Three more weeks!! Our little hippie has three weeks remaining until cast-off. We are now past the midpoint for this fifth cast, which brings about an air of electricity regarding the matter.
Today, we attempted to teach Hip Chick her first board game: Candyland. As the pieces skipped about the colored spaces, I noticed a bit of similarity between the game and our experience this year. We were placed at the starting line at her diagnosis in January. As she hit each "best case" milestone for the traction and closed reduction route, it was as though we skipped all of the setbacks offered by the game: no returns to the peanut brittle house, no getting stuck on licorice for a turn. But as we thought we neared the finish line, we drew the dreaded "gumdrop" card, casting us nearly back to our start. What do the cards hold for her next month? Just how near to the finish line are we really?
Meanwhile, we had a special task at hand this weekend: celebrating Daddy's birthday! Big sis provided the concept for his birthday cake ("monster eyes") and I simply enabled her imagination to realize. While Big Sis and I did most of the work, Hip Chick was excited to help ice the cake. We also enlisted her aid in making the eyeballs (M&Ms stuffed into marshmallows), but I suspect she ate more than she assembled. A fun afternoon, indeed.
Below are our most recent thoughts:
1. It was relayed a couple of weeks ago that Hip Chick had resumed her antics- what has she done lately?
She can now flip herself from a seated position on the couch onto her stomach and push herself down into a standing position. She has achieved similar feats from Mommy and Daddy's bed. She can also "cruise" along furniture.
2. How is her relationship with classmates progressing?
Late last week, Daddy witnessed a classmate attempting to steal a toy from her desk. She protested, but the classmate succeeded and ran away with the toy. As he ran, she picked up another toy from her desk, pitched it in big league fashion, and pegged the classmate square in the center of his back, causing him to cry out. Her teacher then advised Daddy that Hip Chick has developed quite the arm. With that said, she seems to be doing just fine!
3. It was relayed in a prior post that she often dreams of flying. Have we noticed additional signs of escapism and/or potential psychological effects?
She continues to tell us that she dreams most nights of fairies and flying. One of her teachers remarked to Mommy that this must be her means of achieving freedom and independence. Just this past week, she began telling us of a tiger in her room at night. She tells us that it sleeps in a cave, but comes into her room overnight. It does not hurt her, but it watches over her and hugs her. Some nights, she says it eats certain family members. We cannot say exactly what this means. One consolation, however, is the fact that Mommy had a rather vivid imaginary friend, Frankie the Lion, around the same age. We could ponder the "nature vs. nurture" debate on that one for months.
4. How is Big Sis weathering this final cast?
She continues to impress us during her weekends at our home. She is rather mature and understanding regarding the situation. As I have mentioned numerous times, it works to her advantage that she is not at our home full-time. I expect that it would be different for a more traditional sibling arrangement, although most children with hip dysplasia are firstborn.
5. How are Mommy and Daddy's disposition?
We are feeling drained, but are fueled by the hope that Hip Chick's casted days will be behind her in three weeks. There are no guarantees, of course.
6. When her cast is removed, does that mean life can quickly return to how we previously knew it?
Not necessarily, and it would be naive for anyone to expect that Hip Chick would immediately begin living life as a typical little girl after 26 weeks in casts and four weeks in traction this year. As before, she will likely be sensitive and experience some degree of pain for the first week after the cast is removed. We have to ensure the hip stays together, as there is still the potential for her hip to redislocate. She will have to relearn to walk- her third time to learn to walk in the past 16 months. If her hip does remain in tact, she can learn to run, dance, and climb.
I have noticed my other support group moms mention their "hip" kids often tire quickly. Others relay months of bracing after the surgeries and casting, some with physical therapy requirements. We will learn next month what Scottish Rite's process is. For the vast majority, the one year anniversary of their child's osteotomies is an important marker, at which decisions regarding additional surgeries may be made. Therefore, while our daughter's and family's quality of life has the potential to improve dramatically over the next couple of months, her journey will continue to take us far beyond December's cast removal. Even in a best case scenario, she will continue to require regular appointments and imaging until her skeletal development matures in about 15 years.
But, as always, we remain hopeful.
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