We are slowly learning that we are in this for the long haul and that there is no easy fix for Lauren's hip, only time, eating right and prayer.
Lauren's 2 month post cast check up was yesterday and I had been dreading hearing what the Surgeon was going to say. Every time I would convince myself it would be all good, my brain would talk myself out of it and I would try to prep myself for bad news. It is a constant battle I seem to fight inside my head; don't get too excited because it could be bad news ~or~ think positive Sarah, because you need that in order for it to be positive. It's so hard to not be able to monitor what is going on without an x-ray or MRI.
We met Derek, Debbie, Nevan and Mom at the hospital, again Nevan and Lauren's appointments were booked for the same day. As you probably know, hospitals don't work with your schedule, they just hand you a slip that tells you when your next appointment is and it's been pretty amazing that all of the kids appointments to date have been booked on the same day, what are the chances? We were walking down the hospital hall and Garry happened to see my brother checking in for Nevan at Radiology. Nevan had just completed all of this blood tests and was now waiting to be called for his CT and x-ray. He and Lauren got to play hockey with Grandma for a few minutes until the nurse called his name and we realized it was time for us to get over to Ortho for Lauren's x-ray and appointment.
We checked in and waited for Lauren's name to be called. I was grateful that my Mom was there to watch Brayden, this way I could focus on what needed to be done for Lauren. I couldn't believe how easy going Lauren was while we were there, she was pretty happy to watch the movie on the TV as well as color while sitting at the kids table. Lauren's name was called about 20mins later, I scooped her up and took her into the x-ray room. She was quick to say "bye bye" to the radiologist. She was not happy that we were in there, however, she allowed me to change her diaper and get her ready for the photo. When placing her on the table, so that she could be strapped down, was when she exercised her lungs, she made sure to tell us that she wasn't happy, in between crying she would say "all done"...I have to say, for me, it is hard to see your child upset, but it is getting easier as I now know what to expect and that it is just for a short period of time.
Upon leaving the x-ray room, we were greeted by Granddad!! Lauren was so happy to be transfer to his arms!! We then packed everyone up and proceeded to the Ortho clinic, which is just down the hall. We were in the waiting room for all of 1 min when Lauren's name was called.
We saw Lauren's surgeon about 2mins later. He brought up her current x-ray along with the one she had done the day her cast was removed (Dec. 6th, 2011). His first words were, "I was trying to talk myself into seeing more bone growth then there is...." as my heart sank I could feel my face getting flush and my heart started to beat faster. No, Lauren isn't going through all of this just to have him say she needs to go for an operation and another cast - NO! Then, he said "I really didn't give her a lot of time as I just saw her 2 months ago"...Ok, I calmed down. He then went on to say that he isn't a believer of bracing when it comes to spines, or other parts of the body; however he is a firm believer of bracing for hip issues. When he first saw Lauren her hip was completely out of her socket, it was bad, currently today, her hip is in the socket, there is new bone growth on the femur and part of the socket (so we aren't worried about blood supply), we just need more growth around the socket. At this point in time, her femur is surrounded with some bone, but mostly cartilage, so with the right amount of pressure and exercise, it can turn to bone. Although we still aren't out of the woods yet, he does believe that time will heal Lauren and that by using the brace she will heal herself. If we had said to him that we were done with the brace, he said we would be booking a time for the OR for the Pelvic Osteotomy. Garry and I both echoed each other in saying that we are fine with the brace and we will do anything to save our little girl another operation. So, at this point in time, although I didn't want to hear that there hasn't been enough growth, it is still not bad news. Lauren's surgeon did give us permission for her to participate this weekend in her close friends birthday party - she is all good for a pony ride!! And, our Dr loved the Valentines Day cookies both Lauren and Brayden brought for him!!
I left the Ortho clinic disappointed. Really, another 3 months in the brace for sure, no break for our little girl. Why? Why can't she be allowed to keep up with her peers, why can't she run free around the house, or on walks, or at play dates. Why does this happen to a perfect little girl?
We then went to go and meet up with Derek, Debbie and Nevan at the follow up cancer clinic. As soon as we arrived, Lauren was not only excited to see her cousin again, she was also excited to check out all of the new toys, she quickly scooted over to a little rid on truck toy. While cruising around, a young girl, probably 5 or 6 years old, with long curly blond hair came over to try and push Lauren on the toy. At first it melted my heart at how gentle she was when she started to push Lauren. But, quickly Lauren's face turned sour and she responded to the help with a "Me. No". Embarrassed, I quickly smiled at the girl and told her that Lauren is pretty tired and just being silly, but that I thought what she tried to do was pretty nice. A few minutes later that young girl and her Mom were called into the clinic to see the Dr., all while Nevan continued to play hockey with Grandma and Grandad and Lauren happily played (solo) on the ride on toy.
Nevan was then called into the patient room while the little girl and her Mom walked out of the clinic. While leaving the Mom was explaining to her daughter that "the Dr.'s needs to take a picture of your brain now...". My heart sank for this family, this is supposed to be a place for check ups and all clears of cancer. All of a sudden, all of my disappointment about Lauren's visit vanished. I could handle our news, we are fine and Lauren is going to be playing soccer with all of her peers in a few years - no one will be able to tell she struggled for her first few years. This little girl, along with her family, was just given potentially the worst news~ I could tell the Mom was doing everything possible to hold herself together. I just wanted to get up and give her a hug. Break my heart.
Nevan, on the other hand was just told that he needed Iron supplements. Everything else is perfect, he is healing just fine. He really is a little trooper.
At the end of the day, not every lesson can be taught to us inside the four walls of a classroom. Life has thrown us a few curve balls over the past year, but together, as a family we have met each obstacle head on and done our best to navigate through it. One of the many positives I truly feel is that both Nevan's cancer and Lauren's DDH has brought us together and made us all only more closer as a family. We have learnt to depend and be there for each other in ways we never would have imagined. As well, I know that everyone in our family has felt loved and supported by our friends and community as well. It isn't always easy to count your blessing during tough times, but, sometimes that is the greatest lesson learnt.
