Syndactyly Reconstruction Round II

 

"For I know the plans I have for you." declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11



Tom, Sidney, and I are home from the hospital. Upon returning home, we were greeted by Jean, Jean the cleaning machine, or my mother. Eli was treated to grandma sleeping over last night, because we had to report to the hospital bright and early. We spent the night in Iowa City and enjoyed gyros we pick up when we are in town. She quickly whipped my house into shape, taking on Mt Mesuvius (our laundry pile). Eli was disappointed Grandma would not be spending a second night however was exicted he lost a tooth in school. Upon returning from school, he quickly produced the tooth from a film jar, saying “look mom, there’s even blood!”

We arrived at 6am for Sidney’s procedure. Like the last proceedure, Tom's dad sat with us. Tom and Steve are a hilarious combination, and on a day like this, I needed to laugh. By 7:15am, a very sedated Sidney was taken to the operating room. Our surgeon worked to reconstruct the bones and growth plates in her forefinger (on her hand, the middle of three fingers). Prior to surgery, Sidney’s forefinger  had two large circular masses of bone at the base, a very short bone in the middle, and a straight bone at the tip. Her growth plate is positioned around the two masses at the base of the finger, in the shape of a C, causing the finger to grow wider versus longer.


Bone was removed as well as one of the growth plates. This growth plate was replaced by a fat graft off of her upper arm. Skin was used from the same graft over an area which the doctor removed with a small amount of syndactyly or webbing. A skin graft from the hip was not needed, so the proceedure was much shorter than the last. Finally, a pin was placed in the end of her finger.
Our surgeon also took this opportunity to examine the hand completed in January. Her newly separated fingers are curling a bit as is the bodies natural tendency to go into their orginial position. She feels using a brace at night can correct the situaiton, however we will wait to do so until she is out of the cast. It doesn't sound like it will be a huge deal and a small thing to do to make sure they are straight. At this point,we are uncertain of what her hands will need surgically over the coming years. It is difficult to say with certainty, because her anomoly is so unique. Our surgeon advised, girls hands typically stop growing after the age of 15. 

Luckily our ride was uneventful after Sidney lost her lunch on the entrance ramp to 380. Poor baby. I guess taking the advice of the nurse and sitting in the backseat was a wise option. We were given a large plastic bucket with a lid for such an occasion. Dad was happy for the lid, as opening the windows is not a great option going down the highway. Tom can handle many things but puking is not one of them. Mom was cursing the medical system that thrusts people out after surgery so quickly, but I was greatly relieved when we got home and she began eating and drinking normally without issue.

We are once again in awe of what a day in the hospital has done to improve the quality of our daughters life. She makes it so easy. She is so brave and such a tough little cookie. It is a thrill as parents to watch her growing into her full potential.