Oh dear oh dear. Poor Alice. I've heard broken collarbones are incredibly painful. How did she ever make it home? She is brave. Fortunately she is young, so she should heal qucikly.

My older son is one giant mass of scars. Skateboarding accidents, surfing accidents (he has a doozy of a scar across his lip from being smacked by the board), motorcycle accidents, car accidents (emergency surgery that left a scar from his sternum to his naval and a trach scar), you name it. As a young kid he would get nursemaid's elbow from the slightest yank at his arm. Later, he cut off the tip of his thumb with a saw. He has a risky occupation (owns a construction company) and has risky intertests -- the latest is kite boarding.

Anyway -- hope Alice's wing is flapping soon.

Yes, Eileen, I think when the vicodin wears off she'll be home.

You're amazingly lucky that she hasn't broken anything else yet, Makayla already broke her arm and she's only in kindergarten.

I've managed to break both arms, both legs, two ribs, a collarbone and my middle finger on my left hand. Also a big toe, LOL. The finger and toe wasn't from horses, but all the others were, it's a dangerous sport.

She does wear a helmet, doesn't she? Oh, and give her a hug, she'll need one even if she won't admit it. I also was told that taking a painkiller with caffeine made it more effective, so get that coffee pot going!

Annie

Ooooh, poor baby! I agree, she'll be home from school early today!

Hard to believe this is her first broken bone with all the risky endeavors she takes on!

Hope she's back to her old self very soon!

Linda

Eileen, it's probably going to hurt more later.

The ER here gears up for snow season, Kim came home one day in November and said "You can tell the skiing season has now begun...."

Hugs to Alice.

Nancy

Yeasch....I read "Crash" and I thought it was a car crash!
Glad it's only a collar bone.
But she will be away from the horses and the gymnastics for a while.
My grandson has broken his collarbone twice. a brace made it feel a lot better....but I remember it was a little difficult getting his arm into a t_shirt...
Give her a great big "poor baby" from me.
Linda C

All I can say is YIKES!!

Give her a hug from me!

Cheers!
Susie

The conversations side is getting scary to open...
Hope she heals well and quickly.

Jo

Wow, she must have some kind of pain tolerance, to make it through a whole night without seeing a doctor. Glad it wasn't anything more serious (although that's serious enough). Wishing her a very speedy recovery, and hoping she isn't in to much pain.

Shelley S.

Poor Alice, I'm impressed that she even went to school today.

Ann

I also panicked with the implication of "crash" after poor David's post about his dad. Indeed she is a trooper going to school under the circumstances. Hangnails usually keep students from class.

Best wishes that she heals quickly and can get back to business!

I didn't break anything until I was 29--broke my leg in 3 places sliding into a base. My first question -- "was I safe?".

So sorry to hear that...Poor Alice! My younger granddaughter also broke her collarbone a while ago in her gym class doing karate....she was so good at it that she was invited to join the school team. The first time she was thrown to the floor after joining the club....crash...her collarbone. I know how painful it was for her.

Hope Alice heals quickly!

SharonCb

Yikes I saw "Crash" and though car too!

Meredith did the collar bone thing day 2 her first year at away camp. She didn't want the nurse to call me because she was worried I'd make her come home! LOL

None of my business but...... Meredith did competitive gymnastics too. Was very good and we were supportive. Now ,at age 21, she suffers from chronic back pain. Three ruptured discs, wish I knew then what I know now. It ain't worth it.

My money says if she isn't home now she will be soon, poor kid 'cause I'm sure it really hurts. Lot's of TLC in order Mom.

Sorry, Linda! "Crash" is my nickname for her. With all her airborne activities, she has hit the ground a lot. She comes home limping often and says some horse or another bucked her off. When I suggest a doctor visit she just shrugs it off. This time it was her idea to go for an x-ray so I knew she was really injured.

Annie, she wears a helmet for horses under duress. When she is 18, I'm sure she will tell me where to put the helmet. I tried to get her a helmet for snowboarding but our shopping efforts failed, she couldn't find a good fit in one she liked.

Pam, it's usually the boys who are the risk-takers but my son is very, very cautious and stays clear of any activity with potential for physical pain. Alice makes up for him. She was the one who broke furniture and knocked pictured off the wall.

Mustangs! Were you? Safe, that is! Too much! Alice should have been your kid!

Shelley, staying home and going to ER the next morning was her choice. I gave her a mild pain pill I had but, yes, she has a very high pain tolerance.

Ann, I wanted her to stay home today but she wanted to go with the option of coming home if needed. So far she is still at school.

As an aside, the x-ray made me a little queasy. The collarbone looked like a snapped twig. Ick.

