Checking in...

So it has been six whole months since we saw the ortho...and it was time for another x-ray. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't secretly freaking out waiting to know how those hip angles are doing. Every time I hear a pop or click from Mabel's hips a part of me can't help but worry. Last June her socket was stable, but the hip angles were not yet normal. We headed to the doctor and now with Mabel being so "with it" I explained that the doctor would take a picture of her hips and make sue they were OK...the hitch was I couldn't stay in the room for her x-ray this time, since I'm pregnant I would have to leave. She understood Zack would stay and I would come right back and as with every x-ray so far she did great. Held perfectly still and was so brave. How hard was it to leave her?! I hated that! Oh, speaking of stuff I hate, if one more person asks, "Aren't you concerned with Mabel needing so many x-rays at such a young age?". You know like I never thought of that? Yes thank you for your concern, in all the worrying I've done to date regarding Mabel's hip journey I have never once even thought about the repeat x-rays and radiation...thank you for opening my eyes on the issue! Of course I'm concerned about x-rays! But tell me another way to look at that joint? To measure the hip angles?

Anyway...The good news the joint is stable still, the bone is forming well and the femoral head is in the socket. Her mobility is good so no brace is needed. Good to hear especially when I never considered she may need a brace again at this point! The not so good news, her hip angles haven't improved much. The right is at 23 degrees, good for her age, but the left is 36 degrees same as last year. The doctor said there is nothing they can do now anyway except hope it improves. Zack asked what would happen if it doesn't (I already knew, I guess I didn't want to worry him so I never really told him) but what they would do if her hip doesn't improve at about four to five years old they would operate, deepen the socket, reset the hip and cast her for three months...not what you want to hear right? Well, we go back in six months, x-ray in a year keep our fingers crossed, live our lives and see what happens. I refuse to think she's doomed for surgery and if we need to do it well, we will face it and get through it.

So that is our hip kid update! More news in December!

A year after the spica...

So it has been over a year since Mabel's been freed from her spica cast. It was a long road, but no one would know she had a problem at all.

Last month she had her orthopedic surgeon check up. I had been pretty worried since I have been hearing her right hip popping. The doctor checked her hips and said they are both in the socket and feel stable. He told me the popping is due to her hip angle still not being right, but popping is different than clunking and he doesn't feel any clunking so that is good. He told us that right now we wait and hope that as she grows her sockets deepen and become normal. In June we'll be going back to get an x-ray and keep our figures crossed all is good!

So, life is good! Hips are in their sockets and I officially have a running toddler! I'm hopeful that in June her x-ray will show improvement - stay put hips!