To be beyond livid at my daughter's school?

[mogwhistle]

Today my daughter hurt her wrist falling badly from a trampet in PE - first period so this happened at around 9.10 am. PE teacher said she could sit out rest of lesson - that was the sum of her concern. During DD's next lesson she informed teacher that she was struggling to write so was given a 'permission' slip to visit matron during break-time.

DD went to matron ( about 10.40 ) matron sprayed some Deep Heat and wrapped a flimsy bandage on her wrist.

DD went to rest of lessons - didn't have lunch 'cos couldn't carry her tray, dropped equipment during science and smashed it and when she eventually got home she was grey faced and her fingers & thumb were like fat blue sausages.

Needless to say I took her to A&E and not only has she fractured the most difficult bone possible (for healing) the swelling is so bad that they won't be able to do anything for 10 days.

I have to take DD2 to school tomorrow and explain why DD1 won't be there - not sure I will be able to manage it in a civil manner so I would like to know am I being unreasonable to be so angry or should I just put this down to an accident and 'one of those things' that happens.

DD1 is 13 by the way and not a baby but she is my baby!

YANBU, go in and state that you want to speak to headteacher.

One of those things!! Not like she spent the day with just the one teacher who could monitor her is it?

Yanbu. But it's not always possible to work out a fracture. I once broke my collar bone and fractured two bones in my neck but didn't realise til someone pointed out they thought it may be brokennearly 24 hours later.

yanbu
the school nurse should have let her phone you or phoned you herself to pick her up

I would be furious at this. Surely even if the PE teacher was an incompetant arse who couldn't be bothered to check she was OK, The matron should have done? Is she even qualified in first aid, let alone nursing?

I would be calling them neglectful, and I would be tempted to go straight to the HT with it.

Feel for you.

I think it depends on te way your dd handled it tbh, at 13 she has to take some responsibility for herself. I wouldbe livid at the school too, but if your dd didn't make it clear how much pains he was in and just got on with doing her best, imnot sure how much you can expect from the teachers.

The thing that I would flip over is that the nurse gave completely the wrong treatment, and in doing so forced the other teachers into a position where they had to undermine or override her judgement, or say nothing. I would make a complaint about the nurse, not the teachers.

No YANBU and it isn't one of those things! That is absolutely outrageous and I would be fuming too.

YANBU. Seems odd that none of her other teachers noticed the problem, especially if she couldn't do work properly.

Yadnbu - I'd go mad!

You'd have thought that with the swelling they would have realized that something wasn't right, especially with her not being able to hold things/write etc.

I'd probably write a letter and hand it in to the office - wouldn't trust myself not to tear them off a strip!

You'r poor dd I do hope she's not in too much pain

X=posted

but...

I have to say a similar thing happened to me when I was the same age- I chipped the knuckle between the first and middle fingers. It swelled up like nothing I've ever seen. School nurse put my hand in a sink full of cold water for a while, then sent me on my way...Dad took me to A&E that evening and x-rays showed a bit chipped off the bone.

I now get arthritus (sp?) in that knuckle every winter, and find typing and writing for long periods very painful.

First aid should be just that-FIRST aid, not 'after school aid'!

I'd be cross. As the school has a proper matron, her advice should have included information about going back to her if the symptoms worsened or if she couldn't use her hand properly.

An even non-expert teachers could have done more (sending her back to matron) when it was clear she was dropping things - smashing science kit is a pretty obvious event, after all.

But I hope that this won't make a difference to the outcome for DD. Were the hospital staff sure she had broken it? It's really tricky to get a clear shit of the smaller bones in the wrist. I was told, when a DC did this, that they treat as if broken (immobilise) for 10 days, then review in fracture clinic when they may redo X-rays (at that point, the line of new bone growth where a fracture heals will show clearly). If it is confirmed broken at that point, then you are looking at a lengthy immobilisation. But you might be lucky (as we were) and it not be broken after all. I do hope so.

Thank you for such quick responses! FlossieTeacakeShouldFakeIt I get your point but DD1 is very quiet and introvert and has been throughout her school years and the teachers know this (DD2 is her twin and the exact opposite) . She really isn't a 'complainer' - takes after my DH! I am just so annoyed that the school didn't inform me so that I could have gone to the school to see for myself what her hand and wrist looked like - DD1 is in so much pain

Well they should have put an icepack on it at least.

