bye bye BABY bye bye

Can you believe the technicians asked us if we wanted to bring it home? I'm still not sure if they were serious or not!!

BLETCH!!

Dr Udall was finishing up a surgery next door and the PA tried to tell us that we should keep it on for 2 more weeks or so - ummm did you look at the X-rays? because Udall said we'd get it off today if they looked good. - Yes, and they look perfect for 5 weeks in - you mean 5 1/2 - 5 weeks - 5 1/2 - 5 weeks - Um I'm a mom and I've been counting down, it's been 5 weeks and 4 days - Well, I conferred with our other Dr and he agrees that it should stay on for a few more weeks. - Is this based on the x-ray or just your experience? - experience - When will Dr. Udall be here? a few minutes? Oh well...we'll just wait.

hooray for just waiting!!!!

Afterword he held his legs in this position and cried for an hour or so. Once home we took a nice long Epsom salt bath in this basic position while we scrubbed and rubbed and massaged. There weren't as many tears in a bubble bath and after an hour more...

He still makes no movement on his own and is getting used to the stiffness and slight pain. But we're on the right road.

Thanks to ALL that have prayed for us - helped out in our home - brought in meals - gifted things on our doorstep. We appreciate and love you all. Next step? finding another new normal...hopefully one with much less TV.

long awaited update!

Everyone keeps asking, "How is Jack doing?" and instead of talking a lot about it, I've been trying to deal with it. Now that I've got a bit of a routine back in our lives here is the

long awaited update!

Jackson is happy as can be, a real trooper. Actually the truth is it makes you feel even worse that he is so nice about his immobility. If he would cry and mumble all the time you could relate to him more but he is, in fact, so nice about it, it kind-of breaks your heart.

We can wash the bodice with rubbing alcohol and that has made a world of difference. We also spend an hour each morning and evening with the hair dryer. Drying out moisture from various sources...Just recently though he has taken to putting things down into the cast so I have to be diligent in keeping things out. If they make it into the legs we are goners!

The cast comes off December 16. The Doctor says there is a small chance his leg won't be ready by then, but I think he just has to say that so moms like me don't go berserk on the off chance that happens. I swear he is getting heavier and more awkward for me to carry every day.

His brothers, Dad and Mom spoil him rotten and I fear that we will have ruined our easy independent boy child. The real problem is that the more frustrated he is becoming with his cast the more tired and impatient I am becoming with him.

Nights are still by far the worst. Monte and I are both desperate for real sleep. We take turns with him over night. He still is not very comfortable and tries to shift in his bed. Then he gets very frustrated to be woken up even if it is he who has woken himself. Basically a no win situation.

Still we are happy to be not hurting anymore and have routine back in our lives. Now that we know how to do things it is easier to get out and about. I don't go out very often but at least the things I have to do can get accomplished. A sweet girl from the ward comes over every afternoon to sit while I pick up the older boys from school. That is probably my biggest life saver.

After the cast is off we've been told he won't be walking for "a month or so." He'll do his own physical therapy...crawling, pulling himself up, toddling. And even then he'll walk with a limp for "quite a while"

Update complete...

Now...how to get the Christmas shopping done?

Definition

Spica cast: A spica cast (also called a hip cast or body cast) immobilizes the hips and thighs so that bones or tendons can heal properly. It is usually put on in surgery while the child is sleeping.

There are several types of spica casts. They begin at the chest and may extend down to cover one leg, both legs, or the leg on one side and down to the hip or knee of the other side. The doctor will decide what type of spica cast your child needs.

Guess which one we needed!

(Tell me that's not gonna stink-literally-in less than a weeks time...I dare ya!)

You don't actually put a diaper on him. The cast is somewhat like I'd image a chastity belt (without the key.) You get a small diaper, size 2 or 3, and sort of tuck it into the cast around his crotch. We got a cool new car seat today to transport him around in. I'm going out to buy a big gardening wagon to fill with pillows to get us through the holidays. He's got to wear it 6 weeks- hopefully it will come off the week before Christmas...sorry all if our scent begins to offend...) The cast is slightly bent at the waist maybe 20 degrees so he will be able to sort-of sit up The bean bags at home will come in very handy the next few weeks. I'm also moving his bed to my room to avoid the stairs. Seeing his brothers today helped a TON but he's staying in the hospital tonight again because of concern for his heart rate. It's been above 135 for 3 days straight. They anticipated it going down when his pain was lessened, but it went UP instead towering around 166. (Ideally it should be low 90's or under.) It also stays uncomfortably high while he is asleep which is abnormal as well.

Looks like he's coming home tomorrow though so...

Wish us Luck!!

This photo was taken at the end of the day today once he was weaned off the heavy meds and had a clearer head. He still spikes with pain every so often but it is FAR more managable. Thanks for the prayers...please keep them coming!

Morphine anyone?

They upped his timing so he can get the morphine evey hour instead of evey two hours. That wasn't quite covering it. The problemb is the morphine gives him BIG body twitches. The "feel like you're falling" kind you sometimes get right before you fall aslep. They jerk his leg and even with the drugs he cries out. He's just done...I can't blame him. Last night stunk.

calling all prayers!!

Did you know hospitals have internet access? I wish I didn't know. Jackson was with a sitter this afternoon and he broke his femur. It's been a long, very dificult and horribly painful 8 hours from ER to Ambulance to Children's Hospital. Morphine has helped and mommy's singing worked for many of those hours. Tomorrow at 10am he will be having surgery. Start praying now for him to get through this aweful night & the next week...pretty please!

Monte Sr is in Utah with Seth and Clyde, coming home tomorrow, Monte Jr is with cousins (he's not actually too upset this being his first sleep over.) Mom? Well, I'm at the hospital no toothbrush, no pj's no soap, no...you get the picture. Who thinks a trip to the ER will result in a week at the hospital?

He cries out in pain every few minutes in his sleep. 15 more minutes and he can have more morphine. It is breaking my heart to see my brave little tough guy go through this.