Giving Thanks...Kapri's Surgery and Recovery.

You know that sinking, useless, hopeless feeling you get when one of your children are sick or hurt? Those feelings were almost more than I could take when I went to take Kapri in for her 15 month check up on Tuesday morning and ended up in surgery Tuesday night...

A little over two weeks ago Kapri began to limp on her right leg and after noticing I kept an eye on it and it would differ day to day.  Sometimes it wasn't even noticeable as she would run back and forth from her brother or just in her play.  Other times is was so noticeable I found myself holding her more than I ever had (after she learned how to walk).  I decided that it was time to call the Dr. and see what his thoughts were.  So Friday (18th) we got her in. The typical questions like, did she fall, was she pushed at school, does she have a temp, etc.  Since NONE of these symptoms seemed to be the case he wanted me to just keep her on Motrin and since she had her 15 month check up on Tuesday (22nd) he felt like he would check on her at that time once again. Over the weekend she seemed to stay the same, Monday hit and it got worse.  Not walking AT ALL, crying, and overall not happy.  Tuesday came and the pain doubled, she clawed to stay in my arms.  

Her appointment was in the morning and as soon as we got her in there and checked out, that sinking, useless, hopeless feeling came. He wanted us to go the ER immediately and he was making arrangements with the Orthopedic Surgeon right away...WHAT! 

We rushed over to TMC (the new Children's ER) and the Dr.'s were called and they had been waiting on us. First things first they needed to check her blood, which means they needed to put an IV in...here is where the panic set in for me.  After holding my 15 month baby girl down so that 2 Dr.'s could stick a needle in and suck out blood, all I felt was useless. I couldn't make her feel better and I couldn't explain to her what all of this meant.

After the blood work came back they decided they would do an x-ray, then after that, an MRI...again panic, because I knew that they would have to put her out for this. After waking up from the anesthesia she was almost lifeless, moaning, crying and not really knowing where she was at or who was holding her.  Results came back and the Dr. said she had a definite infection (Septic Arthritis) and they needed to pull out some of the fluid that was surrounding her right hip to see what it was, and when they pull the fluid out if it's puss like substance, he was going to have to cut her open and clean it out.

So, there we are, she is finally coming off her anesthesia and he wants to take her into surgery.  Right at this point I think I stopped listening to everything around me as I was holding her, looked up and asked God to please help me keep it together and to please take all of these feelings from me. Everything at this point was out of my hands and there was nothing I could do but give it all to him. Matt and I took her back to the OR and that's when the surgeon explained in detail what was going to happen. The moment came when I had to give her to the Dr. and all I wanted to do was keep her, because NOBODY can keep her safe and happy like me...right? Ughhh it was the hardest thing for me to let her go, and then even harder to hear her cry for me when I did. One of the nurses took us to the waiting room, and I think the surgery was only about an hour, and it wasn't until the Dr. came out to tell us her status that I took a breath. Sure enough as soon as he stuck in the device to sample the fluid, it was green and puss like, so he had to go in and clean her out.

I didn't stop holding her until we were settled in our room and I knew she was ok.  Over the next day or so her recovery was amazing.  You wouldn't have thought that this kid just went through the surgery. We were first told that we would be in the hospital till Saturday and we would have to be ok with missing Thanksgiving. Thursday came, Kapri was doing great and I was bummed that we wouldn't be with our family, but was sooooo thankful that she was feeling better...so really, that was all that mattered.  When her Dr. (pediatrician) came in to check on her that morning he looked at us and told us we could go home! It was singlehandedly one of the best feelings... Kapri was better and now we get to spend Thanksgiving with the family. AMEN!

Overall Kapri is doing great, she is already running around and back to normal.  Every now and then she will take a fall and wince a little, but she's back up in no time. The worst part right now is that she HATES her antibiotics that we have to give her for 14 days...3 times a day...not fun.

Here are a few pics from her ordeal... I have to admit, I have NEVER been more thankful on Thanksgiving day for 2 special little people!

First IV...This one busted so they did another one on her other hand in surgery

A few hours after surgery

Next morning...amazing.

After a sponge bath...and a new gown

Playtime with Micah...her favorite

Just got the news we get to go home, and all her wires are out!

Dressed and ready to go!

....on a side note, Septic Arthritis is very vague.  Kapri could have gotten this from anything like a cold all the way to a diaper rash. It was a bacteria from some type of sickness that settled in her right hip joint.