To Good To Be True

I know a mistake when I see one, and I must admit I've made a mistake. I should not have waited 5 weeks to update you, and for that apologize. We've had 3 appointments since the last post and honestly they've all been great. Can you believe that?! I sure can't! It really is to good to be true.

3 appointments ago we went in with similar expectations as the week prior, hoping for continued growth, knowing that things couldn't get much better then the prior weeks but they did! Zackary continues to blow the doctors away with his flexibility and bone growth that they increased his rate of lengthening AGAIN! This is unheard of for the Millers. In all the 6 months we were here last time, we never got above 1mm a day rate and this appointment he increased it to 1.2mm every other day. It came with an earlier wake up time for me to get that 6th turn in but it was totally worth it when we started doing the math and realizing it was possible for us to be home in the month of July.


We continued on with our very predictable routine, that we love so much, until the next appointment. Though we could see the increase in patient and wait time for our appointment (they lifted a lot of medical covid things so summer surgeries are in full swing over here) the results and appointment went rather quickly. We knew upping to 6 turns every day was a bit of a stretch and the doctor confirmed that when he said, smooth sailing but steady as he goes; meaning no change. But that meant no decreasing so we took it with a grain of salt and moved on with our week. This is also the week that they added the anti gravity treadmill to his routine. It's an amazing machine that controls the amount of gravity in it so he can work on proper technique of walking without the weight bearing. What will they think of next, am I right?!




The last week or two have been a little more rough for Zackary. He is feeling more tightness and he's losing a bit of flexibility. This is to be expected as we are told by PT and his doctors but having him feel so well for so long it was a bit of a punch to the gut to feel like we were going backwards, a feeling we were all to familiar with and started preparing for some not so good news at the next appointment.  Each time Zackary gets xrays I get to be in the room behind the screen and I have learned to read them very well. It's like a sneak peak that I try not to get too excited or bummed about but this time I just didn't know. I'm staring at it and I didn't see the extended shadows. Was the gap bigger? Is my mind playing tricks on me? Zackary also felt like things were right. That appointment felt like it took forever from the paperwork to the waiting room to xrays and then sitting in that empty room just waiting and knowing the doctors were reading said xrays.

Well we finally saw the doctor walking our way and he didn't have his happy face on. 'Not bad' were the exact words he used. Uh, not bad is not good but could be worse? I'm not sure, just tell it to me straight I wanted to holler at him. He popped the xrays on the screen and said it's fine. Ok, let's get more vague why don't you! I could see the tension in Zackary get stronger as well. Finally he said and I quote "We can slow down the turns if you want". If I want?!?! Why would I want to do that. I pulled it together and asked, why would I want to? He says if we're concerned about the tightness. He then followed with, I think the bone is good enough and I know you guys want to go home sooner rather then later so we can just push through the last couple weeks or we can slow down. I looked at Zackary and I could read his mind. He's always been a 'push through' kind of kid. Without hesitation I said 'no we're good'. We promised to up our at 'home' PT and add more walking and then before he left he said the magic words. "Ok, one more appointment then you get to go home."

It's been a week since that appointment and I still can't accept it. I can't believe we have a flight booked for THIS SATURDAY to go home. We have fallen into such a comfortable routine now. We see professionals daily to monitor Zackary. We know what each minute brings. I know my biggest goal is to kick Zackary's butt at our evening board game hour. Are we ready to get back to real life in ABQ? Are we ready to leave our little safe spot in this room? This is all to good to be true to even think about. But ready or not, we're ready for our last appointment on Thursday for the doctor to tell us Zackary is done lengthening!

Until Next Time~
Momma Miller

It's A Good Day To Have A Good Day!

Double appointment days can always be a bit stressful. It throws off our routine, we never know what the x-rays are going to show and honestly there's always a bit of anxiety knowing the doctor doesn't give out good news at every visit. This time though, we were excited to see the doctor for Zackary's first post-op appointment. We both woke up and decided it was a good day to have a good day. We started off by being able to sleep in an extra 30 minutes so we were already ahead of the game! Breakfast was made and off we went. Doctor waiting rooms where we usually spend at least 45 mins (usually closer to 90 mins) only took us 20, can you say winning?! The x-rays were taken and then we sat in our room waiting for the doc. 