Our Kids
Our Family
Wednesday 15 February 2012
Saturday 21 January 2012
...Getting Back To "Normal"
Well it has almost been two months since Lauren has been out of her cast, it's scarey to think where the time has gone. Garry is now back at work and the kids and I are now enjoying the last little bit of time I have off before I venture back to work in the middle of February.
When Garry went back to work in the begining of January I was torn, I enjoyed us having this family time together, but me home with the kids and him at work made everything just a little bit more normal feeling. I never imagined my maternity leave to end up the way it did; however thinking back on how everything happened and what we did ~ I know we did our best, we made each and every day count for the kids. We ventured out of the house for a daily activity, even if it was just to the mall for Lauren to people watch or climb all over the airplane in the kids area (once she was out of her cast). We walked, went to Science World, The Aquarium, The pumpkin patch, Open Gym, she's been skating (well, stroller skating while Daddy pushed her), to music class, Logos, Bird Sanctuary, Steveston Park, the Train at Lansdowne (I think we funded it while it was here in Richmond). If it is kid friendly, we've been there, we didn't want to waste a day!
Lauren has amazed us with her agility and determination. Each day she tries something new and refuses help, part of me is always in shock and part of me gets it as that is how I am, very independent. With Lauren now in the rhino cruiser life is pretty much back to normal for us, as she is able to get into all of the trouble she was able to get into before her surgery. The only one thing she isn't able to do yet is walk, but it's coming soon. Little L is able to get up and down the stairs, she motors around on her little Lady Bug (and I mean motors ~ she is fast), can get down off furniture, can stand and couch surf and just this past week she has been getting up into a standing position and holding it for up to 10 seconds! Amazing! With her legs in such an awkward position she just pushes herself up and balances, we can't help her or we get "no no no". She also recently started pushing our ottoman around while walking, this is why I don't think it will be long before she is running on her own. Little L, you sure do make us proud to be your parents!
Brayden is just growing up so quickly. You can see the look in his eyes while watching the other kids play, he is just waiting for the moment he can crawl or run after them. My sister and I recently nventured across the boarder with the three kids and took them to Bellis Fair, while there we let the kids burn off a little steam in the play area. Lauren and Logan were climbing all over everything, going down slides, traveling through tunnels and just laughing at all of the kids running around (there were a ton of kids). Well, Brayden needed to be out of his stroller, he twisted and turned to get out of that thing, so I held him in a standing position so he was eye level with all of the kids~it was hilarious, he was squealing and laughing for about 15mins just watching the busyness go on around him! There have been so many firsts for our little man as of lately, he started sitting on his own at just over 5 months, now, you don't dare lay him down or he gets frustrated, he must be standing or sitting so he can see everything going on. He also started rice cereal, it took about a week or so, but now he is an old pro. As well, we also, or I should say "I" finally was able to get him into his own room/crib. The poor little guy was able to touch the top and bottom of his bassinet, so it was time for him to get into his crib. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, Brayden has adapted so well, actually he was more than ready, he is sleeping way better and so am I. I know I say this often, but he is just the perfect addition to our family, we love you so much Brayden, or should I say "smiley"! :)
January has been a busy month for our family, Garry back to work, Lauren back to school twice a week and I finally got time to register for bootcamp and start back running. Garry and I are both taking our eating seriously as well as our fitness. He is back to the gym 4-5 nights a week as well as soccer. Bootcamp is great, as it is three nights a week and will help me get back into running. Three years ago my sister and I joined the Vancouver Sun Run training clinic and unfortunately after doing all of the training I realized that we were going to be in Mexico during the 10km run (I still did it with a friend, just not downtown), so this year I am excited to run downtown with everyone ~ this is something I have wanted to do for sometime! I have found an awesome Sun Run Clinic, the people are awesome and so supportive, it is the exact environment anyone needs to succeed! So, each Saturday, Brayden and I get all geared up to go and brave the elements, although Brayden gets a free ride and normally enjoys a nice nap while I am running my butt off (literally I am hoping). :)
Our next appointment for Lauren with the surgeon is Valentines Day and we are just really praying for good news. Please keep little Lauren in your prayers ~ we really want to make sure she doesn't need another operation, so we are doing everything in our power to try and make her healing successful.
Happy New Year to all of our friends and family. We love you and thank you for all of your support!
The Marcinowsky's
When Garry went back to work in the begining of January I was torn, I enjoyed us having this family time together, but me home with the kids and him at work made everything just a little bit more normal feeling. I never imagined my maternity leave to end up the way it did; however thinking back on how everything happened and what we did ~ I know we did our best, we made each and every day count for the kids. We ventured out of the house for a daily activity, even if it was just to the mall for Lauren to people watch or climb all over the airplane in the kids area (once she was out of her cast). We walked, went to Science World, The Aquarium, The pumpkin patch, Open Gym, she's been skating (well, stroller skating while Daddy pushed her), to music class, Logos, Bird Sanctuary, Steveston Park, the Train at Lansdowne (I think we funded it while it was here in Richmond). If it is kid friendly, we've been there, we didn't want to waste a day!
Lauren has amazed us with her agility and determination. Each day she tries something new and refuses help, part of me is always in shock and part of me gets it as that is how I am, very independent. With Lauren now in the rhino cruiser life is pretty much back to normal for us, as she is able to get into all of the trouble she was able to get into before her surgery. The only one thing she isn't able to do yet is walk, but it's coming soon. Little L is able to get up and down the stairs, she motors around on her little Lady Bug (and I mean motors ~ she is fast), can get down off furniture, can stand and couch surf and just this past week she has been getting up into a standing position and holding it for up to 10 seconds! Amazing! With her legs in such an awkward position she just pushes herself up and balances, we can't help her or we get "no no no". She also recently started pushing our ottoman around while walking, this is why I don't think it will be long before she is running on her own. Little L, you sure do make us proud to be your parents!
