Parents Injury Update

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

Blackie6

Proud Parent
I'm apologising now if this gets too long...I am one big ball of emotions right now over DD's foot. For anyone out there that has lived thru a gymie with an injury, bless you, because I never realized how hard it was. I already posted about taking DD to my work (Urgent Care Center) where they x-rayed her (remember this for later) and told me they suspected hairline fracture. This was on New Year's Eve. A couple days later I was able to get her into a Ped Ortho who suspected the hairline was not in the growth plate as first suspected, but a little higher and showed me a line on the x-ray itself. They put her in a walking brace and told her stay out of the gym for two weeks. Our meet was starting the day of this appointment and I had to work the Friday night session and 2 sessions on Sat. DD came with me and had a blast with all the team girls who treated her like she was the princess. However, you can take the girl out of the gym, but can take the gym out of the girl. She ran all over that hotel, never sitting still for a second. The doc did say she would do no damage with the brace, but still I spent most of the time yelling at her to take it easy or she would end up in a full body cast up to her nose! Coaches brother (a tramp champ who coaches girls on the tramp) even told her about how his foot needed to be pinned and it still didn't scare her enough to stop bouncing around. Braces should also come with sedatives for gymmies! She wanted Shawn to sign her brace but since it was black I had nothing that would write on it & no time to run home and back. Meanwhile this is our gym's meet and daughter has been a part of this planning process since last year as it was also a fund raiser for the Susan G Komen foundation (we raised, contributed $11,000) and wanted to compete so badly. We even had special black/pink leo's with the logo to wear. DD did not want to sit with the team and watch, she wanted to compete! Here's the hard part..... being the mom. I told her NO. I told her her foot was and should be more improtant than any meet. Medals, meets will come and go but you need the foot for life long after you're out of the gym. She seemed OK at first with not competing our meet and States. Then, late on Friday my usually immature daughter argued her case on why she should compete. It made me cry, and I am crying now as I type this because I HATED myself for even entertaining the thought she compete on the foot. I told her very seriously that it is OK to just sit with the team and she should feel no pressure from anyone to participate and that nobody expected her and nobody would be mad at her because she was hurt. I thought if I told her that then she wouldn't feel like she was letting me/dad down or her team/coach. I also told her she goes to L5 no matter what, it didn't depend on a meet or a score. Then she starts crying and says "but mommy, I worked sooo hard for this...I waited all year for this and I worked so hard on my beam". Then she pleaded to at least allow her to do bars. Anyone remember the movie "Animal House" with the little devil/angel on the shoulder making comments? I had NO SLEEP on Friday night or Sat night. I didn't know what to do. I have never in my whole life felt so horrible, conflicted and not knowing what to do. I didn't know what to do up until about 1 hr before the session started on Sunday. All weekend people gave me lots of advice, good and bad, sports doctors names, personal stories and that confused me even more. But, because it was our meet we had a lot of extra coaches there, staff, medical staff and trainer we decided to allow her to do bars. She is solid on that event, it's the one that makes her the most happy and the least amount of foot time. So, on Sunday she happily warmed up with the team, her foot had a gel cup taped on. Nothing that involved jumping, only stretches. When she warmed up bars she did not dismount, her coach caught her. She had extra mats and a sting mat under her. Coach was very close by and very protective like a mother hen. She had a little problem getting her foot over the bar for the shoot thru but did it. Not her best performance, but Olympic momment to me. I am not a nail biter but I did that day. I took no pictures because I thought I would throw up the whole time. When she came off they pulled all the tape off, iced her and she put her boot back on for protection. She got 7th place in her age group and was so happy...for the momment. On the way home she cried becaue she wanted to do everything and said I should let her. That's when I reminded her WHO the mom was, LOL

OK, rememeber I told you about the initial x-ray? At work yesterday they called downstairs to my office & said my DD's report was in. I didn't know they sent it out to a radiologist, usually our films are reviewed in the office by our doctors. I was excited because I was thinking to be reviewed by a Radiologist is 99% BETTER than a doc review...it showed No abnormalities and NO FRACTURE? So, I faxed it right off to the Ortho and will call later since I am off today. When I got home last night DD was running around without brace on. I still think there is something going on there and still want her in brace so for school and most of the day she will keep it on, but we will send her to gym practice tomorrow and coach says she can do some things not invoving her foot, no vault and no tumbling except maybe on tumble track. She insists foot does not hurt now. Trying to figure out still if she is lying to me. Not sure about states yet, because doing our meet they could make special provisions for her with the extra mats and coaches and whatever is going on we don't want cause more damage. We have until Sat to make the call. So, only one more week of no sleep and I still feel like throwing up.

If this was my foot there would be no argument for me to sit it out so it kills me that DD is so driven sometimes. I have three kids and have never felt like this. Over this past weekend I got lots of personal stories from competing gymnasts, names of some good sports doctors which we will go to next time an injury happens, and advice good and bad. But in the end it is us the parents making the decisions. What I thought was a simple answer was met with a challenge by my own dd who argued that this was her sport and she was the one who put the time in. UGH!
 
