Hip visit, Cast-off & Genetics

We made quite the trip last weekend. We first headed to St. Louis to follow up with her hip doctor.  The doctor down here anticipated surgery and quickly which was stressing me out because we still weren't through her arm surgery and we already have her feet casting and surgery scheduled. Thankfully, it turned out that the doctor in St. Louis disagreed! Praise the Lord. While he still thinks surgery may be necessary to help reshape her hip and also to get the bar out it is not in such as rush as I felt from the doctor down here. He told us to first finish her arm, deal with her feet and come back in a few months. After that appointment we spent the weekend relaxing with my Aunt, Uncle and cousin.
Next we headed on up to Cincinnati for appointments 2&3. The cast came off and her arm was looking great. They were able to quickly make her the nighttime brace, give us some directions for stretching, and they sent us on our way. We were able to spend the rest of the day at the zoo with the kids and Mike's parents. It was a nice break in between all the visits. Tuesday we got up and headed to genetics, to get the results from the genetic testing we did last December. It turns out they could not find a genetic cause for her issues. In some ways it was a little disappointing to have no more answers but in the end it is a positive that there was nothing else wrong with her. It appears to be mostly orthopedic and nerve injuries. This means we are treating her correctly and we have not missed any steps we should have taken.
I am so thankful to have all that done! It was a busy and short trip with a long drive, but God was once again faithful. We head back up to St. Louis in October to start 4 weeks of weekly casting for her feet followed by a tendon release November 14th. The tendon release will leave her in casts where she cannot walk for the following 4 weeks. This healing process is not over yet but we know that we have the Great Physician on our side! He has walked with us each step of the way and Addie has passed through each step with flying colors and a smile! While we are not looking forward to the continued trials Addie has to go through we are thankful for each doctor, nurse, and therapist who has helped us to get to where we are on this journey. I believe that God has directed us each time to the people who we needed at that time and I am so thankful for all she is able to do because of His healing hand! I know He is not done with her yet. The road has been long and bumpy but each new milestone she takes is so worth it!
We are continuing to pray that God will heal her hip and the second surgery will not be necessary. We are also praying that the results from her arm surgery will be even more than the doctor imagined because we know that we serve a God who can do more than we can imagine! We are also praying that the doctor in St. Louis will be able to correct her feet the way he thinks he will and that not only will she walk without falling but that she will run! Nothing is too big or too small for Him so we ask and we give thanks!
^" Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

One week Post-op!

Addie had her surgery last Tuesday! The surgery took a little longer than anticipated because they had trouble getting the IV in. Once the doctor began though things went smoothly. He took part of her muscle from under her arm pit and pulled it back towards her shoulder in order to add strength to help her arm go up and out. It was very pleased with how healthy the muscle her transferred look so that is promising! He gave Addie a purple cast with Minnie Mouse on it so she is a happy girl! Addie has handled the entire time well. She has not cried or been in excessive pain. She laughs and smiles. You wouldn't even know she had surgery at this point except for her big purple cast! I can't believe how well she has handled it! We go back Sept 25th to get the cast off and a night time brace made. We will also meet with the genetics team that trip to get our results from the test done last December. Overall it has been a much easier surgery and recovery than I anticipated. It just reminds me once again how God answered our prayer that she would have the right dispostition to handle whatever she would face. At that point we had no idea there would be so many different surgeries in her future but she comes out of each one with a smile on her face.