Our first injury ~ Rylee broke her elbow :(

[lovemylifex4]

This has been a hard week... I'm not sure I've ever cried so much. Tuesday night Rylee (my 4 year old) was doing gymnastics in her class (fast tracks) at the gym and she broke her elbow. They had mats folded up and then lined up (for running distance) to add some "height" to do round offs over the mailbox. When she did her round off her arm went between the mat and mailbox and her body went over the mailbox... but her arm didn't move with her.

Immediately when I picked her up I saw a 'bump' off the side of her elbow. I thought it was just swelling fast, turns out it was her bone. Her entire elbow "shifted".

After 6 long hours at our local ER they sent us to St Louis Childrens Hospital. Rylee had surgery at 10am. They put in 3 pins and put her bright pink cast on and she was released about 5 hours later.

We were told that this is actually the 2nd most common break among kids.

Rylee has been so incredibly brave and strong. She absolutely amazes me.

Last night Alexis (my oldest daughter) had gymnastics and Rylee REALLY wanted to go. I was really worried about her being sad watching the other girls because Rylee LOVES gymnastics so much... but she did great. She LOVES to watch and was just happy to be there, sitting and watching. She was given balloons and candy and gifts from her coaches. She left smiling and was so happy all evening.

We had a shirt made for her yesterday to wear last night... it said:
"If gymnastics was easy, they would call it football"! It was a huge hit!

We go back for x-rays on Wednesday to make sure everything is looking fine. Then 2 weeks later we go back and they will take off the cast and take the pins out. So she will only be wearing her cast for 3 weeks!

Rylee will be taking most of the summer off from gymnastics but the doctors have assured her that she WILL be able to do gymnastics again. She actually asked one of her doctors if she would still be able to be Shawn Johnson when she grew up... and he told her yes, she could still be Shawn Johnson... lol!

The ENTIRE time we were there she was talking to everyone about gymnastics. It was so cute. They put her IV in her hand and then put a support board under her arm/wrist so she wouldn't be able to move it and taped it up. She looked at it and said, "NEAT! It looks like I'm wearing grips"! LOL!

Here she is trying to wake up after surgery...

And finally back at home... eating some ice cream

 

[gymgramma]

Ohhh poor rylee I hope she heals fast! What a brave girl she is

 

[bogwoppit]

Oh poor little thing. WHat a sad tale that is. SO glad that she is bouncing back well and you got great care.

A girl in our gym had exactly the same break in a fall from bars (the dreaded squat on!) during a meet. SHe healed well and returned to gym with no long term issues.

Very scary for all concerned. SHe looks so adorable. I am sure she'll be trying to work out how to do gym with one arm any day now!!

 

[MdGymMom01]

Oh poor baby girl--my heart goes out to her--she is so darn cute!!! What a little trooper! That cast is almost bigger than she is!! Here's to a speedy recovery!!!!

 

[Blazing15]

Poor thing. That had to hurt so bad. She looks like she is doing good. Love the photos. Hope she heals fast and gets back out there. Sounds like she loves it a lot. Has Rylee ever met Shawn Johnson? If not it would be cool if someday she could. Shawn is awesome.

 

[gymdog]

I know a girl who had a break like that when she was young doing a cartwheel. Just a cartwheel, on the floor, and she was about a level 4 at the time. But it happened about the way you described...somehow her arm just didn't move when her body did. Kind of a freak thing. But she's done about five years of level 10 now so it worked out.

 

[Bobby]

Poor Rylee. Hope it's her first and last break!!

 

[All Chalked Up]

Oh, that's awful! Something like that happened to me doing a simple front handspring. We never knew what was wrong with my elbow, and now its "weird". Elbow injuries hurt like crazy! Hopefully She'll be back practicing to "be" Shawn Johnson

 

[gymmom14]

Boy does this bring back memories. My younger DD has a super humerous condular fracture. Sounds like the same treatment. ER/OR/Cast for 3 weeks/Same pink cast. It is a very scary experience, probably more for us than them. Hope her recovery goes well. I too was in denial that it was broken. I thought it was just dislocated.. oh well...

