We have improved ROM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can I get a WOOOT?!?!

Ok, so on 5/11 his measurements were as follows:

flexion 90 (normal is 120)
abduction 15 (normal is 50-60)
external rotation 25 (normal is 70-90)
internal rotation 10 (normal is 40)

Today 5/29

flexion 105
abduction 40
external 60!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
internal 20

WOOT! The internal is still pretty tight but at least we have some improvement!!

Now let's just hope that the xrays on 7/6 show that the hip is going back towards the socket and not out anymore!

We are still dealing with some pain...he's been pain-free the past two nights (and he hasn't wet the bed so I know that his accidents are directly related to his hip pain!) If he has pain then he wets the bed...no pain=waking up dry! This holds true for daytime accidents too!

He's started having some pain..which I guess I could describe best as an aching pain..during the daytime. It's usually late afternoon and he'll whine and cry that it hurts. This has just started this week. I know pain is a very normal part of perthes, but it's still hard when you know it hurts them.

Anyway, today we are celebrating improved ROM!!! Thanks for praying, God DOES listen!!!

Here are a couple pics of his PT today...with his beloved Mrs. Stacy.

Rollin rollin rollin

Dalton spent Thursday evening, Friday, & Saturday in his wheelchair to try and give his hip some relief. Here's Hunter pushing him around through the house and Dalton wanted me to get a picture of his new gymmies.




Saturday Dalton got in the wagon and Hunter drove Dalton around in the driveway. Hunter is such a good big brother!



We have two wheelchairs..one is on loan, the other is ours. Hunter got out the other one and sat in it with Dalton while they watched Hannah Montanna....

A little setback or just to be expected?

After FOUR blissful nights of sleep Dalton woke up FIVE TIMES last night crying with his leg. He was tired and cranky today, naturally. I got him to take a nap only for him to wake up within half an hour crying. When it was time to do his stretches he seemed to be a lot tighter and he cried and wanted me to stop. At this point we were pushing almost 4pm so I put in a call to Dr. Standard's office and left a message on the patient line. A resident doctor called me back within less than an hour and said that she had talked w/Dr. Standard and he feels that maybe we've just overdone it w/PT and stretching for us to be non weight bearing for 48 hours...no stretching, no PT...only wheelchair, couch, or bed. He said to give him motrin for 24 hours, even though he had said for us not to give it to him when we were up there earlier this month..he said for short amounts of time (ie: running a high fever, bad pain) it was ok. They told me they would be on call all weekend so if we needed them just to call.

I just don't understand what went wrong because I was really feeling like we were on the right track and we didn't really do anything any different yesterday than we have been doing. We did add in some water exercises (8, to be exact) but I just don't think that's the problem.

Hopefully the next 48 hours won't be too difficult trying to keep him down.. Yeah, right...who am I kidding? lol

Physical Therapy

Here's Dalton and "Miss Stacy", his physical therapist.

I feel happier today than I have felt in a very long time. Dalton has such a hard time at night and yesterday we had a very long, busy (but FUN!) day. I just knew that we would be in for it last night..so as we were saying our prayers I specifically prayed that Dalton would be pain free so that we could get a good night's rest and make it to church for the early service. And guess what?! He slept the entire night without waking at all!!!! We got up around 7am and he was in such a sweet mood. His little leg was stiff but he was in good spirits. We made it to church, Sunday school, we went to Kountry Kupboard and picked up lunch, and have just had a nice day together as a family. It makes such a difference getting a decent night of sleep and just being refreshed by being in church. It's so easy to get out of the habit of going...and honestly for me I am such a homebody anyway that it doesn't take much for me to want to be home all the time. I just like being home. LOL There are times that I just dread having to be around anybody but then it's like once I actually make the effort and do it it's all fine and I'm happy and things are good. I think part of that feeling is just from being so tired. Ever since December Dalton has had issues most nights with waking during sleep and I think that having that much of a loss of sleep can make anyone be grumpy and not in the mood to be around people. Not to mention that all those Sunday mornings Joey would get up and leave for church and I'd be left sitting here really would make me feel so irritated that I was always having to miss out on everything. I already stay home with the boys and we homeschool so I don't get much of a break from things..not that I want one..being with my children is where I am the happiest, but anyway...getting sort of off subject...lol

