Log In | Register
Six years ago, my un-born daughter tried to kill my wife. Of course she didn't want to, but it happens some times. It's called pre-eclampsyia (maybe spelled wrong). At 24 weeks of gestation, she had to be removed from my wife via emergency C-section. She was 1lb, 10 oz and 13 inches long. She looked like a par-boiled monkey. But she was a fighter. She extubated herself 9 times in the NICU (scarring her trachea severely), necessitating her being swaddled to prevent further damage. She had to be given a tracheostomy after a month, to enable her to keep breathing. I had good insurance through work, so we were only to be out a few thousand dollars for deductibles. She spent 3 months in the NICU of Arnot-Ogden hospital in Elmira and Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester (where the Tracheostomy was performed), and we took her home when she reached 5 pounds.
She continued to grow, developing normally until, at about 18 months, we realized she was crawling funny. Her legs were different by over 3 inches. Hip Displaysia, inherited from my mother, one of the first two children to have artificial hip sockets built in America, in 1946. My daughter had to have the very same thing done, and spent the next 4 months in a body cast. (I'd post pictures, but I don't think I should, the internet being the way it is these days). Now, at 5 years 9 months old, she is nearly perfect. She still has the trach (a small plastic "necklace" with an air filter on it) to breathe through. The scar tissue in ther trachea has caused a "stenosis" , or shrunken section, reducing the size of the area she can breathe through. She DOESN'T have any other normal problems that preemies are prone do. Her eyesight is perfect. No brain damage. She eats like a champ, sleeps great, and she's in the 90th percentile developementally for her age. So why am I venting? I'll tell you.
On Thursday, September 23, she underwent tracheal re-constructive surgery to repair the stenosis. They took a small graft of cartilage out of her ribcage, and used it to repair the stenosis. Now, she is in pain, can't speak, and I won't be able to see her for another 3 weeks. She and her mom are in Cincinatti, at Children's Hospital. I am at home, with my 3 sons, 4 dogs, 10 horses, goats, chickens, and 3 cats. My baby is in pain, my wife is dealing with it alone, and it hurts. So, as Spider Robinson says in the Callahans Saloon series, shared pain is lessened, and shared joy is doubled, so I'm sharing my pain to just let it out. I hope none of you ever have/had to go through something similar. I'd much rather have to do this to myself without anesthetic than to have her go through this. So root for her. The stubborn, strong, girl whose goal is to just "Be abew to pway undew-watew tag wif my bwovews" needs encouragement. She hurts.
