Shannon is 17 today and today truly was mostly about her. Not in a normal 17 yr. old spa, pedi/mani out to lunch kind of way though. Shannon had an appt. for a wound check on her surgical incisions which turned in to a major event. Not the actual appt., but getting everyone on the same page about what this appt. was about. Her surgeon was unavailable and we were told her pediatrician could just check it and then we’d see the surgeon in another 3 weeks for X-rays and such. Well, nothing is that easy. Today between the two of us we made or answered no less than 14 phone calls. It was ridiculous. The pediatric office was freaked out about checking on a hip replacement wound, apparently they don’t see those like ever, but a surgical wound should be a surgical wound I would think.
She has two incisions. One for the hip and the one inside her leg right at the top for her adductor tenotomy. That one has given us concern as it lost it’s steri strips, which hold it together, only about a week after surgery. We’ve watched it closely and called and described it. Today the pediatrician took a sample to check for potential infection. The last two phone calls of the day came simultaneously with Mark on one phone and myself on the other about the exact same appointment which we will have tomorrow AM with one of the surgeons associates. Everyone is now sufficiently freaked out about follow-up that we have to drive quite a distance to double-check on everything.
Part of the craziness this morning was the constant back and forth between the pediatrics office trying to decide if they could handle it or not. The last call was only 45 min. before her appt. and Mark informed them that we can’t just run out the door with her, it’s quite the process.
On Sunday we will have a little open house to celebrate with friends and family another year with our girl. We have great hopes for this next year. A new wheelchair will be coming this summer and this new hip will be tried out. So, happy birthday sweet girl. You inspire us every day to keep life in perspective and never, never take life’s little pleasures for granted. Every day is a gift.
Serialadopter 