Update after surgery and healing time

Well it has been 6 days since the surgery and Megyn seems to be doing GREAT!!! She in rolling and sitting up and with no pain at all.

She plays with her cast and pulls the cotton out of them .... She yells at them.

She will have these on until we change them out next week on the 3rd. Then she will have another set of cast on for two weeks and we will repeat the cycle until Dr. Capehart see it necessary to take them off.

We are continuing to pray for her healing and that she will walk and not need another surgery.

I WILL POST AN UPDATE WITH PICTURES AFTER HER APPOINTMENT NEXT WEEK.

Surgery

Megyn went in for surgery on 12/21/10 at 7:15 AM. She did so good waiting to eat. She woke at 3:15 and wanted to eat so I let her play in her walker then we headed to the hospital at 4:30 ... I worried it would take forever to get there because there was fog and it was very thick. Well, it took about 15 minutes to get there and we played the waiting game for the surgery to begin. On our way there Megyn feel asleep so we didn't have to worry about her being hungry. The nurses let her sleep up until 6:45 and she did well ... she played with her panda she got from the hospital. She started fussing at 7:07 and the came and got her at 7:12.

I remember she looked so tiny going back in the nurses arm as she walked down the hall. I worried for a second and then remembered that she was in capable hands and God was with her. The time ticked by and I waited and waited and waited. Finally at about 9:10 I said "The doctor should have called me by now". Everyone with me said just wait. At that time the phone rang and it was Dr. Capehart. He told me that she did good and it took awhile to get the IV started in her chubby arms. Next, he said that she did really well and her left foot look really good but her right tendon is really tight. She should heal really fast and we will see you in two weeks. At the end of our conservation he said I could go see her when she is ready and out of recovery.

Well, Squishy wanted her momma and they came and got me. I walked in and saw this big baby looking at me and screaming. She seemed so big and I still don't know why but Craig even commented on the fact that she looked bigger for some reason. I was holding her and talking to her as she screamed in pain but I knew that she would be okay and I prayed silently to God begging him to let her sleep so she would stop hurting. She finally feel asleep and I sat there holding her and rocking. They moved us to a room after that for the next 4 hours, that was the procedure because she was a preemie. She cried each time she woke up except at the end ... about 30 minutes left ... I gave her to Craig and she laid there talking to him and putting her hand on his mouth so he cold kiss it. It is amazing to see the love they have for another.

We headed home with some medicine for her and with mommy feeling a little nervous about her little Squishy Bear!

Update on Megyn's feet

Well, it looks like Megyn's feet are not doing what we hoped. For the longest time I struggled writing this because I thought it was my fault and I caused them to turn in again. I did the braces for the longest time then started taking them off, it seemed like they hurt her. Then I let everyone else take them off if they too thought that they hurt her. She weighed 9 lbs. when we got them now she is weighing in at 14 lbs., so I am guessing she got too big for them.

We went in on December 2, 2010 and Dr. Capehart looked at her. He actually said about 75% of babies born with club feet need the surgery even after the casting and braces. Also, she is six months so she will do fine with the anesthesia now.

We go on December 14th and I will find out more on the time ... but I am thinking around 7:00 AM.

PLEASE PRAY WITH US FOR OUR BABY AND THAT GOD GUIDE THE DOCTORS HANDS AND HE FIXES THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!!

This picture was taken today (12/12/10) of her feet ... it looks almost as bad as it did the day she was born ... I know she will walk I just have faith but as a human and mommy, I AM SCARED FOR MY BABY GIRL!

TODAY IS A GOOD DAY ...

I have struggled with all of this and to find a reason for Megyn's club feet. I guess I may never know or I will have to wait for the answer to come one day.

We returned to Dr. Capehart and I was determined today to make this get better. To me it looks as if Megyn's left foot is turning in again. "I CAN'T DO THIS AGAIN" I tell myself and others. I can only imagine how Megyn feels. She cries so much when we stretch her little feet and I know it is because it hurts her.

I feel that I am Megyn's voice and I need to stop this and figure out what to do for her. So ... Craig and I decided that we need to see if we can do braces for Megyn instead of re-casting.

Dr. Capehart agreed to try braces and Megyn was casted for AFO's ... (Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are orthoses or braces, usually plastic, encompassing the ankle joint and all or part of the foot. AFOs are externally applied, and are intended to control position and motion of the ankle, compensate for weakness, or correct deformities.^[1] They control the ankle directly, and can be designed to control the knee joint indirectly as well).

We should get these in about a week to a week and a half. They will be so cute ... we got to choose designs for them and the colors we wanted. I am excited to see if this works ... if it doesn't work we will do surgery next month. So please pray that on October 18th we see a difference and will not need surgery.

HERE IS WHAT THE AFO's WILL LOOK LIKE

9/13/10 ...

