Hip Surgery

Today was a very long day for Natalie, her mommy and her daddy. As many of you already know, Natalie will soon have surgery on her little hips; here are the details.

A couple of weeks ago, at a horse therapy session, Natalie's physical therapist noticed a popping in her right hip. She mentioned how she hoped it wasn't causing her any discomfort, but she was really happy that day, so we thought nothing more of it.

Then, all last week, I noticed Natalie was become more irritated during the day than normal, and she was having trouble falling asleep at night. My first thought always turns to seizure activity when Natalie's attitude changes. Then I realized that she would have trouble falling asleep, but once she got to sleep, she would sleep all night. In the past, seizure activity has caused restless nights for Natalie. That's when I remembered what her physical therapist had said about Natalie's hip popping. I turned Natalie over on her other side to sleep that night and she fell asleep so quickly, I immediately felt guilty for causing her pain up until that night.

The next day, we took her to her pediatrician in Minot, and x-rays confirmed the dislocated hip. I may have explained this in her last post, so I apologize if I'm a bit redundant, but because Natalie doesn't walk, she doesn't get the weight-bearing on her hip that the rest of us do. The socket for her right hip is virtually non-existent, and because of that, her hip bone has slipped out of the socket area and up. It's likely been like this for quite some time, but recently became irritated for reasons unknown to us.

So, today Natalie, Perry and I drove to Grand Forks to meet the only pediatric orthopedic surgeon in North Dakota, Dr. Jeffrey Haasbeek. Within moments of examining her, he knew she would need surgery to fix her hip. I have to say it was quite a shock, and I started crying immediately. Natalie has never had a true surgery, and I was living in this fairy tale world where I assumed she would never need surgery in her lifetime.

At first, I followed along and agreed that it was the best route, but then of course we began questioning the need for something like this on a girl who has already been through so much in her nearly five years in this world. The doctor assured us that if it were his daughter, he would have it done for her. It would likely cause her pain in the near future, if it isn't already, and later on in life, it's not as easy of a problem to fix.

The procedure is called a femoral osteotomy, and she will have this done to both hips since her left hip is also at a greater risk of dislocation. Natalie has been doing well since last week; she hasn't been upset or irritated. Dr. Haasbeek agreed that allowing her to go on vacation at the lake and then doing the procedure after was a great idea. She will be uncomfortable for a week or so after the procedure, but will also be in a cast from her waist down for four to five weeks in order to create the pressure from the femur into the hip socket.

The surgery is set for August 24th in Grand Forks. I ask you to please pray for her as this is a 2-hour surgery and carries risks with it, especially since she is handicapped and more susceptible to pneumonia.

I started this blog post last night, but was interrupted by Natalie--she wanted to snuggle. I've done lots of thinking about this, and I'm sure I will do much more until surgery day. Being Natalie's mommy is many things: joyful, frustrating, rewarding, challenging. Going through something like this is frustrating. We've seen Natalie nearly die---she had a horrible NICU journey. She's battled seizures and blindness. Watching a beautiful little girl like this have to take on such incredible challenges is certainly the hardest thing we'll ever have to do as parents. I wish I could take it all away, and I ask God all of the time why she has to endure this. I pray for her constantly and hope that she is truly a happy girl despite all of the hardships she faces. Seeing her smile is always reassuring for us.

So, again, I ask for your prayers for Natalie. Of course, we will keep you updated on everything going on in her life and will bring a computer along with us to the hospital. Thank you for loving Natalie.