Her Surgeon's name was Dr. Jacob Battle.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Panic TV
7 am Wednesday morning Fantu is ready to roll into surgery. We are left to sit and wait while our daughter is completely in the hands of the Doctors, nurses and Anesthesiologist to care for her and keep her safe, a job that is usually ours. We go to the surgical waiting room to watch "The Screen". Fantu is patient #1462, her progress is displayed on the screen along with all the other patients scheduled for that day. Her estimated time is 1 hour. A green bar that decreases with each minute tracks the time. #1462 In surgery 54 minutes remaining. Alan and Abate have gone to the cafeteria to get a bite to eat. I sit nervously with a coffee in hand watching the screen. Alan and Abate return. #1462 in surgery 40 minutes remaining. I update facebook. #1462 in surgery 4 minutes remaining. #1462 in surgery 19 minutes remaining. HOLD IT! they just added 15 minutes. Deep breath.... okay simple explanation, just taking a bit longer, nothing serious...right? Try to relax, things are fine. #1462 in surgery 9 minutes remaining. Ok not long now. #1462 in surgery 4 minutes remaining. #1462 in surgery 19 minutes remaining. I try to remain calm, by all outward appearances I tried to reflect that. Abate was there beside me after all. Inside I was in full panic mode. What is going on with my daughter. Alan disappears ( I know he had to sneak out for a smoke ) the stress is getting to him too. #1462 in surgery 11 minutes remaining. The the receptionist calls out "Hennessy, The Doctor is finishing up now, I'll take you to the conference room and he'll be with you shortly." We waited maybe 15-20 minutes for Dr. Battle when he came in with a smile. She was doing well and was waking up. She had been thrashing around as she woke but was doing better.
We knew from the MRI that her lateral meniscus was a half moon shape instead of a crescent moon shape. The cartilage covered most of the joint and had been subject to 13 years of wear and tear. The actual tear that had looked so bad on the MRI wasn't as serious but that led to the surgery taking longer as they had a much larger piece of intact cartilage to remove. He trimmed away the excess and she now has a near normal lateral meniscus. The only bad news is that shes a 80% chance of having this in her right knee too. She has said it hurts some. If the pain doesn't become as bad as the left we will hold off until summer vacation to get it checked out and have the surgery if required.
After about another 40 minutes we were taken back to her and she was nearly ready to be released. We signed a few papers and we were on our way home before lunch. She slept off and on most of the day. At times shouting out in her sleep about hurting or just wanting me there. The pain pills keep coming every four hours and things were going well until earlier this evening (Thursday) when swelling had set in and one pain pill wasn’t enough, My poor girl was in tears and getting angry at our inability to make it stop. A second pain pill was soon taken and after about an hour she was calmed down and coping with the discomfort.
And that is where we are now. Alarm clock set for the next dose at 10 pm, then 2 am, 6 am etc.. The bandages and electric ice pack come off tomorrow and she can bathe, and hopefully start to bend and flex her knee. Her recovery will be 4-6 weeks. In the meantime no running, no jumping. How do you keep a 13 year old girl still?
I know the hospital had good intentions when they installed the TV's showing the patients surgical progress, but when the extra time gets added without an explanation they just cause worry and panic. So from now on I think they will be known as the Panic TV's.
We knew from the MRI that her lateral meniscus was a half moon shape instead of a crescent moon shape. The cartilage covered most of the joint and had been subject to 13 years of wear and tear. The actual tear that had looked so bad on the MRI wasn't as serious but that led to the surgery taking longer as they had a much larger piece of intact cartilage to remove. He trimmed away the excess and she now has a near normal lateral meniscus. The only bad news is that shes a 80% chance of having this in her right knee too. She has said it hurts some. If the pain doesn't become as bad as the left we will hold off until summer vacation to get it checked out and have the surgery if required.
After about another 40 minutes we were taken back to her and she was nearly ready to be released. We signed a few papers and we were on our way home before lunch. She slept off and on most of the day. At times shouting out in her sleep about hurting or just wanting me there. The pain pills keep coming every four hours and things were going well until earlier this evening (Thursday) when swelling had set in and one pain pill wasn’t enough, My poor girl was in tears and getting angry at our inability to make it stop. A second pain pill was soon taken and after about an hour she was calmed down and coping with the discomfort.
And that is where we are now. Alarm clock set for the next dose at 10 pm, then 2 am, 6 am etc.. The bandages and electric ice pack come off tomorrow and she can bathe, and hopefully start to bend and flex her knee. Her recovery will be 4-6 weeks. In the meantime no running, no jumping. How do you keep a 13 year old girl still?
