Relocating...
It's strange now how I'm sitting here in an apartment living room in Columbus, Ohio that I realize those who will be among the readers of this post from afar will be our friends in Mankato, Minnesota. However, all along I started this blog so that our friends and family from afar in Ohio and Virginia could be the ones who get the in depth story since they were so far away. But here some few months later I'm residing with the friends and family in Ohio and no longer with the friends in Minnesota. Can I just say, how the heck did that happen? How is it that I just blinked and we're back in Ohio again? I mean really, we're just as shocked as you are that we were moved again in such a short amount of time AND that my husband's company wanted us to go back to where we came from. I also need to mention that I wasn't as over-the-moon excited when the opportunity came up as you'd think I would be. So many people thought that I would just be elated. Yes, returning to "home" was always a dream but we really were making our way in Mankato and we were loving the school, our church, all of our friends, the area and home that we had made for ourselves in the 3 years we had been there. But, at the heart of not wanting to leave for me was the fear (and still is) of leaving Katelyn's doctors and specialists behind. It's a big feat to find childcare for siblings, get on a plane, rent a car, book a hotel room, etc...every time you need to see the doctor. Yes that part made me really hesitate for a few days before we could say yes.
Meeting Amanda..
Shortly before we left we did return to Minneapolis for another assessment of Katelyn's leg. While we were up in the "big" city we stopped by the Mall of America where I knew of a woman named Amanda whom I'd met online. Amanda is a woman ( about my age) and has FH like Katelyn. Amanda was working at one of the stores in the mall and we stopped in for a visit while she was there. It was really great actually to not only meet someone in person who has the same differences but she could help show me what those differences look like as an adult. I realized through talking with her that while I look at the difference in length in Katelyn's infant leg as well as all of the things that could possibly hinder her, Amanda was able to show me that as an adult the differences just aren't as noticeable. Yes, Amanda's severity of FH and Katelyn's severity do differ but I realized that what I see on a baby is not going to be as drastic on an adult. Amanda said "I have a shorter femur, see my knees aren't even" AND I COULDN'T TELL. She also said "I have a smaller foot too" BUT I COULDN'T TELL. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it was such a shift in perspective to realize that what we see today may not be that big of a deal down the road. Amanda: I know you will read this and I just want to thank you for that visit. You have helped make a difference in the way I worry for my child and for her future. If anything you helped to ease the worry. You gave me hope, such a priceless gift. Thank you.
So soon...
On to the doctor's appointment. We met with Dr. Dahl again and got to do more x-rays. He discussed that her femur is now 1 cm shorter than the other (I knew that was coming) and that her tibia is now 5 cm shorter than the other. Its a significant difference. It's nothing I/we didn't know. However what I wasn't ready for was the discussion of her Achilles tendon being so tight and how he wanted to do surgery within the next 4-6 months (before she starts to walk) to not only correct the tendon tightness but to straighten her leg. Part of her length discrepancy is due to the fact that the tibia is curved like a rainbow in her leg. She was born with a scar on the top of her shin which marks where the apex of the bowing in her tibia happens. During this surgery he wants to cut into that bone, reset her leg in a straighter position, insert some metal pins for stability, lengthen her tendon as well and do some soft tissue reconstruction. Whoa. This makes getting tubes in the ear look like a walk in the park. Yeah I wasn't ready for all of that.. You mean THIS spring? Really? So soon? After the surgery her leg is casted for 30 days and then we will return again to Minneapolis for the removal and assessment of the procedure. Thankfully the doc's scheduler has reached out to me because I found myself getting intentionally distracted with the household relocation to actually sit down and make the appointment. Right now we've got it set for April 24th. We will fly on a Monday get the assessment/pre-op appointments taken care of on Tuesday, Wednesday is the surgery and then we will remain in the hospital for 3 days post surgery before returning home. This surgery though is one of the smaller procedures that's in store for her future. We as her parents have chosen the road of reconstruction and are praying that it's the right decision. Just someone please remind me of that when I'm laying my head next to hers in the hospital crib.
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