Time has flown! Hip Chick has completed six months since her pelvic and femoral osteotomies and three months since cast-off. We have enjoyed a much-deserved hiatus from last year's succession of appointments and procedures, but are preparing for an upcoming checkup. Below are our latest thoughts.
1. How is Hip Chick's mobility?
She still displays a marked difference between her left and right side's mobility. Most recently, she has gained a notable amount of speed. She is almost running. She still cannot fully (un)dress her lower left side, but she can accomplish what she sets her sights on.
2. How is her overall disposition?
She is a boisterous, defiant, imaginative, busy, energized little girl! We had read that some other children have had difficulty maintaining pace with their peers, but we are hard pressed to wear her out. She is obviously catching up on lost time!
3. Prior posts indicated lingering issues with nightmares... has this continued?
She does not seem to have any unordinary sleep issues at this time. Every night, she still claims to dream of fairies and flying- which is a holdover from the fall casting phases. She occasionally has a bad dream, but never mentions her surgeries or casting when we discuss the dreams with her.
4. Does she show concern over her scars?
Hardly. She will talk about her femoral scar on occasion, but never her pelvic scar. We tell her that her scar is where her doctor helped make her leg and hip better. She seems happy with this explanation and can repeat it back.
5. She transitioned into her childcare center's Lower Preschool class early this year- how does her development compare to her peers?
She has now caught up with her original classmates and has rejoined their class! She is starting to tell us which sounds letters make and is learning to spell her name. She is two months from her third birthday and I just bought her 48 piece puzzles to work on at home. Clearly, physical disability does not automatically implicate a child to mental disability.
6. Is Hip Chick enrolled in any enrichment activities at this time?
We would love for her to enjoy dance or swim classes with friends, but we felt it best to wait. Her surgeon advised her hip would be stiff and her mobility would incrementally improve for at least six months post-casting, if not nine months and beyond. We will wait until she recovers from her femoral plate removal to enroll her in activities beyond her standard preschool curriculum.
7. What is next for Hip Chick?
She has an xray appointment at Scottish Rite in about two weeks. Her surgeon will check her hip's positioning and discuss more firm timing for her upcoming femoral plate removal. Her imaging results will help determine what additional needs, if anything, she may require this year.
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