Syd put on a brave face the morning of the surgery and kept it for the duration. The more the nurses and doctors commended her for her fearlessness, the more fearless she became. The frown in the photo was strictly for dramatic effect. Having been through the exact same pre-op procedures, I prepped her for what she had in store. Her favorite part was being hooked up to all of the wires for the EKG. When the time came for the nurses to take her surgery, my brave little girl had them all laughing as they wheeled her down the hall.
Two surgeons, one steel pin, and one and a half hours later, the bone was realigned. Her hand looked like that of a heavyweight boxer. 
Those first few days were tough. The doctor didn't give her any pain medication beyond Childrens' Tylenol. Thankfully, my friend, Anne S. hooked me up with some 'good stuff' from her tumble down the stairs. Don't panic, I broke the pill into thirds and Syd only wanted it for nighttime.
Those first few days were tough. The doctor didn't give her any pain medication beyond Childrens' Tylenol. Thankfully, my friend, Anne S. hooked me up with some 'good stuff' from her tumble down the stairs. Don't panic, I broke the pill into thirds and Syd only wanted it for nighttime.
For the next month we had to return to Shanghai to have the incision cleaned and dressing/cast changed once a week. One of the visits, the doctor noticed the pin had worked itself out a bit. He starts to work it back in. For the first time, Syd screamed, but he kept grinding away. Just as I was about to jump over the table and throttle him, he stopped, saying it was back in far enough.
School work was a challenge. She missed over a week in total. Two of those days came during exam week. Most teachers were accommodating enough, but
one told her she needed to learn how to write with her left hand. She was bummed as she really wanted to earn her pen license in Handwriting. I told her it wouldn't take her long next year. The little guy was told to keep his distance and her teacher did her best to watch. Syd did tell us of every encounter, but all were positive. I guess the threat of expulsion did the trick. The pin was removed without incident and we are now in the process of rehabilitating the frozen joint, which is no fun at all. The parents, after some prodding from the Junior School headmaster, paid our out-of-pocket expenses, saying they hope that is the end of it. "No more than I do, buddy", was my response.
School work was a challenge. She missed over a week in total. Two of those days came during exam week. Most teachers were accommodating enough, but
one told her she needed to learn how to write with her left hand. She was bummed as she really wanted to earn her pen license in Handwriting. I told her it wouldn't take her long next year. The little guy was told to keep his distance and her teacher did her best to watch. Syd did tell us of every encounter, but all were positive. I guess the threat of expulsion did the trick. The pin was removed without incident and we are now in the process of rehabilitating the frozen joint, which is no fun at all. The parents, after some prodding from the Junior School headmaster, paid our out-of-pocket expenses, saying they hope that is the end of it. "No more than I do, buddy", was my response. 
No comments:
Post a Comment