5 Weeks Post Op

Bailey had his 5 week post op appointment with Dr. Stotts yesterday.   We didn't really know what to expect.  Things had been going really well, but I did not want to get Baileys hopes up that he was getting his casts off or would be allowed to be partial weight bearing.   They did X-rays and they could see that the bones were healing up well.   So, they removed his casts and put him in walking casts.   They said he will probably be in those for a month, and should use crutches for a week or two just to help him with his balance.  

Bailey was so relieved, his legs were starting to itch like crazy and he couldn't do anything about it.  He is able to take the walking boots off to shower and sleep.    His calves are quite a bit smaller now, so he will need to work to strengthen his legs again.   They said that they will not clear him for athletics until he is able to hop on one foot.  So, I think that if he can get to that point by May or June we will be happy.  

I am just so blown away by how well he has recovered.  

No more riding in the wheelchair.

First thing he wanted to do was scratch his legs.  They itched so bad.

Back to school

So, Bailey went back to school last friday  (  9 days post surgery ).  To be honest he has been going stir crazy being stuck in the house.   He has required very little as far as pain relief in the past few days.  We have had to make adjustments and it has been interesting carrying him up the bleachers and stairs at ball games.  

I am interested to see what the doctor says when he has his follow up in a couple of weeks.   We are really just playing it by ear at this point.  We don't know what is in store after the 5 weeks of no weight bearing. 

There really isn't much else to add right now, he is doing pretty well and all, just wishes he could get around better on his own.  The wheel chair wheels slip on the carpet and the chair itself is so big and cumbersome it is hard to haul around.

Removed nerve blocks

So, as per the doctor's orders we removed the nerve block on Saturday around 1pm.   The Dr. said to make sure he took some medicine for the pain about 45 minutes before we removed it.  The most difficult part of the procedure was getting all of the tape and clear adhesive barrier off of the site.   There were long wires and tubes that were coiled up underneath the barrier.   After we had removed all of that I was just left looking at the leader going into his leg.   So, with a slow and steady pull I was able to remove the block from his leg.  There was probably 1-1.5 inches that was actually inside his leg.   Oh, I should probably add that it appeared that the "on q" balls were empty at the time I removed them.  There was some slight leaking that may have accounted for the loss.  So, I think it is fair to say that Bailey had been without the benefit of the nerve block for most of the day already when I removed it.   As of now ( Sunday night ) his pain level has not increased at all.   He is still getting by mostly on Motrin and Tylenol.   Pretty Amazing if you ask me.  

I think the biggest challenge for him still is getting to the bathroom, I got a portable commode for his bedroom that seems to help him out some.  

Two days post op and shooting hoops

Bailey felt good enough to go out and shoot some baskets tonight. Crazy kid!

Baileys legs

Nerve block

This is what the nerve blocks look like that he has going into both legs. There is a small bag of medicine attached to each tube.  He will have these in place until Saturday

Home to a non wheelchair friendly house

On Thursday ( one day post op ) I called in the morning and the nurse said that Bailey was doing very well.  His pain was under control and needed very little oxygen during the night.  During the day, the physical therapist came through and helped him learn how to transfer from his wheel chair to bed and back and forth. 

The next thing I know, I got a text from Bailey telling me that they were probably going to let him go home that day.    I went up to Primary Children's after work to see what was going on, and they had his discharge papers and everything all ready to go.

Bailey still has is "On Q" Balls in his legs that are his nerve blocks.  Those will come out Saturday afternoon.   He is to be completely non weight bearing on his legs for 5-6 weeks.   We will see Dr. Stotts for a follow up in 5 weeks.

The steps leading up to our front door were kind of rough to get the wheel chair up.  I took the wheelie bars off so that should help next time.   Transfering in and out of the car was tough.  I actually had to pick him up to put him in and take him out.    The halls in the house are narrow so take some tough maneuvering to navigate.   We also don't have a wheel chair friendly bathroom, so transferring to the toilet is very difficult.  I may have to look into another option to get us by for the next month and a half.

Bailey is still on scheduled medication every 3 hours or so.   They want to keep one step ahead of the pain.  So far, he has not really complained about the pain since being home. 

I had originally thought that he would be able to return to school next week, but after talking to the nurse yesterday, it looks like he will stay home next week too.   So, I need to get notes and books from teachers so he can catch up with homework assignments and tests.

I feel blessed that things went as well as they did. But, I realize that we still have quite a ways to go.  We appreciate your prayers and support. 

