I took Zoey to Shriner's today. This appointment was to check the leg under the cast and measure her for a prosthetic. We weren't sure if she would need a new cast put on and happily....she did not.
Ready to get that baby off!
Buzz...buzz...buzz...
They gave Zoey a stuffed animal to hold onto in case she was afraid of the saw. Hmmm...she covered her ears and laughed because it tickled.
After the cast came off, they covered her leg quickly in case the sight of it would scare her. She was so used to having that heavy cast on her leg, that she kept it high in the air and wouldn't put it down. It was so funny! Her leg was floating...
Next stop was the prosthetic area. This time, she finally got a look at her leg with no sock. I took a photo but thought it might be a bit T.M.I. for you, so won't post it.
Little sweetheart kind of shut down. My heart hurt for her. It was such a shock to her to see her leg with no foot.
{Honestly, her incision looks VERY good--only some scabs and the skin looks healthy and normal. I have seen much worse and was not expecting it to look as good as it does.}
To distract her, I said, "Do you want to smile for a picture for Mama?" Normally, she will flash me one of her huge signature smiles because she loves having her picture taken.
But this time, she looked at me, thumb in her mouth, and shook her head no.
I asked her if she was sad and immediately, her little face crumpled and she started to sob. I held her while she cried and felt totally helpless. I tried to soothe her but everything I started to say just sounded glib. So I stuck to telling her how much I loved her.
Eventually, a staff person came into the room so she pulled herself together and stopped crying.
Bless her heart.
Then it was time to pick fabric for her leg. They wheeled a huge bin into the room and we started rooting through the choices.
This was her first choice.
Ummm....really? A camping theme? Sweetie...don't you think you want something else? Something that will go a little better with your clothes?
Then I saw this one and thought it might be a good compromise since it was colorful like her first choice.
She loved it! Thank goodness. The print is a bit large, though, so I hope it will be okay. It's not too late to change it, so if anyone has advice, feel free to tell us.
When we were done, it was time for lunch so I gave her the choice of the hospital cafeteria or McD*nald's. Believe it or not, she chose the hospital cafeteria! What a hoot!
By the time we were done eating, she was in good spirits. When I tucked her into the car, she said cheerfully from the backseat,
"I'm happy!"
She has been fine ever since--except for the time that Jake accidentally stepped on her leg. {wince}
That is the one drawback of having the cast off--she has no protection from bumping her leg or having it stepped on.
We will be going back to Shriners in a few weeks for a first fitting on the socket of the prosthetic. They will build it in stages and on our fourth visit she will get to try it out. So hopefully, by the end of January, she will have her new leg!
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On the way home, we both enjoyed looking at the beauty of New England, with it's fresh coat of snow.
