The day after our pediatrician visit, we were high tailin' it to Little Rock, AR to see one of the most well-known pediatric hand surgeons in the world.
The nurses aide asked us to remove the dressing prior to seeing the doc. Well... I don't think she really knew what she was requesting! We did as we were told and went back to the waiting area with this gaping funk exposed for the world to see. And boy did they try to see. They were GAWKING! There were kids all over the place, and all with some sort of orthopedic injury, but I think Gabbi's took the cake!
She had her visit, and after hours with a certified hand therapist, who created for her a more intimate splint, with better positioning, as she couldn't yet be casted.
And afterwards, we hit up the Gift Shop! Gift shops in pediatric hospitals are a whole 'nutha breed!! Toys for days!
Ellie was obviously concerned for her sister, as she took tender loving care of her throughout the whole day.
Gabbi chose marbles. She has a way of picking the most awkward things. She is a one-handed marble playing bandit, I suppose!
So...at exactly a week since injury, Gabbi Girl is being seen in Little Rock.
Poor little fractured bones are just at the mercy of the wound. Normally, she'd be in a cast, but because of the tissue injury, she couldn't wear anything that would not permit us to have access to the wound, for daily dressings.
And I started her RIGHT off the bat, taking care of her own hand. I had noticed her totally avoiding it. Look back at other pics. She is usually looking off to her right. Being a therapist, I know that this behavior can take a really bad turn if not addressed. So, Gabbi had to play an active role in getting this wound better!
As of yet, noone can really tell us if this looks like a burn or "fracture blisters" or internal tissue damage just rising to the surface or exactly what! Even the expert!
We knew we had some work cut out for us, but at this point, I am not sure we knew how much! Weeks of debridement lay ahead!!
I gotta say, GG's spirit remained intact!! She was just as happy as could be throughout the whole deal. Oh.. we had our moments. But overall, she was a trooper!
I used the scrap splinting material to create a matching splint for her monkey.
And we have to find fun in our anguish, so it became a game for us to find as many names on cokes as we could and send them to our friends while on these weekly excursions to Arkansas!
Wayne is the nurse practitioner back home who takes care of most of my medical needs. (Also my high school boyfriend, but that' another story for another day!)
Aimee, spelled just like this, goes to the beach with Emma Lou every year, so we were excited to see this one!
And Jan was the nurse who had initially helped us in the pediatrician's office. We took this one for her!
OH wait! A few more! HAHA. At my office, there is a Brandon, a Jason, and a John Wesley. Check, check, and check!
Well would ya look at this?! I even got to drink my own name!
The Groves Girls try to make an adventure out of all situations handed to us. We were not going to be fully grubbers! We were going to be adventurous overcomers!! And with that, we took all three of our splinted patients home! Until next episode...
MO
1 comment:
Wow what a journey this must have been. Looking at the pics makes me think fall from the four wheeler with the hand hitting hot pipe on the way down. Seeing how horrible the pictures look I can't imagine what the real life hand looked like. Good for you having Gabbi help with the wound. I'm sure some wouldn't understand the importance of having her aware of the hand and wound. Kudos to you for finding the joy in those rough moments ( like the cokes and the marbles) Hugs to you because I'm sure as emotional that experience was reliving it must be hard to. Great to hear/ see her doing better though I'm sure it still a journey that continues.
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