My Brave Girl

Josie broke her leg on August 11, 2010 while jumping on the trampoline with her older brothers.

Dr. Chamberlain used a metal plate and five screws to hold the pieces of her tibia together.

She had 3 casts, a walking boot, and a soft splint before she could walk unaided.

The Pink Cast

The Purple Cast

The Robo-Cast

Quite the Collection

October 25, 2010

She didn't let it slow her down too much.  And she is now good friends with Ben the Cast Man.

At Orthopedic Center of the Rockies for cast removal

Waiting for the steri strips to fall off was an unexpected trauma.  Josie hated "the tape" and cried often during the two weeks it took to come off.

One of the hardest things for me was knowing that she had a 2nd surgery looming.  The doctor said she had to get the plate removed once she had gained her strength and range of motion back.

She worked hard.  She went to PT twice a week and progressed quickly.  Just before the surgery, her PT began worrying about the strength of the intrinsic muscles in her foot, but she assured me Josie was still in a good position to undergo the surgery.

Josie felt back to her regular self and was already begging to jump on the trampoline again.

Notice her scar.  It's lookin' pretty good.

Crazy kid!

I didn't want Josie to feel the anxiety I was feeling so I decided not to tell her about the upcoming surgery until the morning I had to take her in.  As the day grew closer, I began questioning my decision.

I was feeling stressed and guilty about keeping it from her so I began a few family discussions on all the surgeries we've had.   We talked about how they put the mask on your face to help you go to sleep and how you don't feel anything.  Still, a few days before the surgery, I tried to bring it up.  I stopped when she began crying a little.

When the day of the surgery dawned, I was more nervous about how Josie would take the news than for the actual surgery.  I was prepared though...I had presents.

Isaac thought we were having a birthday party.

I had the gift in my hand as I said, "Josie--Dr. Chamberlain is a good doctor isn't he?"  She agreed so I pressed on, "He did a great job fixing your leg and now he says it's time to take the metal plate out.  We need to do it today, so I got you a gift to help you be brave."  

Her eyes stayed fastened on the pink present in my hands.  It was working!  She pulled out the Care Bears and I explained each one, "Braveheart Lion will help you to be brave for the surgery and Good Luck Bear will remind you that all will be well."

That's when Poppa Gary arrived to help Mat give her a priesthood blessing.  The blessing truly did assure that all would be well.

Grandma Cindy came with him and brought more presents which served their purpose in distracting her the one time she hid her face in the couch and looked like she might lose her composure.

She got into the van without reluctance despite the fact that the morning air was freezing and it was still dark.  As I helped her buckle in, I reminded her that I still had a big blue present waiting.  I told her that if she felt scared, she need to picture that present in her mind and know that it was waiting for her.  

I am a firm believer in distraction when trying to control ones thoughts or emotions.  I learned while potty training Isaac that if you can just think of something else for a split second besides how scared, mad, or frustrated you are, you can usually get a hold of yourself. (I would just like to say that I got all the Care Bears that were contained in the pink and blue presents from my stash of old toys in the basement.  I keep them around for times like this.)

I couldn't believe how well she took everything that morning.  She was a perfect patient as they prepared her for surgery and sincerely seemed unafraid.

When I showed Josie this picture she said, "I'm a muffin!"

The surgery went well.  We arrived at 6:20am and were discharged from the surgery center at 9am.  Josie's recovery nurse was counting her tears because she was so impressed that they were falling without any wailing accompanying them.  She counted five tears and declared Josie the best child she'd ever taken care of.  I must admit I counted a few more tears, but chose to believe her kind words about how well Josie was handling her pain.

Josie felt much better after she got settled at home.  She asked for the blue present right away.

Dr. Chamberlain gave us the hardware that had helped Josie's leg heal.  The kids all thought that was "way cool."

The plate is much smaller than I imagined.

Dr. Chamberlain also bandaged the legs of both of the Care Bears that accompanied her into surgery.  This is the same doctor who I thought was rather stiff when he worked with Kimball's broken elbow.  I think it's safe to say that he has a soft spot for Josie.

I'm sure Josie and the Care Bears will feel better before long.

Dr. Chamberlain did one other incredibly awesome thing.  He helped me understand how to care for her in a way that I've never understood even though my kids have had lots of broken bones and surgeries.  He explained to me that what we are battling for the next week or two is the swelling.  If fluid gets into the holes in her leg and remains, it will slow the healing process.  So her leg needs to be kept up with ice on it and she needs regular Motrin regardless of pain.  I have always based everything on the how much pain the child is experiencing.  It makes a huge difference for me to understand this.

I feel so relieved knowing that this time as she makes progress, she is truly working toward full health.  I hope to use this recovery time to teach her to read some BOB books and to get her into the pool so all her big and little muscles can get strong.  Dr. Chamberlain has urged me to have her swimming everyday if possible.  I watched her progress with PT last time and allowed myself to ignore that one piece of advice.  Seeing some problems develop with her foot and ankle have strengthened my resolve to find the time.

I hope our whole family can help her through this recovery and we can keep our spirits up while focusing on the fact that we can now see the light at the end of what has been a very long tunnel.