I'm so glad that it wasn't a terrible car crash in that new Land Rover. Not that a broken coller bone is anything to scoff at. They hurt like hell when broken.Poor baby. I expect you will be getting a call soon...

Thank heavens she'll be all right!

But OH MY, I'll step up on my soapbox and give you a little ammo for when she tells you that she's ready to hang up her riding helmet! I too ride and do competitive trail riding and I wear a helmet (so does DH Joe) as "you just never know". I can show her the crack and split in a helmet that I have from a fall that I took about 4 years ago.

My youngest son played Taps at the funeral of a man who died in our hometown 2 years ago because he DIDN'T fall off: he was hanging on after the horse spooked and began to bolt and hit his head on a tree trunk.

For your ammo: If she isn't paying her own health insurance and doesn't have a spouse to take care of her if she gets hurt, then Mom still has the final say on the helmet!

When people say they don't want to wear one because they look dumb/are hot/give them helmet hair etc, I just smile and say that I think that I'd look worse sitting in the wheelchair with a feeding tube, so I stick with the helmet! No one ever has a comeback to that one!!!

Grace

PS.... I glued an antenna topper onto mine that is shaped like one of those pointy "queen" type caps and have some sheer ribbons hanging off the tip for kicks. I have a friend with a Koosh ball glued to the top of hers and another with a Mickey Mouse antenna topper on top..... a bit whacky but you may as well have fun!

Eileen, if none of Grace's ideas work for the helmet, just hang a big ole' poster of Christopher Reeve in her room, after his horseriding accident. It's nothing to play with, it's a dangerous sport and your "partner" is also a live creature, with feelings and ideas of his/her own.

Helmets, always.

Annie (who has taken more falls than she cares to remember)

We had a local 8th grader last Sunday...needed a helmet on when he was on a giant rope swing at a popular hang out place here. He fell and split the top of his head open basically from ear to ear. After two surgeries to relieve brain swelling and a week long induced coma to reduce brain activity/stimuli..He's being moved to the Children's hospital from the trama hospital. I haven't gotten an update if he's been moved yet, or how he's doing.

But he was just "swinging"...and many a kid has done it for years and generations with no real ill harm.

My boys have been lazy regarding helmet wear lately..I reminded them..that they will loose their "wheel" privledges if I catch them without a helmet on.

I am so glad Alice is going to be okay. She is definately a tough NUTT! LOL

Darn! And Uh-oh! I'm supposed to go with some friends to Mammoth soon and one was going to teach me how to snowboard. Maybe I'll just stay on the old-fashioned skis on the bunny slope. Eeeeek.

Alice will mend up - she's young and healthy. Me, not so young!

I'm glad she is going to be OK as well. How's she feeling now?

Gina, Alice wasn't just mildly going down the hill. She was trying a new trick on a jump in icy conditions. This is a pic from last year.

I talk myself blue about helmets. The Christopher Reeves story has no effect. Another story. I'm just glad there are helmets in riding. There were no helmets in gymnastics. She injured her back and moved her energies over to horses.

As she gets older and the falls hurt more, she is changing her tune a little. She took a hard fall last year to her chin while snowboarding and started talking about helmets. Her snow season in over for this year. Helmet for sure next year.

She is home sleeping now. I do admire her fearlessness and athleticism but I cringe and worry all the same.

Oh my goodness, I'm so glad she's "ok!" I'm fortunate that I've never broken any bones (knock on wood), so I can't even imagine how much breaking a collarbone hurts! She's certainly a daredevil, I don't envy you the worry you must go through.

Glad she made it through the day, but I hope she doesn't overdo it. Good luck mom!

Bri

Uhhh, okay, I am definitely NOT going to be doing anything like that, LOL! I do trust my friend who is teaching me - he's not a rash person and wouldn't put me in danger (no more than strapping on a snowboard at my age is dangerous to begin with!)

I'm glad my mom knew little or nothing about the riskier things I've done in my life. I feel for you Eileen!

Hope Alice is feeling a little better... poor kid! I give you lots of credit too for being able to survive raising a gusty kid like that.

Alexa

That is a fabulous picture of Alice! I needed that visual to appreciate her aka name.

Eileen, To your question--as DD (10 at the time) said "Yes mom you were safe, but you aren't suppose to slide into first base."

I'm glad Alice is home resting....tough kid. The picture of Alice is terrific. How long will she have to keep the arm/shoulder stabilized?

Too funny, but unfortunately true, Cathy's remark about "Hangnails usually keep students from class" and Cathy, I'm glad you were safe!

Hugs to Alice and to Mom.

Brenda

Eileen, we all cringe when our children do reckless things. Then I think of all the reckless things I did and I cringe even more.

I'm hoping Alice feels OK today, it always seems to me like the 2nd or 3rd day is the worst.

