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.