Dr. Herzenberg came in with his fellow doctor and was in a good mood, mind you we're use to his....doctor style bedside manner, I'll leave it at that. He even complimented Zackary's drawings on his leg and asked to take a picture with his 'favorite dude patient from NM'. Zackary and I just smiled (under our masks of course) and knew he was ready to have a good day too. He asked how Zackary was doing and as I flowed with praise on Zackary's healing, flexibility and low pain he quickly joined in when he saw with his own eyes how much Zackary was able to move his leg. He said his flexibility was at the point he would expect for week 4/5, not beginning of week 2, good news! He moved on to the x-rays and said he was pleased with what he saw! This was the moment we got to give a big sign of relief. We've sat in that same room when the doctors told us he's not happy and we had to stop and even reverse the lengthening process, not fun. So his words helped melt away the anxiety. 

We knew it was smooth sailing from there as said to keep working hard. Then, before he left the room the doctor left us with not only good news of allowing Zackary to increase weight bearing from only toe-touch to 40-50 pounds but ended with great news letting us know we could actually increase his lengthening rate! We moved from 4 times a day to 5 times a day, totally 1mm a day. This is huge, and proves the praise was warranted because Zackary is killing it this time around. 

The appointment went so quickly we actually had time to go on a nice walk (pictured) on a fun path and even got hospital pizza for lunch. It's the little things when you're stuck in the room everyday all day. He moved onto PT for the day and, as usual, his therapist said he's doing great and is quickly learning what 40 lbs feels like. The weight actually stimulates bone growth, so that mixed with his assortment of vitamins and good attitude we are convinced our goal of being home by August 1st may be more realistic then we had originally thought. So needless to say, Monday was a good day to have a good day!

The last big event for this week was getting fitted for his CKD (custom knee device) today. It's like a removable cast with a ratcheting gear to adjust the range of his leg. Though he is doing well now with his flexibility it is very common to lose range of motion and become stiff the more lengthening they do. The CKD allows his leg to be forced in a straight position for a certain amount of time each day so he does not lose the ability to straighten. For now, it's only a couple hours a day, but as we progress so will the amount of time he needs to be in it each day. He will have to sleep in it for up to 8 hours within the next couple of weeks. Not one of Zackary's favorite medical devices but he knows the importance. 

Now that we have all of that excitement out of the way for the week we go back to the daily routine of PT, work for me, growing for Zackary and enjoying time together because, well, that's all we have these days and I'm ok with that. Next week's doctors appointment is on Thursday so if anyone wants to pick a good day to have a good day, won't you join us then?! Thanks for all the support and love, we hope this finds you well and in good health. 

Until next time, 

Momma Miller

side view-------- showing growth-------front view 

                        

Another Year, Another Surgery

"Like the sands through the hourglass, these are the days of our lives"...As I looked up at the TV in the waiting room I realized it was the first time I had heard that in about 15 years. Yeah, I was THAT stay at home mom back when the boys were small and made sure to always know where Marlena and John were in the crazy love saga that was thread throughout the town of Salam on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. As I sat there and watched it, I realized I didn't miss a thing in the story line; same people, same town, same love/hate relationships, same dramatic flare, same everything and then I thought to myself (not to be dramatic but) that's exactly how our lives are right now in Baltimore. We've been here before, we fall right into our routine here, we know everyone here, we know the roads to get to Walmart and the route not to take on daily walks. 

We are currently on day 8 of being in here and a lot has happened. A part of me is apologetic for not keeping you all updated but a part of me understands that I just needed to be present and here for Zackary. With that said I will let everyone in on what's going on, the stuff you have and haven't seen on social media. 

The background-Last year during his hip reconstruction surgery the doctor decided not to do the leg lengthening at the same time and pushed it to this year. As soon as we got home last summer we scheduled it for this summer, knowing we didn't want Zackary to miss any school if possible. It was scheduled for 5/26, a week after his freshman year was scheduled to release. He spent the year recovering from his hip surgery. Honestly, it was the roughest recovery to date and took almost the whole time to build up his endurance. We had xrays showing his bone was growing but his muscles didn't want to keep up. He was in PT still up until we left for this surgery and was finally released for the gym and other strengthening exercises around March, almost 9 month post op. We knew this surgery was coming up but were so focused on healing we didn't think much of it, then the Corona happened....

That obviously changed everyone's day to day life and we spent 6 weeks learning how to home school again while working almost full time for me and doing our best to navigate through the 'stay at home order'. Honestly, we didn't think the surgery would even happen and then the first week of May we received the email confirming it and then we shifted to preparing for being gone for months in just a few short weeks. We, fortunately/unfortunately, knew how to pack for months, plan meals for being gone, and prepping the best we can for living in another state for the summer. We got all the blood work, physicals and xrays done in a timely manner and even added the covid-19 test the day before we left. All was good and 20 days later we faced the airport, armed with masks and well wishes, and made it to Maryland on 5/19.

