Week Ten

It is hard to believe that we almost done!  Today marks the 10th week and we have 11 more days.  Looking back it doesn't seem like it has already been ten weeks but I feel like it has been 10 years.  I am almost nervous for the cast to come off.   Katie has been in her "armor" for so long and has been so protected that we couldn't do anything to hurt her.  When the cast comes off she will be fragile and squishy again.  Don't get me wrong I am more than ready for the cast to come off.  I miss giving my baby a bath.  I miss being able to put cute outfits on her.  I miss being able to use a changing table.  She will be in a brace for 16 hours a day right after she gets out of the cast.  I wonder if it has to be 16 hours straight or if I can break it up and only have her wear it at night and nap times.   We are counting down to September 9.  It can't come soon enough.  I go back to school tomorrow.  Not sure how the early mornings are going to work.  Mom and I are going to have to switch cars every day because of Katie's carseat.  It is going to be interesting.

Half Way There!

Katie's surgery on Monday gave us good results.  The doctor told us that when he examined her while asleep that her hip had good range of motion and seemed very stable. The only issue we have had to deal with is the side effects from the hydrocodone they gave her in recovery.  She did not need the medication and it made her sick and she has had numerous tummy problems since.  I think we have finally gotten over the worst.  Davy and I were hoping that she would be one of the lucky kids that didn't need the second cast.  When we asked the doctor what the chances were she would not need the cast his response..."zero."  We are counting down the days until September 9 when the cast will come off.  The doctor is even coming to Twin Falls that day so we don't have to go to Boise.  She will then be placed in a hip brace for 16 hours a day.  That means she gets 8 hours a day to move!!!  After a month she will then be re-evaluated.  If there has been enough improvement then she will only have to wear the brace at night.  Then after another month then the doctor will check again for improvement and then slowly wean her out of the brace.  She still is not sleeping but I don't think she will as long as she is in the cast.   We wanted her to be in a lime green cast.  Due to a communication glitch she is in a John Deere green cast.  She is enjoying a little more freedom and is moving and wiggling more.  The other cast was getting way too tight.  We took the kids camping the week before Katie's cast change.  We figured it was perfect timing so if she got dirty it wouldn't be a big deal.  She did AWESOME in the mountains.  She would only wake up once a night and even slept through the night  once.  We did have a hard time keeping her cool.  The first two days in the mountains were in the ninety's and  she would get very fussy and would even "urp" more because she was too hot.  We have had to run a fan in her room at night because she was getting too hot even with the A/C running.

I am trying to start gearing up to go back to work.  Luckily Katie will only be in the cast a couple weeks while I am at work.  However, operating on very little sleep may be difficult.  She will not need to do physical therapy.  He does not want a therapist to force her hip to do anything.  He wants her healing to be with her own movements and her own muscle strength slowly rebuilding itself.  He did tell us that when she is 5 or 6 years old it is possible she may need another surgery.  If her hip does not form completely after her learning to crawl and walk then they will have to go in and actually make a hip socket for her.  Much worse surgery.  We are praying it does not come to that and the doctor does not see that happening.  We caught it very early and everything looks good now but he wanted us to be prepared just because there is always the chance.  We are not focusing on that but on September 9 and her recovery afterwards.  We are just so thankful that she does not have something worse.

                                                            Katie on the day of surgery.