I took Megyn in two weeks before her scheduled appointment because I felt strongly that her foot was turning in. Well .... I was right! Her right foot was starting to turn in so they re-casted her foot.

SHE THREW A FIT AND HASN'T SLEPT MUCH but we will get through this.

We scheduled an appointment for 9/20/10 to look at her feet again.

WE WILL SEE ....

8/30/2010 ... GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!

Today we went into to see Dr. Capehart and got GREAT NEWS! He came in and told us her feet looked great ... SO GREAT in fact that we would not need braces. He said he normally gives babies the braces with the little boots and bar across them but her feet looked great. He said they are very flexible and he was pleased.

We were told to do stretches every diaper change and let me tell you ... SHE HATES IT and cries out and has real tears!!! :o( But once again I remind myself that if this is what I have to do to help her walk I will. She also screams out every time

something touches her feet. Dr. Capehart said this is due to nothing touching them in 11 weeks and it

will go away shortly, hopefully in two to three weeks.

NO SURGERY EITHER just a visit in one month!!

Also, tonight I gave her bath because Dr. Capehart said it would help with the sensitivity. SHE LOVED IT. She kicked the whole time just smiling and playing in the water.

Hates stuff touching and rubbing on her feet!

She LOVED her bath!! Made mommy cry to see her so happy.

HOLDING CAST ...

WE ARE ALMOST DONE WITH ALL OF THIS!!

Going to Dr. Capehart today brought GREAT news. We did X-Rays of Megyn's feet and were told that her feet were better than he wanted them to be. They are straight. We put on her last set of cast, they are called "holding cast".

This set will be on for the next 2 weeks then we will go into braces. She will just sleep with the bar at night.

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME and has blessed our little miracle with this!

See her straight feet??? THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL ... HUH? I just love them :o)

Long cast ... 8/9/10

Well ... today we were told that she will have long cast put on today and they will be on for the next month. She will have 4 sets then we will determine if she has to have surgery.

Praying for no surgery! There is still a slight bend in her right foot.

Today after her casting she has cried SO MUCH! They let me choose if I wanted them to bend or be straight. With the casts being over her knees I opted for the bending because she loves to kick her little legs.

Still a slight bend in the right one. Hanging out waiting on her long casts

Video of casting ...

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=424527238535&saved

You may need to be my friend to see this if you are not on facebook. Friend me and I will accept for you to watch it.

WARNING ... MEGYN DOES CRY THROUGH ALMOST THE WHOLE THING ... YOU MAY WANT TO MUTE IT.

Email for Megyns Story...

I have created an email for Megyn's blog in case there are any parents that want to ask questions, see more pictures or want to talk to someone that has gone through what they are going through.

PLEASE SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE THAT MAY NEED IT ALONG WITH THIS BLOG.

EMAIL: megynsstory@gmail.com

Thank you,

Shanda

6th set of cast ...

Well today we went in for our 6th set of cast. I was accompanied by Stacie (Megyn's God Mother). Dr. Capehart came in and looked and said they look good and we will probably do the above the knee casting next week. I am not sure why we did the short cast again but that is what he said to do.

I took video of it this week (the whole ordeal ... so you can see what happens during the casting) and will hopefully be able to post them soon.

Oh, on another note ... I met a couple that had a son with bilateral club feet. It was their first visit with Dr. Capehart. Let's all pray for their baby and that God has a hand in his healing and that he does as well and Megyn is doing. He is a cute little boy and they reminded me so much of Craig and I as we started our adventure with Megyn. I was so scared, worried and so many other things all at the same time. But today, as I talked to them, I was so happy to be able to share our story with someone else hoping it eased the worry and sadness (if they felt any sadness).

Theres some straight feet.

Her feet (bottom view)

5th set of cast ...

We went in today and didn't see Dr. Capehart because he was out of town. They took off the cast and her feet looked GREAT!!! I believe with all my heart that my baby will walk and she will not have any handicaps. She is a strong baby and I know that she is special.

I did better today with these castings ... I cried last week and got a bit upset. :o) Seeing her little feet straight made it all worth the money, time, tears and hardships today! She hates her castings but she will love us one day.

Cam, the guy that does her casting, says she says baby cuss words at him under her binky. I am sure she would if she could talk.

AFTER HER CASTING

FIRST PICTURE OF MEGYN'S FEET ... CAN YOU SEE THAT THE RIGHT ONE IS STRAIGHT NOW.

LOOK AT THE RIGHT ONE ... MOMMY IS VERY HAPPY ... I LOVE HER LITTLE FEET.

7/19/10

Megyn's feet still has no change. Her little feet spent 3 weeks in these cast because of the 4th of July holiday and her being in the hospital. Dr. Capehart said he still didn't know if we would have surgery but that we will start above the knee casting on 8/2/10. :o)

Megyn is feeling much better after her hospital stay and we are adjusting to life again or trying to.

