So, we had another appointment today to check on Brody’s hips. This time we did an ultrasound so we could really see what is happening. Sadly it looks like the harness is not working on the right hip, it’s still loose, pops out and looks like there may be some blockage preventing it from staying in properly.
The problem with this news is that leaving the harness on could make matters worse. We don’t want things to get worse or for him to get too much older before this issue is corrected. So…our next step is a cast. In my head, this sounds reasonable enough. However, when I think about my baby in a two leg-go around the waist cast, I freak. We are back to no bathing and diaper changing issues…
Thankfully, this does not happen tomorrow or anything very soon. We have almost an entire month before we have a consultation with the doctor (September 28) and over a month before the actual cast is put on (October 7).
Putting on the cast is yet another issue. To do this, he has to be put under, dye injected into his hips so they can make sure they are aligned properly, and then the cast put on. If for some reason the blockage is too much and the hip will not go in the way it is supposed to, the doctor has to make an incision into his leg and remove the blockage.
This is the scariest thing I have ever experienced. I know these surgeries are routine, but to think of my little Brody going through all of this really frightens me. And the application of the cast is just the beginning. After that, he wears it for 6 weeks. Then it is removed and another cast is put on for another 6 weeks. Then it is removed and another cast is put on for 4 weeks. That is a grand total of four months he has to wear a cast! By the time he gets it off, half of his life will have been spent in a cast.
I know he won’t remember any of it and the doctor says they aren’t even really affected by it. I know it is harder on me and Casey than it is on him. Rationally, I know everything is going to be okay. Irrationally, I am crying again…I want this to all be over with. I want to be able to take pictures of my son without a harness or cast or hip problems. I want to hold him and cuddle him without these things screwing up the process.
Overall, I know this is what needs to be done and I know that he needs me to be strong for him. I am so thankful that I am able to stay home with him because having him in a daycare or a babysitter dealing with casts and whatnot seems impossible. We are so lucky that he is a strong healthy baby. This will be over soon, it just seems so devastating because he is so young and he is so perfect and new, in 2 years this will be a thing of the past, in 4 years we will hardly remember these sad days and in 10 years it will be nothing…until then, it’s hard and sad and scary.
I really appreciate all of the love and support from Casey, he knows me so well and knows what to say (and what not to say). I’m not sure how I would get through this without him and also all the love and support from our families. I really feel like you are only given what life knows you can handle, and we can handle so much more because we have so much love. So I know we will be strong through all of this, today is just another rough day.
brodysmommy 