Nature of the Beast

Well ironically, we did end up at CHOA today (Children's Hospital of Atlanta).  But not for Meagan.  For Reilly.  She had been complaining of some "minor" pain since Wednesday, but told me it was no big deal.... until I picked her up yesterday from school and noticed her limping.  I asked her if it hurt and she said "well, a little"... but I could tell it was more.  When we got home, I made her sit down and I started to put slight pressure on the part of her leg that hurt... when I got to a certain point, she screamed and winced ... I got concerned because while there are muscles and tendons in that area, it was also right along a small bone line.

So off to CHOA we went this morning - having been a competitive Irish Dancer myself and having had several stress fractures and a broken foot twice, I know it can happen.  As soon as she was examined by the doctor, she felt it was an injury along her fibula bone.  She got Reilly back for an x-ray very quickly.  As Reilly was waiting for the X-ray tech to set things up, she asked me, "Mom, is this the kind of stuff Meagan always has to do?"  I said "Yes, Meagan has had a lot of x-rays and scans."  Reilly then said "Well, I'm going to be brave for her."

My gut feeling was confirmed - stress fracture of her fibula... splinted and on crutches for a week and then supposed to see a sports medicine doctor to get it looked at.  They will tell her when she is allowed to weight bear again, and how long until she can get back to her full training. The doctor said it was good we came in and caught it early - with a lot of rest and strengthening it will hopefully heal on its own. And Reilly also learned a good lesson - tell me right away when something starts hurting so we can help it immediately! :)

Disappointed

Meanwhile her sisters had dance class today so Reilly stayed home with Daddy and the little ones to rest while I took the other two to class.  On the way home, they asked if we could stop and get a treat for Reilly since she got hurt.  I thought it was very sweet, so they picked out some coloring things and a movie for tonight and gave it to her when we got home. Our neighbors also were so sweet and dropped by with get well soon notes.


Reilly was so happy to have the surprises - and even with two competitions coming up soon she will have to miss, she is taking the "high road."  She is of course frustrated and disappointed.  Dance is pretty much her life - it is her passion and she practices everyday and goes to class several times a week.  So I feel for her.  But she is being so positive.  She has told me several times today Meagan is her strength to get better. Meagan loves watching Reilly practice... and instead of being down about it, Reilly turned on the music, and reached over to make Meagan's feet helping her "dance" her steps.  Meagan loved it.

Reilly has already decided that at the next competitions she wants to go cheer on her sisters and her fellow dance friends.  She even wants to attend all her dance classes and sit there, take notes, and practice "in her head" or "with her hands" as her friends continue to train.  She said "We are a team mom! I have to be there to cheer them on - I am just so happy for them." She absolutely loves her dance buds and I am so proud of her that she wants to still go and support them. She knows after talking to me about my experiences,  Irish Dancing is really tough on the legs and feet - but it's  just the nature of the beast that sometime, it's bound to get you down for a bit.  She will bounce back before she knows it and learn a lot from this little "break" (no pun intended).  I'm proud of her accomplishments of course, but, after this little incident, I'm even more proud of her attitude and how she has handled an unexpected setback.  That's something no competition could ever prove :)

 Love Reilly so much - she truly is a gem!  Feel better soon Reilly! :)