured on school grounds. Even more grateful that the school was readily available to hear my concerns and queries with regards to his lessons going forward. Thank you Ruiling. 

As we descend from the elevator filled to the brim with church-goers [his Wushu school shares the same building as Heart of God Church], he could not stop screaming and crying. Imagine how deafening it might be for everyone riding in that same cabin. One lady asked if he was alright and if we needed help because they do have a medical team on site with a first aid room. 

I took her offer and followed her to the church. Ewan was screaming even louder by then when he heard the word "Doctor". Flashbacks of his elbow dislocation came back to him and he started to worry about the pain that he had to endure when the doctor adjusted it back for him.

I knelt down beside him at the lift lobby of the church and kept assuring him that a doctor will do him more good than harm. He could not hear me through the wallows of his cries. I am always calm and collected when things happen - it's just the way I function. I probably possess more logic during incidents than on a regular day. So seeing me in distress is not regular. 

I teared with him in the middle of a very busy hallway. My tears were tears of joy and hope. I was very touched by the people who came forth to help us - a mother with two kids.

Faye was a gem. She stood close to us and spoke nothing the whole time except to whisper softly at 1940 hours, "I am hungry mommy." I apologised that she had to wait because 哥哥 is in so much pain. I was not able to feed her and attend to Ewan at the same time. 

The church medic team came and Ewan screamed in fear when he saw them. They advised us to head to a hospital for an X-Ray to check for fracture even though I told them I suspect it a dislocation. They did not want to move him but agreed to immobile his left hand with a sling. Oh Ewan... he did not allow them to touch him and pleaded that he gets his painkillers first. So we had to leave without a bandage.

I am not a Christian and I often frown upon the way Heart of God Church worships. Whenever they have a service, the whole floor at Wushu will be vibrating from their Bom Bom Bom Bom music. It is a youth church and this is the way they reach out. However, I found it rather inconsiderate of them because there are many other establishments sharing the same building as them including a learning centre. 

But thank you, I didn't get your name young lady, for stepping forward to ask if Ewan was alright. I told you I was not there to attend service but you said, "I know! It is okay. I just want to help." Bless your good heart.

I drove us to Gleneagles hospital and was glad that we were the only ones there at A&E. That is what makes Gleneagles my favourite place to go to as opposed to KKH where we probably will only get seen three hours later. Ewan could not tahan the pain for another 30 minutes, not to mention hours. 

Confidently, I told the doctor what happened and diagnosed it as a dislocation. Instead, he ordered for Ewan to take a dosage of Brufen and got him scheduled for a X-Ray immediately. We needn't wait either. Thank you Gleneagles!

It was not Ewan's first X-Ray experience. He swallowed a coin before so he had done it. He has a lump on his back and had to go through the scarier scan called MRI too. So really, I didn't expect him to be so frightened of this X-Ray experience. He was so scared, he was holding his hands together in a prayer position! He must be in a lot of pain.

The film came back and he said, "Ewan has a collarbone fracture."

He showed us what that meant with an ice-cream stick. He broke the stick into two. It went, "PIAK" but did not break it into half. The ice-cream stick stayed an ice-cream stick but with a crack in the center. I looked at my son's face for his reaction and he watched the stick with his lips parted and eyes opened wide. 

WHAT! I could not accept it! 

I had so many questions! 

"When will he heal?"

"What should we do?"

"Does he have a shoulder dislocation Plus a collarbone fracture?"

"What is the course of action?"

He said, "Let us call in an orthopaedic right now."

NOW? Oh gosh. It is going to cost. Again! 

I suggested to call in the same orthopaedic that attended Faye in January. While waiting for Dr Lim Yi-Jia, we went to find food to fill our tummy. It was after all, 2100 hours. Faye must be starving!

When Dr Lim arrived, his first reaction was, "You again? Aiyo!" followed by a slap on his forehead. 

All our questions were cleared with Dr Lim,

"Ewan will take four to six weeks to recover. By the end of one year, X-Ray will show no signs of a crack. I feel he should continue going to school and lead life normally without any physical activities.  To help with his pain, alternate paracetamol and Brufen. If he can handle the pain with only paracetamol, then skip the Brufen."

He tried to give Ewan a shoulder bandage but he was crying and shivering at the same time from fear and pain. A bandage sounds like a frightening thing to my son. Eventually, Dr Lim decided that we should traumatise him and let Ewan recover with a hand sling instead. Wow! I am amazed that's all that can be done for a collarbone fracture! That said, I am so thankful for caring  and assuring doctors like Dr Lim and Dr Tsakok [my gynaecologist who attended to me for both births].  

Daddy will only be back in Singapore on the 16th of April 2017 and I had our solo-parenting trip booked for Legoland over Easter actually. "Alas, I will have to cancel it now.", I told Dr Lim. 

He replied, " Why cancel! Just go! He will be so disappointed if you cancelled it."

I was shocked to hear that!

I turned to my son and asked if he would like to cancel it. Ewan did not give me an answer but Dr Lim butted in, "Oh come on. That is a stupid question to ask a child. Just go if you've already booked. After all, he cannot go on many rides at this age right?"

*hahahah* That made me laugh and I enjoy having such a chill doc attending to us. But, I'm still having it cancelled. I do not think the staff at Legoland will risk him sitting on any mild rides just in case they will be held responsible for any mishaps. 

Obviously, my husband was fuming mad that this happened. He saw the picture of the film carefully and enlarged it on his phone, "This is not a little fracture to me. You look carefully? It looks almost broken!"

This incident confirms what he recently told me, "Do not talk about having a third child again. Do you really like to be a regular guest of Gleneagles Hospital? I don't. First Ewan. Then Faye. Now Ewan again. Just when all these visits are going to taper down as they grow older, we will have one more who might have to take regular visits to the hospital again. Forget it."

By the time the children went to bed, it was already 2300 hours. I poured myself a glass of red wine [broke one glass prior to that due to carelessness] and downed it [instead of savouring it]. I needed some alcohol to help me sleep.

Before Faye turned in, she looked at her brother and said, "哥哥 be careful okay? Be careful."

---------------

The children woke early Sunday morning and the first conversation in the house went like this:

Faye: 哥哥 be careful okay?
[she stared at him for a long while]

Mom: Faye, sayang 哥哥's head like this
[showed her how it was done]

Faye: 哥哥 your head pain?
[wondering why mommy say sayang head not sayang hand!]

Ewan: Super. Super pain.
[pointing at his shoulder]

*hahah* These two kiddos.

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