Fractured femur

We knew this day would come but I don't know that you can ever truly be prepared.  We try to be prepared.  We have a splinting kit, medicine, emergency phone numbers, and try to stay calm.  We have had a few close calls in the last several months, but this one seems to be the real thing, UGH!

Ethan was running across the kitchen floor last night and fell like he has a thousand times before, but this time he screamed.  I scooped him up and tried to calm him down.  It took a few minutes and he was holding his right leg the whole time.  Once he calmed enough to talk he said his leg hurt where he was holding it.  I gave him pain meds and waited for them to work before moving him.  He wanted to play so we sat on the floor and he decided he needed to lie down with his right leg tucked under him.  It must have been comfortable for him because he refused to move for an hour.

I was ready to burst into tears so we called another OI Mom and asked her opinion on splinting him.  Since he was calm she suggested to try ace wrap first and then if he wasn't comfortable splint him with something stronger.  My sister and nephew were here so they distracted him while I double ace wrapped his leg.  He did great but was still really uncomfortable with just the ace.  Around 3-4 hrs after the fall I got him properly splinted and prayed I did it right!  I have splinted him this year after surgery and the post op splint was causing pain so I created a new one, but it is different when dealing with a fx.  I feel like a newbie in this area.  We have had 3 rodding surgeries now and I know what to expect and how to handle that, but Ethan hasn't had a major fracture for 2.5 years.

Ethan slept well last night with me and my sister, waking only once.  He did sit in his wheelchair for about 10 min today and wheeled around but really he is uncomfortable being moved at all, so I am trying to limit movement as much as possible.

What I was not prepared for is the questions.  Ethan does not understand why a simple fall caused a big owie.  He keeps asking what happened to his leg, if he can chase Scrubby now, if he can stand up, can he take off the splint, why his toe toes are stuck, etc.  At his age, I'm not sure how much he understands.  I have never really tried to explain to him that he has fragile bones.  He understands when he has surgery that he gets owies and we explained it is to make his legs stronger and to fix his bones.  Some part of me doesn't want to tell him he has OI.  I don't want it to change how he views himself.  I just want him to be the happy, carefree kiddo he has been.  I suppose he will have to learn what his limitations are but I don't want him to be afraid.   OI is such a roller coaster.  I was initially very sad and hurt because Ethan was upset, now I'm just angry and would like to punch OI in the face.