Brayden is just growing up so quickly. You can see the look in his eyes while watching the other kids play, he is just waiting for the moment he can crawl or run after them. My sister and I recently nventured across the boarder with the three kids and took them to Bellis Fair, while there we let the kids burn off a little steam in the play area. Lauren and Logan were climbing all over everything, going down slides, traveling through tunnels and just laughing at all of the kids running around (there were a ton of kids). Well, Brayden needed to be out of his stroller, he twisted and turned to get out of that thing, so I held him in a standing position so he was eye level with all of the kids~it was hilarious, he was squealing and laughing for about 15mins just watching the busyness go on around him! There have been so many firsts for our little man as of lately, he started sitting on his own at just over 5 months, now, you don't dare lay him down or he gets frustrated, he must be standing or sitting so he can see everything going on. He also started rice cereal, it took about a week or so, but now he is an old pro. As well, we also, or I should say "I" finally was able to get him into his own room/crib. The poor little guy was able to touch the top and bottom of his bassinet, so it was time for him to get into his crib. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, Brayden has adapted so well, actually he was more than ready, he is sleeping way better and so am I. I know I say this often, but he is just the perfect addition to our family, we love you so much Brayden, or should I say "smiley"! :)
January has been a busy month for our family, Garry back to work, Lauren back to school twice a week and I finally got time to register for bootcamp and start back running. Garry and I are both taking our eating seriously as well as our fitness. He is back to the gym 4-5 nights a week as well as soccer. Bootcamp is great, as it is three nights a week and will help me get back into running. Three years ago my sister and I joined the Vancouver Sun Run training clinic and unfortunately after doing all of the training I realized that we were going to be in Mexico during the 10km run (I still did it with a friend, just not downtown), so this year I am excited to run downtown with everyone ~ this is something I have wanted to do for sometime! I have found an awesome Sun Run Clinic, the people are awesome and so supportive, it is the exact environment anyone needs to succeed! So, each Saturday, Brayden and I get all geared up to go and brave the elements, although Brayden gets a free ride and normally enjoys a nice nap while I am running my butt off (literally I am hoping). :)
Our next appointment for Lauren with the surgeon is Valentines Day and we are just really praying for good news. Please keep little Lauren in your prayers ~ we really want to make sure she doesn't need another operation, so we are doing everything in our power to try and make her healing successful.
Happy New Year to all of our friends and family. We love you and thank you for all of your support!
The Marcinowsky's
Tuesday 6 December 2011
...See Ya Cast!
I can't believe today finally arrived! When this journey first started out, Dec. 6th seemed like forever and a day away.
Our day started this morning at 7:30am with both kids on the upstairs landing getting dressed! Lauren rolling around trying to hug and kiss Brayden while Brayden was trying to roll away from her with a big smile across his face. We got out the door and were on time for a chiropractor appointment for me in Yaletown and then we zipped over to our Dr's office for our little man's 4 month shots. My Doctor's MOA is such a sweet person (she is leaving in a couple weeks and we are sad!), she politely asked me when our appointment was - I handed over the small white paper with the appointment time and, ouch, the wrong date. She was wonderful enough to squeeze us in and for that I was very grateful - to try and get two kids (both not walking) out the door, on time and to the Dr's again isn't easy!
Brayden had his check up and everything is looking great with his hips so far; however he will be re checked at 14 months because most likely this is something that is hereditary. We were blown away when we weighed him - 16pd 1oz, my little guy likes his food!! So, 90th percentile for height, 75th for weight and 50th for head! Our little man handled the shots pretty good, it only took a minute for him to calm down and get back to normal. I thank God for such an easy going baby - he has been such a blessing to our family!
Our appointment at the Ortho Clinic was for 1pm. We expected that Lauren would be x-rayed and then sent to have her cast removed; however, we were quickly advised that the cast was coming off NOW! I carried my baby girl down the hospital hallway for the last time in that bright pink, hard fibreglass cast! It was now just a matter of time before that rigid bothersome cast was gone. The tears started as soon as I placed Lauren in the bed, she was not a happy camper. Garry and I tried to calm our little girl as the saw cut through the hard, pink fibreglass. I'll never forget the look on her face when she saw the blade coming towards her, she yelled, cried and just shook in fear. Garry and I on the other hand were excited for this moment (although not easy to watch our baby that upset, it is all for a good reason). We both couldn't believe how fast the cast came off, with a few lines cut and the big tools used to separate and break the cast off, it only took about 10mins in total. I was over joyed when the Dr said it was time to pick Lauren up and hold her! My little girl was free from that thing, I couldn't believe how tiny and light she really was to hold! It felt great to hug her little body!!!!
Now, we had the "joy" of getting Lauren x-rayed. We needed a good x-ray for the Dr and apparently it is much more clear if there isn't a cast on; however, it may be more clear - but Lauren sure put up a good fight on the x-ray table! She did NOT want to be strapped to that x-ray board. Although it is hard to hear your little one fighting and crying on the x-ray table ~ It was also easy, this was now the end of the casting journey for us and we now got to see what all of our hard work has meant!
The Surgeon came through to see us once we were back in the clinic. He was able to bring up Lauren's first x-ray from Aug 4th that showed us that the hip was indeed completely out of the socket and then he proceeded to show us the one from today, where her hip is back in the socket. He then went on to tell us that he was impressed with the femur growth - there has been a lot of new growth. Which to us is great news, that means that most likely the blood supply has not been impacted during the surgery. The second great piece of news is that when Lauren first had her operation her bad hip and pelvic bone were at a 43 degree angle, today, after being casted for 12 weeks she has now gone down to a 38 degree angle - that is 5 degrees in 12 weeks - that is wonderful news. However, we still have a ways to go, that angle should be below 30 degrees. So now we wait and pray for more growth in the socket, for continued blood supply and for the femur to continue growing normally. What a great feeling to know that all of the hard work, tears and stress has paid off. We were then advised that we need to head to Grandview Hwy to have her fitted in a Rhino Cruiser, Garry and I had no idea, we thought that the hospital would do this in the clinic. But, we decided to go right away, we didn't want Lauren to get used to having her legs free and as well, she has been told not to walk without the brace - so the sooner the better.
We were met with a very friendly face at Ortho Dynamics. The lady that helped us was amazing. She was like the bright light we needed, she answered so many questions and really just put our minds at ease as to how long this part of the journey is going to be - we really needed that smiley face and good advice!