Megyn's feet ... you can see that the right one is still turned in a bit.

At the hospital ...

UPDATE ON MEGYN IN THE HOSPITAL

Megyn was admitted to Saint Francis Children's Hospital in Tulsa, OK on July 6. 2010. She was running a fever, throwing up, was only taking 1/2 oz at her feedings which were every 5 to 6 hours. To me I knew this wasn't right and kept on the doctor until going to Tulsa Pediatrics Ergent Care. The doctor there admitted her right away.

The testing was the hardest on her, mommy and daddy. They did a lumbar puncture, took blood and did a UA. They also cultured the test to see if anything grew in them.We were told we could go home in 48 hours if nothing grew. Well ... something grew, she has two different types of bacteria in her urine!!! She has a UTI but you wouldn't think that that would cause her to feel so BAD!!! They ran a few other test to see why she has a UTI bacause it is uncommon for a baby this young to have one.

We are now on day seven and should get to go home on Saturday, July 16. It will be nice to be back in our apartment and in our beds and have the family all together again. Megyn is perking up and feeling much better we think.

On Friday night we had them weigh her and she gained 5 oz in just two days after having the antibiotics. I can't wait to see what she has gained the whole time. She has also started eating 2 1/2 to 3 oz every time she eats. She is also more alert and seems to like to watch television. She still has her cast on and we will get those removed and have new ones put on as soon as we get out of here.

We would like to thank every one for your support, love, kindness, time, prayers, gifts, food and friendship. We are blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives and couldn't ask for more.

Third Set of Cast ...

We went in on Monday, June 28, 2010 and got Megyn's new set of cast. She did worse this time. It seemed to hurt her more than the other two times. I was wondering why and the doctor didn't seem to know why either. The left foot is looking the way they want it to and is responding well but the right is not. Dr. Capehart came in and said he "was very pleased with the left foot and ankle and he hates to try to guess because he always gets it wrong but he is thinking we may not have to do surgery on Megyn's left foot but the right one it looks like it is still possible." I hate hearing that!!! I really don't want my baby to have to endure surgery at 3 months but I promised her what ever it took we would do to help her walk. There were others in the room this time including an elderly lady. She started crying and telling Cam "your hurting her, do you have to do that, stop, look at her" ... It broke my heart and I felt like it was unnecessary but I know it is and every now and then I feel that way but I know it is what is best for her.

There are parts on her feet that look like hamburger meat and they assure me that it is okay and that it is where the skin was tight and is loose now. They say it will heal over time, I REALLY HOPE SO ... IT LOOKS NASTY!!

They did bring her left foot past the straight point and turned it towards the out side of her body to try to stretch her tendons the best they could.

On the bright side ... She is the clinic's favorite little patient. The ladies take a photo of her every time they see her and they love on her.

Megyn's feet ... see the hamburger meat? YUCKY!!! :o( Poor baby

Megyn's feet after they took off the cast ...

You can see that they left looks better!

Second set of cast ...

Well mommy and Megyn went in for her second set of cast today. She slept through the part where they cut off her cast. I did notice a difference in her feet this time ... THANK GOD!!

She was once again screaming as they stretched her feet. Also, she yelled while they casted them again. They were able to stretch her ankles straight and next we will start on her feet. It will take at least two more times of casting to get her ankles straight. We were told to prepare ourselves for the surgery because her tendons are so tight and they don't think it will loosen but I feel there is still time for this to happen. After they do the surgery and take the cast off I will have to do stretches every 3 hours or her ankles and feet will turn back in ... I PROMISE NOW I WILL DO ALL I CAN TO KEEP THIS FROM HAPPENING! She deserves a fighting chance and I will give her that.

I DID DO BETTER THIS TIME BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THIS IS WHAT SHE NEEDS AND IT HURTS ME TO SEE HER DO THIS AND HURT THROUGH IT BUT I WILL DO IT AS LONG AS IT TAKES.

I took a lot of pictures for you all to see what happens while we are in there ... so here you go.

CUTTING THE CAST OFF

CASTING MEGYN'S FEET

MEGYN'S FEET ~ 6/14/10

MEGYN'S FEET ~ 6/21/10

SOCKS ...

When we had the cast put on they told us that the cast would probably rub a spot on the back of her legs. They told us to put alcohol on it. I DID THAT and BABY WAS NOT HAPPY :(

So ... I cut the tops of socks off and put them on her legs. She looks like she is wearing leggings but hey she has no sores on the backs of her legs.

