We didn't want to believe that,
It seemed so long.
But, that surgery took place almost 18 months ago, and I am finally getting back to where I was.
The medical team were right.
My femoral osteotomy was another heartbreaker.
That 18 month setback is huge. That's so many hours of therapies and exercises... and they feel wasted.
Remember the purple leg casts? Remember the leg brace?
Remember the week of constant crying from me?
Was anyone there when I screamed the Leisure Centre pool down?
My legs were no longer supported by the brace and moving them, even in the smallest way, brought me great pain.
We would rather forget my femoral osteotomy... But, it was a significant part of my life and we are doing #turningfive birthday countdown memories, so... Here goes.
Screws were inserted in to my bone, to hold everything in the right place.
It was painful.
It was painful when they operated and painful afterwards.
The pain medication children receive after having this, is morphine. If children react badly to the morphine, the pain medication is swapped to fentanyl.
I cannot have fentanyl!
Every time I have received fentanyl, I have stopped breathing and required resuscitation. Fentanyl scares us!
After the brace came off, I had very skinny 'cerebral palsy' legs. I lost all of my muscle tone... muscle I worked so hard to build up.
We were back to square one, again.
Heartbreaking. Again.
We hate cerebral palsy. (Read more here)
**Hold your leg in a strange position, for an hour, then stretch it back out.
It will probably feel a bit weird to move it and stretch it again.
Can you hold that position for a day, and then try to move it?
How about keeping it still for almost six weeks?
After the brace came off, my legs ached and my muscles felt like they were ripping, whenever I moved my legs. We stayed in Sydney for a week, to help me with the removal of the brace.
After daily hydrotherapy (for a week), the brace was put back on. It actually felt much better when they put my legs back in to the brace... back in the position they had been in for so many weeks.
That made Mum feel a bit sad.
The brace was removed slowly, to help my muscles cope.
After the brace was removed, I used my plaster casts as a brace at night, until my legs didn't need to be supported.
When my brace came off, I stayed in Sydney Kids Hospital for a week. Mum rang my sister, to say goodnight, I heard Aunty Carol's voice. I was yelling to her, telling her how bad my leg hurt and how angry I was at everyone, for hurting me. I had a lot to say! (I didn't use words, but my meaning was very clear!)
(Read more here)
That was an awful day. (Read more about that here.)
Surgery will be just after my birthday.
Since my femoral osteotomy surgery, my foot is two centimetres shorter. All of my right shoes need a wedge built under them.
My muscles are coming back. My legs are still skinny, but not so 'cerebral palsy skinny'.
Some days, I do an amazing job in my walker. I'm having some great success days with my physiotherapist, Zoe. I'm moving all over the floor, again. I even did some kicks when I was swimming!
I'm feeling stronger, again.
The femoral osteotomy was another bad memory, but my #nevergiveup attitude and my strong determination make sure I keep on keeping on.
Cerebral palsy can't keep me down.
#birthdaycountdown #turningfive #memories