Annie

What a picture!!! I never was coordinated enough to do anything like that ..... WOW!!

Grace

I am another one who thought of car when I saw this thread. A broken collar bone is no fun either though. Alice and I share the nickname "Crash". I was always called that as a kid. Sending healing thoughts.
Linda

Look at that girl fly! She is really quite an amazing person. Brains, beauty and courage all wrapped up in one.

Here's my son flying on his board, except it's a kiteboard flying over the Pacific off the Ventura beach.

All we moms can do is grit our teeth and hope for the best, right Eileen?

Eileen, my first thought was a car accident. Sorry to hear about Alice's broken collar bone but I'm glad to know it wasn't a major car accident. Whew! Cool pic on the snowboard! Hope she not in too much pain and on the mend. I don't have kids but two my nephews down here have scared the ___out me more than once.

David

Wow, Pam! Maybe Alice doesn't know about that sport yet... That's a spectacular shot! Some people just have to be airborne I guess.

I was talking to my sister yesterday. Her 12 year old son is like Alice, risk-oriented with a high pain tolerance. They were on the way to the doctor to check on his head thump to the ground while skateboarding which he failed to mention until he took a second spill and his head began to hurt. He has had several fractures in the past few years. Some of which he barely noticed until he was in pain for a week.

Alice seems better this morning. She slept a long time and didn't wake to take pain meds in the night. We have an ortho appointment on Friday. I have to go collect the films from the ER. She will mend, hopefully without a big lump!

There will be a big lump....healing bones make a lump and on a collar bone it's very evident....but it will go away in time.
Linda C

I'm sure Alice knows about kiteboarding and is only waiting for her chance to try it. It would be right up her alley. My other son is the snowboarder, but so far has remained in one piece.

Having been a coward for most of my life I really admire people like Alice who just get out there and go for it.

I'm late with my wishes for Alice, I'm sorry Eileen! I hope she feels better soon and heals with a minimum of discomfort. The helmet thing really scares me, after doing medical malpractice for a few years, I saw enough "no helmet" accidents to last a lifetime. I'd make Sam and Ben wear a helmet on the school bus and during PE at school if they'd indulge me...... Hugs to you and your beautiful daughter! (((Eileen and Alice)))
DONNA

I'd say give her a hug for me but with a broken collar bone that might be painful... pass along my best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Kids have no fear of death. Tell her if she smacks her head without a helmet it might take months before she can talk on the phone again.

: )
lyra

Ortho appointment went well. Doctor says it will heal with a little angle to and will likely result in a bump. To minimize the bump he put her in a figure 8 brace. She didn't like it at first as he had to cinch her tightly and it hurt. But now she likes the hands-free aspect of it. The sling kept her left handed. In 4 weeks we go back for a new xray and progress check.

Then we had girl time and went for haircuts! I called her in sick to school for the whole day since it was a quiet school day for her.

Glad she's feeling better....and am surprised they waited so long to put her into that figure 8 brace....it makes things feel better and heal well.
By the 4 week visit she will feel fine....but likely will be told to "take it easy"
yeah.....sure!
Linda C

I thought the sling seemed like not much in the way of help but we didn't get an ortho appointment until yesterday morning. ER provided the sling and sent us on our way. I called the pediatrician on Monday who simply made an ortho appointment for us.

Oh yeah, take it easy! Ha. She is still sleeping a lot but I think it's the pain meds. When she needs those less that will stop.

She met a kid in the ortho office who had a broken arm, also from snowboarding. First time on a snowboard, no lesson. Urged on by friends. Even Alice insists all her friends take one lesson at least to learn the basics like HOW TO STOP. Alice told me yesterday that on the same day one of her good friends went snowboarding for the first time with other friends who said they'd teach her. So no lesson. She tore her knee apart first time down the hill and will need surgery and 16 weeks recovery time.

Thanks all for the good wishes. I appreciate the support. Though it's hard to be mom to an adrenaline junkie I never wanted to be like the mom next door who tried to wrap her kids in cotton batting. They were never allowed to play in the front yard for fear they would be stolen. Her daughter, who is Alice's age, wasn't allowed to learn to ride a bike until she was 15 for fear she'd fall. She and Alice, though the same age and separated only by the fence line, never buddied up. Barbies vs rollerblades.

Pam, I showed Alice the kite boarding pic. Yup, she likes the look of that but is spooked about what lurks in ocean water though she will boogie board in Santa Cruz with friends. Go figure. I'm another big chicken. You and I can cluck together from a safe spot.

Lyra, great advice! But make that text messaging and using myspace. ;)

Donna. I know what you mean. Alice's dad is an attorney (retired now) and he wouldn't even let me get a bicycle when we were first married. He's seen too many accident reports.