New Development Concerning Maddy

First, I know that I said that this blog was to be discontinued, but my goal in first creating this blog was to document Maddy's club feet condition. I feel that one day Maddy would like to look at this and see what see went through. That said the blog will go on.

Maddy started walking well in June this year. About two months later, her dad and I noticed that she was walking a little differently. It was like she had a little limp, first we dismissed it to she must have bumped into something. Then when it did not go away, on Maddy's 18th month visit to her pediatrician, we brought it up. She first asked what ortho had said, I told her that we see ortho next month. It kinda seemed like one of Maddy's legs was a little shorter than the other to me, and I told the doctor this. So she laid Maddy on the exam table, took off her diaper, held her legs together, and looked at her baby creases. At that time all of Maddy's creases were lined up indicating that her legs were the same length. The doctor said to definitely bring it up with ortho because she did not see anything that could be causing a limp, and if there was a problem that is who we would see anyways. So we went for our regular ortho visit in October. Both Kevin (Maddy's Dad) and I went because we thought that there could be something wrong. I guess I was seriously in denial because I keep telling myself that it was a tight tendon or just the way Maddy walked. Well, ortho, saw Maddy walk, felt her hips, and measeured her legs. Then one leg was 1 centimeter longer. Autumn (Maddy's Ortho PA) wanted an x-ray. We go do the x-ray and come back. Autumn pulls it up on the computer, and says there is a problem. I almost immediately start crying. Maddy has hip dysplasia. This basically means that her leg is out of the hip socket on her left side. We are asking what needs to be done to fix it. Autumn calls the doctor, and they believe that Maddy is too old to use a harness to put the femur back in and hold it there. The doctor is in surgery, so we wait to talk to him. We find out that surgery is the best option. The surgery as we are told can be conducted in steps, starting with the least invasive to progressly more invasive.

Maddy had surgery October 12th at Texas Children's Hospital. The surgery went very well, she had a closed reduction, which was the least invasive. The doctor (Dr. Rosenfeld) was able to manually push the femur back into the socket. When this was done one of Maddy's tendons was very tight, so that was cut with a very small stab incision. Maddy is now in a hip spica cast, she has to be in it for 90 days.

Today, she has 53 more days to go in the cast. We go back to ortho to see Dr. Rosenfeld every 2 weeks. We go this Wednesday. At one visit we will get an x-ray and the next visit a CT Scan. The last visit Maddy had a CT scan. The bone looked healthy and in the right place. One of the risks to pushing the top of the bone into the socket death of bone cells in that area. Dr. Rosenfeld is being extra cautious with Maddy because her bone went in the socket very easy so he worried that it will come out easily. The bone can come out of the socket while she is in the cast. If we find that it has come out, the cast will come off and surgery for an open reduction will be scheduled. That is a major surgery, and we really do not want that procedure.

Well, that is Maddy's news. I left our experiences out because I wanted to get to the point, but I will add on in another post-Maddy's reaction, dealing with the cast, how she is doing now, and ways we have adjusted to this.

Maddy's Mom Update
I graduated this my Associate's Degree with an emphasis in Criminal Justice from Tomball College. I am now going to school at Sam Houston State University. The drive is not fun with the rising gas prices (the university is 70 miles from my house).

Maddy's Dad Update
Still working hard to support his family.

Maddy's Brother Update
Doing excellent in school, 3rd grade. Ryan and his dad just built a wood covered wagon for a school project.