surgery...

Last Wednesday Hannah had surgery on her arm.  What a time we had.  Things didn't go completely like we had planned (but then again... when does it ever???)
We arrived at the hospital, same day surgery, at 11 am.  Of course, she was fasting, and not happy at all.  I will NEVER, NEVER, EVER again be "add on" status.  ever.....  It was one of the longest day of our lives.  The surgeon was done with his afternoon surgery at 4 pm.  Still waited... and waited... and waited some more....
At 6:30, Same Day Surgery was closing.  We had to go somewhere.  Dr. Ortho wanted us to stay in a "holding" area, so we were as close to the OR as we could be.  As we learned, the surgeon was ready, the OR was ready, but there was no staff...  How can they have THIRTY-TWO OR rooms and not enough staff??????  SOOOO frustrating.  About 6 pm I requested them to give her fluids in her IV that she had placed in her arm, ALL DAY... Hannah was dehydrated.  Her poor little eyes were sunken in.

FINALLY at 8:40 PM, they came in to take her to the OR.  unbelievable.... truly.

Her surgery itself, went great.  It took about two hours.  He placed a pin (rod) in only one bone (the other one had soft bone and had actually started healing.  (We had decided to put a long arm cast on her after surgery so she would have more protection).  He felt the cast would be enough to help the smaller bone heal.  I was very much surprised to see the rod goes from her pinky finger to her elbow.  I had no idea it was going to be that long.  So she will wear the cast for 6 weeks.  Then she will wear a removable cast for 5 more months.  In June or July, Dr Ortho will go back in to remove the pin... Then she will have physical therapy for 3 or so months.  The way I figure, that will take us right back up to Thanksgiving!!!!  Who knew this would be a year long process????

Post op was crazy...  Hannah normally handles anesthesia well, as long as they don't use gas (which they didn't).  She woke up too soon after surgery and was really having a rough time.  She wasn't able to keep her O2 saturations up.  They started her on her BI PAP and added in oxygen. 

We finally got up to her room at 1:30 am.  We were on a trach floor so the respiratory therapists(RT) were right there... We had a WONDERFUL RT!!!!  Tera was sooo good to Hannah.  There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for our girl!!!  Thanks Tera, we appreciate you more than you will ever know!!  Tera continued to wean her oxygen down through the night.

By 8 am the next morning, Hannah started swelling and turned very flushed in her face.  Then she started itching.  They called in the dr.  He felt like she was having an allergic reaaction to something they gave her during surgery.  We will never know what that was....  Then about 1 pm, she started to have "wet lungs" and wheezing.  ugh  Hannah is not a wheezer....  We started breathing treatments.  We think she may have aspirated during surgery. 

Late Thursday afternoon, Hannah seemed to turn the corner and started feeling better.  We spent another night just to be sure her O2 sats were staying up.  They did.  98% all night!  So, we were able to go home late Friday morning.  yay!!!  It was quite the surgical experience....  She usually never has these issues with anesthesia.  I think maybe she was in deeper sedation and the longer surgery caused some of the oxygen issues.  still not sure.  It was really scary though. (what scared me the most when Hannah woke up in recovery, the very first thing she said to me was... "MOM, I CAN'T SEE... I CAN'T SEE!!!!"  WWWHHHAAAATTTT???????  Then she said, "MOM, I HAVE DOUBLE EYES, I HAVE DOUBLE EYES!!!!".  Then I knew she was having double vision.  whew.  That'll scare the poop outta anyone!!!

She rested all weekend and is doing so well.  It's weird to think that with that big ol rod in her arm she is virtually pain free!  (she hurt so much the first 3 weeks...)  It's finally stable.  Her bones aren't moving all around anymore.  Healing has begun!!!!

shifted...

Hannah had rough weekend full of broken arm pain...  I continued to give her pain pills to help take the edge off (she hates taking them because they knock her out).  I went back and forth. but finally decided to take her back in to see the ortho this morning. (we were just there on Friday... holding steady, no change).  However, today was a different story....

