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Original poster

Advice regarding ds- has fallen down stairs on a bike

70 replies

EnglishRose1320 · 27/09/2018 18:40

Ds13 was out with a friend, tried to get off his bike to take it down some steps, got caught on the bike and fell with it down about 8 concrete steps, landing on a small bridge at the bottom, his shoe fell off into the water and he was stuck under his bike. His friend said he hit his head (he was wearing a helmet) and his arm whacked against the edge of the bridge. Now my issue is he says he can't move his a at all, no signs of any swelling. Where it gets tricky is ds has autism and is hyper sensitive to pain. I have no idea how to tell if he is refusing to move it due to the idea of pain or if he actually can't move it. It's not uncommon for him to not move arms/legs etc when he has knocked them but equally he hasn't had a big fall like this before. His friend said it looked horrible and ds was clearly in shock when I got there. When I arrived he was shaking head to foot and said his arm had stopped hurting and gone numb, then starting hurting again when I tried to get him up. Don't want to take him to get it checked out if it's unneeded but don't want to miss an injury. I suspect just bruising and shaken up but not 💯 sure.

OP posts:
Finfintytint · 27/09/2018 18:43

Falling down 8 concrete steps is enough to expect an injury. Get it checked out.

LIZS · 27/09/2018 18:43

Minor injuries to check over.

WraithBabe · 27/09/2018 18:44

Not quite the same but my son broke his arm when he was four. He didn't complain about pain and it didn't look badly swollen (not that he would let us look at it) but he just wanted to go to bed and said he was cold - I think shock kicking in. The shaking would worry me.

I would take him to A&E.

IamaBluebird · 27/09/2018 18:44

Your poor Ds , that sounds awful. I'd take him to get checked over just in case. Hope he feels better soon .

UnalliterativeGeorge · 27/09/2018 18:45

Get it checked - my DS broke a leg and couldn't tell from looking at it. He was too young to tell us if he couldn't or wouldn't stand on it.

Lwmommy · 27/09/2018 18:45

If he has had a bad fall and cant reliably describe his pain then a trip to A&E is sensible.

PrincessConsuelaBannanaHammock · 27/09/2018 18:47

Hope he is ok OP. I think you should take him to a & e to be sure, it does sound like quite a sore fall

PhilomenaButterfly · 27/09/2018 18:50

Take him to A&E.

Original poster
EnglishRose1320 · 27/09/2018 18:54

I think he should get checked out but he is refusing- has had a few hospital admissions this year and is terrified. Going to get his younger brother to bed and get someone over to watch him in case we need to go (typically oh is away for work tonight)

OP posts:
PhilomenaButterfly · 27/09/2018 21:47

Tell him if it's broken and not set it can heal wonkily, DH has a wonky ankle and finger, both from breaks he didn't realise he had.

Original poster
EnglishRose1320 · 27/09/2018 21:58

He managed to wiggle his fingers and make a loose fist. He says its his upper arm and shoulder that hurts. Has agreed to see his gp in the morning if needed. Is much less shaken up now and tucked up with a blanket on the sofa, keeping pain relief topped up and watching for any swelling.

OP posts:
endofthelinefinally · 27/09/2018 22:17

Have you at least put it in a sling to stabilise it? And prop him up on several pillows.

Original poster
EnglishRose1320 · 28/09/2018 00:39

No sling but is propped up with pillows. He has just gone to bed, hopefully he will get some sleep and move it more freely in fhe morning. He is moving it a little bit more, struggling to sleep though because of knocking it.

OP posts:
SofiaAmes · 28/09/2018 00:44

Some years ago, my dd's friend was staying with us because her father was dying. They were 7 or 8 at the time. They went out for a bike ride and when they came back to my house, they got off their bikes to walk them as I live on a hill. Dd's friend toppled over onto her bike while standing next to it. She was not complaining and didn't even cry, but wasn't moving her arm much. The next day her mom took her to A&E where they xrayed her arm and it was broken in two places. No one could quite understand how it had happened from a 7 year old falling over from a standing still position. If I hadn't seen it happen myself, I would have never believed it.

Rebecca36 · 28/09/2018 00:52

Please do take him to A&E.

Original poster
EnglishRose1320 · 28/09/2018 00:56

I would have taken him to get checked this evening if I could but he was adamant he wouldn't go and his aniexty was shooting up. I didn't push it because he was using his hand again and just keeping his upper arm still, he showed me he could move his upper arm a little bit but it hurt a lot to do it. He is still awake atm and if it gets worse or he wants to go I will of course take him.

OP posts:
Original poster
EnglishRose1320 · 28/09/2018 08:17

He fell asleep around half 1 and slept fairly well until half 7, I went into wake him and when I moved his duvet he screamed. He is refusing pain relief because he says it didn't work last night. Going to get his brother to school and then try and get him to see the gp, which he is now refusing to do.

OP posts:
PrincessConsuelaBannanaHammock · 28/09/2018 08:41

Sorry to hear he isn't any better this morning. I hope you manage to get him to the gp this morning.

fabulousathome · 28/09/2018 08:44

A and E would be better than a GP I think.

CormoranStrike · 28/09/2018 09:03

A and e I think - poor lad

iMatter · 28/09/2018 09:12

A&E I think

I broke my arm (badly) a few weeks ago and I could wiggle my fingers

A cast or splint should also help with the pain by stabilising it

I hope he's ok Thanks

notapizzaeater · 28/09/2018 09:16

Poor love, my love ASD child can be such a. Drama queen over tiny little marks Nd cuts but when He had an actual real problem he was calm and just mentioned it in passing. He'd got a huge infection in his big toe for Days and the doctor said he must have been in agony.

LoniceraJaponica · 28/09/2018 09:22

Have you a minor injuries unit near you? If not this isn't a GP call, but A and E.

Original poster
EnglishRose1320 · 28/09/2018 09:23

He has just done a really big stretch, clearly achey but full movement. I know A&E will have better diagnostic tools than a gp but the only way to get ds to A&E is either in an ambulance with police presence or if the GP who he trusts has managed to persuade him. At 13 he is bigger than me and his anxiety can make him very volatile.

Notapizzaeater- I think that's what's worrying me, if his brother has knocked him he will kick up fuss for hours but after the initial shock of the fall he has been trying to minimise the pain and get on as normal but clearly can't.

OP posts:
DeathyMcDeathStarFace · 28/09/2018 09:28

Hope you're off organising seeing the GP, they may well send him for an x-ray though.

Ds2 fell off a chair when he was 3, landed on his arm and broke both the bones in his forearm! No tears, he insisted there was no pain, only sign of a break was the shape of his arm. Could still use it like normal, but needed it aligned under sedation and he started pre-school with his arm in a plaster cast. So the amount of pain etc. doesn't signify if there are broken bones. Lots of pain could be muscle, tendon etc. damage.

Hopefully your DS will have minimal damage, bruising can really hurt, and can get sorted really easily.