Cast Removal

This blog posting is mainly for my own benefit.  I've learned something in my past few years of blogging Bobby's life......you forget way more details than you ever dream.  When I go back and read postings from a few years ago, I'm always a little shocked at the things that I had forgotten.  I wanted to remember this whole crazy cast process.

I went to pick up Bobby from school to take him to the doctors office to get his cast removed.  A lot of excitement going on in the school building.....the last day of school for Christmas vacation and pajama day=kids bouncing off of the walls!!!!!  So exciting!!  Too bad we had to go to the doctor, but at the same time super excited to get this STINKY cast off of his arm and wash his extremely dirty hand.

 Bobby has a routine when we go to this office building that also houses his pediatrician and neurologist.  First I force him with all of my might through the elevator doors to go upstairs and I loudly say to him something like, "Mommy knows how afraid you are of elevators, it's ok," so that people don't think that I am a crazy lady.  But on this Friday afternoon we got our own elevator and Bobby did so much better than he has ever done.  Last week when he had his IEP meeting, I asked his teacher if he could ride the school elevator to desensitize him to elevators.  She said absolutely and then has reported to me that he LOVES to ride the elevator at school!  What!!???!!!  The trauma the two of us have shared at the elevator doors in our lifetime together and he loves it at school.  He now likes to "push the button" and ride the school elevator.  SWEET!!  It is obviously transferring to other elevators, he pushed the button and got on with about 75% less hesitation.  Still somewhat afraid, but no where near past fear.  Then we have to go straight to the bathroom and "pee pee potty" that he announces loudly.  He doesn't really pee that much, it is just the routine.  Then we can go down the hallway to which ever office that we are there for.

Today when I opened the door into orthopedics, I thought to my self "uh oh, I've got the wrong date/time" there was NO ONE in the waiting room.  I walked over to reception and the three ladies working there couldn't be nicer and one actually said, "we don't like to say it out loud that no one is here and we are going to have an easy afternoon....because that's when it all goes downhill!!!"  I laughed and explained that this was a Christmas miracle for us because Bobby has autism and waiting is so hard.  Of course, one of the receptionists had a nephew with autism and we started sharing stories.  I literally can't go anywhere anymore with out someone telling me that they have someone with autism in their family.......breaks my heart.

 We only had to wait in the waiting room for 3 minutes while they got his file and got it to the nurse and we were right back to one of the beds in the "cast room" to let the removal begin.  Bobby sat right down and let me get his iPad set up with his earbuds.

 I was very worried about this process because his biggest fear in life is the vacuum.  When I get it out to sweep the carpets, he runs to his room and hides until it is back in the closet with the closet door firmly closed.  If you've never seen a cast removal saw, this is it.  Looks like a canister vac and sounds just like one.

I told the nurse about his fear and the potential for problems, but our second Christmas miracle of the day happened....he sat perfectly and let her saw through both sides.  He sat and let her use scissors to cut through the gauzy inside and then still held his arm out while she used the spreaders to get the cast apart.  Bobby wanted that thing off of his arm and he knew that this was the only way!!!!!!!

 He watched the whole process.

 They then ushered us over to x-ray where we sat down and waited for 20 seconds until they called us back!!!  SWEET!!!!

 He did well with x-ray with me assisting in holding his arm in place while they took the pictures. We then went back to the cast room to await the x-ray results.  I looked at the time and it was just now our scheduled appointment time....we arrived 15 minutes early.  This NEVER happens....my prayers were definitely answered.

 The dry, dead skin was driving him a little crazy and he was rubbing it OFF!!

 I got him situated again with his iPad and he was 100% happy laying there watching YouTube.

There was a thick layer of yellow crust on his hand on the perimeter where the cast was.....YUCK!!!

He also had a busted callus on the inside of his hand that was under the cast.  He did not want anyone to touch it.  Poor guy.  Felt so bad for him that he had this boo boo.

 The doctor came in to talk with us, this was the first time of the appointment that Bobby became agitated.  He got up off of the bed and was leaving.  I had to grab him twice and get him back to the bed........he was NOT getting another cast on his arm and that was all that mattered to him.  We talked, no new cast, and we were out of there!!!!  The super nice receptionists chatted with us again and we were out to the elevator.  Bobby pushed the button and got right on.  He pushed the number 1 and we were on our way out of there cast free!!

 Cheese!!!!  Now to find a swimming pool!!!!!