Lauren was fitted with what they call a rhino cruiser. She will now wear this brace 24/7, unless swimming or in the bath. And, we are going to live by those rules the Surgeon has given us as we are told that the more she has the brace on, the faster the healing is! :) And as I said to Garry, that if her body is now working 100% to fix her hip, bones etc, let's just ride the wave and let it do it's thing. The body knows what needs to be done and Lauren's little body has just responded to all of this so well - we don't want to ruin it!
So, we still aren't out of the woods yet, we are again just continuing to pray that she won't need the next surgery; however we won't know more until about her 3rd birthday. Right now all we can do is listen to the surgeon's advice, pray for quick healing and make sure both Lauren and Brayden are well loved (and that they are)! Our next visit to see how things are going is in mid February. :)
All in all, it was a good news day. I still hate not knowing how long this journey is going to be, if she is going to heal and not require any further "help" from the surgeon and also if Brayden is 100% ok because again, it is developmental.
But out of all of this craziness we have met some pretty amazing people. Lauren now has a wonderful IDP consultant that has just been amazing! We now have Lauren in the IDP school on Monday's and Thursday and so far she seems to be loving it! We have been wait listed for physio and are really hoping to be picked up in the beginning of the new year. And, above all, there have been some family positives out of all of this -- Garry and I have spent the last 4 months together with our two kids full time! Not many parents can say that they had an opportunity to be home together as a family for that long! Although our time together is coming to a close as Garry will be returning to work in Jan, it has been wonderful to have him here and be a part of the kids everyday lives! He is a wonderful Dad!!
Well, I sign off while listening to Lauren play in her crib - she is talking on her hand phone, while holding her baby. Her little language is hilarious!
Good night!
Our day started this morning at 7:30am with both kids on the upstairs landing getting dressed! Lauren rolling around trying to hug and kiss Brayden while Brayden was trying to roll away from her with a big smile across his face. We got out the door and were on time for a chiropractor appointment for me in Yaletown and then we zipped over to our Dr's office for our little man's 4 month shots. My Doctor's MOA is such a sweet person (she is leaving in a couple weeks and we are sad!), she politely asked me when our appointment was - I handed over the small white paper with the appointment time and, ouch, the wrong date. She was wonderful enough to squeeze us in and for that I was very grateful - to try and get two kids (both not walking) out the door, on time and to the Dr's again isn't easy!
Brayden had his check up and everything is looking great with his hips so far; however he will be re checked at 14 months because most likely this is something that is hereditary. We were blown away when we weighed him - 16pd 1oz, my little guy likes his food!! So, 90th percentile for height, 75th for weight and 50th for head! Our little man handled the shots pretty good, it only took a minute for him to calm down and get back to normal. I thank God for such an easy going baby - he has been such a blessing to our family!
Our appointment at the Ortho Clinic was for 1pm. We expected that Lauren would be x-rayed and then sent to have her cast removed; however, we were quickly advised that the cast was coming off NOW! I carried my baby girl down the hospital hallway for the last time in that bright pink, hard fibreglass cast! It was now just a matter of time before that rigid bothersome cast was gone. The tears started as soon as I placed Lauren in the bed, she was not a happy camper. Garry and I tried to calm our little girl as the saw cut through the hard, pink fibreglass. I'll never forget the look on her face when she saw the blade coming towards her, she yelled, cried and just shook in fear. Garry and I on the other hand were excited for this moment (although not easy to watch our baby that upset, it is all for a good reason). We both couldn't believe how fast the cast came off, with a few lines cut and the big tools used to separate and break the cast off, it only took about 10mins in total. I was over joyed when the Dr said it was time to pick Lauren up and hold her! My little girl was free from that thing, I couldn't believe how tiny and light she really was to hold! It felt great to hug her little body!!!!
Now, we had the "joy" of getting Lauren x-rayed. We needed a good x-ray for the Dr and apparently it is much more clear if there isn't a cast on; however, it may be more clear - but Lauren sure put up a good fight on the x-ray table! She did NOT want to be strapped to that x-ray board. Although it is hard to hear your little one fighting and crying on the x-ray table ~ It was also easy, this was now the end of the casting journey for us and we now got to see what all of our hard work has meant!
The Surgeon came through to see us once we were back in the clinic. He was able to bring up Lauren's first x-ray from Aug 4th that showed us that the hip was indeed completely out of the socket and then he proceeded to show us the one from today, where her hip is back in the socket. He then went on to tell us that he was impressed with the femur growth - there has been a lot of new growth. Which to us is great news, that means that most likely the blood supply has not been impacted during the surgery. The second great piece of news is that when Lauren first had her operation her bad hip and pelvic bone were at a 43 degree angle, today, after being casted for 12 weeks she has now gone down to a 38 degree angle - that is 5 degrees in 12 weeks - that is wonderful news. However, we still have a ways to go, that angle should be below 30 degrees. So now we wait and pray for more growth in the socket, for continued blood supply and for the femur to continue growing normally. What a great feeling to know that all of the hard work, tears and stress has paid off. We were then advised that we need to head to Grandview Hwy to have her fitted in a Rhino Cruiser, Garry and I had no idea, we thought that the hospital would do this in the clinic. But, we decided to go right away, we didn't want Lauren to get used to having her legs free and as well, she has been told not to walk without the brace - so the sooner the better.
We were met with a very friendly face at Ortho Dynamics. The lady that helped us was amazing. She was like the bright light we needed, she answered so many questions and really just put our minds at ease as to how long this part of the journey is going to be - we really needed that smiley face and good advice!
Lauren was fitted with what they call a rhino cruiser. She will now wear this brace 24/7, unless swimming or in the bath. And, we are going to live by those rules the Surgeon has given us as we are told that the more she has the brace on, the faster the healing is! :) And as I said to Garry, that if her body is now working 100% to fix her hip, bones etc, let's just ride the wave and let it do it's thing. The body knows what needs to be done and Lauren's little body has just responded to all of this so well - we don't want to ruin it!
So, we still aren't out of the woods yet, we are again just continuing to pray that she won't need the next surgery; however we won't know more until about her 3rd birthday. Right now all we can do is listen to the surgeon's advice, pray for quick healing and make sure both Lauren and Brayden are well loved (and that they are)! Our next visit to see how things are going is in mid February. :)
All in all, it was a good news day. I still hate not knowing how long this journey is going to be, if she is going to heal and not require any further "help" from the surgeon and also if Brayden is 100% ok because again, it is developmental.
