comrades,casts, and chinese cuisine

Look how much cuteness a cart can hold!

On a recent very cold January day, Lucy and I decided to pick up Sadie girl and head to the Asian grocery store to pick up some con-gee (this is Lucy's rice porridge that she eats every morning for breakfast), spices and whatever else we might find that this Mom might feel brave enough to try cooking!  I put both girls in the back of the cart and while strolling through the store would hand them different things to hold.  At one point I gave them a frozen bag of fish.  I literally laughed out loud when little Sadie looked a bit more intently at WHAT she was holding and said she didn't want to hold this one!  Lucy sure didn't want to hold it either.(keep in mind that I currently have 9, 11 and 13 year old boys)   Feeling like I just pulled a "funny" that my thirteen year old son would do - I was grinning as I returned it to the store freezer!

Pretty much put this picture in for the "ewww factor!"

January 3rd was the date that Lucy was scheduled to have her splint removed and a cast put on.  The evening before our appointment, I explained to Lucy (with English words she's familiar with and understands as well as miming), what would happen the next day.  I was concerned that she may feel very anxious upon entering the same building where she had to have a needle put into her arm (nova-cane) as well as having her bones re-aligned - both of which caused her a lot of pain a week and a half prior.  She obviously understood what I was telling her and repeated it back to me several times, being sure to emphasize the "no hurt Lucy" part at the end of the dialogue!

Smiling for the camera as we wait for the Dr.

Keeping a close eye on what the Dr. was doing

Choosing her cast color!

The morning of January 3rd, she hadn't forgotten our dialogue from the night before and awoke chattering and miming to me about what our day held!  Her memory is incredible.  She walked into the orthopedic office like a trooper!  I was relieved as she didn't appear to be anxious at all.  They took another x-ray of her arm to make sure the bones were still aligned properly.   After the many, many x-rays at Shriner's and now with her broken bones in her arm, Lucy has it down that x-rays don't hurt!   I tell her "picture, picture" (while miming clicking a camera ) and she fully understands she needs to hold still while the picture is being taken without any complaints.  The x-ray revealed that the bones were all still perfectly in place and mending nicely.  However, the visit wasn't quite seamless.  Apparently the young lady who puts on the casts didn't listen closely enough or understand the doctor's orders and put a "short cast" on Lucy (a cast that is below the elbow).  The doctor walked in and started shaking his head and apologizing.  The cast would need to be cut off and a new cast put on that would go ABOVE Lucy's elbow.

Wrapping before the casting material is put on

short cast a.k.a. the wrong cast

Putting on the cast does not hurt nor does taking it off hurt.  However, there are many things we have learned about our Lucy girl in the past four months.  One of which is she's extremely frightened of loud noises of any kind.  If you've ever seen the apparatus they use to remove casts you probably know it's quite loud and looks a bit scary.  I got that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when I realized this was going to be scary for our little one and I couldn't do anything about it.  Even though I explained as best as I could that taking off the cast would not hurt Lucy, I also had to tell her it would be very loud.  Hearing this loud machine with a circulating blade coming at her arm was a bit more than she could take. She tried hard to be brave but the tears rolled and the frightened screams were heard by those in the casting room.     Thankfully she calmed quickly once the wrong cast was removed and the machine was rolled AWAY from Lucy.  Bravely she sat dutifully as the re-wrapped her arm once again for the above the elbow cast.

Round two - 

Doctor is kind and gentle while helping to form the cast as it dries

Where is that cast removal machine??

While the experience itself was emotional and stressful for Lucy (and us!)our sweet, little girl has many more castings (for her foot!) in her future and perhaps this was preparation!?  (YES - I'm trying hard to look for a positive side to this). 

 Meanwhile on the home front, things weren't looking rosy either.  Here's a picture of what (who!) we saw on the living room floor when we got back from getting Lucy's cast.  Poor John-Merle and Kaden got hit with the stomach bug!  Thankfully it only hit the two of them and not the entire family and was over in 24 hours.

A week after the cast was put on, the Dr. ordered another x-ray to be taken to confirm that the bones are still in position and it's continuing to heal.  All is well and mending properly! She has adapted very well with the cast but we have noted that her balance isn't what it was prior to the cast.  The cast is scheduled to come off the end of January and no therapy will be needed.  

Many thanks to all who have been praying for Lucy's healing and also to those who sent her a card!  She loved getting her own mail!   A very special Amish friend of mine teaches grades 1 through 3 at a local Amish school and they were so very sweet in making a notebook full of pictures and get well wishes!!

Picture book made by students in grades 1-3

made with love!