We spent the weekend prior to surgery settling in to our room at the Hackerman-Patz House, across the street from the hospital, and using our rental car we have for the first week getting groceries and getting the mandatory Olive Garden night before surgery dinner. We also ventured to Washington DC and rode over 40 miles on the rental bikes site seeing, a one day summer vacation I suggest for anyone. 

After the fun came the inevitable; same doctor, same hospital, same waiting room and same nervous feelings. Let me tell you, 27 surgeries and the stomach turning pain never goes away. However, the hospital and Covid put the spin on this episode; There was only 1 person allowed with Zackary and of course we had to wear masks everywhere. So Adam stayed downstairs and provided me food while I waited upstairs praying for the moment every mom needs to feel, the safety of her child. After 5 long hours I got to go into the recovery room and hold the hand of my not so little boy. 3 hours of watching him sleep calmed all those stomach pains and we were right back to the life we knew, ready or not. These are the days of our lives.

 

As much as the last surgery was the worst recovery to date from beginning to end, this one was the exact opposite. He was wide awake and eating within an hour of being put in his room and was barely on Tylenol by the second day. Part of that was because the nerve blocker took a couple days to wear off but also because Zackary is such a champ. We spent 2 nights in the hospital just so they could monitor him and all his equipment could come in. Then on Thursday we rolled over to the HP House and settled back in, and where he's been lying for the last 3 days. 

The doctor said everything went perfectly in surgery. This time they went up through the knee to insert the rod into the femur, so he has more incisions there. This also means he has a little bit different of a recovery when it comes to bending and healing at the knee. PT starts on Monday and is every day until the lengthening process is complete. He has weekly doctor follow ups and xrays to make sure his lengthening is at a safe rate as well. Monday is also the day the lengthening begins. The rate we start at is .2mm four times a day, totaling .8mm per day. His overall goal is between 4.5-5.0cm of length, so if you do the math and the rate does not change (very unlikely) then he will be lengthening for 60 days and we could be home as early as the first week in August. 

I know I speak somewhat like you know what's going on because, well you do. You all have been here supporting him and our whole family for years and we thank you for that. We love the well wishes and feel the prayers working. This is never an easy path to try and explain to your child, especially a teenage boy, but we know this is what needs to be done to make Zackary's life the best possible moving forward. With that said please know how grateful we are for all of your support. I will do my best to give updates and apologize for this lengthy one due to my absence. If you feel so inclined please visit our GoFundMe page as expenses of travel, nightly room rates and doctor bills pile up quickly. Thank you in advance and again, we appreciate each and every one of you. And if anyone has any good movie suggestions we are all ears, as we definitely have some extra time on our hands.

Until next time, 

Momma Miller

PS-To those who have been asking for our address:

Hackerman-Patz House 

ATTN: Miller room 101

2434 W Belvedere Ave 

Building C

Baltimore, MD 21215

More Changes

Hello all, 

Yesterday we had our first post-op appointment since surgery on 7/10 and overall it was good news. First and foremost he let us know we could go home! We've only been here just short of 3 weeks and we're already going home, this is new! Exciting for us and we are definitely ready so Adam is flying in tonight (Friday) and we are hitting the road tomorrow morning. We will take a couple days to get home, it's about 28 hours of drive time but expect a lot of small steps to let Zackary stretch and re-adjust. Wish us safe travels please!

When it comes to Zackary's healing the doctor was not over the top excited but says he's doing fine. His range of motion and flexibility is in a good place, and we will continue PT 2-3 times a week for the next 8 weeks at home. His first x-ray did not show any bone growth though. Not 100% surprised since it's only been 2 weeks but a little bit would have been nice. He let us know that this means he will keep Zackary at 0% weight bearing and toe-touch rules for standing. This was disappointing for Zackary because he knows that means still all wheelchair and walker, no crutches or stairs yet. A fun feat to handle when we are going home to a two story house. The doctor said he only wants to do x-rays once a month and will not increase weight bearing until he sees visible growth. We will most likely fly back to Baltimore for the appointments as Dr H likes to watch him walk, movement or ability once we get orders.

The doctor said he expects Zackary to be walking on his own in 2-3 months. Our goal now is for him to be up and walking on his own to help with the fan and cards come Balloon Fiesta, our favorite time! The doctor also let Zackary know that he was cleared to go to school, just with assistance and of course in the wheel chair. Zackary was happy to hear he gets to go, but not the wheelchair part. But ready or not he's a freshman in high school in just a few short weeks!

