SHE WALKS

Kara is doing WONDERFULLY in physical therapy!

Sitting up!

Kara has been out of her cast for a little more than 4 weeks, and is finally strong enough to sit up!  She still can't move her left leg at all; it is far too weak.  Also, her left ankle is curled up with atrophy.  Fortunately though, Kara got her physical therapy orders and will begin next week.

Sitting up all by herself on the exam table!

I tried to get Kara to smile, but she was not having it.

The cast saw is hilarious.

The cast is off.  Kara couldn't stop giggling at the noise and vibration of the cast saw.  Her scar is about 14 inches down the side of her hip and thigh, and appears to have healed nicely.  Unfortunately we found a small bed sore at her sacrum inside the cast.  There was no way to know of or prevent this sore.  It has already scabbed over.  

Kara had her first bath tonight and enjoyed splashing the water.  Her left leg is still yellowish from the Povidone-Iodine, and she's peeling like a snake.  I'm glad that she didn't get extra hairy, like a lot of people do.  

In four weeks Kara will have another follow-up appointment and hopefully then she will be ready to begin physical therapy. For now, we are just focusing on helping her regain the use of her recently immobilized joints.  She is in a lot of pain so she is back on her medication for a few days.

Giggling at the saw

Last day in the cast!

Kara should be getting her cast off tomorrow!  We will head up to Stanford and get some X-rays, and if everything looks okay, it will be time to saw that nasty thing off. 

Kara has been in her cast for over 8 weeks, and learning to adapt her care has been challenging.  She sleeps  and spends much of her time in a hospital bed in her room.  We have a camera on her so we can listen and watch without disrupting her.  Kara has her diaper changed and is repositioned every two hours, even during the night, to prevent pressure ulcers.

A couple weeks ago we fully weaned Kara from her pain medication, which let us take her off her 3 antihistamines too (she had a lot of itching from the oxycodone).  At first we were giving her no medication, but Kara would wake up in the middle of night and try to crawl out of bed, so she still gets Valium at bedtime.  This has been working wonderfully and she sleeps through the night. 

During the day, Kara spends some time in the living room on her Lovesac and can go outside in her reclining wheelchair.  We have a ramp now which is helpful.  

When we see Kara's physician tomorrow, we hope to get physical therapy orders to begin to restore Kara's range of motion and strength.  She will probably be sore and have pain with movement for about two months.  Weight bearing is far in the future.  If Kara does well during the Summer, she will be able to attend camp and return to school for the new year in the Fall.  Also, once the cast is off we will be able to let Kara sleep through the night and lifting her will be a bit easier, as the cast is probably around 15 pounds and the fiberglass material is hard to grip.  

Even though life has calmed down and we are in a rhythm, we are ready to be done with this phase.  I will post pictures tomorrow. 

Kara enjoys the sunny weather

Lounging in the reclining wheelchair

X-Rays!

Pre-op: Notice that the femur is not only out of the hip socket, but also completely misaligned.

Post-op: Hip back in socket!  Complete with metal plate and 6 screws holding the femur together.

COUNTDOWN

Kara's cast-off date is June 2.  Her orthopedic surgeon examined her today and said things seem to be progressing well.  Kara's non-weight bearing status has been lifted.  We are in the process of tapering her pain medication.

When the cast does come off, Kara will probably be stiff and guarded and won't move much for about two months.  She will start physical therapy to regain range of motion and possibly even her walking ability, though that is far in the future.

ALSO: We got copies of Kara's x-rays, pre and post-operative, and I will scan and post those later.