Tian had her first visit today with a pediatric orthopedist and we finally got a glimpse of just what is inside her little hands and feet. It was actually very interesting. Poor Tian screamed as if she was being tortured during the xrays though.
Mostly good news, although we haven't heard directly from the top doc. yet, just the PA at this point...In her little feet, she has the bones for most of four toes, but only the "tips" for two. The good news is that everything is aligned well and she shouldn't need any surgery for her feet (YEA!)
Her hands are a bit more complicated. The fused finger does indeed have all the bones for two full fingers. The xray could not show if they are fused at the very top or just close together, however the rest of the joints are separate. It may be possible to separate into two full working fingers. It will depend on the nerves and some other stuff. We may have a decision to make on that as it does function pretty well as is. We'll see what the Dr. has to say about how it will grow in the future and the risks/benefits involved in separation.
Her hand with the missing finger just has one bone for the missing finger deep down in the hand, the others are just not there. The good news is that everything here is aligned well too. We were worried there might be some bones going the wrong way and causing spreading, but there aren't.
The PA says the webbing between her thumb and first finger is a pretty easy fix and that is the part that is actually causing her the most issues with grasping. She also has a first finger that is curved inward and can't be straightened. This is still more of a mystery as the xrays didn't really show what the issue might be. The bones appeared to be normal in the xray. We are hoping the Dr. will know more.
The PA is supposed to consult with the Dr. this week and call us back before the end of the week. I feel very relieved to finally see what is going on inside her hands and to learn what we need to do. Now that we have xrays, we are also planning to send them to a Dr. at Shriner's that we have been in touch with. We will have to decide where to have her treated once we know more.
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2 comments:
So glad to hear she didn't have growth plate issues--the most painful and drawn out part of M's surgeries was due to them (pins, splints, and pain). Yea!
Isn't it awesome to see what is really going on in there? I wonder if there is some atrophy of the ligament in the finger that is stuck.
As far as seperating or not, we didn't have a choice due to the "botched" seperation in China--we had to finish and repair, but Dr. K said she would not have had to have it done, I think we would have opted for no surgery (I don't feel the complications, scar tissue and all are really all that necessary), but it is very individual. For M, she will never have "normal" hands anyway and if the function was there I don't see the point, but if they feel improved function I would obviously say yes.
SO happy about the great foot report as well, we were so relieved to know that M's feet were good to go. You will be amazed at the strength and power those feet will continue to gain--M is fast as a bullet and can grasp with her feet as well.
HAPPY dance!
Keep me posted. It all sounds like they know how to help her.
Big hugs!
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