Last night we had a Sunday school class party and it really left me looking forward for church this morning. The church service was wonderful this morning...a man in our church, Charlie Watson, is facing cancer head on right now. He shared his testimony this morning of how he feels that God is giving him this trial to pull him closer to Him. That really pressed on my heart. All this time I've wondered why, why, why...Why have we been so tested...Since April of last year we've dealt with my mom being diagnosed with thyroid cancer, Joey's brother passing away at the age of 27 the end of April last year, Dalton being diagnosed with perthes...Joey's grandmother passing away THIS April...and not to mention that in less than 5 years I have personally lost my Nana & Grandaddy (my mom's parents) and my mom's brother at the age of 52 from complications of diabetes. It just seems like so, so much..then last year right after Jason died Mrs. Kelly Evatt from our church passed away from a massive heart attack at the age of 42. It was like everywhere we turned someone we loved was dying or sick...and maybe all this IS for a reason. Maybe it's to make Joey and I stronger as a couple, stronger as Christians....there is a reason. We don't see it right now at this moment, but I trust that soon we will understand it all.

I'm sure that not every Sunday will be a day like we've had today and I'm sure that as long as we are in the "fragmentation" stage of Dalton's perthes (ie: the head of the femur breaking down and flattening) that we I will have plenty more nights of no sleep and missing church...but for now I am just happy about today.

PT went good again today...he didn't get to get in the pool because something wasn't quite right with it so his pool appt was moved to next Wednesday. Dalton's still pretty tight and Stacy (his PT) said that she really doubted we would see much change in his ROM by next week. She said if we keep working hard we might see some by week 4. That makes me feel better because I was already feeling kind of sick thinking that it wasn't working at all yet. Tomorrow will be one week since we started the exercises. Dalton was so quiet around Stacy today. Poor baby is so tired. He gets up at least twice most every night. As soon as we got home and ate lunch he fell asleep and slept for two hours.

To elaborate more on how wonderful Dr. Standard is, tonight he is giving of his free time and dedicating an hour to chat with us on our perthes board. He does this to give us a chance to ask him any questions in between visits, but also for people that don't see him he will let you know what he thinks about your course of treatment. He is amazing! He truly loves children and he is so kind and caring. I don't mean to gush about him every time I blog...but it still just amazes me that he is as smart as he is AND he takes that much time with his patients. I will never complain having to wait to see him because I know he'll take that much time with us!! Dalton LOVES him and every morning when we do his exercises he'll say "I wonder what my dr is doing up there?" LOL And he refers to Stacy as his "little dr"...I wonder what my little dr is doing this morning. LOL He's so funny! All the girls at PT had a fit over him this morning because he was all decked out in his Spongebob swimtrunks, shirt, crocs w/jibbitz, and Spongebob towel. He was mighty disappointed that he couldn't get in the pool. Which cracks me up..you'd think he never gets in a pool..we have one right out in the back yard. lol

Anyhow, thanks for all the emails and cards and everything. Dalton loves getting cards (especially from Miss Marlee!!).

Therapy Update

Today was our first appointment. Stacey was our therapist..she was really nice. Dalton said he liked her a lot. Poor Stacey doesn't know what she's gotten herself into with Dalton...LOL She did her own evaluation regarding his ROM and she got basically the same thing that Dr. Standard did. She couldn't believe he hadn't been started in PT earlier. Stacey said that we would work not only with his ROM but with strengthening his right leg as well. The muscle is smaller and weaker in the right leg than in the left. She gave us 3 strength exercises to do on top of the ones that Dr. Standard gave us. We got back Thursday for a pool appointment so she can show us exercises to do in our pool.

He was really sore this afternoon and I ended up just getting him to take a nap about 4:30. He stopped taking naps a good six months ago but I guess to get him through this I'll just let him nap if he needs to.

Just please keep praying that the PT does the job for him!