The Spica cast is off

20 March 2012

Today the cast came off. We were so excited. We were even given an earlier slot in the surgery schedule so we didn't have to wait all day, just till 2pm. 

Curious George was not at all happy to be back at the hospital but he soon relaxed and by the time we were waiting in the pre-surgery area he was chatting and laughing about some car racing on the TV.

After the procedure it was a different story though. By the time I got to the recovery room I was greeted by the worst sound a mother can hear, her child screaming for her in a sobbing, hoarse voice. When the nurse cradling him handed him to me my first thought was how light and flexible he felt in my arms. How wonderful it was to cuddle my little boy again. Apart from the obvious shock of waking up after anesthetic without mommy to greet him, he was in serious pain from a terrible flare up of his dermatitis. The skin along his spine and in the folds of his upper thighs was red, raw and full of little blister-like marks. It looked so painful it made me want to cry. He screamed and cried for over an hour until finally a good dose of paracetemol, some Epizone E (moisturizing ointment) and some Happy Feet on TV calmed him down.

The thing I noticed the most was that he was terrified to sit on his own and couldn't figure out how to sit up or hold his own body. This passed as the afternoon wore on and by the time the doctor got to see us he was sitting propped up on some pillows in the hospital cot and he had worked up the courage to lift his own head of the pillows an lean forward to fetch toys. 

The doctor was happy with the way the break had healed. 'Now don't let him break it again' he warned jokingly serious. He told us that we should just follow CG's led in terms of getting moving again and that the would probably start by crawling first. 'Take things easy the first week and no jungle gyms'. We are truly thankful for his expertise, advice and exceptional care. 

That first nappy change was pure bliss and being able to hug him and put him on my lap was wonderful.  I'll keep posting on his progress as the weeks continue and we make our way, finally, back to some form of normal. 

Broken leg outstreched as he was very nervous of hurting it. It was a bit stiff and sore.

He decided that he needed to wear the theatre cap all afternoon.