I know the hospital had good intentions when they installed the TV's showing the patients surgical progress, but when the extra time gets added without an explanation they just cause worry and panic. So from now on I think they will be known as the Panic TV's.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Fantu Update
Fantu saw the Orthopedic surgeon today and the news was not good. The tear is bad plus she has what is called a discoid miniscus, that is when the miniscus is half moon shaped instead of crescent shape. The extra cartilage is more prone to tears and damage. It is apparently more common in those af African descent. She will be having surgery on Wednesday morning at 7am. It will ne orthoscopic and she will be home by the afternoon. She also more than likely will develop the same problem in her other knee and will most likely require surgery in the future for it.
I will post towards the end of the week to let you know how it goes.
I will post towards the end of the week to let you know how it goes.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Fantu's Ups and Downs
Fantu has been having occasional knee pains since school started. Never too bad, but she did complain on occasion. Over Christmas break it started hurting her a bit more. No exercise or stress on the joint... growing pains? First day back to school in athletics class they had to run for 25 minutes. By the end of the day she could barely walk. By the next morn, she couldn't. She stayed in bed. She had to use the crutches we had from Abates injury a few months earlier to get around. I called the Doctor, first appointment would be Wednesday Jan 4th in the afternoon. She missed school on that day too.
At the doctor they started with x-rays, inconclusive. There is water on the knee so something is wrong. The doctor has his suspicions, to confirm he ordered an MRI. After a week with hassles from the insurance company she finally got her MRI Jan. 11th. We didn't get results then until Friday afternoon the day before her birthday party. She has a full lateral miniscus tear – torn cartlidge. She would be sent to a orthopedic surgeon in Waco. So here we are a week later, Fantu is still on crutches and we have an appointment to see the Doctor on Monday morning.
So as I mentioned above Fantu had a birthday this past weekend. She has been planning a bowling party for the past 6 months. Crutches – knee in pain – hmmmm, I don't think so. So with a last minute change in plans we turned the garage into a disco, ordered tons of food and drink, hit the party supply store and sent out invitations to 17 girls for a Disco theme slumber party.
What a day getting the garage cleared and decorated. It took all day. Fantu was on the phone double checking who all was going to be here when several of the girls backed out due to the livestock show and some sports activities. I then had her crying and shutting herself in her room thinking no one would be coming. Well 10 girls came and they had a blast. WE were busy all night making “mocktails” Frozen virgin margaritas, strawberry daiquiris, and pina coladas. All served in cute little plastic cocktail glasses with brightly colored straws and paper umbrellas. Trays of food quickly disappeared and so we ordered pizzas, which were gone in blink. I've never seen teen girls eat so much. It was great hearing all the laughter, squeals and fun coming from them all. It made the hard work so very worth it. I think this will be a birthday that Fantu will remember for a long time.
Now we just have to see what the Doctor says on Monday, we are trying to prepare her for the possibility that she will require surgery. Right now I'd guess the odds are 50/50. I think she will recover quicker with the surgery than she will without it and will be less likely to have problems with it down the road. But I'm not the expert – that’s why we wait weeks for a good doctor, and argue with insurance companies all to be sure we can hopefully get good advice and treatment.
Hopefully the news will be good. I'll keep you posted.
At the doctor they started with x-rays, inconclusive. There is water on the knee so something is wrong. The doctor has his suspicions, to confirm he ordered an MRI. After a week with hassles from the insurance company she finally got her MRI Jan. 11th. We didn't get results then until Friday afternoon the day before her birthday party. She has a full lateral miniscus tear – torn cartlidge. She would be sent to a orthopedic surgeon in Waco. So here we are a week later, Fantu is still on crutches and we have an appointment to see the Doctor on Monday morning.
So as I mentioned above Fantu had a birthday this past weekend. She has been planning a bowling party for the past 6 months. Crutches – knee in pain – hmmmm, I don't think so. So with a last minute change in plans we turned the garage into a disco, ordered tons of food and drink, hit the party supply store and sent out invitations to 17 girls for a Disco theme slumber party.
What a day getting the garage cleared and decorated. It took all day. Fantu was on the phone double checking who all was going to be here when several of the girls backed out due to the livestock show and some sports activities. I then had her crying and shutting herself in her room thinking no one would be coming. Well 10 girls came and they had a blast. WE were busy all night making “mocktails” Frozen virgin margaritas, strawberry daiquiris, and pina coladas. All served in cute little plastic cocktail glasses with brightly colored straws and paper umbrellas. Trays of food quickly disappeared and so we ordered pizzas, which were gone in blink. I've never seen teen girls eat so much. It was great hearing all the laughter, squeals and fun coming from them all. It made the hard work so very worth it. I think this will be a birthday that Fantu will remember for a long time.
