Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Another Arm Milestone

Well, Trini's little arm is now "pin free". They took her pink cast off today and then took x-rays. This made no sense to me. If I hadn't, at the last minute mind you, grabbed her sling to bring with us, they would have had her walk way down the hall without any support for that arm. You know, the one that hasn't moved on its own in a month! She was so scared. It irked me.

So the x-rays weren't fun. The radiologist tried to bend and reposition that arm. I was afraid a good smack was about to be needed but I just told him he wasn't going to have a picture from that angle. My poor baby.

So then we're back down the hall and the doctor comes in and asks her if she is ready to have her pins out. She matter-of-factly says, "No," with a big head shake for emphasis. He gets her laid down and my baby was trembling she was so scared. I noticed he had one half way out so I asked her if she was ready for him to start. She replied that she wasn't and I told her too bad because it was already out. She felt a little better after that.

After they were done her little tears flowed. I ached for her. She had a sense of relief but was also scared for them to examine her arm at all. She was so stressed that he decided to wait and check for feeling and reflexes next time.

I asked him about the x-rays and he said everything looked really good. He thought she was progressing right on track. He said she should be able to play soccer in August which she has really been asking about and wanting to do.

They then fitted her with a removable cast. Basically, they re-cast her arm, in a beautiful emerald green this time, and then cut it off of her and cut a strip out of one side of it. They then placed strips of adhesive velcro across it and she was good to go.

We're allowed to take it off for baths now and if she is sitting, still, and right beside one of us. The bad news is she can also take it off for physical therapy which he ordered for her. She can't even wrap her brain around the idea of that. She doesn't want anyone jacking with that arm and I can't say as I blame her. We'll work with her on it at home and hopefully the PT won't be a necessity. She had it at about 3/4 of the way straightened tonight so maybe, in the security of our home, she'll accomplish more than a professional could in a scary office.

We go back in 4 weeks and she should be released from the cast then. She'll still be on limited activity but 2-3 weeks after that she should get the all clear.

My child amazes me. She's so brave and tender hearted and kind. I wish I was more like her.

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