My 3 and a half year old son Romie is going in at 7am (June 27th) in the morning for his super hip surgery at Shriners with Dr McCarthy in Philadelphia and I am so so so nervous and worried about everything. I would really like someone to share their experience of what the after effects are like and give us the heads up on what to be prepared for. Please help.
I know that its going to be 6 to 8 weeks in the spica cast which basically makes our summer plans almost non existent. I dont think he will be able to sit up because the cast will have his body at an 85 degree level so he will need propping up all the time. I also realize that my son is fully potty trained but now he will have to go back to diapers for the time being and I dont think he will like that very much because he loves to run to the bathroom, so that may be an issue. Im also worried about the heat and him being put in such a large cast because it is like 90 degrees here in new york and I dont want him to be super hot. Im wondering if I will hav to keep him in the bed for these 2 months, Im so worried because I am almost 8 months pregnant so I am kind of out of commission myself. He loves to play on the desktop computer and laptop but I dont know how this will work when he has no way of sitting up so Im worried about how we will keep him entertained. I also know he may be in pain and Im afraid that we may not be able to console him, I wonder if they will give us a prescription for something to help him cope with it a little better. Basically my head is spinning with all the what ifs, how tos, and everything else, Im so scared.
Comments
surgery
My daughter had the super hip/knee/ankle surgery last August. I posted our experience on my blog:
[[http://www.pffd.org/node/265]].
Her surgery was down in Baltimore, but she had her physical therapy afterward at Shriners in Philly. The therapists there are great!
Olivia was put on pain medication and another medication for severe muscle spasms. She was on these for only a couple of weeks after surgery. If one medication doesn't seem to work, get the doctor to switch it until you find the right one.
Romie won't need to be stuck in bed for 2 months. He can be propped up on the sofa or a soft chair. At meal time (and sometimes play time) we propped Olivia up in her high chair. We just needed to recline it a little and put a rolled up towel behind her back for support.
You'll get through this. Just take it minute by minute.
Beth
Thank you Beth for the
Thank you Beth for the encouraging words. Im sitting in the hospital next to my son with his dad and grandma as we speak. He seems to be ok so far. Its been an hour since we have him back in his room and the nurse gave him some morphine through his IV so he is sound asleep right now. I just read the blog you linked and I feel so much better to have some insight, advice, and encouragement as to what to expect over the next few weeks. Im so thankful to the Lord that my baby is doing so well, he chose a red spica cast and it is fiber glass which is a little sturdier than plaster Ive heard. He has a catheter in, and I hope they take it out soon because It looks painful to me. The staff here have been amazing outstanding and excellent. Im so pleased because I didnt know what to expect and cried and worried the whole time only to find my baby boy doing so well after all. He wiggled his toes for the doctor and I was amazed. I did cry when he moaned out to me "Mommy what happened to me?" I didnt know what to say, so daddy handled that question thankfully. I just kissed him and told him I am going to be right there with him through it all. I will keep you all updated as we go along. Thanks for all of the prayers and support for my little one.
Surgery
Hi. My son is nearly five and had his hip surgery on the 14th of april he has PFFD in his right leg. I really cant believe how quick he got over it. Its nearly seven weeks since the operation and he is out of the wheelchair and walking again. He had his operation in Dublin. The nurses were lovely and he was out of hospital in five days. It really is amazing how quickley children recover. I hope he is doin well and wish him a speedy recovery.
Michelle.
super hip
hi michelle just read your comment,did your son have the super hip surgery?my son is 3 and his consultant at GOSH has told us he will need this procedure,however they dont yet do it in england and they are starting this year.he suggested jack have it in a few years.how did you guys get on?vicky
Hey everyone, just wanted to
Hey everyone, just wanted to update again. Romie is doing fine and is adjusting well to his cast. I can imagine that Its very hard for an active 3 year old to automatically become immobile from the waist down, He is handling his situation like its no big deal so im so proud.
The only problem we have had so far is this cast getting wet and giving him the itchies. It is so hard to keep it dry when my little guy cant run to the potty anymore and has to p in his diaper. I change him every 2 hours but sometimes it catches me off guard and he gets some of the cotton in the cast wet. He has also started complaining of itchiness since yesterday and I noticed that he has a little skin rash on his lower back. In the morning I am going to find something to put on it before it gets worse. The nurses told me to give him benadryl allergy medicine for the itching and I do but it makes him sleepy. Now with this slight rash as well as the urination problem this cast is becoming a little overwhelming for me. We have a post op appointment on Friday so I will ask the doctors then. Anyone have any advice on cast care, please share, I would really appreciate it.
wet cast care
Olivia ended up leaking pee on her cast pretty much once a day. No matter what I tried, I couldn't fully prevent leaks. It's important to keep the cast dry or else, like you're seeing now, a rash will occur. The hospital advised me to dry it with a hair dryer. Just make sure you only use the COOL setting. If you don't, you will burn your little one's skin. It will take a LONG time to dry the cast, especially if it's saturated, but it's a necessary process. It usually took me at least an hour each time to thoroughly dry the cotton. Note, the liquid tends to move to other parts of the cotton during the drying, so make sure you check the entire cast before you declare yourself done. FYI. Both, Olivia and I hated doing this. Due to the already hightened emotional state we were in, often we were both crying during this. To prevent "melt-downs", you might want to have music going or read a story during the drying.
You can read a little more about it [[http://www.pffd.org/node/265|here.]]
Take care.
Beth
Stopping wetness
At a medical supplier, you can buy blue pads or peach pads (color indicates size). These are super absorbent and actually pull wetness away from the cast. I always cut them in strips (depending on the size of the child) then tuck one edge just inside the cast and tape the other edge down to the cast. If it gets wet you can just replace it. Also if the child is small enough, a well placed extra long pantiliner can do the same thing and it does not need to be cut apart. Stick it to the cast and tuck the side just inside the cast. (Ones with wings work great for comfortable tucking.)