Good Morning, guys
So I think I have enough coffee in me, as well as a few spare moments, to post an update as to what’s been going on here the past couple days.
Last I posted, we were heading to STL for another x-ray to check on Katie’s arm, and hoping for healing. Well…I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves:
Dang it. The radius had shifted even further in towards the ulna and the bones were actually almost touching. Not good. She would have a dramatic limitation in her range of motion if left to heal this way. Ugh. Surgery at 2:30pm on Friday here we come. Boo.
After a few tears from our girl, she too was convinced that this REALLY would be better. We lifted her spirits with an old tried-and-true method…retail therapy. 
We were able to wake Katie up to eat a few bites before 7am (since it was a later surgery), and then we just let her sleep until about 11.
We got to St. Louis Children’s Hospital (at Barnes-Jewish) between 12:30-1, and took the elevator to the 6th floor for Same Day Surgery. We occupied Katie in the waiting room for a few minutes until they came got us to go back to prepare for surgery.
Our little patient,
Her favorite doctor, Dr. Alex, came and cut down both sides of her cast to prep it to be taken off in the OR,
After that it was time for a photo shoot with her turtle, Tori, who also got a wrist band (collar?) and her own mask for surgery…I’m telling you, you will not find a better place to take kids who have to have medical stuff done. They are so compassionate, so patient, and so kind. Everyone we met catered to the kids and made it as “fun” as it could be. There are very, very special people that fill this hospital.
After that, it was time to go get that arm fixed! Katie was getting a little nervous and teary at this point, so they let me suit up and go back into the OR with her and stay with her until she fell asleep. And yes, I know, I make this XXXXXXLLLLL suit look GOOD!
It made both of us feel a little better about the whole thing. After a kiss on the cheek of my sleeping beauty, I left her in the confident hands of her doctors and nurses…and most importantly, in God’s Hands.
The surgery to place two pins/rods/nails-the word the dr used and I hate it, was scheduled to last about an hour and a half. When I came back to her room (when we took the above pics) it was 2:30. We, along with my parents, got settled with our iPhones and prepared to wait until 4:00. We were thrilled when Dr. Goldfarb came in at 3:30 and said they were done and everything went perfect! They had to make three incisions: one at the elbow to place the rod in the ulna, one at the wrist to place the other in the radius, and one at the fracture site because of the way the radius was trying to heal displaced and he had to line it up to pass the rod through. The best part of what he told us what that she would only be in this splint for 2 weeks at which point he wants to see her and most likely transfer her into a hard brace that she can take off to swim and shower! SWIM!! Awesome!!! He said our girl was on the way to recovery and we could go home after she woke up!
Here’s the final picture of her arm from the OR,
After a big hug to our fabulous doctor (I don’t do handshakes, I do HUGS), we were off to see our Katie!
She woke up after about a half hour, had some pain meds, and promptly drank a Sprite and then begged to have her IV removed…she hated it. She spent a good 5 minutes picking dry skin off the area where her hard cast had been, and she watched some Good Luck, Charlie on Disney Channel (her favorite show).
A little after 5pm we had her dressed and she was discharged and ready to head home!
We were a happy group on our drive home. Praising God for taking care of our girl, thankful for His guidance in leading us to the right doctors to take care of her, and for Him comforting us and easing our anxieties on what could have been such a stressful day.
He is SO GOOD.
Thank you for all your prayers, thoughts, and good wishes. Please continue them for an easy and speedy recovery.
Love y’all.
xoxo
PS- We came home to the most lovely welcoming from Layne, Ethan, and Caleb! Katie was SO excited!
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