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My 12 year old son that is. He fought a tree, the tree won. One ER trip, a ripped brand new minecraft shirt, minus some bark, three xrays and 18 stitches later, we are home.

He was at a friend's and they were playing a game. He climbed a tree, his friend sister scared him and he fell/slid out of the tree. In doing so? He was punctured by bark in his elbow joint. He pulled it out in his 12 year old infinite wisdom, started bleeding all over. My friend called me frantic. We went to urgent care who sent us to the ER. Nothing broken, but a tin of crap in the wound. Numbed him up and cleaned it out. Took forever. It was a deep puncture/laceration. Gnarly looking. I totally took pics.

10 stitches inside, 8 outside. He's going to have a wicked bruise tomorrow. It's right on his elbow joint.

I have 5 kids, 4 are boys. I've made it 17 years without stitches, lol. We have had broken bones however.

Poor kid. Poor mom. What a way to wrapmup the holiday! At least he's got a topic for that back to school essay!

Hugs to both of you.

Ugh Samantha!!! Boys are the worst! Sounds like you've had decent odds so far though, and so glad he's okay.

Boys are the worst!

Hey! I can't count the number of trees I've fallen out of and DS, to my knowledge, has never climbed a tree.

Oh, no!! The new minecraft shirt...

Can you tell I have a DS12?

(((healing mojo)))

I posted pics on Facebook, and several commented on his shirt, lol. It was a Christmas gift of course!

It was bound to happen sometime!

Thank goodness he's OK! That's the main thing.

When my kids got together with their friends/cousins, someone ALWAYS had either stitches and/or a visit to the ER! The only childhood broken bone, though, came when a horse my daughter was grooming stepped backward. She stepped backward to get out of horsie's way, fell off the platform they were on, and broke a small bone in her hand. I can never figure out how the two of them (son & daughter) escaped having broken bones. Of course, two years ago, my daughter (then 32) fell on a catamaran and broke her leg in TWO places while on vacation in Cuba. Making up for lost time?

Kids!!!!! They age us much too fast!

My friend's daughter was in a fight with a tree a few years ago. That darn tree won that fight, too.

She rode her bike right into the tree. Funny how trees don't move, huh?

Your son will have great stories to tell when he returns to school. He will also be the coolest kids in the class.

[This message edited by travels at 10:08 AM, December 27th (Friday)]

(((DS)))

I hope he heals quickly.

Yikes! Glad he's (mostly) ok.

Travels, we homeschool, but I'm sure he will be the coolest in our co-op, lol.

Awww poor kid. I think there was a song in the 70's about that...."I fought the tree and the tree won" Hee hee hee.....

Anyway, word of warning, from the nurse with experience if it was a sappy tree, pine, cedar, etc please keep a close eye out for infection. My poor dad was on IV antibiotics from a similar injury, the sap doesn't wash out of the wound, and it's a perfect breeding ground for bugs, as it's warm, full of sugar, and when the wound is closed, dark and damp. He had it happen twice and both times needed IV antibiotics, he was working with Pine trees to replace some porch supports, and debarking them.

DS22 has had several tree encounters, and has always lost.

One Christmas, when he was around 6 or 7, he was climbing a tree just before we were supposed to go to my parents' for gifts and dinner, and got snagged on a piece of branch or bark...opened up a 1" gash on his face, between his chin and his cheek. 5 stitches later, we were finally on our way. That scar did not heal all that well, but it gives him character.

The summer before his senior year in HS, he got mad at JM and went outside and punched a tree. Lovely boxer's fracture to his right hand.

The orthopedist was hilarious. He came in the room and said, "What'd that tree do to you?" When DS just shrugged his shoulders, the doc said, "Those trees can just really piss you off sometimes, huh?"

Tough we are keeping an eye on infection. He's on keflex for 10 days too. My mom is a nurse so I definitely know what to loom for. He's draining some today, and we expected that.

Again...boys!!!!

I climbed many a tree in my day... I don't recall ever falling out tho.

DS has never climbed a tree that I know of.

Keflex is not a great antibiotic anymore for bacteria that live on the skin. I only prescribe that for a fairly clean wound. Watch his arm very carefully. If it is red or swollen or drains pus or more than just a little serosanguinous fluid (like red water) please take him back in. Elbows are very easily infected.

Oh damn that's a heck of a fall!

That said, I fell out of more things and had more trips to the ER than my son. His two trips to the ER both had epic stories to go with them though

hope he's feeling OK today.

I told him chicks dig scars, lol!!!!

And I'm totally keeping an eye out for infection. We go for a wound check tomorrow. My mom is a nurse and I'm sending her daily pics too when I change the dressing. He is swollen, bruised and a bit red, but no red streaks, fever or pus. Just normal fluid drainage.

Sigh. Kids age me!