Spica Cast- Mid (2nd) Cast Recap

Our daughter has reached the midpoint for her second cast of three.  In total, she is 9.5 weeks into an approximate 19 week casting phase and 13.5 weeks into an approximate 23 week overall plan.  While we are her never ending cheering section, this second cast feels a little like the second Lord of the Rings film- the characters have plenty of fight, but the story does not seem to progress much.  Below are a few thoughts 

1. Is Hip Chick still using her spica chair?

She sure is, and quite happily.  As active as she wants to be, however, the desk is not her sole station in the house.  It continues to be a very useful tool for her to play independently in our living room

2. How is her daycare managing?

They continue to impress us with their ability to not only manage her, but enable her to experience her world as fully as possible.  They remark on how she continues to teach them, with her drive and determination to maintain pace with peers in class.  In example: The school recently had a fire drill.  Protocol is for each child to hold onto a class rope, walk outside, and keep holding until the drill concludes.  Hip Chick had every reason to gain exception, but made her teachers find a spot for her to hold.

3. Previous posts indicate that this second cast is a bit more worn than the first.  How is it holding up?

She continues to batter her cast quite a bit with her insistance to remain independently active.  I predict duct tape maintenance each two weeks.

4. Hip Chick seems to maintain a bit of spunk.  Has she attempted any new physical feats?

During a recent visit to Big Sister's other house, our little hippie eyed a flight of stairs with determination.  Big Sister's bedroom is upstairs and Hip Chick insisted on making her way to the bedroom on her own.  With Daddy a hair's breadth behind, she clawed and pulled her way up the stairs, swinging her hips back and forth with enough velocity to make her legs "crawl."  Sure enough, she made it to the top!

5. She recently celebrated her second birthday- has the casting affected her immunization schedule?

Yes, it has.  Her pediatrician opted to delay the two year checkup and Hep A vaccine until the cast is removed.  

6. Has the extensive period of casting affected her appetite?

Her teachers have recently remarked on a newly developed, erratic eating pattern.  She has also become much pickier.  She does well enough with fruit, milk, and proteins- but not so well with grains and vegetables.

7. How has the casting affected her sleeping patterns?

We can rarely tuck her in before 8:30pm these days, and sometimes a bit later.  She just doesn't seem to burn off all her energy, despite best efforts on behalf of her daycare or us.  Another issue is size.  Due to the position in which she is casted, she barely fits in her crib.  Her feet and toes catch between the crib slats when her head is positioned in a traditional fashion.  Sometimes, she shifts to afford her feet the fullest width of the crib.  Faced this direction, there is not much room for her head or the soles of her feet against the slats.  Should we face another surgery and cast after this plan concludes, we will have to place a bed mattress on the floor of her bedroom or use an air mattress.

8. Any more diaper leaks?

We are thrilled to report no diaper leaks in the second cast thus far.  In total, there has been only one diaper leak in 9.5 weeks and that was at home.  Her daycare continues to earn an A+ for cleanliness!

9. What/when is her next milestone?

Monday, June 24th is her next cast change.  As with last time, she will be under general anesthesia, so she must stay healthy until then.  During the cast change, she will have more imaging.  Depending on what they see, they plan to choose between two options for the third cast: another wide setting like the first two, or to pull her legs closer together.  For the second option, the waist could drop, but then they would cast a firm bar between her legs.  Of course, a different type of cast would warrant a reevaluation of our routines and processes.

After that appointment, we will transition our focus to preparing for life out of the cast: potential bracing, helping her regain mobility, and monitoring to see whether the hip can remain in tact without further surgery and casting.  In a best case scenario, June 24th will be her last OR date, as they remove the final cast in clinic, with no anesthesia.