It's off!

Luke got his cast off this afternoon. He did great! He got a little bit nervous right when they turned the saw on to cut it off. Then once they started he looked up at me and said, "You're right mom, it doesn't hurt." He was cheerful through the whole process. It was really quick and Luke has healed very well. I was again quite impressed with the care and attention that he received. The nurse was extremely kind and patient and the doctor was great with Luke. What a blessing to have such competent health care professionals. Nat took the pictures today as the cast was coming off.

This was the first cut. Luke is a little apprehensive but decides to be brave.

This is about when he realized that it didn't hurt. He started taking interest in what was going on. I guess that the saw uses vibration to cut through the cast and the vibrations make it a little warm inside the cast.

They cut the cast down both sides and then used a special instrument to ply it open. I missed my calling in life. I should have gone into medicine. I love this sort of thing. That must come from mom. I guess that being a mother is medical enough to satisfy those curiosities.

Here are the pliers. There was a cracking sound as the cast opened up that last little bit. Then they cut the inner fabric and ...

Freedom! Luke pulled his arm out of the cast and started to wiggle. It was fun to see his arm. You would never guess that his arm had a cast on it recently. It didn't shrink, shrivel, or change in any way. The only little thing is some dry patchy skin that will sluff off over the next few days. I had kind of hoped for a more dramatic change. The human body is so interesting.

The nurse asked Luke if he wanted to take his cast home. He, of course, said yes and so she packed it in a little biohazard bag and he carried it home (what would Don Aslett say?). Once he was home I promptly put him in the bathtub to soak for an hour. His arm is now very clean and I have enjoyed being able to wash his hands so easily. I love the drama of motherhood.