11-2-23: Recheck Appointment

We attended the recheck appointment with DD (Dear Daughter), and, in retrospect, I realize I might not have been as worried that morning as I should have been, or perhaps I was simply feeling emotionless. But when we met with the orthopedic doctor, got X-rays of DD’s hips, and awaited the doctor's assessment, everything changed. He entered the room and inquired about what had been happening. As we explained DD’s on-and-off pain and the resurgence of old habits, he dropped the bombshell – her hip had dislocated again.

My seemingly emotionless self was not devoid of emotion after all; tears started pouring as I absorbed the soul crushing news. Despite recent concerns and my gut feeling that something was wrong again, hearing about the dislocation and the prospect of another surgery left me in sheer disbelief. I asked him the 'whys' and the 'hows,' echoing phrases like 'but you said' and 'you told me.' Despite my emotional state, he remained calm and collected. I was almost hoping for him to say, 'Just kidding, it’s all fine. April fools.' But it wasn’t April, and that assurance never came.

He presented two options – an open reduction surgery on the upcoming Tuesday or waiting several weeks to a month for the procedure. Today is Thursday. Both my husband and I agreed that Tuesday was the best option. If she needed to go back into the Spica cast, we wanted to do it as soon as possible.

We booked Tuesday for surgery. My first text was to the woman from whom we got the Spica table. Since, her father was an orthopedic surgeon, she connected me with him. Later that day, I called him, providing the X-ray image and seeking his opinion. He concurred, ultimately affirming that the proposed procedure was the best course of action. His validation answered all my lingering questions. I just needed to hear someone else say that this was the best next step for our baby, someone outside of the situation.

#SpicaStrong