Parents Never ending Bog saga

[bogwoppit]

For those of you who don't know me and my baby bogs, my oldest, 11 yrs old, level 6 ish has been struggling with two years of never ending injury.

We have decided to pull Bigger Bog out of gym for at least the next month. Since her last meet it has just been a never ending saga of pain and twinges. Sore ankles, achilles tendons, elbow (a new strain) and back pain (scoliosis).

She did take almost two weeks off whilst we went to Vancouver. But after one night back at the gym she is in pain, and not the right kind sadly.

Hopefully a month off with just stretching, icing, swimming and some biking, she will have a chance to heal properly.

She is not a happy camper at all, I have also banned her from the trampoline and her little sis of course will still do gym and is working on all those fun new skills that summer training brings.

Her goal is to heal enough to go to summer camp and do summer training in July and August.

I have to say when we began this gymnastics marathon 8 years back we never for one minute thought that it would bring two years of constant injuries. Like so many of the little ones on CB, she had a lot of potential very early. She has never trained more than 11 hours a week, but still has all these injuries. It just shows that injuries have a lot to do with the individual child as much as the training length and type.

This may be the beginning of the end for her, but she is not ready for that yet. Perhaps starting high school in September will allow her find new interests. More likely she will drop back in hours and level of skill and compete in a lower league. Hopefully it still will be fun.

Good to have you all to share with. I know you will understand how hard it is to tell her she has to stop completely.

Reality bites hard!

 

[mariposa]

I am sorry that your little one is having so many pain problems. I can only imagine how hard it must be for her, especially with little sis doing gymnastics as well. I hope she finds something she can do for the next month and that that time will help her to heal. Hugs to you both.

 

[Monkeygirlsmom]

its hard seeing you rkids in pain!! I think its a good thing to take a month off!!
Good luck keeping her busy!!!

 

[Cascade]

I am keeping your daughter in my prayers. I hope she finds something enjoyable to fill the void.

 

[Ingymmom]

Even knowing this day may eventually come for her, it has to be so difficult. Especially to see little sis continue in something she loves so much. T has had one heck of a year, coming back from injury and still being able to compete in tumbling & vault - she is one amazing kid.

Bog, I am so sorry for her she has to stop for now, but you being a great wise mom know best, and I commend you for having to make such a difficlut decision. Hopefully she will just get the rest she needs and be able to join in on the Summer camp fun... from there, as you said it is on to HS - how many years of hs do you do? Or is she starting young? (I bet it would be a blast to be able to continue, even at a lower level and just have fun with her firends).

All of my best to T and the whole fam. keep us updated on her. nic

 

[kristilyn73]

Bog,

My heart goes out to you and your daughter. One of the hardest things we have to do as mothers is make difficult decisions for our kids.

If she has to be done with gymnastics for her health, then she does.. You know best. Your gut instinct will tell you what to do. Your heart may break for your dd - but as a mother, your first priority is to make sure DD is safe and healthy.

I hope the month off will help and she will be able to enjoy the sport she loves. If not, there will be some other sport or activity that she can learn to love.

Thinking of you~!
K

 

[gym law mom]

Bog,
So sorry to hear about oldest Bog. She has really put up a gallant fight to stay in the sport and still may be able to continue, but you are so right in making her take time off. Such a tough call for parents, but the right one. You have to think ahead to when she's in her 20s and 30s and beyond. You want her to be as healthy as possible during her teens so she can enjoy whatever she decides to do. No real fun if at age 18 or so, someone asked her about her teen years and all she could come up with was injuries, pain, therapy and doctor visits.

I will keep her in my prayers and hope that maybe she will just grow out of some of these injuries. You certainly are an inspiration as a parent!

 

[Billy]

Be sure and tell your DD that our thoughts are with her and we're sending many get well wishes!

 

[bogwoppit]

how many years of hs do you do? Or is she starting young? (I bet it would be a blast to be able to continue, even at a lower level and just have fun with her firends).