Now we just have to see what the Doctor says on Monday, we are trying to prepare her for the possibility that she will require surgery. Right now I'd guess the odds are 50/50. I think she will recover quicker with the surgery than she will without it and will be less likely to have problems with it down the road. But I'm not the expert – that’s why we wait weeks for a good doctor, and argue with insurance companies all to be sure we can hopefully get good advice and treatment.
Hopefully the news will be good. I'll keep you posted.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Time for the Banshee to Shut-up
In Irish folklore there is a tale about the banshee, she has a piercing wailing scream that means a death is eminent. The Banshee has let her wail sound all to often in the lives of those around me.
When I was a child, then a teen and young adult growing up my life was seldom touched by the tragic loss of someone around me. As a preschooler I remember a younger girl at church being killed in an auto accident. When I was a senior in high school my best friends ex boy friend (but still good friend) was killed in a tragic auto accident. That was it until I was an adult. Yes I lost a grandfather during those early years, but that is accepted, a natural order, a loss that is expected. Was I sheltered and very fortunate to have escaped the Banshees wail? Or did I live in a quieter less violent, safer time?
On New Years Day a 29 year old woman was murdered shortly after arriving home from a New Years party. She was a random target. She died a violent death. She was a good person that made a impact on those around her and in her community. She was a friend of my eldest daughter Andre. I didn't know her. I didn't even know of her until after her death. But it is a death that touched me because it touched my daughter. It also has made me think about how often she has heard the Banshee's wail.
At the age of 8 her young cousin drowned. At the age of 9 our 14 yr old babysitter was murdered by a schoolmate, stabbed over 60 times. The following year a former playmate was killed in a bicycle accident (she crashed her bike and hit her head on a rock). In Junior High she lost a classmate to suicide. She has also lost her brother in a accident, a close friend due to a drug overdose and a cousin to cancer. Many of these deaths also touched the lives of Carrie and Trevor. They also had losses of friends over the years. Suicides, accidents and illnesses. How do these losses change them? Only they can answer that.
When we adopted Abate and Fantu we knew that we were equipped with the knowledge of how loss, grief and all the emotions that tragic loss brings to help them through the adjustment and understanding in dealing with it and how those emotions would play into their new life here. With them I have seen tears, and a pain of not knowing the parental relationship with their birth parents that they dreamt of. I have seen them cry over the loss of their country, their friends and the life that they once knew. I also see the resiliency that children often possess. Will I ever be able to grasp the loss that they have felt and still feel? No, I doubt it. Grief is personal. It is something that is often held very close and private. It is often buried deep within. It is something that we all must face in our lives. I hope for those of you that read this the Banshee's wail is a rare sound. For me at times and my family it has been deafening. It is time for her to shut her mouth and give us some peace for a spell.
When I was a child, then a teen and young adult growing up my life was seldom touched by the tragic loss of someone around me. As a preschooler I remember a younger girl at church being killed in an auto accident. When I was a senior in high school my best friends ex boy friend (but still good friend) was killed in a tragic auto accident. That was it until I was an adult. Yes I lost a grandfather during those early years, but that is accepted, a natural order, a loss that is expected. Was I sheltered and very fortunate to have escaped the Banshees wail? Or did I live in a quieter less violent, safer time?
On New Years Day a 29 year old woman was murdered shortly after arriving home from a New Years party. She was a random target. She died a violent death. She was a good person that made a impact on those around her and in her community. She was a friend of my eldest daughter Andre. I didn't know her. I didn't even know of her until after her death. But it is a death that touched me because it touched my daughter. It also has made me think about how often she has heard the Banshee's wail.
At the age of 8 her young cousin drowned. At the age of 9 our 14 yr old babysitter was murdered by a schoolmate, stabbed over 60 times. The following year a former playmate was killed in a bicycle accident (she crashed her bike and hit her head on a rock). In Junior High she lost a classmate to suicide. She has also lost her brother in a accident, a close friend due to a drug overdose and a cousin to cancer. Many of these deaths also touched the lives of Carrie and Trevor. They also had losses of friends over the years. Suicides, accidents and illnesses. How do these losses change them? Only they can answer that.
When we adopted Abate and Fantu we knew that we were equipped with the knowledge of how loss, grief and all the emotions that tragic loss brings to help them through the adjustment and understanding in dealing with it and how those emotions would play into their new life here. With them I have seen tears, and a pain of not knowing the parental relationship with their birth parents that they dreamt of. I have seen them cry over the loss of their country, their friends and the life that they once knew. I also see the resiliency that children often possess. Will I ever be able to grasp the loss that they have felt and still feel? No, I doubt it. Grief is personal. It is something that is often held very close and private. It is often buried deep within. It is something that we all must face in our lives. I hope for those of you that read this the Banshee's wail is a rare sound. For me at times and my family it has been deafening. It is time for her to shut her mouth and give us some peace for a spell.
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