Cast #4...

Greetings and a Reminder:

I write this blog as we go through ET Mehta Casting with our daughter Olivia. The blog is intended to inform, possibly inspire, and raise awareness of Infantile Scoliosis and its treatment/cure. Please share our story. For more information please check out http://www.infantilescoliosis.org/ 

Sorry this took me so long to write. It’s been a very busy couple of days! When I left you all Monday night I finally went to sleep around midnight only to wake up for the day at 2:30, because I was so concerned about getting to the hospital in the snow. Guess what? We hardly got any snow! That was a plus. We were out the door by 4:45 and got to the hospital on time.

 The little munchkin is such a pro now. She shows them her medical bracelet when they ask, she lets them take her blood pressure. She even talks to the nurses now! (I mean it’s barely audible, but a huge step).

 As always Dr. G came by beforehand to chat with us and look at Olivia. I told him how impressed I was by her back and how I can run my finger right down her spine. He looked at her and told us that he will X-Ray her at 10 months instead of the year. That means her cast might come off in May instead of July!!! This was VERY exciting news! 

Anesthesiology came to talk to us as well and they gave Olivia a scented face mask to play with to prep her for anesthesia. She got a big kick out of this. When it was time to go she walked with her “team” and me to the OR cool as a cucumber. She loves the attention she gets because of her red hair. Multiple nurses remembered her this time from last time. One remembered her because of her allergy to peaches, and others remembered her because of the hair. Ha!

It’s funny. Every time we do this it’s different. This time we laid her down on the table and I held the mask over her face and sang to her till she fell asleep. She cried a little at first, but then was ok. I sang ABCs, Ba Ba Blacksheep, and Twinkle Twinkle (yeah I know…), and then she was out. It took her longer than usual to fall asleep.

We waited our usual hour in the waiting room, I enjoyed my usual breakfast sandwich from Au Bon Pain, and crocheted a flower for her to wear after recovery. While we were in the waiting room Brian got a text from his sister letting us know she was having her baby and that we were needed to watch my niece for a little while. 

Olivia did great and we were off to recovery to wait for her to wake up. She had the same recovery nurse as last time, which I was happy for because I liked her. Last time Olivia was already awake when we got there. This time she was out for over an hour!

She woke up calmly as always and enjoyed a can of apple juice and a popsicle.  I looked over the top and front of her cast and it looked really good. The length also looked good including the bottom. It’s tricky because she is not encouraged to do a lot of moving following anesthesia so I never get a good look at how the cast fits on her until after. We also thought she might puke at one point (she didn't), so we were given a barf bag just in case. Olivia enjoyed her new "hat."

Olivia was discharged and we were off to Ashland to babysit. Olivia had a great afternoon with her cousin. She played and ate and was fine. By 5:30 there was still no baby and we were relieved of our sitting duties and went home. I took a shower and was heading out for rehearsal when I noticed the bottom of Olivia’s cast. It was looking awfully tight and she was getting red marks on her hips from the skin being pinched between the cast and her pants. This made me nervous. We iced it and I warned my mother to keep an eye. Oh! And my sister in law gave birth to a bouncing baby boy! My first nephew!

Olivia slept through the night, which was a first in a month! She woke up VERY irritable and cranky the next day. She sounded congested and just seemed miserable.  Her hips looked much better, though the cast still seemed tighter than usual in that area. I dropped her off at my mother's and checked in through the day. She didn't eat much and just wanted to sleep all day. My sister said that she was also complaining about her belly. I wasn't sure if she was sick, or if it was the cast, or what. When I brought her home she seemed fine. She was pleasant, ate well, and slept through the night again. She was also fine all day today. I think she was still working Tuesday out of her system and readjusting to wearing the cast again. She's such a trooper.

I called today to schedule Olivia's next cast. Dr. G is letting us take it off on a Friday and having the new one put on on a Tuesday again. I had asked because it falls around her birthday. So exciting! She gets to have her birthday party cast free! What an awesome birthday present! I will leave you with pictures of the cast. 

If you are reading this and haven't liked our facebook page yet please consider "liking" it. It helps me to see how many people I'm reaching out to. I have been so pleased with the number of likes we have received. Again, in addition to this blog being a history for Olivia it is also intended to inform and to help others who are going through the same thing. Spread the word! Thanks! <3