Post Osteotomies: Seven Month Recap

As we close April, our daughter is seven months post salter (pelvic) and femoral osteotomies and four months post spica... and boy, is she moving!  Most of our news was covered in my last post, but there are a few details to relay.

1.  After cast off last summer, Hip Chick sported shaggy legs... is the extra fuzz still there?

No!  We were advised that her body grew hair to help protect itself from the cast and it fell off over the past few months.  

2.  How are we managing any remaining limitations?

She needs to practice reaching her left foot.  We struggle in coaxing her to do things such as take off her left shoe... but left alone, she will do so on her own terms.  

3.  Have we enrolled her in any enrichment activities?  

With the femoral plate removal scheduled in July, we are waiting until fall.  We see no need to begin an activity she will need to rest from for a month.  Two activities we are eyeing are swimming and/or music lessons.

4.  What play activities are we allowing Hip Chick to attempt?

Most recently, we took her to a friend's roller skating party.  She used the "walker" they offered for new skaters, but felt most comfortable using the walker on a carpeted area (as opposed to the rink).  Playgrounds and play pals are all game!

5.  Do we anticipate any potential summer plans to be hindered by her hip?

Not at all!

Quarterly Check Up- April 2014

Today was Hip Chick's much anticipated check up.  We were uncertain what news to expect, but approached with a mix of hope and reservation.  We knew her mobility is still lacking, but what would her xray show?

We entered the hospital and were immediately greeted with the familiarity of the popcorn stand.  Daddy recently volunteered for an on site game nite and was advised that Scottish Rite opted for the popcorn service upon first opening so that it would not smell like a traditional hospital.   It always lifts Hip Chick's spirits.

Hip Chick inspected each aquarium and model train display along the path to Radiology.   We viewed today's xray as a success- she cried, but we did not have to hold her down.  (Some previous xrays have resulted in three adults restraining her to obtain a clear image.) Two takes today and we were finished.  She earned a roll of stickers and several high fives.

We munched on popcorn while awaiting the results.  Regardless of aromatics, the crunch and pop of a hot, buttery snack helps to alleviate nerves.  Soon we were escorted to an exam room and familiar faces.  Our nurse practitioner spoke more excitedly about the imaging results than Hip Chick's surgeon, but her introduction helped break the ice.  And the results?

Hip Chick's new socket is as her surgeon expected, which is good.  Her femoral head still sits a little low against the hip socket.  There is time for this to rise into socket, but it will likely need to push out some cartilage out in the process.  This is not bad, but also not ideal- we will need to monitor.  Her left leg's range of motion is still compromised.  She has functional mobility, but we still need to monitor for improvement.  If/when her gains stagnate, we may consider physical therapy.

So what happens next?

Our little hippie has another xray and physical in three months.  This will be closely followed by a day surgery to remove the femoral plate which remains from last September's osteotomies.   Our biggest news of the day:  if there are complications with the plate removal (ex: bone overgrowth), she may require another spica cast for recovery... but this would only be a two week casting assignment.

Surgery aside, we will also begin looking for signs of avascular necrosis at her next appointment.  This is a disturbance in blood flow, to the femoral head in Hip Chick's case.  She shows no signs of this now, but it can develop anywhere from nine months to two years after surgery.  Avascular necrosis could cause growth issues for the femoral head, so its growth will be monitored.

To reward Hip Chick's good behavior, we swung by a favorite local custard shop.  Another three months before resuming her medical agenda is quite the gift... but we feel that today's appointment brought us cautious results.  Our frozen treat won the sweet award for today... but as always, we continue to think positively.

Princess For a Day

Hip Chick has a big appointment scheduled this week.  We have enjoyed the three month reprieve from her myriad of medical assignments... but, alas, the respite is drawing to a close.  But first:  A bit of fantasy.

We in the Hip Chick household are preparing for a visit with a celebrated m-o-u-s-e in the coming days.  After a 2013 filled with traction, two major surgeries, four day surgery procedures, and a total of 26 weeks in five casts, it was decided that we all deserved a vacation- especially Hip Chick.  Details were double and triple-checked prior to solidifying reservations... and yet imagine our surprise when we learned that a two week technicality may disallow Hip Chick from realizing her bippidi-boppity dream as a famous book-loving, yellow-gowned princess!   

When a member of our local renaissance fair heard of this unfortunate setback, she was aghast... there is no "age limit" on becoming a princess!  A special part in an important ceremony was lovingly planned for our little hippie and off we set, for a strange, new land, filled with magic and fantasy:

Neither Daddy nor I had previously visited this mysterious land and so our little hippie's princess inauguration was an adventure for all three.  I cannot pinpoint with certainty what our expectations were, but they were certainly no match for what awaited us.  Fairies... check!  Gandalf... check!  Whip cracking contests, turkey legs, medieval speech, kilted men, human chess boards, glass blowing, and jousting... all check!

We began with a visit to Scottish Court, for conference with the Queen.  Hip Chick was invited on stage.  After a promise to eat her vegetables (even the yucky ones) and an extra sprinkling of magic dust... *poof*... we had Princess Hip Chick!  We were curious as to whether she would shy away from the celebrity, but Princess Hip Chick gleefully waved and exclaimed, "Mommy, Daddy... I'm on stage!"  After standing with the Queen's Court and dancing on the human chess board, Princess Hip Chick held hands with our guide, a certain honorable Lady, as she began exploring the strange land.

She met another Queen and Prince's acquaintance.

Knights bowed before her, exclaiming their honor to meet the Fair Princess.

She shielded her snowy white skin (come on... this blog entry begged for that quip) with a beautiful parasol.

We crossed paths with a fairy who granted an extra special sprinkling of dust and soon our little hippie donned wings to become a fairy princess.

However prim and proper the fair maiden may have been dressed, the truth of the matter is that she begged for the largest and most dangerous ride she stumbled across.  We attempted to substitute the excitement with an elephant ride (what magical land doesn't feature elephants and camels down the street from Mermaid Lagoon?), but Her Majesty had a royal meltdown when the elephant's ear flapped her leg at the ride's end.

Princess Hip Chick regained composure by joining every drum circle she found.  No matter how dressed and fussed over, our little girl will forever be more of a hippie than princess. 

She also wanted to crash a young lady's gypsy dancing performance, which is where Queen Mommy drew the line.  (We failed to snap a pic, but the young lady also balanced a sword on her head... and princesses do no such thing!)

A very special day, indeed.

And now we have the appointment.  There is a smidge of angst heading into it, as this week's xray will be the determining factor for the remainder of Hip Chick's year.  At best, she has a day surgery this coming summer, to remove the femoral plate which remains from last September's osteotomies.  And if her xray shows that her hip is redislocating?  Well, I feel safe in saying that nearly every 'hip' parent I have crossed (whose child was diagnosed late) has these sorts of roller-coaster experiences.  As always, we think positively.