Perfect

We had our first follow-up appointment with Dr. Lenke today!  Danielle had x-rays at 8:30 am and an appointment with the doctor following the x-rays.  It has been 11 weeks since the surgery that will forever change things for her!  Dr. Lenke's "fellow" saw her first and he examined Danielle and looked at the x-rays and said "This looks fantastic!"  Music to my ears!  Dr. Lenke examined Danielle and his first words after looking at the x-rays were "Perfect, the alignment is fantastic!"  We had a few questions for the doctor.  The tingling in her bottom and hips is normal as long as it does not shoot all the way down her leg.  The nerves are still waking up after such a big surgery.  Her swollen lower back is normal and will probably disappear once she begins to exercise more.  She is to begin bending carefully and can lift objects within reason.  When lifting she needs to remember to lift properly and keep the objects close to her body.  She can continue to walk more and can jog!   We visited the 10th floor, a place where we called home for 5 days and then went down to the PICU.  We were hoping to see some familiar faces but only a couple of nurses that were there during our stay were working today.

We feel so fortunate to have found such a fabulous caring doctor and staff.  We just can't say enough kind words about everyone at St. Louis Children's.  Danielle has made a wonderful recovery and will continue to work toward a full recovery.

Dr. Lenke and Danielle

x-rays 11 weeks post op  3-26-14

March Madness

It has been so long since I have posted.  I apologize.  No news is good news the saying goes........
Danielle has been back to school for six weeks now.  We have had so much going on.  For the first couple of weeks Danielle went back to school part time.  She carried a pillow everywhere.  She is very good at listening to her body and knowing her limits.  After about 2 weeks back to school she tried to go to a full day and then would "pay" for it.  She would be sore and tired and would have to stay home to rest in the morning  or leave school early.  She always lays down to rest after school.  She is usually very sore and her body is tired after being at school all day.  Evenings consist of rest, dinner, rest, homework, and more rest.  At the end of February our basketball team played in the district tournament in a town 50 miles away.  She could not miss cheering on her brother and friends.  That was a little hard on her. After winning the district tournament  we went on to win quarterfinals, sectionals, and went to Columbia for the State Basketball tournament.  Columbia is a 3 1/2 hour drive away.  Danielle did very well.  Our first game in Columbia was at 3:45 on Thursday March 13.  We drove down and went to the noon game and then our game.  Danielle was VERY tired after.  She stood and cheered for our boys the entire game.  On Friday morning she was VERY sore.  She said the motel bed was hard and she did not sleep well.   Our boys brought home the 3rd place trophy!  It was a fun and exciting time.  When we first visited Dr. Lenke our first option for surgery was February13.  We are so fortunate that we got an earlier date in January.  Danielle would have never been able to endure the district, and quarterfinal games nor the trip to Columbia.

 We have had some nice weather and Danielle enjoys walking.  Before surgery any type of running or walking caused her a tremendous amount of pain.  She told me on one of our walks that one thing she is looking forward to is being able to go on walks or even jog later with her friends. She always avoided that before because of her pain.  She says she is sore but not in pain.

On February 22 we tackled prom dress shopping.  I wanted to just order something on-line.  She wanted to be able to try on dresses.   Prom isn't until late April, but she knows after a full week of school that she needs a full day at home to rest before the next school week.  We chose that date because there were no ball games that evening and she would have Sunday to rest.We went with an open mind and decided if we came home empty handed we would still have time to order.We drove to north Kansas City (1 1/2 hrs away).  We arrived at the store around 10:30.  She really wanted something with an open back to "show off" her scar.  After 2 hours of trying on dresses she was tired, sore and frustrated.  She didn't like the fronts of the open back dresses.  We went to lunch and ate in the Yukon, where she leaned back and rested.  I was ready to go home but it was entirely up to her. We went back to same store after lunch and "started over."  After trying on about 3 dresses she found one she LOVED!!!!  The back is not entirely open but over half of her scar shows and she looks beautiful in it!

On Wednesday Danielle will have a new set of x-rays and we will see Dr. Lenke.  This is our first visit since  we left the hospital and we are all anxious to see the doctor.  Danielle's scar looks great.  She still has some tingling in her leg and bottom.  Her lower back (the love handle area) is still swollen also.  Danielle is so excited for this visit to see how she is actually doing and what Dr. Lenke says!

I am really proud of her and must say that I think she is doing really well.  She still has restrictions..no bending, lifting (more than 10 lbs) or twisting. Her movements are still somewhat stiff.  She looks fabulous and has a great attitude.  She goes out with her friends on weekends.  She has a great group of friends who I know look out for her!

Danielle and her brothers.
March 8, Quarterfinal Basketball tournament

Our family.  State Basketball 3rd place trophy.

 As you can see Danielle enjoyed dressing up with her friends to cheer for our Bulldog basketball team!  Great school spirit!