Her bones shifted again... BIG TIME.  They shifted 20 degrees in addition to what they were before!!!  ugh.  He said her bones will not heal straight on their own.  She needs surgery.  The dreaded words I was sooo hoping to avoid.

So, we go in Wednesday... Dr. Ortho will put two pins in.  She will have an incision by her wrist and one by her elbow.  She will have a removable cast.  The pins will stay in 6 months and then she will have another surgery to remove the pins.  yuck...

Nana is coming down to go with us, per request of Hannah.  She is scared.  This is out of her element.  Give the girl anything neurological and its piece of cake!  But this is something new and different.
I think we will be spending the night and I am glad for that.  With all of her underlying conditions, I think it's a good idea.  Not to mention they can really help with pain management...

I will keep you posted.  Hopefully this will do it!!!  I pray she can finally start healing now...

Happy Birthday Blitzen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blitzen turns 4 years old today!!  He is sooo awesome.  We ALL love him so so much...

A doggie birthday cookie!!!

He couldn't wait!!!  We were singing Happy Birthday to him!!!

Chowing down!!!!

AND... Hannah got a new cast today.  PINK SPARKLY!!!! Oh yeah, baby...  I THINK we have avoided surgery, unless she has a bone shift.  She doesn't have any bone growth yet, but the doctor's are hoepeful....

Check out all that sparkle!!!!!

it's been awhile...

It has been very eventful lately... First, let me say, Hannah seems to be in a good spot, seizure wise.  (hate to even say it outloud...)  I think we have found a good medication combo.  She has only wet 2 times in the last week and only one complex partial seizure.  HUGE!!!!  and very exciting!!!!  I pray that it stays this way for a little while and give us all a little break....

Speaking of break...  (hehe)

We traveled to Alabama Thanksgiving week to visit Gary's parents.  We got down there fine, survived the 12 hour drive.  We always drive through the night to make it easier on the kids (misery on us).  Thanksgiving morning Hannah and her cousins were playing at the playground area in grandma's housing development.  Hannah fell off the monkey bars and it was very evident she broke her arm.  She may of had a seizure when we fell, we really aren't sure.  We raced her to the ER at the very rural community hospital.  The hospital took such good care of her.  The xrays showed that she broke both bones in her arm; ulna and the radius.  It was a very ugly break.  They would have to take her to the OR to reduce (set) her bones.  Many hours later, we went back to grandma's house and finally had our Thanksgiving dinner!! (we didn't leave the hospital until 5 pm that day...starving!!!!)

They put her in a full arm cast, but split the cast and wrapped it in an ace bandage.  Now we had to figure out how to get this girl home, in a lot of pain, a 12 hour drive home...

We ended up splitting the 12 hours up into 2 days.  We stayed at a hotel the first night and drove the last 6 hours home the next day.

The following Tuesday we saw our pediatric orthopedic.  He thought the Alabama doctor set her arm very well. But, he felt we still weren't out of the woods that she may still need surgery.  A five year old kid would heal nicely, an adult would no doubt  need surgery, but she is right in the middle.  An almost 11 year old girl's bones don't grow as fast and may not grow as well...  So, if her bones shift any at all, she will have to have surgery.

her favorite colors!!!!!

We went back to see the doctor this morning because she started screaming every time she moved her arm.  Obviously something wasn't right....  They got us right in, did another xray... Her other bone, the one that lined up nicely when they set it, had shifted.  big time.  Now, it looks as bad as the other.  GREAT.... ugh
We are getting very close to approaching "aggressive measures."  There was no healing (in fact, we went the other direction).  She has to keep it in the sling, increasing her pain meds and go back in a week.  I think he will make a decision next Friday as to what we are going to do....if we will be heading to surgery.  And, oh, keep her still...  YEAH RIGHT!!!  he has no idea.....