Sorry I didn't get anything else updated after surgery....Between computer issues and Christopher NOT being happy in his casts...it has been a long two weeks!
He came out of surgery OK. Woke up immediately and was mad/panicked ??? Part of the issue was the casts. The docs wrapped them VERY high up on his legs so that laying down the casts were cutting into his bottom and um....well, his pelvis in the front. It was even worse when we tried to sit him up, which we wanted to do as soon as possible to keep his lungs clear. They finally ended up cutting them down a bit to a little over mid-thigh. Still within the line of fire if the diaper malfunctions, but much better than they were. :)
It has been hard to keep him comfortable the last two weeks. He was HOT the first week or so - no fever, but his whole body felt like it was on fire. His heart rate while sleeping was between 150 - 170, which is WAY high. Then he would get mad at not being able to move the way he wanted, whew!
He is down on pain meds - he actually did that fairly quickly. I wondered if the high heart rate was because of pain, but it doesn't seem to be. He's just mad! I think the medicine itself is also causing his heart rate to increase. There is also the thought that because the casts go completely up both legs, it is changing the way the blood vessels are reacting.
Otherwise, we have been dealing with crazy house stuff. We dropped the price of the house $7000 this week. We have also been having some trouble with the mortgage company, but I think we are getting that straightened out. I just want OUT! If anybody out there knows of somebody who needs a handicap accessible house that has been completely remodeled - send them our way!!!!
I am also getting my thoughts together about our lessons this year. Last year was a bust. We did school, but ended up following rabbit trails and didn't really stick to our plan. Most of our school stuff is packed away right now, and I am not sure how much we would accomplish anyway - even with a captive audience. I am thinking that we are going to wait to "officially" start school until late September - after the casts come off.
I do know that we are going to be concentrating on our alphabet, numbers 1-5, animals, transportation, various holiday stuff (turkeys, scarecrows, everything Christmas, etc). I would like to get more in to art this year as well. I think art projects are going to help us both with our theme and with sensory issues. It is also good OT work. Following directions and getting a consistent schedule is also going to be a big deal this year.
When we get to the new house, outdoor time is going to be a must. Christopher is like a mole and HATES being outside. We will have to work on this. We have a pool, we are getting a small swing set, and I am already drawing out garden plans. We are moving to a neighborhood that I grew up in, so I hope to be able to start walking again and/or bike rides. It is just hard to do with him around here. I am thinking messy art projects are going to be done outside as well.
One last thing, I have been invited to write a couple of times a month on another blog with a group of people all living with special needs. If anybody has anything they would like to see tackled, leave me a message or shoot me an e-mail! It can be anything, from questions about how you deal with social situations to where to find good information on medical issues, or even how others set up & store all their medical supplies! Pretty much anything goes.....I will post a link when it gets up and running.
Hugs!
Steph
Labels: Blog, Chicago, homeschool, house, Ortho, Surgery