But out of all of this craziness we have met some pretty amazing people. Lauren now has a wonderful IDP consultant that has just been amazing! We now have Lauren in the IDP school on Monday's and Thursday and so far she seems to be loving it! We have been wait listed for physio and are really hoping to be picked up in the beginning of the new year. And, above all, there have been some family positives out of all of this -- Garry and I have spent the last 4 months together with our two kids full time! Not many parents can say that they had an opportunity to be home together as a family for that long! Although our time together is coming to a close as Garry will be returning to work in Jan, it has been wonderful to have him here and be a part of the kids everyday lives! He is a wonderful Dad!!
Well, I sign off while listening to Lauren play in her crib - she is talking on her hand phone, while holding her baby. Her little language is hilarious!
Good night!
Sunday 6 November 2011
...Getting back to "normal"....
So, we are finally in the new cast and it's SO much better! Lauren has graduated from the full body spica cast, to a cast that only goes mid thigh and has much more space inside it! :)
The day before Lauren was scheduled for her cast change, we received a phone call from the Day Surgery Unit at Children's advising us that her OR time was booked for Friday Oct. 28th at 1:30pm. WHAT? OR time in the middle of the afternoon? The problem with late OR times is that we are also given clear instructions that Lauren is to receive anything but water or apple juice after 12am the day of her cast change. So, we basically have to starve our child for 13hrs! This is apparently a basic hospital rule for anyone going under - it doesn't matter if the child is going in at 7am or 1pm. Well, I am a firm believer that if you don't advocate for your own child, no one is going to do it for you! There was no way I was going to be able to do this to Lauren - how, we can't explain anything to her, she is so used to her routine and that just isn't fair! All I needed to do was give her a couple bottles to hold her over, maybe one during the night and one first thing in the morning. I explained myself to the booking clerk on the other end of the phone and she promptly told me to contact my Surgeon's office and advise of my concerns and she would try and contact the Anesthesiologist to see if he would make an exception for us. I called our Surgeon's office and all the lines were busy; however I did leave a message just incase. But, instead I received a call back from the booking office a few mins later saying that actually, it wasn't going to be a problem and Lauren could have milk up until 7:30am the day of her cast change. Ok, good, I could work with that! Next hurdle, pray that the OR wasn't running behind!
The moment we arrived at the hospital, Lauren was on to us, she knew exactly where we were and what was going on and she made it known that she was not impressed. We kept her out in the common play area for as long as we could, but it then came time to take her into the patient area so that she could change into a gown and have all of her vitals checked. Lauren didn't hold back at all, she had no problem letting everyone know she was not happy and she didn't want to be there! Thank goodness the nurses and Dr's are awesome and totally understood! :)
We actually got called to walk Lauren into the OR 15mins early (yes, my prayers were answered!). Much to my surprise a nurse was able to engage Lauren by blowing bubbles in the cold, sterile OR. While L and I tried to pop the bubbles before they fell to the floor, a big smile appeared appeared on little L's face!
The cast change was only scheduled to take up about 35mins of OR time and included would be a quick bath. We knew we didn't have long to wait which was nice and there wasn't really anything to worry about - we were all excited for this change, we had made it 6 weeks, this was a great milestone!
While waiting for Lauren to come out of the OR, Garry bumped into Nurse Sue (if you remember in my first or second post it was Nurse Sue that actually suggested that Lauren be looked at as she was displaying signs of Hip Displaysia). We had a wonderful conversation with her and it just so happened that she was still there when our Surgeon came out to tell us how everything went. It was wonderful to finally introduce her to our Surgeon; specially after telling him when we first met that it was because of her we ended up in his clinic. His words to her were "We have already told this story many times, you are now famous in our clinic Sue!". This was another full circle moment for us!
Our Surgeon then went on to advise us that he was very happy with the positioning of Lauren's hip and that he wasn't nervous about the hip popping out and that he thinks he might possibly already see some bone growth in her pelvic area, but only time will tell for sure. We were incredibly happy to hear that everything is still looking good and we are on track-what a relief to know that everything done so far is working!
By about 3pm Lauren was drinking water, talking away and kicking her legs! YAY, her legs were finally free! The nurse then came over with a bunch of paperwork and went over post surgery details with us and then said "you are free to go". It didn't take long for us to load Lauren up in her stroller along with all of her stuff, we were ready to get home!
While driving home Garry and I both noted that one would have never know that Lauren had been in the OR that day, she was happy as could be! In between dancing to her favorite songs while watching Rainbow Bright, she talked and laughed the whole drive home.
Apparently, Lauren was just as excited about the cast change as we were, that night we had a hard time getting her to bed. If you know Lauren, bedtime is like clock work. She is ready for a diaper change, PJ's and a bottle at 7pm. Well, not this night, she was ready to read stories, talk and laugh - all while moving her legs non stop. Garry and I didn't stop laughing, she was on cloud nine - it was so nice to see!!
The next day I decided to see if Lauren would fit back into our double stroller. I had bought this stroller for the kids over a year ago and once Lauren had her first cast put on we were unable to use it for her as her legs were just too far apart - this meant that I could never take the kids out together for a walk, unless I used our Ergo while pushing Lauren in her own stroller. I couldn't believe it, Lauren fit in the bottom seat!!! What a feeling, I could finally take my kids out together by myself! To some of you this may sound silly, but until you have the most simple things taken away from you - you probably wouldn't understand the frustration I had - always having to rely on someone to help me.
It is amazing how quickly kids adapt. Lauren is now able to roll herself over in the new cast onto her tummy, she can turn herself around in circles while on her tummy, she can now hold herself up and sit on the floor, she can sit on her "ladybug" and scoot all over the house, but with all those pro's there is one that stands out from the rest - she can now have baths again!!!
Lauren loves Brayden and can't hug and kiss him enough ~ it's really cute ~ however we found out that although Brayden loves his sister - he likes to be a safe distance away from her. This past week marked Mr. Brayden's 3 month birthday as well as a milestone ~ he can roll over!!
Here are a few pictures ~ Enjoy!