Lots of changes are the only way to explain this process and this whole summer but know we are always ready because we know God only gives us as much as He know we can handle. Thank you to all who have supported us up to this point. Please know your emotional support has helped our well being and your financial support has gone towards doctors bills, airfare, room, food, hotels and gas for driving home and so much more and more to come so again, thank you! 

Until Next Time, 

Momma Miller

           

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Hello again,
I will start off by saying I'm sorry for not getting an update to you sooner. It's been quite a busy few weeks and want to thank everyone who has reached out to check on us and all of those who have donated to the GoFundMe and sent prayers our way, it has all truly helped us each moment. As the title states there's been a lot of things happening and it's so much I think it will be easier to just list out. As much as I'd love to give you a play by play and everything behind it there is just too much, I'd be writing for hours and you'd be reading for days! So here's the highlights:

THE UGLY:
The Tahoe made it over 2,300 miles to get us here but as we pulled into Baltimore it started making extreme noises and barely gave us a quick trip to Walmart and one last meal before surgery. We had to drop it off to the mechanic the night before surgery and it was at the shop for over a week. Luckily they were very helpful and were able to get a new transfer case. As the mechanic stated, he had no idea how we made it into town as there were many destroyed belts, broken transfer case, loose chain, etc. Let's just say I prayed since the day we left ABQ that the Tahoe would get us safely to Baltimore, God did just that...nothing more, nothing less!

THE BAD:
After surgery Zackary did well with recovery the first couple of days. We were expected to stay in the hospital 2-3 nights, and usually only stay 2 nights. This time he took a rough turn on day 3 and we ended up having to go from almost going home (the HP House) to getting hooked back up to the IV's for fluids because he wasn't eating or drinking and slept almost all day, and was in lots of pain when he was awake. They tested and kept an eye out for infection but everything came back clear. He apparently just needed a couple extra days to recover enough to be on his own and we went back to the HP House on Sunday, 5 days after surgery. It was a long week but we are so lucky to have such great nurses and doctors that don't push anything and did nothing but keep his best interest in the fore front.

THE GOOD:
Ok, so the good is good-ish...I think. As we discussed in the last blog the surgery we were expecting to have was huge, lots of pain, hard recovery and long stay. We met with the doctor on Monday for pre-op and he reiterated all we knew. Dr. H was thankful we could stay here as long as needed but had extended our expected stay from 6-8 weeks to minimum 8-10 weeks. He also let us know the external fixator would be on for a total of 8-9 months, not the 4-6 they had explained over email. This is not the good news, but of course I don't know how to spare the back story, and it couldn't be in the bad category because it didn't actually happen...yeah, there's the good news coming.

Well, surgery day came and Dr. H came in as he always does but instead of marking up Zackary's leg and giving us the 'it's all going to be okay' speech he spent 30 minutes talking to Adam and I about how he had been thinking non stop about Zackary since Monday and just didn't feel good about doing this huge, painful surgery on Zackary. Always great to hear from the doctor...not! Well he let us know there was a different 2 stage surgery he did research on and felt comfortable recommending it for Zackary. And as we always ask the doctor, if it was your kid what would you do? And he said he'd do the new one. Well, he left us alone for about 30 minutes as we took time to explain things to Zackary and then he came back and talked with all of us for another 45 minutes going over pros and cons.

We settled on the new surgery and though the lengthening process cannot be done yet, he has to be done growing in his knee growth plate, we were able to do the hip reconstruction step. It's the same 'Z' process as expected and he ended up putting in 2 plates and 8 screws. This has to heal and when we come back for the lengthening process it will be exactly the same as 2016 with the internal rod and less pain, but a rather long recovery. We will also have to remove the bottom two screws in order for the rod to fit. So, though we will not have the extensive stay or extremely painful recovery as expected we have added another surgery within the next year which will include another long stay out here in Baltimore.

He is now recovering well in the HP house and we are both happy to have a little bit more space and a car to get away from Grub Hub, I actually cooked sloppy joes tonight! He has PT 3 times a week and a post op appointment on 7/25. We had multiple doctors tell us we could go home in anywhere from 3-6 weeks, so there is a chance we will be home way before we ever expected! He will have to complete healing and PT at home as expected. He has 'toe touch' permission and is getting short distances (to the bathroom, max) with a walker and has ventured out for Adam's bday dinner, which exhausted him but it was worth it. He will hopefully be on crutches by the time we get home and should be walking on his own within a few weeks of when school starts!