Nic, she will do 5 years of high school, she will be 12 when she begins. Then here in Quebec she will do 2 years of CEGEP (say-jep), she will have to move away from home for this though which give pre university or vocational training depending on the goals. After that she will do University, right now she wants to be a teacher or a scientist.


Thanks for all your kind words, they really do help, you are the ones who really help me deal with being "the Mom who says no to gym"!

She went off biking today and did some swimming in the still freezing pool (ice therapy is a good thing I guess).

I measured her today, as my friend commented on how tall she is (I guess when I see her daily I don't notice) and she has grown 4 inches in the last 8 months, 9 inches since she turned 10!!! SO, I suppose it is not surprising that she is feeling challenged by pain and new skills. Like some of you have so wisely said, hopefully she will grow out of this phase of injury as her body matures.

 

[gym law mom]

Bog---much of your answer may be in the measuring tape. We had a pediatric ortho that spoke with our parent's group and she recommnends doing informal height measurements of girls every 2 mos or so. Said alot of times you may only see the child has grown only 1/2", but is complaining of heel, knee or whatever pain. She stressed if there is a growth spurt and they do a sport like gymnastics, pain is likely to follow. She said it also explains why a gymnast may be struggling with a skill they could do without any problem 3 mos before. Of course, she stressed that if the pains of growth don't respond to ice, Motrin etc. then you just have to sit them down and let the body rest.

 

[flippymonkeysmom]

Bog I am so sorry to hear about your dd. How heart breaking for all of you. Of course you know you are doing the right thing by having her take a break. Even the best gymnasts in the world are pretty much done by the time they are 20. Having chronic pain and injuries just doesn't seem worth it for such a short term sport. I hope she is able to heal so she can still continue with gymnastics, even if it is at a less intense level. My oldest just turned 11 and I wonder if this is the sport for her. She has had a few misc. injuries - my worry has always been more the fact that she always seems tired and run down. She had a tough year this year being in tougher classes at school (they put her in the gifted program) and juggling 15-18 hours at the gym. Being a parent of a gymnast is really difficult sometimes, isn't it !!!

I will be keeping bigger baby bog in my thoughts and prayers (and you too )

 

[catesmom]

Bog- Sorry about the continuing problems with Big Baby Bog. My dd has gone through a lot of the aches and pains this year (she is 12), but luckily hasn't had any major injuries. She also grew a lot this year (5 inches) and there has been a lot of icing due to body aches after practice. The greatest problem has been her ankles, and she did finish the season using an ankle brace.

My dd's best friend has been on the same injury path though and I know how hard it can be, She missed her whole level 6 season with a broken bone in her foot, came back for a year and then broke her elbow on a freak accident during bars training. She still loves the sport though and hopefully after your dd's injuries have a chance to heal she will be back at the gym. We as parents have talked a lot about why some of the girls are suffering injuries and others seem to be "lucky". I say lucky because it seems like but for the luck of the draw it could be any of our dd's.

While our friends dd had her injuries she was able to spend 2 hours a day at the gym working strengths and keeping in touch with her friends. It made the off time much more bearable for her, and she didn't feel like she was missing so much.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you and the whole family during this healing time.

 

[Livinatthegym]

Bog--

I get it. Dd1 is out, for a lot of reasons, but the constant pain in her knees is definitely near the top. I agree with flippymonkeysmom--the pain isn't worth it for such a short-term sport. I also agree with whoever said that making the unpopular decisions is a part of parenthood that, well, really sucks.

However, I want to tell you that there is life, and a good one, after gym (just in case you can't go back). Dd1 has a whole list of things she wants to try or has already signed up for--dance team, color guard, band, chior, madrigal, musical, track, cross country, maybe even diving. Your dd will mope around for a while, but blink once or twice and she'll be as busy as she ever was. Just try to stay focused on the opportunity side of things--and remind big baby bog that a life without constant pain is a good thing.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

I'm sorry that your DD's injuries have gotten this bad, but you know what's best for her health.