Chase and the new diagnoses

Today we took the whole family today to hear good news at the Shriner's Hospital of Greenville.  Tim and I felt it was important for Alexander and Grace to be a part of this aspect of Chase's life, our family's life.

Back in August, Chase saw the Shriner's doctors for the first time.  At that time, they did xrays on Chase's feet and hips.  His hips were a concern for the doctors.  However, since he wasn't walking yet, they thought it could simply be that they had not moved into place.  Today they redid the xrays.  The news was not what I had expected.  IN my heart, I had convinced myself that his hips were fine.  Though his walk with his AFOs are still wobbly, I just felt that he had imporved.

The physician told us that his hips appear to be worse than they were six months ago.  His additional diagnoses on top of CMT is DDH.  This is a hipe despexia type thing.  Most likely he will need total hip reconstruction.  This will intell cutting his bones, building a new hip socket as well as shaping the ball on his leg bone to be more "normal" and install "hardware" to hold it together on both hips.  This surgery will keep him in hospital for four or more days so that he can be watched while being given enough pain meds to help him get through all the pain he will have.  He will leave the hospital with a body cast from his upper waist down to his lower leg in a cast called a spica.  He will reamin in this for a minum of 6 weeks.  After his hips have healed complety, he will return to have surgery to remove all the hardware that had been installed.

On top of that, his right foot appears to be dropping rapidly.

I am not taken back becuase of all the issues our family will face with this surgery.  As a mother it is hard to watch my child be in pain and suffer, not understanding why this is being done to him.  He is a good boy and this seems so unfair to him.  If he was older, maybe he would understand.  My heart is aching knowing what a battle he will have to face trhough the surgeries and the spica.  The spica will make it nearly impossible to do most of his favorite things and also just the normal things.

This is very tough for me to stomache.  I will be fine.  My other two have been through some very difficult emotional things that we made it through.  I know, this too shall pass.  I just need  a little time to process...  So, if I am not real talkative, please undersatnd.  You can ask questions but sometimes I may just not have the ability to control the tears so please be understanding with that.  I am surrounded by wonderful friends and family.  With you all, I will be supported and also with my Lord's love.

Alexander and Grace were happy to have traveled with Tim and I to take Chase.  They saw some other children that were challeged with much more serious issues then our dear Chase.

The next step is for Chase to return in August on the same date as his genetic test.  They will xray him and determine if his hips have taken a turn for the worse or maybe better.