The day before Lauren was scheduled for her cast change, we received a phone call from the Day Surgery Unit at Children's advising us that her OR time was booked for Friday Oct. 28th at 1:30pm. WHAT? OR time in the middle of the afternoon? The problem with late OR times is that we are also given clear instructions that Lauren is to receive anything but water or apple juice after 12am the day of her cast change. So, we basically have to starve our child for 13hrs! This is apparently a basic hospital rule for anyone going under - it doesn't matter if the child is going in at 7am or 1pm. Well, I am a firm believer that if you don't advocate for your own child, no one is going to do it for you! There was no way I was going to be able to do this to Lauren - how, we can't explain anything to her, she is so used to her routine and that just isn't fair! All I needed to do was give her a couple bottles to hold her over, maybe one during the night and one first thing in the morning. I explained myself to the booking clerk on the other end of the phone and she promptly told me to contact my Surgeon's office and advise of my concerns and she would try and contact the Anesthesiologist to see if he would make an exception for us. I called our Surgeon's office and all the lines were busy; however I did leave a message just incase. But, instead I received a call back from the booking office a few mins later saying that actually, it wasn't going to be a problem and Lauren could have milk up until 7:30am the day of her cast change. Ok, good, I could work with that! Next hurdle, pray that the OR wasn't running behind!
The moment we arrived at the hospital, Lauren was on to us, she knew exactly where we were and what was going on and she made it known that she was not impressed. We kept her out in the common play area for as long as we could, but it then came time to take her into the patient area so that she could change into a gown and have all of her vitals checked. Lauren didn't hold back at all, she had no problem letting everyone know she was not happy and she didn't want to be there! Thank goodness the nurses and Dr's are awesome and totally understood! :)
We actually got called to walk Lauren into the OR 15mins early (yes, my prayers were answered!). Much to my surprise a nurse was able to engage Lauren by blowing bubbles in the cold, sterile OR. While L and I tried to pop the bubbles before they fell to the floor, a big smile appeared appeared on little L's face!
The cast change was only scheduled to take up about 35mins of OR time and included would be a quick bath. We knew we didn't have long to wait which was nice and there wasn't really anything to worry about - we were all excited for this change, we had made it 6 weeks, this was a great milestone!
While waiting for Lauren to come out of the OR, Garry bumped into Nurse Sue (if you remember in my first or second post it was Nurse Sue that actually suggested that Lauren be looked at as she was displaying signs of Hip Displaysia). We had a wonderful conversation with her and it just so happened that she was still there when our Surgeon came out to tell us how everything went. It was wonderful to finally introduce her to our Surgeon; specially after telling him when we first met that it was because of her we ended up in his clinic. His words to her were "We have already told this story many times, you are now famous in our clinic Sue!". This was another full circle moment for us!
Our Surgeon then went on to advise us that he was very happy with the positioning of Lauren's hip and that he wasn't nervous about the hip popping out and that he thinks he might possibly already see some bone growth in her pelvic area, but only time will tell for sure. We were incredibly happy to hear that everything is still looking good and we are on track-what a relief to know that everything done so far is working!
By about 3pm Lauren was drinking water, talking away and kicking her legs! YAY, her legs were finally free! The nurse then came over with a bunch of paperwork and went over post surgery details with us and then said "you are free to go". It didn't take long for us to load Lauren up in her stroller along with all of her stuff, we were ready to get home!
While driving home Garry and I both noted that one would have never know that Lauren had been in the OR that day, she was happy as could be! In between dancing to her favorite songs while watching Rainbow Bright, she talked and laughed the whole drive home.
Apparently, Lauren was just as excited about the cast change as we were, that night we had a hard time getting her to bed. If you know Lauren, bedtime is like clock work. She is ready for a diaper change, PJ's and a bottle at 7pm. Well, not this night, she was ready to read stories, talk and laugh - all while moving her legs non stop. Garry and I didn't stop laughing, she was on cloud nine - it was so nice to see!!
The next day I decided to see if Lauren would fit back into our double stroller. I had bought this stroller for the kids over a year ago and once Lauren had her first cast put on we were unable to use it for her as her legs were just too far apart - this meant that I could never take the kids out together for a walk, unless I used our Ergo while pushing Lauren in her own stroller. I couldn't believe it, Lauren fit in the bottom seat!!! What a feeling, I could finally take my kids out together by myself! To some of you this may sound silly, but until you have the most simple things taken away from you - you probably wouldn't understand the frustration I had - always having to rely on someone to help me.
It is amazing how quickly kids adapt. Lauren is now able to roll herself over in the new cast onto her tummy, she can turn herself around in circles while on her tummy, she can now hold herself up and sit on the floor, she can sit on her "ladybug" and scoot all over the house, but with all those pro's there is one that stands out from the rest - she can now have baths again!!!
Lauren loves Brayden and can't hug and kiss him enough ~ it's really cute ~ however we found out that although Brayden loves his sister - he likes to be a safe distance away from her. This past week marked Mr. Brayden's 3 month birthday as well as a milestone ~ he can roll over!!
Here are a few pictures ~ Enjoy!
Lauren barely awake - this was the last day in the full body cast!
Lauren the evening of her cast change ~ this photo was taken at about 9pm!!!
Some blogs said to introduce your child back to bath time slowly, well, this is not required for Lauren ~ she dove right in there soaking everything around her including herself! She couldn't pour enough water on her head and down her cast! It was too funny!
This is Lauren on her ladybug being pushed back and forth between Grandma and myself. It took L about 5mins to figure out how to use her legs/feet again to get around - AMAZING!
Wednesday 26 October 2011
...Half Way Done - Cast Change Time! :)
At the start of this journey, I never thought that we would make it to this day ~ 6 weeks seemed like forever to us. Well, we made it! :) On Friday Lauren will be taken to the OR to have her body cast removed and a new spica cast put on. This new cast however, will now only go to above her knees, I will finally get to see her little legs again! Then, our new 6 week countdown will start!
