August 25, 2010 - 4:15pm - Luke's cast was cut off!!!!
YEAH!!!!!!!! Hip Hip HoooRaaaay!!!!
The cutting off of the cast was not what I anticipated because the process involved an actual circular saw!!! The blade was about 3 inches in diameter but it was a real, honest to goodness saw. I don't know what I expected but I was SHOCKED when the nurse turned the saw on!!!! My eyes almost jumped out of my head!! I became suspicious when two nurses came in and we were being given directions about where to hold and how to stay out of the way. . . it took four of us to hold him down. Dave held the SCREAMING child as I attempted to force his leg still.
The event was a series of mistakes as attempts were made to reposition and adjust Luke's leg, his flailing arms, people's hands and fingers constantly moving and re-gripping the cast all the while avoiding the spinning SAW!! One nurse cut her finger on the spinning blade of death (and will probably need stitches) somehow the rest of us managed to stay out of the way!
After 15 minutes of the fun "saw" came the *breaking* part. Another torturous instrument came out which was inserted into the line that the saw made and when opened it separates the two pieces of cast with a delightful cracking noise. This awesome tool was used about 3-5 times per side of the leg. More screaming from Luke and now there is visible signs of stress on mom and dad as mom was on the verge of tears and dad was sweating from restraining the overheated, flailing, screaming child.
Next, was the scissors which cut the "waterproof liner" apart so that we could finally see my poor son's atrophied, smelly, dirty (did I mention smelly?) leg!!
Nearing the finish - we had the x-ray to determine how much healing occurred and if Luke might need a walking boot (which I didn't even know was a possibility - I thought once the cast came off all was GOOD!). Dave went into the x-ray with Luke, I was tired of holding him down as he screamed!! All I heard from behind the closed door was "NO DADDY HELP DADDY NO DADDY!" Dave is a good man!
Finally, the doctor came in to push on where it was broken (goody!!) and see how much it still hurts (seriously, that is what he said he had to do). After reading the x-ray and pushing on Luke's leg, he said the bone is about 2/3rds healed. He said that it looks good but he should still be easy on it. No playgrounds, no trampolines, no riding bikes. Also, it will take Luke a while to learn how to walk again but if he isn't mostly back to normal within a week that we should go back and he will have to wear the walking boot. We have one follow up appointment in two weeks for another x-ray and final observations on how he is walking, to make sure he hasn't overcompensated and turned his foot outwards or messed up his hip after 5.5 weeks in a cast.
I am not sure what I thought would happen when the cast came off - I guess thinking he would run out of there and jump up and down like he used to was unrealistic. I have never broken anything so how was I supposed to know that this healing process isn't finished?!? Luke is SLOWLY walking again, but it is still like he has the cast on (the same walk as in the video - just no cast) and he often complains that it hurts. He won't let anyone touch it and is still in a grumpy mood.
I hope in a week I will be posting a video of him running like it never happened?!?! I guess I will take it day by day and see what happens!
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