Just a quick question, when you dd straightens her arms, do they go past straight and bow backwards. Does your dd's do this? The Dr said that makes them more prone to this injury.

 

[flippinlolly]

Poor Rylee! That sounds like quite a traumatic experience! A little girl who's in my Peer Support group at the gym is 8 and she had the same injury! She had her pins taken out yesterday and now just has a big bandage for a week! She is quite funny, she kept the cast after they cut it off because all of her gym friends signed it and she says that when they all go to the Olympics she will auction it off for charity! It was the most adorable thing I ever heard!
How's Rylee coping with the cast? Has anyone signed hers? Hopefully she will heal nice and quickly and can get back to doing what she loves soon!

 

[mariposa]

Poor Rylie. Hope she heals fast! She will be back doing what she loves soon.

 

[Linsul]

Awwww Looks like she's feeling pretty good at least! She's got a good attitude about it all, and ice cream sure helps Kids are lucky, they heal so fast! She'll be back at it soon. Her continuing excitement for gym is good, glad the injury didn't make her scared to go back.

It is really common sadly. The only injury I've ever had coaching is one broken elbow. A level 4 girl doing a backbend, only for the 364876475th time!

 

[Azgymmiemom]

She is soooo cute!! Here's wishing her a speedy recovery and that the time goes quickly for her!

 

[hunde2]

Poor Riley. Hope she heals fast. It must have been so hard for you too seeing your baby like that.

 

[Iheartmili]

Aww. Hugs for poor lil Rylee. I hope the t-shirt matched the hot pink cast! Hope she heals well.
Megz xx

 

[Cynical-Chick]

Poor baby! God, she's cute.


(Is she milking it yet? heheheh)

 

[cathiann]

What a little cutie! Sounds like she really did well with it. I hope she heals quickly.

 

[Hotbabe109]

Aww. Hope it heals quickly
I dislocated and broke my elbow in July 2008 just a day into the summer holidays in the gym. I had screws put in and then removed again in October and by November I was back in their. My elbow doesn't straighten properly but i'm back up to level and keep improving. Lets hope she can make as quick a recovery
x

 

[gymluvr33]

Awww...I'm so sorry that she got hurt, but she is so ADORABLE!!! Anyway, I hope it heals quickly.

 

[ellzgym]

Omg, I did the exact same thing to my elbow!! I broke my left elbow, I was doing a standing backhandspring on grass at an airport and I hyperextended my elbow and my mum who was watching my brother fly and me both heard this loud "CRACK" like it went for 2 secs! My arm swelled to like 3 times its normal size and I didn't go to the doctors until the next day. The next day they got it xrayed and I found out that I had chipped a massive piece of bone off the inside of my elbow. We had to go to the childrens hospital and then I had to wait for about 1 hour then I saw the hospital doctor and they gave me a cast and told me that they were going to get another opinion about operating. Next day got a call that they were going to operate. Operating day comes and they put a screw into my arm about 6-7cm long. I was in a cast for 2 weeks, a sling for 2 weeks and then they left it a month, I go back to the hospital and they tell me that they'll see me another month. I'm back at gymnastics but all I'm doing is a bit of beam and floor that doesn't use your arms and also strength that doesn't use your arms. I'm still not allowed to put stress on my elbow yet. and my competition season is probably not going to happen. But I'll be doing gymnastics again with a lot of work and strengthening my elbow again hopefully it will be fine for next year. Sorry I wrote so much about me but I thought it might help for her to know that she's not the only one that has really painful elbow injuries!! I was bawling my eyes out for over and hour and I'm 13 lol. I hope she gets a fully and speedy recovery!! She's soo cute! =] xxxxoooo