Over the course of the past 6 weeks I have learnt so much about Lauren and even more so about myself. As parents, we perceive things to be weighted more than they are ~ I felt that in the beginning Lauren took to this whole new situation far too easily and I needed to be the one to grieve the loss of her mobility for her. It took about 2 weeks for me to get over the fact that this was happening and that really, it wasn't making much of a difference to her quality of life and that she was ok. Lauren was still the happy go lucky little girl that wanted to be loved, played with and cuddled. I had said from the start of this journey that as long as she was doing ok, I would be ok with everything going on, but I wasn't. Why did my child have to be different than all of the other children? Why can't she run and jump and play like the rest? At the end of the day I needed to realize that this was more of a frustration to me and not her! Lauren loves being carried around, watching and laughing when other kids are being silly and she really hasn't been too bothered that she can't run after anyone with her own two feet. Even though I had been told many times that she was going to be fine throughout this process, I had to accept that all of this was ok, it isn't forever, it is just for a short period of time in our lives and that eventually we will go back to our old "normal". And more importantly, we are doing this so that she can run around, jump all over the place and keep up with the other kids without pain in her hips, back or legs. So, I now make sure that we focus on the positive, such as the things we can do together. Lauren and I still twirl and dance together, we still sing goofy songs together, chat back and both like we both know what each other is saying, we belly laugh at each other while playing and I recognize that this is still the same little girl behind the fiberglass cast ~ she's still my little princess. Finally getting to this place doesn't make this journey any shorter, it's still going to be a long one with windy roads; only now we make sure that each day is filled with fun activities, friends and family and lots of love and cuddles! :)
One big positive out of all of this is, since being casted, we have noticed that because Lauren isn't able to work on her gross motor skills, her fine motor skill and language have both developed quiet rapidly over the past few weeks. She is now able to play and entertain herself for longer periods of time while sitting at her table, use a fork or spoon to feed herself and she can now count to 7 (with a little help)!!! Her new favorite word Grandma taught her is "yellow" ~ she loves to say it with her little lips all squished together, it is too cute!
As a family and with the support of our extended family and friends, we are getting through this one day at a time! Thanks to everyone who has supported us over the past 6 weeks!!
Over the course of the past 6 weeks I have learnt so much about Lauren and even more so about myself. As parents, we perceive things to be weighted more than they are ~ I felt that in the beginning Lauren took to this whole new situation far too easily and I needed to be the one to grieve the loss of her mobility for her. It took about 2 weeks for me to get over the fact that this was happening and that really, it wasn't making much of a difference to her quality of life and that she was ok. Lauren was still the happy go lucky little girl that wanted to be loved, played with and cuddled. I had said from the start of this journey that as long as she was doing ok, I would be ok with everything going on, but I wasn't. Why did my child have to be different than all of the other children? Why can't she run and jump and play like the rest? At the end of the day I needed to realize that this was more of a frustration to me and not her! Lauren loves being carried around, watching and laughing when other kids are being silly and she really hasn't been too bothered that she can't run after anyone with her own two feet. Even though I had been told many times that she was going to be fine throughout this process, I had to accept that all of this was ok, it isn't forever, it is just for a short period of time in our lives and that eventually we will go back to our old "normal". And more importantly, we are doing this so that she can run around, jump all over the place and keep up with the other kids without pain in her hips, back or legs. So, I now make sure that we focus on the positive, such as the things we can do together. Lauren and I still twirl and dance together, we still sing goofy songs together, chat back and both like we both know what each other is saying, we belly laugh at each other while playing and I recognize that this is still the same little girl behind the fiberglass cast ~ she's still my little princess. Finally getting to this place doesn't make this journey any shorter, it's still going to be a long one with windy roads; only now we make sure that each day is filled with fun activities, friends and family and lots of love and cuddles! :)
One big positive out of all of this is, since being casted, we have noticed that because Lauren isn't able to work on her gross motor skills, her fine motor skill and language have both developed quiet rapidly over the past few weeks. She is now able to play and entertain herself for longer periods of time while sitting at her table, use a fork or spoon to feed herself and she can now count to 7 (with a little help)!!! Her new favorite word Grandma taught her is "yellow" ~ she loves to say it with her little lips all squished together, it is too cute!
As a family and with the support of our extended family and friends, we are getting through this one day at a time! Thanks to everyone who has supported us over the past 6 weeks!!
Wednesday 12 October 2011
...4 Weeks Down...
It's hard to believe that Lauren has been casted for 4 weeks now! We are getting excited for this upcoming cast change (2 weeks away) not only because of the new freedom Lauren will have, but because of the nice clean fresh scent it will bring as well! :) As some of you know I am a little, tiny bit crazy when it comes to keeping things clean and tidy and as well as the cast has held up from my daily washes and scrubbing with a toothbrush, it is time for a fresh start! We will hopefully have details on when the OR booking will be by next week!
This Friday Lauren will be meeting with a certified Infant Development Consultant. When we were originally offered this service by our community health nurse I jumped on it. This consultant will come to our house and assess Lauren and make sure that when needed she is referred to physio, they will work with Lauren to help advance her in other areas of development and also work with us to help adapt play for her (we've already done that, but any extra help would be appreciated). Garry and I figured if we are going to be offered extra resources within the community why not jump on it!
It's amazing that the horrible image of what I thought our life was going to be with Lauren casted really hasn't happened. We have had to make adjustments to how we do things throughout the day; however we have been able to adapt most activities to accommodate her cast. It really isn't as bad as I thought. For instance, we didn't think that eating out would have been an option for us while Lauren is in this particular cast because she doesn't fit in a conventional highchair. Well, with a little creativity and the eyes of a wonderful friend that loves to shop, we were able to adapt a portable cloth high chair seat for Lauren to sit in. Once secured to the chair, we place 2 phone books under where her bottom would go so that she is elevated and her legs are accommodated. Here is a web picture of what it looks like; however, I will post a picture of Lauren in the harness in a few days.
Our little man is growing up too quickly. While at the Dr's last week for his two month shots, we found out that he is now 13pd 12oz! That is a pound heavier than Lauren at this age!! Brayden has just blended into this family wonderfully, he is such an easy going baby that just loves to snuggle, smile and eat. It's weird that I honestly can't imagine life without him now, it feels like he has always been a part of our family.
