Today was the beginning of the next chapter in our adoption journey. We went to Iowa City to the pediatric orthopedist’s office to have her hands and leg looked at. For those of you joining in for the first time, Sidney has syndactyly or webbing on one hand between two of her three fingers. On the other hand, she also has three fingers, with the middle finger appearing a bit thicker than the rest. Something I am certain will come in handy when she is an adult.
Today we consulted with a medical student and Dr Dietz. Dr Dietz, we found out, is not only a talented and recognized orthopedist in pediatrics but a genuinely nice person. We were informed we would do something only for the leg today, so she has better mobility. Her left leg is a few centimeters than the other and her leg is physically smaller. When we looked at the file for her special needs information, we saw a photo, but we were not certain. It turns out her limb is smaller. Again, no big deal. She is walking and almost running. X rays were completed, and the doctor advised us Sidney’s leg is missing the fibula or the smaller bone behind the larger bone on her leg.
He let us know that there is no way to figure out exactly why this happened, because it is not typically associated with any syndromes. He gave several options, including lengthening. This is an avenue we do not want to go down, because it is strictly cosmetic and does not have a great success rate. Another option is to shorten the longer leg to slow the rate of growth. Both procedures wait until she is 6 to 8 years old. Reasons for this include, as Dr Dietz advised us, “wrestling the kid.”
We were extremely pleased to be able to talk with a hand surgeon today who was called in by the doctor. She seconded that issues like this are typically not caused by any type of syndrome however as the orthopedist let us know, our genetic appointment will give us more detailed information on causes and information Sidney will need as an adult. They were all amazed had her function with three fingers on both hands. Mom intentionally had her eating Cheerios when they came into the room, so they knew immediately that her function is good.
I am off to enjoy friends and a glass of wine. Thank you Jill. You could not have called at a more opportune time, thank you Kasey for volunteering to drive two women who cannot handle more than one glass of Moscato.
2 comments:
I'm glad to hear that you have the first visit behind you. I can't wait to see how God continues to work in your lives!
Blessings,
Lisa
It seems Miss Sidney is doing wonderfully. You'll be in great hands at the U of I we are blessed to have such great doctors so close!
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