Londyn's Story
Londyn's Story
Spica Week 13: Close Call
This week we were recovering from Londyn’s cast change and arthrogram and getting used to diaper changes and general care with her new glittery cast. The first few days there was glitter over every part of Londyn- in her ears, stuck to her belly and chest, and on her toes. As the week went on thankfully the loose glitter has come off the cast. When she sleeps the sparkly cast even glistens on our video baby monitor. It’s just so pretty.
On Monday morning, as I was changing Londyn’s diaper, I noticed some redness around Londyn’s arthrogram site. (The site is just a needle stick in the side of her groin.) As we have done this three times now, I was concerned because I hadn’t seen the site look like that previously. At her next diaper change about 3 hours later, the site was now red, swollen, with some discharge. My heart sank as I suspected her arthrogram site had become infected. I gathered the kids and drove an hour to the cast clinic where I knew we’d see our orthopedic surgeon as well. On the way I called my mom in a panic. The spica, I can handle now. An infection? No way!! She gave me a good pep talk and the beautiful green trees and sunny blue skies on the way to the doctor calmed me down. When we arrived, our ortho looked at it and said he wasn’t sure if this was an infection or just contact dermatitis from the bandage that was over the site. Just to be safe, he prescribed Londyn an antibiotic. I reminded him what her last antibiotic had caused (see pooptastrophe post), so he chose a different kind, hoping this one would not have the same effect.
While we were there, our ortho told me that everyone in the operating room was cracking up during Londyn’s last procedure, as she was falling asleep under the anesthetic gas. Her little feet constantly twirled around out of the bottom of her cast, and they just kept rotating slower and slower and slower until they stopped and she was asleep. Hearing his sweet story brought tears to my eyes. It’s been precious to see a relationship develop between our ortho, Londyn, and our family through all of this.
I also am so thankful to report that not only did her arthrogram site completely clear up in the next 24 hours, she has not had any adverse bowel effects! I would have been devastated to have a soiled cast that we’d have to put up with for 5 more weeks. Speaking of 5 more weeks, now we have a countdown to cast cut-off! Each day we get closer to snuggling that soft baby and being able to give her a proper bath!