This past weekend was a special weekend for Brayden ~ it was his Baptism! We figured that Lauren had a special Baptism date ~ Father's Day, so it seemed appropriate for Brayden's special event to fall on a holiday weekend ~ Thanksgiving! Brayden did wonderfully and didn't make a peep while up at the front of the Church, we were so proud of him! I think it is pretty special that Lauren, Logan (cousin) and now Brayden have all been baptized at the same Church as Heather (sister) and I; there is a lot of family history in that Church and I hope it continues for many years to come! Our Church family has been such a wonderful support to us, specially over the past few months.
After Brayden's Baptism on Sunday our family came back to our place for a ham lunch. After lunch we decided to head outside to enjoy the beautiful sunshine and take the kids for a walk. While on our walk my brother in law suggested we take this photo with all the kids - I love it and thought it was just too cute and needed to be posted - enjoy!
Abbey Road Jr.
This Friday Lauren will be meeting with a certified Infant Development Consultant. When we were originally offered this service by our community health nurse I jumped on it. This consultant will come to our house and assess Lauren and make sure that when needed she is referred to physio, they will work with Lauren to help advance her in other areas of development and also work with us to help adapt play for her (we've already done that, but any extra help would be appreciated). Garry and I figured if we are going to be offered extra resources within the community why not jump on it!
It's amazing that the horrible image of what I thought our life was going to be with Lauren casted really hasn't happened. We have had to make adjustments to how we do things throughout the day; however we have been able to adapt most activities to accommodate her cast. It really isn't as bad as I thought. For instance, we didn't think that eating out would have been an option for us while Lauren is in this particular cast because she doesn't fit in a conventional highchair. Well, with a little creativity and the eyes of a wonderful friend that loves to shop, we were able to adapt a portable cloth high chair seat for Lauren to sit in. Once secured to the chair, we place 2 phone books under where her bottom would go so that she is elevated and her legs are accommodated. Here is a web picture of what it looks like; however, I will post a picture of Lauren in the harness in a few days.
Our little man is growing up too quickly. While at the Dr's last week for his two month shots, we found out that he is now 13pd 12oz! That is a pound heavier than Lauren at this age!! Brayden has just blended into this family wonderfully, he is such an easy going baby that just loves to snuggle, smile and eat. It's weird that I honestly can't imagine life without him now, it feels like he has always been a part of our family.
This past weekend was a special weekend for Brayden ~ it was his Baptism! We figured that Lauren had a special Baptism date ~ Father's Day, so it seemed appropriate for Brayden's special event to fall on a holiday weekend ~ Thanksgiving! Brayden did wonderfully and didn't make a peep while up at the front of the Church, we were so proud of him! I think it is pretty special that Lauren, Logan (cousin) and now Brayden have all been baptized at the same Church as Heather (sister) and I; there is a lot of family history in that Church and I hope it continues for many years to come! Our Church family has been such a wonderful support to us, specially over the past few months.
After Brayden's Baptism on Sunday our family came back to our place for a ham lunch. After lunch we decided to head outside to enjoy the beautiful sunshine and take the kids for a walk. While on our walk my brother in law suggested we take this photo with all the kids - I love it and thought it was just too cute and needed to be posted - enjoy!
Abbey Road Jr.
Thursday 6 October 2011
...Half way through the first cast...
Wow, when I first thought about making it to this halfway point it seemed so far away!
So, today Lauren celebrated her 3 week mark by taking a 3 hr nap and then having an awesome playdate with GG (Great Grandma); I however chose to celebrate with a nice glass of red wine!
The kids have just been awesome lately. Little Brayden put himself on such a great schedule a couple weeks ago, he is off to sleep around 8:30-9:00pm and then up around 4:30am for a feed, right back down and then up around 7ish. He is such an easy going baby, lots of smiles and cooing during the day and wonderful snuggles in the evening! I am really enjoying every moment with him, it's so different with the second baby - in a good way!
We have been keeping Lauren pretty busy with playdates, outings, walks and shopping! She has fully adapted to having this cast on and is just enjoying what she is able too, I am still shocked how well she is doing! Lauren was sick over the weekend with a fever/flu so we stayed pretty close to home and once that cleared up she came down with a cold, hopefully the cold will pass quickly!
It's amazing how Lauren is still able to move herself around with that heavy cast. Garry and I were shocked to see her at the other side of her crib this morning - with the nursing pillow still under her legs! And, while placing her on her tummy on the ground she is able to move in a circle motion and get around to grab stuff. It will be interesting to see what she is able to do with the next cast since it will only go to above the knee.
It's nice to finally feel like we are settling into a routine and we are on the road to getting our little girl all fixed up. Although I still wonder why it was us that had to go through this and the life lessons that will come out of all of this - I am grateful that Lauren was diagnosed when she was, as the timing couldn't have been better for Garry and I!
So, today Lauren celebrated her 3 week mark by taking a 3 hr nap and then having an awesome playdate with GG (Great Grandma); I however chose to celebrate with a nice glass of red wine!
The kids have just been awesome lately. Little Brayden put himself on such a great schedule a couple weeks ago, he is off to sleep around 8:30-9:00pm and then up around 4:30am for a feed, right back down and then up around 7ish. He is such an easy going baby, lots of smiles and cooing during the day and wonderful snuggles in the evening! I am really enjoying every moment with him, it's so different with the second baby - in a good way!
We have been keeping Lauren pretty busy with playdates, outings, walks and shopping! She has fully adapted to having this cast on and is just enjoying what she is able too, I am still shocked how well she is doing! Lauren was sick over the weekend with a fever/flu so we stayed pretty close to home and once that cleared up she came down with a cold, hopefully the cold will pass quickly!
It's amazing how Lauren is still able to move herself around with that heavy cast. Garry and I were shocked to see her at the other side of her crib this morning - with the nursing pillow still under her legs! And, while placing her on her tummy on the ground she is able to move in a circle motion and get around to grab stuff. It will be interesting to see what she is able to do with the next cast since it will only go to above the knee.
It's nice to finally feel like we are settling into a routine and we are on the road to getting our little girl all fixed up. Although I still wonder why it was us that had to go through this and the life lessons that will come out of all of this - I am grateful that Lauren was diagnosed when she was, as the timing couldn't have been better for Garry and I!
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