My son broke his left arm at the elbow joint yesterday at
Washington Park. We immediately rushed
him to Memorial Medical Center. While we
got there within 15 minutes and were given a bed in the hallway right away, it
took a very long time to get treatment.
You could tell as soon as he fell it was broken. There was never a question in our mind about
that. It was very clearly out of place,
and looked terribly painful.
So what does any mother with oils do? You pull out your key chain and see what you
have to use. I had Frankincense on me,
so I immediately started gently applying that to the elbow and put some on his
head and neck. Chris thought I was
crazy, but I told him Frankincense is amazing for pain and it calms you.
Thankfully, I had recently just gotten a second key chain and
filled it with calming oils, because we all have our issues. Ylang Ylang is my son's favorite oil and you
can always tell that it visibly clams him, so I whipped out my Ylang Ylang and made
him sniff it, like smelling salts and then applied it to his chest. He calmed down right away.
Once he found out that he was going to need X-Rays and that
he should probably have a shot, he went into full melt down mode. I immediately pulled out my calming and
grounding blend and began applying it down his spine, wrist and
ears. I also put Bergamot on his spine,
and more Ylang Ylang. It did help calm him down, but at that point he still had
no pain medicine.
We were probably in the ER for 2 ½ -3 hours before my son
received his IV and the pain medicine.
When the time came, he was so brave and did not cry while they put the
IV in him. They had to stick him twice
to find a good vein. Apparently, he
takes after his momma and has crappy veins! After it was all over, he was very
agitated and upset about getting the X-Rays.
I applied more grounding blend and calming blend to help him calm
down. It worked. We were moved to a room shortly after that
and then he was immediately called for X-Rays.
He was a real trooper with that one too. He came back to the room and watched
TV. This was probably around 10:00 pm
at this point. My poor baby had not
eaten since lunch time and they would not let him eat or drink, just in case he
needed surgery. Unfortunately, I don’t
have an oil for that!
We sat and waited for a long time to find out the results of
his X-Ray. The ER Doctor finally came in
and told us that it was broken. We did
not get to look at X-Rays. He described
it as being broken in an iceberg shape.
Clean in the way it broke, but not in a good spot. He informed us that since it is broken, that
they had to consult with the Orthopedic Doctor at St. John’s to find out our
course of treatment. That was the moment
we found out we would have to be moved to St. John’s at some point. As soon as LJ figured out that he was not
going home and that he had to ride in an ambulance, he lost it. I mean
screaming hysterically, kicking, swatting his arms all around. It was ugly!!! He just wanted to go
home! I pulled out the Frankincense and
put it on his head and ears to try and calm him down. When I tried to put more Ylang Ylang on his
chest he threw a fit, so I stopped. He did calm back down and watch TV, while
we waited for more information.
They came back and told us that he had to get a soft cast
put on his arm before they would let him ride in the ambulance. Another tantrum. More Frankincense. We got the soft cast put on and he was crying
because it was too tight. They had to
adjust the wrap and he calmed down some.
When it was finally time to transport him in the ambulance it
was horrific. I was so distraught at
this point. It was almost midnight, my
child was still in pain, he was hungry and thirsty, we still did not know what
was going to happen with his elbow, and he did not want to go in the
ambulance. He just wanted to go in
daddy’s truck! It was a nightmare. I
felt bad for everyone else in the ER. He
was screaming and kicking, and hitting.
It was like watching a wild animal that had been trapped and could not
get free. I had to physically pick him
up and try and get him in the gurney without dropping him or bumping his
elbow. No easy task! Once he was on the gurney they could not get
or keep him buckled. It took 6 adults to
hold him down and get him buckled in the gurney. 1 doctor, 1 nurse, 2 EMT’s,
and 2 parents. I found out in transit to
the ambulance that I could not ride with him.
They were going to allow me to ride up front with the driver. This was the best they could do. Needless to say, it was determined last
minute that I could ride in the back with LJ and the EMT. He unbuckled himself very quickly, and
screamed the whole way.
We arrived at Saint John’s Hospital shortly after
midnight. The ER was not sure why we
were there and then we found out from a nurse that surgery was waiting for
him. Wait, What!!!!!! That is when mamma
bear came out. We had not even seen a
doctor, had no clue that surgery was urgent.
Had it been earlier in the evening, it would have been a really great
moment to apply grounding balance and calming blend. Needless to stay, I refused to sign any
forms or do anything else until we talked to the doctor! The ER did not even have any of his information,
so they did not know what medicine he had been given, when he received it, the
dosage, height, weight, etc. I was so
upset, there were no words to describe. At least they wanted to get him pain
medicine to help calm him down.
Thankfully my baby finally fell asleep!
I talked to a surgical resident and then talked to the Doctor and then
consented to surgery.
It was definitely a night that I will never forget. Watching your child suffer, is one of the
worst feelings as a parent. I am so very
thankful that I had essential oils with me to assist him, while we waited for
modern medical treatment. This was clearly
a situation where modern medicine was critical for his treatment and
recovery. However, I will never discount
the relief certified pure therapeutic grade essential oils provided to my son during the most traumatic
ordeal of his life!
