I’ve been looking forward to the cast change because it means we’re halfway! Any milestone is an achievement. I shouldn’t be counting down her time left in the cast so often, but in my head, I can’t help it. It’s also nerve-wracking, as it will tell us if this closed reduction has been working. If not, she’ll need to have an open reduction surgery as soon as possible. Either way, that leaves us with 12 total weeks in the cast, so in that sense, my countdown is still valid (at least that’s how I justify it in my mind). It’s also tough because she’ll get put under anesthesia again, which always scares me. She’ll also get dye injected into her hip with an X-ray so they can see more than just the bones – I can’t recall the exact terminology for what they’re looking for, so I’m not going to try.
Despite the nerves, I’m maintaining positive thoughts and look forward to hearing how things are going and the plan moving forward. I received the call I have been waiting for this morning, which is the hospital calling to schedule her procedure time. The procedure is in two days, and her procedure is first for the doctor that day, which is helpful because we don’t need to worry about not feeding her if we need to simply wake her up and bring her first thing in the morning. Great! We’re ready!
Until we weren’t… later that day, I got a call from daycare that DD (Dear Daughter) has a fever and I need to pick her up. When I brought her home, I noticed she had a barky cough. I recognize that cough anywhere from when our son was younger… croup. I’m 100% certain this is croup. I knew I need to immediately call the doctor’s office regarding her procedure in a couple of days, as I know this isn’t a good thing to have just before undergoing anesthesia, as they ask a bunch of questions beforehand about respiratory symptoms and provide a phone number to call in case something does come up. When I called, they told me to get a diagnosis from her PCP as soon as possible and give them a status update. I scramble to get an appointment. We get in at the very end of the day.
Diagnosis: croup. “Dammit! Now what?!” I relay the message to the orthopedic doctor. The next day I receive a call from the doctor himself (not his office personnel). He said that after meeting with the orthopedic team and the anesthesiology team, they tell me the anesthesiology team will not allow her to undergo anesthesia for 4-6 weeks due to her respiratory illness. Therefore, the orthopedic team’s decision is to forgo the cast change altogether; then, at the cast removal appointment in 6 more weeks, he will do the dye procedure and X-rays. They offer to have DD come in for an appointment to do a cast check to ensure the fit is okay and will remain okay for 6 more weeks, as well as to see how things are going in general. I gladly accept so I can ask several more questions (of course). At this point, I’m feeling okay with this course of action and have accepted this situation.
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