Very hard to tell if something is broken or not especially certain smaller bones in wrist.

I fractured same one I think you mean and I honestly thought it was a sprain until xray. It was swollen etc sore, weak but have had more painful sprains.

Can also take while for swelling and can get worse in few hrs so could be big difference between what pe teacher and matron saw and what it was like when she got home.

What is their policy on accidents, do they normally ring parent or only if really ill or head injury?

I would not be livid at school and no point going in furious, maybe speak to year head or whoever you do in these situations and say it was fracture and you feel you should have been contacted during day when apparent it was still sore etc.

Did your dd mention it to other teachers or anyone after matron visit?

They probably thought was minor thing and (not saying this about your dd) some teenage girls can be dramatic about a minor injury so they may have (incorrectly and unconsciouslly even) dealt with it as such.

Does your dd have mobile, could she not have called you at a break or text or used office phone to tell you herself it was bad. She is 13 so not like in primary where only possible for teachers to call home for sick/injured kids.

I work in a school (primary) and our policy would be to ring for anything like you described.

Hope she gets well soon, fractures are not fun.

Ice it (over bandage if she has one) every hour for 20mins when she is up, give her ibuprofen for the pain and keep it elevated on pillow a bit when sitting down and up in sling to support it when moving about.

Did they not even put half cast on it, they did that for me as really swollen and then got proper cast next day, then new cast week later when swelling down as cast got looser after that.

Also give her chocolate and a girly magazine that helps too.

Be civil and calm and explain rationally why you are not happy with how her accident was handled, you still need to be respectful to staff in the school in the manner in which you speak to them. It is possible to make it clear you are unhappy about it and dissatisfied with their actions without going in all guns blazing.

That's shocking! I would be fuming to say the least! You are defiantly NBU!

Edithweston it's her scaphoid (sp) that they think is broken - my DH broke both last winter so we sort of know what to expect. The Dr reckons it is broken but she will have to have an x ray with radium (if I remember that correctly) to confirm.

I wasn't saying your dd did anything wrong mog, my ds is the same - very quiet and unlikely to complain. The point is that if she isn't complaining you can't expect the teachers to realise there is anything wrong, especially if she has been sent on her way by the Matron.

You should complain, but your complaint has to be about the nurse giving the wrong first aid treatment (she should have been given some kind of cryotherapy such as ice, told to rest it, maybe put a compression bandage on and made to elevate it) and that she didn't make the descison to call you.

This is definatly worthy of some action on your part, I just think you need to focus on the nurses actions rather than the teachers not noticing.

The school should have done more without question, I'd def take them to task over that...

Scaphoid healing depends on the break, I broke mine aged 17 and had bad swelling and pain but was not casted as they said this can affect blood supply and that was vital to the scaphoid healing correctly
True enough I was back riding racehorses 2 weeks later

Definatley NBU got nuts! I would

lucertola28 they would have put an ice-pack on but had none left (must have been a lot of accidents that morning!) and as for mobile phones the school is very strict that pupils don't use them in school or at break or lunch time for any reason. I did say when they got home why not go to reception and insist they call me but they seemed to think that they would be ignored!

I broke scaphoid, they usally treat a suspected one as fracture and put in cast then re xray a week or two later as only when healing sometimes you can see if fracture (as they can see healing of bone on xray).

It takes about 4-6 weeks for actual bone to heal (same as most fractures), the problems are more associated with where it is as can affect blood supply and cause problems in future IF not treated properly medically.

Seems strange to me if a & e suspected that kind of fracture they did not even do half cast/temp cast and are waiting 10 days, they should be seeing her back in a few days to put on temp cast at very least.

Matron seems most at fault here for initial poor treatment. I thought everyone knew to apply ice pack, seems standard default for teachers not trained in first aid for bumps and sore limbs.

OK I was thinking that when I take DD2 to school tomorrow I was going to ask for an appointment to see the head of year to basically ask for answers. Your responses show that maybe the Matron should have done more - (however knowing my DD she probably underplayed the pain she was in) . Not sure what to do now but still not happy!

Wow, so they knew to do icepack but didn't as none available, not really good enough! Should have at least used towel soaked in very cold water until one was available. Pupils should be allowed call home if needed for medical reason and not feel like they'd be ignored, especially as your dd seems a bit shy.

Definitely complain to school, but in clear, calm way.