Post Casting: Week 1 Recap

WALKING!!!  Our little hippie has learned to walk again, which is her third time to learn to walk in 16 months.  She accomplished it in record time as well!  Last summer, she learned to walk in six weeks- here, we have six days.  We are so very proud of her- and relieved!

Now that we have the week's big news out of the way, below are a few additional thoughts:

1.  Hip Chick was battling fever/illness as of the prior post- what was the outcome?
Her fever broke after 2am on Saturday morning and has not returned.  Her cough and runny nose linger, so it appears to be an early winter cold.

2.  When did Hip Chick begin walking?
She took her first steps on Friday and began walking through our home in spurts yesterday. She has a very stiff legged gait (she does not bend her knees much)... but she can walk!!  Her surgeon had advised that she would be stiff for the first month, so she still has a bit of time to loosen.

3.  Has she experienced any adverse effects from her quickly regained mobility?
Yes.  Much as last summer, she pushes herself during the day, to incur pain at night.  Last night, she was crying and howling in bed, semi-conscious, as her legs curled up several times.  Daddy and I took turns rubbing her legs for a few hours, until her body settled.  And, yes- she is eating potassium rich foods.  Unlike summertime, we do not currently have the benefit of using an outdoor pool for water therapy, but we hope to enroll her in some sort of water play class early next year.

4.  What else has she attempted to do than walking?
She is attempting to climb and using her left leg for the initial push!  That had not previously occurred.  She attempted to jump last night and Mommy caught her as her knees buckled.  She could not jump before, so we will be ecstatic once she accomplishes this, too!

5.  What's next in her medical plan?
She has an imaging appt early next month to check her femoral head's positioning.  While the odds are tipped in her favor, there is a possibility that it could begin migrating away from the socket's center, which would be unfavorable.  At that appointment, we will also discuss and schedule the (minor) surgery to remove her femoral plate.  If all proceeds as hoped for the January imaging and yet-to-be-scheduled plate removal, she can wait six months until her subsequent appointment.  One can only hope!