IF YOU HAVE A BABY WITH CAST THIS IS A GREAT IDEA AND DO NOT, I MEAN DO NOT PUT THE ALCOHOL ON THEIR LEGS! I don't know what I was thinking listening ... I know that had to hurt her and it hurts me that I did that. CAN WE SAY ANOTHER LESSON LEARNED?

MEGYN AND HER SOCKS ... silly looking I know but it helps her! I will come up with something better soon.

Learning as I go ...

Well ... there are a few things that I have learned having a baby with a disability.

1. People are going to look and talk ... that is okay because they do not know any better.

2. It is a learning process and nothing is perfect but I will make it.

3. Giving a bath to Megyn is hard, especially when I can't get her cast wet!

Today I tried to give her a bath and figure out how to do it without getting her cast wet. Well needless to say she cried the entire time. I got some washcloths that have soap already in them. They will become a mothers best friend if you can't get your child wet in a bath.

(Johnson's head-to-toe washcloths) THANK YOU JOHNSON'S :)

I will get bath time down but I never thought that something so easy could be so hard .... makes me laugh. I am sure everyone would have laughed at watching me try to give Megyn a bath.

THESE ARE ONE OF MY NEW FAVORITE THINGS!!

Our First Visit ...

Our first visit was nerve racking. Were they going to cast her legs today? What are they going to say? Is she going to walk? Is it going to hurt her? I had so many questions and so much fear.

We went into our exam room and Dr. Capehart came in, looked at her and told us her tendons were very tight and that we would start casting that day (Monday, 6/14/10). He told us we would do a series of casts, changing them every week. Then at three month she would likely need a surgery to extend her heel bones. I just wanted to cry ... I don't want her to have surgery but if this is what needs to be done then we will do it.

After the casting and surgery she will then be put in braces up to possibly the age of five. Her calf muscles will be smaller than most but she should be able to walk with the correct interventions. We were then taken into the casting room. The casting takes two people to do it correctly. They stretched her ankles and held them in place and casted them in plaster cast. They said it was one of the worst cases because it affects her feet and ankles. They are going to start on her ankles then do the feet and the bend. She screamed and cried the whole time. I cried and wanted it stopped but had to tell myself that this is for the best and will help her in the long run. She will not be able to walk with out this correction and this is the only way to fix it. She is in some discomfort but not enough to keep her up at nights. I am now excited to see what they look like on Monday and how much they have corrected.

I have to remind myself and Craig (my husband) has to remind me we will not see a huge difference right away. Also, we still don't know if she will walk until she starts trying. But, today she rolled over twice from belly to back, which shows me how strong she is and that she will do this and we will never know any difference when she is older.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's funny we named our daughter Megyn "FAITH". Why did I seem to lose my faith in God when this happened? Why did I not trust that God would take care of Megyn and assure that with time she will walk? Faith seems to be the first thing to go. I do have faith I just need to be reminded of God's promises and that he loves us and will never leave us.

He hasn't left us and shows me everyday he love me. Just looking into my daughters eyes I feel this love. What once felt like a curse feels like a blessing now. I feel blessed that God loves and trust my husband and I enough to trust us with this little angle to take care of. He knew my husband and I would care for her and make sure she would walk in due time! :)

Where our story began ...

On June 1, 2010, I gave birth to my fourth daughter, Megyn Faith. At first it was a normal birth and we were so excited. When my doctor pulled her out he showed us her feet. "Don't worry, this can be fixed, it is called Club Feet". I was devastated and by looking at my husbands face he was too.

What is this? Why did this happen? What did I do to deserve this? All these questions were going through my mind. I felt ashamed. I felt hurt and didn't know what to do and who to turn to.

I said out loud "I just want to scream and cry". My doctor and nurse both said "it's okay to cry". "You want a normal child and this is not normal".

I cried and cried and cried some more. I had never heard of this and we were told that we may be driving to St. Louis to fix it, every five days. Next came them telling me that her blood sugar was too low and her breathing was not good and they had to monitor her. I was so upset, then I felt ashamed that I was ashamed of her feet and ankles. I just wanted to hold her and love on her and tell her it was okay and mommy and daddy would take care of her.

That night was hard on me. I couldn't keep her in my room because they had to observe her all night. It seems like I cried all night and every time I slipped off to sleep I found my self waking up and praying and talking to God and I kept asking why. I wasn't sure if she would ever walk and we still aren't sure of that but we know with God with us anything is possible.

The next morning our pediatrician came in and told us her breathing was better and her sugar levels were good now. Next he explained to us that we could see Dr. Capehart in Tulsa, OK and he has been doing this for years and was one of the best there is to take care of this disability.

WOW ... "disability" that is hard to swallow. I hate that word and it makes me cry just to type it. But yes, she is considered disabled as of right now.

We were told that we should start as soon as possible on her casting. The casting will help correct it and then she may require some surgery.

So much information to absorb in such short time. All this in just one day of her life.