Cast 1: One week down

Cade has made it one week in his cast and is doing Amazing!  He really hasn't let it slow him down.  He struggled a little with figuring out how to get comfortable the day he came home with it, but by the next day was getting up and down from the floor fine and is pretty much able to do everything he did before. He is sleeping fine in it and his appetite hasn't been restricted at all. Luckily the biggest challenge has been figuring out what clothes work.  Cade returned to preschool last Thursday.  Over the weekend, he enjoyed boy's night with Daddy and Rylan.  Saturday and Sunday we hung out at home and worked on potty training.  Monday, he went to a party at a neighbor's house and enjoyed a bounce house and playing with lots of kids.  He has only asked once or twice to take the cast off.  Daddy gave his cast some swag Monday night by adding Superman duct tape to hold down some of the mole skin that was peeling up from his clothes rubbing.  He's been getting sponge baths and enjoyed a good hair wash Monday night over the kitchen sink.  This week, he is going to preschool Tuesdays-Thursday and has worn underwear-yay!  The boys will stay home with me Friday and then we'll have our first long car ride in the cast as we travel to Owensville for the weekend.  Here's some pics of our little trooper from this week.

Cast #1 is on

We arrived at Children's Mercy a little before 6am today.  Cade did great.  He didn't ask about eating or drinking and enjoyed playing with all their toys.  He was cleared for the procedure and they started around 7:30.  He had a calming medicine before we had to leave him so he did not scream and cry (like the MRI).  They gave him a little gas to put him to sleep before putting in his IV. They finished around 9:15 and Cade's doctor talked to us.  The MRI was clear-no abnormalities of the bones or spinal cord which was a relief.  He did say Cade's curve probably progressed in the 2 months since his last x-ray because it looked larger on the MRI but he did not give a number.  It would be hard to compare numbers anyways since Cade was laying down for the MRI and the x-rays are done standing since that it more accurate.  The good news was that they got him to a 15° curve in the cast.  He tolerated everything well and we were able to see him by 9:45.  He was crying and asking for Daddy when we got back there but was better after sitting on Daddy's lap.  He did complain about the cast hurting and wanted to take it off.  The nurse reassured us that he was just a smart 2 year old who knew if he complained about it hurting we might remove it.  It is heavy and probably uncomfortable but we are supposed to give him time to get used to it.  We were out of there by 10am and headed home.  Once he got home and had all his toys he was much better.  He got anti-nausea meds so no throwing up this time:). We were really surprised at how quickly he has adapted already to his cast.  He is now very proud of it and had to show it off to Rylan, Lolly and Pop, and Nana and Papa.  He is figuring out how to get up off the floor and comfortable positions for sleeping and playing on the floor.  He's going to spend the day tomorrow with Lolly and Pop so he can get more comfortable moving around.  Thank you for the prayers.  We continue to pray that the cast
helps his spine grow straighter and decrease his curve.  He will get this cast off July 2nd and will get x-rays to see how he is responding.  Hopefully his curve will be lower than 42° out of cast.  He will get his 2nd cast on July 8th and it will be on 6-8 weeks.  Keep praying!

MRI-check

Cade had his MRI today at Children's Mercy South.  We started out good.  He slept till 7:15 and didn't ask for food until about 7:45.  We planned to leave around 8 so didn't have to withhold food and drinks too long.  Made really good time and arrived early to the hospital.  They got us in a little after 9.  The nurse told us they would start his IV after anesthesia cleared him.  We think they started the IV around 10:20 but was busy holding him so the nurse could get that in and didn't keep track of the time.  Putting the IV in was hard to watch.  He was very upset.  He calmed once they got some meds in there and then they wheeled him off.  It was hard to leave him especially since he started screaming and crying.  We waited in the waiting room for about 2hrs before they finally came to get us.  Cade apparently started to wake up before the MRI was finished so they had to give more meds.  He was awake but pretty out of it when we went back to see him.  The nurse had already given him goldfish crackers and apple juice and he was inhaling it.  I did not have a good feeling about how fast he was drinking and eating when he was still so woozy.  He couldn't sit up independently at that point but she told us we could go.  Sure enough he puked at the exit so we went back to the room.  She helped us clean him up and watched him for a few minutes and then sent us on our way. He was pretty irritable the whole way home.  At home, he wanted to walk but was too unsteady.  He fought us on changing clothes, where to lay, etc.  He then started throwing up again.  Once we got him calmed down and cleaned up he was pretty tired out so we made a bed on the living room floor where I could keep an eye on him.  I was worried that he would fall out of bed or off the couch and he seemed to prefer the floor.  He passed out from 2-5pm.  When he woke up he was almost back to normal.  He smiled and said "I sleep good!".  He still wasn't very steady on his feet so we had to stay close.  He ended up eating a snack and a great dinner and made it out for ice cream.  Eric and I agreed that it was like taking care of a drunk for a few hours there.  So glad when he was back to his usual self.  Hoping to hear results by Monday.  Cast is scheduled for Tuesday so keep the prayers coming!