Here are more "after" pics. It's been almost 6 mos. after surgery. He's doing great.
Notice how LONG this boy is. He is 34.5 inches tall and weighs 28 lbs. The pics make him look really skinny but he's not. That's a flea bite on his leg thanks to Mr. Tater. We will be bombing for fleas next time we get a paycheck!
What a difference! What a Gait. lol
Scar from the from where they put in the plate and screws. Not as bad as it looks. Cocoa butter helps to make it less noticeable. About 4 inches long on each hip.
This is what I mean by GIRLY hips. They make the plates big enough for them to grow in to them, that's why he has rounded hips. The scars on the back behind is knee are scars from the hamstring release.
To remind you of how he looked BEFORE: Here are some before pics
Things I learned before and after surgery.
1. Always prepare ahead a time for things that may come up like PNEUMONIA. We gave breathing treatments ahead of time and every day before and after the surgery.
2. I had our neuro's pager number incase something happened.
3. I asked to give him Cortisol before and after surgery. (safety precaution)
4. I made sure he was not sick at all before the surgery.
5. Prayed a lot.
6 Make sure they are given NOTHING at all to drink after 12pm mn before surgery. This could result in aspiration during or after surgery and cause pneumonia.
7. Makes sure you bring a reclining wheelchair to take home with you.
8. Make sure you made arrangements on how you will get child home because they wont be able to sit in a carseat. If you have a van, you can just let the child stay in the wheelchair and tie it down the best you can.
This could result in aspiration during or after surgery and cause pneumonia.
After
Things that you will see after surgery.
Very swollen buttocks, I mean very swollen
Lots of tubes and hoses all over him.
Slight fevers
Dreadful Muscle spasms, helped to weaken with Morphine and valium.
No appetite, for those with no feeding tube only for a day or two.
Constipation. I recommend Baby Lax liquid suppositories, qtips and vaseline.
Matthew usually sits on his potty but that was out of the question. So what I did was put him in his stander (turned around) with his buttocks facing out. I pulled his diaper down and gave him the baby lax. Looked back a few minutes later and I had a present. Ha.ha. Sometimes I had to use the q tips and vasaline with the baby lax. His buttocks were so swollen, even his rectum was swollen and it was hard for him to push out on his own.
Some kids have to get full casts from the waist down if their bones are too soft but some only have to wear knee immobilizers and an abductor pillow.
Matthew's surgical incisions had stitches on the inside and outside covered with a clear sterile bandage that will fall off on it's own. I didn't now have to clean or change. Once it fell off I could see the Paper stitches, you should let them fall off too own their own.. NO PULLING on them because you can make the scars worse.
watch after the sterile stiches fall off. Some of the inside nylon stitches start to come out through the incision. you can gently clip and pull them out. This was the only time I had to put antibiotic ointment on his scars because I didn't even know it was a stitch trying to come out. I didn't know what it was.
If your child gets the knee immobilizers, don't FREAK out whenever the day after surgery they come to get him for PHYSICAL THERAPY!! Matthew was in a stander the day after surgery for 30 minutes. He was so doped up though, it didn't bother him that much. They also do some leg exercises. WE went to shriner's and they were very easy with him.
The therapy continues at home, especially the being in the stander.
Matthew's whirlpool helped a lot. Had to wait two weeks though.
When you pick them up, you have to be careful because they don't want to bend right at first. You'll probably need help the first week or two changing diapers especially because you can't just grab their legs and pick them up to put the diaper under them and if you accidentally drop their legs, you will certainly know about it!
I held Matthew the day after surgery. I let his legs hang down in front of me. If there was a way for me to hold and comfort my baby, I knew I could find it. The nurse was showing me how to pick him up and put him in the chair. Once I got my hands on him and he was in my arms I didn't want to put him down. He immediatly stopped crying. We took a walk in the hallway. I was in heaven and so was he.
I can't think of much more for those of you considering this surgery. I will say that the muscle spasms are dreadful and can't be avoided. Even morphine and valium doensn't completely releive the pain. but as you can see, in the end it is worth it.
charlotte
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