Surgery Next Week

Next week we will be taking Maddi to saskatoon for surgery.  She is going to have a heel cord release which is fairly common for kids with spina bifida.  Her Achilles' tendon is so tight that her right foot will no longer go into a neutral/flat position, it is always pointed. We didn't get much time to talk with the surgeon about the procedure, so I don't know many details, but basically what is going to happen is her Achilles' tendon will be severed and they'll sew her back up.  Part of me is wishing I would have asked more questions...like, what happens to the tendon once it's severed, as an example.  Of course all the important questions come to mind several days after the opportunity to ask them.

Thankfully maddi shouldn't feel any pain.  She will be under general anesthesia for the procedure and then she will wake up annoyed that she has a cast on, at least we hope it will be that simple.  For those who saw the video of her little fit in walmart, I am envisioning there will be some forceful pointing as she is telling us to take the cast off her leg. If you haven't had the pleasure of watching that video yet, here you go: http://youtu.be/hVp8oKOnXCg.

Maddi is a trooper and I am sure she will do fine.  She has an amazing ability to be resilient and I am sure that this time will be no different. She'll be dragging that cast along in no time.  Our hope is that after she heals from this procedure her braces will stay on her foot and she'll be able to wear them more often.  She is starting to pull herself up on furniture all the time but she stands on the sides of her feet. Having her braces on will keep her feet in a proper position.  This should also help her make more progress with her walking. With baby sister getting closer to learning how to walk, maddi is more and more interested in walking all the time.

Next week we will will be in saskatoon tues-fri, the actual surgery will be on Thursday. Thankfully there is no overnight stay in the hospital required. I will try and write a quick post next week to keep everyone posted on how things go.

Meaghan