Starting on surgery day.....
I'm not even sure why we went to sleep, we only got a few hours and then actually slept through our alarms. Both of us! Family woke us up, thank goodness, and we got all 4 of us out the door in 20 minutes which is pretty dang impressive. In July, we had actually done all of this all the way up to passing her off to the nurse for surgery, it just lasted a whole 10 minutes before they called us to come back up. So we were pretty familiar with how the morning would go. We snuggled, watched cartoons, and then she went to surgery. A nurse came by and updated us every hour which was awesome! And not just a generic update--she gave us details. The surgery was supposed to take 4-5 hours and it ended up taking only 2 and a half. Super awesome relief there. Everything went well with her procedure--she was planned for a right side pelvic and femoral osteotomy but only ended up having the femoral osteotomy. Her surgeon said that with as much cartilage that was in her joint, he was afraid that if he had done the pelvic osteotomy and crafted a socket out of her hip, that it would have been shoving something too big into a space that's too small for it and it would have popped right out--no fix. So, they notched the femur to bring it down where it needs to be and casted her up. The x-ray after looked so pretty :)
Then he gave us such awesome news, it actually made me speechless.
Our initial treatment plan was: surgery-cast 3 months-cast vacation 4 months-surgery other side-cast 3 months-plates and screws removed after a year. So we were looking at about a 2 year plan here. I asked if he would be doing a cast change, and assuming all heals well with this side, he will be doing a cast change at 6 weeks and then doing the left hip while they are in there. I was almost in tears I was SO HAPPY. The fact that they plan on making the corrections in 1 cast is so awesome. Less stress on Maddie to go through it all again and shaved about 7 months off of our treatment. So, let's pray that our 6 week appointment shows some nice healing. Second surgery is slotted for November 11th.
So we come home and it makes our stay in the hospital look easy peasy. Coming home was a big adjustment for us. She was super clingy to me, and rightfully so. We stayed on her pain meds but she was starting to realize that something was different. She wanted to get down and run, wanted to play. Didn't want to lay down on her back all the time. But I tried laying her on her belly and she thought I was the devil. I've been screamed at and cried at a lot. She was tired of me but only wanted me. Saturday I had several breakdowns right along with her. My poor family-God love them-they were great. I know they didn't know what to say but just them being there was so comforting. When I woke up Sunday, I told myself to rise above the emotions, take a freakin' shower for crying out loud, and use your head. Ever since then, Maddie is more tolerant of trying new things. She actually layed down on her belly that day and gave us her best fish face :) She ate a meal for the first time in days. I got her to play with more toys. So, each day is better than the one before...this really is a take it a day at a time kind of thing we have going on here. The only thing I plan right now is meals and even that falls through sometimes! If anyone has any super crock pot recipes for a meat loving family, share the love.
I know everyone is wondering, and diaper changing really is SO EASY. I will admit that the first dirty diaper in the hospital, I still hadn't moved her yet so I ran like the dickens right to the nurses station to let them know my daughter had pooped and I wasn't cleaning it up. They laughed at me and showed me how to do it. For those who find this blog on google or follow me because they are preparing for this, here's how we do it......tear the tabs off of the diaper. They are just bulk in the cast and I would bet they are scratchy. Pull out the front of the diaper, clean up, then work the new diaper in there. The cast was super tight at first but now that swelling is down and the padding is compacted, it's much easier. Flip the babe over, take out the diaper, clean up, then put new diaper in there. Make sure you have a diaper in front and back at all times in case of an accident while changing. It's like tire changes in a Nascar race if the diaper falls out when you're flipping because you JUST KNOW that's when they will decide to pee. The hospital gave us diaper straps which are pretty much the best invention ever. It holds the diaper in place really snug. If they don't offer them, I would ask for them. Same deal at night but we use a Poise pad inside the diaper for extra protection. Two weeks into it now, my arms are stronger and I'm betting when her cast is off, I'll forget and tear the tabs off of the diaper :)
So, curiosities satisfied for now....any questions? :)
We are venturing out of our bubble at times, mainly to family or to run errands. She wasn't sleeping all that soundly but then we brought her a bed from my mom's house and she slept soooo well last night, so hopefully that is getting back to normal too. Crib mattresses aren't all that squishy and when you're confined to a cast, you probably just want to sleep surrounded by pillows. This mattress is pretty cushiony and you can tell by the way she just snuggles in there.
November 1st is Maddie's Walk Dinner/Dance at Princeton Country Club. I would LOVE to see all of Maddie's supporters/followers/prayer warriors there. We have tons of items to raffle: ping pong table, Foosball table, hand painted child's rocking chair, Brighton purse, lots of gift certificates to restaurants and Evansville nights out. There will also be a 50/50 cash raffle. BBQ dinner will be served at 6 and a live band plays from 7-11. It will be a great time to see the princess herself and get the kids together to play and dance the night away! Tickets for adults are $12 and children 6-13 are $6. They are on sale now or can be purchased at the door. If you will be attending, please let one of us know so we can get an estimate for food. There is an event created on Facebook that you can RSVP to. Let's make this a successful event for Miss Maddie!
Now, here is the photo bomb you have been waiting for.
Ahhhh...sister lovin' right out of surgery--Aubrey is so awesome. These girls...
Cast Clinic did an awesome job with her cast! The bow is fiberglass like the purple, so it's on there good!
Discharge day! She didn't want to take any chances with the paparazzi.
So this is Aubrey's creation...I asked her to take Maddie for a wagon ride around the house. I turn around, and she has LOADED the girl up! The dog serves as a shade to keep the sun out of her eyes. I asked.
The longer you look at the picture the funnier it gets.
See?!
The famous fish face. THIS is our Maddie :)
Peace, love, and fish faces,
Taylors
Author of never-ending post: Meg