S, thanks so much for sharing your story... my heart goes out to you for having such a rough time. I can't even imagine. J, is so cute that she was fighting for her right, what a little fire cracker! But you stood strong, and did the right thing by following your mommy insticts. It sounds like great news on the foot, - hopefully there is no problem in there... Could it have been a sprain? Will she do a follow-up with her ortho?

and best of luck to your little one for a great rest of the season! X ing my fingers that she will get to finish with no problems!
 
Thank you for sharing your story, I almost cried reading it:eek:! Injuries, and the emotions that come along with them (especially in competition season) are very hard to deal with. I guess I have been lucky and have not had any serious injuries to my daughter, but we have had a few close calls! I could see my dd having the same outlook as yours did! Well, I hope all goes well with the foot, and everything turns out okay. Good Luck:)!
 
Ingymmom,

Thanks, cross finger and toes!!!

Even if she misses the states they are supposed to do one last meet in Feb as level 4's but then it's off to L5 so she has plenty of time to recover from whatever. This injury stuff ......ARGH! I am thinking all last weekend if I saw some gymmie on the floor with a broken foot, what kind of mom would allow that? Me? UGH! I hate myself still that I got talked into bars. I am still waiting for DYFS to knock on my door for child abuse. And all I could think of is what people must think of me...but the heart to heart talk I had with my DD, I forgot she was only 7 years old. While she can't possibly understand the long term of making the foot worse even though we all explained it to her...she made sure we knew that it was her that put the 11 hours in the gym for the past year. That stinker!

Anyway, the state meet will be the last time her and her cuz will be together. Her cousin has been with her since pre-team but is moving on after states to hip-hop dance and possibly a more rec type or USAIGC (SP?) gymnastics program. DD is crushed cuz is leaving so this is their final meet together and we are going, either in leo or in team-up. So hard to be injured and have best friend leave.
 
Blackie,

Your story made me cry. I can totally see Abby being exactly the same. With gym kids, they seem to be the type that never sit still and tell them they can't do gym is like telling them not to breathe. :(

I think you made the right decision. They were very careful with her, she still got to be a part of the meet, but with all the precautions. She could trip on a sidewalk just walking and break something. The coaches were careful, had extra mats and I bet the impact from her dismount was less than all that running around she did. LOL. Don't be so hard on yourself, you were in a hard position, no one really knows how they will react in any situation unless they are in it.

As for States, that is a tough one. I don't envy your position. Your DDs appeal made me cry. We all know how hard they work and especially when they struggle with things and finally get it.

I hope that she will be better really soon and that you can make the decision and be at peace with whatever that decision is.

Hugs to you and your DD.
 
No one said being mom was easy, but I do think you did the right thing. I think that you made a good compromise - nothing but bars. She can always just compete bars at States again if the findings are still inconclusive.

If she does do States, GL this weekend!
 
So sorry to hear about the conflicting reports on your dd's foot.Do not feel bad about letting her compete bars sounds like her coaches toke very good care of her.I would see if I could get her in to see another ortho.Be strong just remind her that has her mom it is your job to try to keep her safe in whatever you decide stand your ground she will forgive you if you do not let her go to states.sending HUGS your way.
 
Oh Blackie! I feel so bad for you & your DD! With the conflicting readings of the x-ray, this is a confusing situation! The fact that you are so torn... proves you are a great mom!!! Here's a big CB group hug:grouphug: hoping it helps you get through the next few days!!! Good luck with your decision!
 
Injuryies are just so sould destroying. It is so hard to say no to our girls when they have worked so hard to get where they are. ending you back the hugs you gave me when I was really in the thick of it.

((((((HUGS)))))

Remind yourself that they can bounce back quickly and even if they get left a bit behind they will still find their groove.
 
Hey Blackie I can sure relate as DD as been on the DL for 7 weeks now. Jumps, turns and leaps - that is all she has been allowed to do. She goes back on the 16th, so we will see what happens next.

I think people should mind their own business for the most part. We had a girl on our team compete all but bars w/ a broken thumb. The Ortho put the cast on so she could still use all her fingers pretty well. Did beam and all. used a fist instead of a palm for BWO's etc. At first I was like WHAT???? but, not my kid and now that mine is injured. If there was stuff she could do safely w/o risking making it worse - I would let her.

She did work on her new beam mount this week - she is still in a splint but she tried. Maybe should not have but she kept the splint on (it is like the wrist brace for rollerblades etc so it has the metal support on the bottom). I just didn't have the heart to not let her try. It has been so difficult. At the last Ortho visit -3 weeks ago - they said it was healing great and that the splint was more of a reminder to be careful than anything.

Good luck to you. I know where you are coming from.
 

New Posts

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

Gymnaverse :: Recent Activity

College Gym News

New Posts

Back