Day 2

I have talked to Bailey and his nurse this morning.  He is doing really well.  He still had to be on a little oxygen while he was sleeping, but seems good when he is awake.  His pain level is at a 3 or a 4 which is great.  They physical therapist has been in and has worked with him on getting in and out of his wheel chair and his bed.    They still need to work with him some today, but they say that there is a chance that he may be able to go home tonight.   Im sure he would be more comfortable at home, but accessibility might be an issue.   He is in good spirits and is trying to eat some bacon and pancakes for breakfast.  When he get's his appetite back I will know we are headed in the right direction.  

We appreciate everyone's support and kind wishes.

post op and up to his room

So Bailey is out of surgery.  I guess he was in quite a bit of pain so they gave his some phentonol (sp).  That suppressed his breathing so they had to give him some oxygen to help him out.   He was coming in and out of the medicine.  When he was awake he was doing fine.  He drank some Gatorade and part of a slushy.   They moved him up to his room in the surgical unit.  It is nice, he has a room to himself.  He is still on oxygen, and is sleeping off the drugs.   When he wakes up he can start to eat a little bit.  They want to start him on oral pain meds instead of IV.   I will have more to say once he is more awake and can talk.   So far Primary Children's has been awesome.  

Visit with Doctor

That was quick.    The doctor just came in.  Said that they surgery went great.  Said his bones are real strong.  They were able to get things lined up perfectly from his knees down.  There is still a slight rotation in his thigh, but he feels real good about the procedure.  They put a split splint on him to allow for swelling in his leg. When he leaves, they will cat him up.  completely.  They are currently putting in nerve blocks that will block the pain in his lower legs.   He will have plates and pins on the front of his shins.  They are surgical grade steel so they could be there for the rest of his life if he wanted them to.   So, now Im just waiting to get to go see my boy. 

Surgery update

I just got a call from the nurse.  Surgery went well.  They just finished up his second leg.   They were actually able to remove the warts off of the bottom of his foot while they had him out.  Im sure that he will be happy when he finds out about that.   The doctor will be out to see him in a bit and then I can go see him around noon.   Feeling blessed today.    Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. 

Here we go

So, they told us we had to be at Primary Children's Hospital at 7:30 this morning to do all of the registration, vitals and all the fun stuff.    Everything went well up until they started his IVs.  They had a hard time finding a vein in his hand, but were eventually able to get it started.  Then when they tried to do the one in his arm they had a lot of trouble.  They couldn't get a vein there either.  Poor Bailey got a little light headed from them digging around.  The anesthesiologist said that he would take care of him when he had him back in the O.R.

They said that they will do a nerve block for his lower legs to control the pain.  If they do that, he may be able to come home a little earlier.   They also said that they are going to make a relief cut in the muscle so that when the muscle swells, it will have somewhere to go besides just bleeding into the muscle.

He is in good spirits, a little nervous as to be expected.   I should get an update after an hour and a half, and he should be done after 3 1/2 hours.

I will post again when I know more.

Ready to rock the ER

Catching up

Sorry I fell a little behind.  

So, I took Bailey up to Primary Children's Hospital where he met with Dr. Stott.   Dr Stott said that Bailey would be a good candidate for surgery to correct the rotation on his legs.   The surgery is called an osteomy.  

Surgery is scheduled for January 29th.   It is expected that he will spend 4 nights in the hospital.   He will be restricted to a wheel chair for approximately 5 weeks to allow his legs to heal.   At that point I believe he will be allowed to start putting some weight on his legs. 

This will make school and home very interesting.  We will have to move him upstairs.  It will take everyone in our family's help to make this work. 

He is hoping that he will be healed up by mid summer so he can start rehab to play football.

Appointment set

So, I called and made an appointment with Dr. Stott up at Primary Children's Medical Center.  I guess he is a pretty busy guy, the soonest we could get in is January 6th.

Introduction

I am starting this blog to document this process to fix Bailey's legs.   Bailey has tibial torsion on both legs.  Both of his tibia's are rotated outward which in turn causes his feet to point outward.   When he was  little and he would run, we lovingly called him "crazy legs".  We never thought anything about his legs going out as he ran.   As he has grown older, it has become more pronounced and is starting to effect his performance in athletics.   He complained about his ankles being weaker this year than usual, he also feels it has slowed him down from what he would like to be able to run.   Sadly now, students at his school have decided that it is cool to tease and make fun of his feet now too.

We went to see our pediatrician today.  Dr. Bennett agrees that he has excessive rotation to his tibias.  He says that Bailey is a good candidate for this surgery as long as he is committed to the entire procedure.  He recommended an orthopedic surgeon up at primary childrens medical center to go see about what to do next. 

It is scary to think that Bailey may have both legs in casts for several months and be confined to a wheel chair during the healing process . I am sure that we will find a way to make it work somehow.

You can see the rotation of his feet in this

Me and Bailey  October 2013