Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Update 6/24/13

Hello Precious Ones !!!!! ;)
Yesterday, Monday (6/24/13) we had a post surgical follow up with Mia's surgeon to discuss her progress !
Overall, he was pretty pleased with what he found !!  There were a couple of things he wasn't quite so thrilled with......but, let's focus on the positive points first !!!! ;)

1.  Her hips are still securely in place !! YAAAY!!! Praising God !!! ;)
2.  We have NO signs of subluxation !!!  (this is basically a 'slipping' or 'sliding' of the femur within the socket causing a partial dislocation)
3.  We have NO signs of AVN !!!!  (AVN is avascular necrosis.  It is when the blood supply is hindered and/or lost and so the ball or 'head' of the femur begins to die due to the lack of blood)
4.  Good range of motion !!!   (pretty self explanatory !!! ;)

All things to be very grateful for !!! ;)  This part made us so happy !!!!

As a rule of thumb, hip dysplasia is measured more or less by the angle of the acetabulum (the hip socket).  A normal or good range for the acetabulum is between 18° and 20°.....right now, Mia's left hip is sitting at about 25°, and her right is about 28°.  They still need to come down.  Mia complains much more about pain in her right side as opposed to her left, and this is part of the reason why.  Now, at the same time, we are going to sing some additional praises!  To give you an idea of how far, (by the amazing grace of God, and the gifts He gave to her surgeons), she has come and a better picture of how severe her dysplasia was...is....was ;), when we began this journey, Mia's angles on both sides were around 60° !!!!!!!!!!  That's pretty ugly !!!!  However, we do not ever want to become so 'weighed down' by the road still ahead of us that we forget to give thanks for and celebrate how far we've come !!!!  We are extremely grateful !!!!!! <3

So now, let's cover the things he wasn't so happy about:

1.  Her pain.... he was really very concerned with how much she still hurts.....we are still on a regular regimen of pain meds, we believe it is mostly due to #2.   her stiffness.  The front portion of her pelvis and hips is still very, very tight.  Despite a lot of usage, they don't seem to be loosening up.  This seemed to concern him a great deal as well.  And lastly,
3.  her endurance.  possibly also caused by #2.  \

Still, there are more positives than negatives, and we're going with those !!!! ;)

The plan of action......for now, we have a series of physical therapy exercises to do at home (while we straighten out her insurance fiasco, which is just nuts!) and so, we'll do those for the next 6 months to see how she progresses.  We will change the game somewhat, and begin to push her a little more, in an effort to build up her endurance.  Yeah, we know this is going to be an ugly process.  I see many meltdowns coming, so if you see us in a store and you hear the meltdown, it's just us "pushing through".  We need to find out if the stiffness can be resolved through exercise and usage or if there is something physically stopping them from loosening.  If they do not loosen on their own, we'll have no choice but to go back in surgically to help them.  We see Dr. Oswald again on December 23, and we will again reassess her progress and decide how soon another surgery will be needed.  As it stands right now, unless we need to go in to resolve this issue (and of course, we pray we don't!) her next surgery will likely be next Summer.  Somewhere between ages 5 and 6 (can't believe she'll be 5 in February !!!!! :/  ) This is when they will need to go in and do what they call "fine tuning" the hips to allow for her growth.

We can't thank you all enough for the love and support you've shown us throughout our journey, and for the love and support you'll continue to show as we push through !  We are so grateful for the gift of each of you, and the light of God's love that you've brought to us.  Thank you !!!!!!!! ;)
Team Mia is and always will be the best !!!!!

While we were there, we made a presentation !! ;)  As part of One Hip World's 'Grateful Hips and Hearts' campaign, we presented Dr. Oswald and the Staff of Pediatric Orthopaedic Associates with a certificate of 'love and appreciation' !!!!! ;)  Just thanking them for their love and kindness !!!! ;)
Below are some pictures of our visit, as well as Mia with Dr. Oswald and 4 members of the POA staff who received the certificate on behalf of themselves and everyone else !!! We're very blessed with everyone at POA, and we shudder to think what our journey would be like without them !!!!!

If you'd like a copy of the certificate to present to someone you are grateful for, just email One Hip World at onehipworld@yahoo.com and we'll get you one sent right over !!!! ;)

Enjoy the pics, thank you for staying with us, thank you for your love and prayers....know that you are loved and prayed for daily, and thank you for choosing to be a Miracle for our Mia !!!! <3

With a Mamma's grateful heart !!!! xoxoxo

before the exam, when we were still smiling !!! ;)

I loooove this face !!!!! ;)
Mia and the fantastic, Dr. Oswald

Ms. Tracee, Ms. Dorothy, Ms. Theresa & Ms. Lynn














The One Hip World 'Grateful Hips and Hearts' Certificate