I told you there was a lot! For now, he and I are enjoying as much as possible out here. Lots of movies, board games and phone games from bed. Still quite a bit of napping and healing for him, and still work happening for me. He's still on strong pain meds but is weaning now. We're hoping to make it out to a movie this weekend, big goals!

As I stated before, thank you for all the well wishes, prayers, and donations. All of the support always blows my mind. You all are amazing. Thanks for keeping with me until the end of this. Maybe this will teach me to wait so long between posts!

Until Next Time,
Momma Miller

Hey I remember you!

"Hey I remember you!" I said as I answered the phone at 8:30am on a Monday. "Hey I remember you!" I was told as I booked our room in a far away place. Hey I remember you...but I sure wish we didn't- didn't have to answer that call, didn't have to book that room, didn't have to be sitting here writing you letting you know about Zackary's newest adventure.
Did you know it's been 408 days since May 16, 2018? That is if you're one of the few reading this on the actual day I posted this (6/25/19). It's has been a very full, exciting, roller coaster of a ride life the last 408 days but I'm sure everyone has had their ups and downs. When it comes to Zackary it has been filled with 408 days without surgery, it was the completion on not one but 3 basketball seasons, the start of public school and ending his 8th grade year with honor roll and being awarded the power of positive thinking award at school. For Johnathan it included his final year of football at Rio Rancho High School, the signing of his letter of intent to play football in college, his graduation from said school and the dropping off of said college student at his new home in Seward, NE where he will be playing quarterback as a Bulldog. Adam and I have both moved industries at work. Though he's still working for General Mills we also joined with an amazing financial advising company named Gateway where Adam has interned and passed multiple tests and is now a licensed financial and insurance advisor. For me, I'm the administrative assistant to a group of advisors and we both love our roles over there. To say the least the last 408 have been anything but dull, but now that you are caught up let me fill you in on what is going on currently.
That phone call I mentioned earlier that I took at 8:30 was from the scheduler of surgeries for Dr. Herzenberg out in Baltimore. I hadn't even heard from the doctor we needed surgery yet, but the scheduler was bright eyed and bushy tailed to do his job. Devin is so helpful and friendly that it took me a couple minutes to realize what he was asking. "Dr H wanted me to reach out and put Zackary on the schedule." "For what?" I asked. He asked me to check my email and there I found that the doctor was concerned about Zackary's latest xray and the amount of daily pain he was in.
We get xrays about once a year to keep an eye on things and usually they just attribute pain to him being an active, growing boy who doesn't have all the normal functions of a regular kid. Basically just learning and adapting which can put a toll on his body. But not this time, this time they were concerned about the 'migration' of his hip and how much movement there has been in his leg and honestly concerned about how much he's growing! A somewhat good concern to have since they told us we would be lucky if he maxes out at 5'8" (He's almost 5'8" now, matching where his brother was to the cm at his age, and Johnathan is now 6'2"!)
Well, they were concerned enough to call us and ask to schedule his next stage of surgery within 5 weeks! When the doctor makes strong suggestions you listen! We went back in our notes from past consultations all mentioning how he would need the surgery around 15/16 and it would be another big one. We knew it was coming but damn if that didn't come faster then any one of us could have imagined and of course it came early, he's only 14, but again with the growing and migrating.
I'll save you all the medical jargon and details and just tell you this; Zackary will be having surgery on July 10th in Baltimore, Maryland at the Sinai Hospital. This is the same place his leg lengthening procedure was in 2017 and where he and I get to spend 6-8 weeks while he heals from this surgery. He will be having a complete hip reconstructive surgery, breaking it in 2-3 places to create a shelf like hip out of his already existing femur and since he will be losing so much length from that they will be doing another leg lengthening procedure at the same time. Unfortunately he is not as lucky as last time to be able to do the internal rod for lengthening, we will have to do the external fixator. This is the halo type apparatus you may have seen that has pins going directly into the leg, connecting to the bone and separating the bone to create the length and regrowth. This is a very painful procedure, long term process and healing process.
His recovery will be 6-8 weeks of lengthening, in Baltimore, to include weekly doctor visits and daily PT. Then he will have another 2-3 months at home, though there may not be any lengthening, he will still continue PT for a total of at least 4 months of no walking. Even though we've been through it before it's never easy, it's always scary and you can never be prepared enough.
But hey, remember that awesome company Gateway I was telling you about? They are letting me work remotely while he recovers and of course Adam will do his best to make it out for a few visits and hold the fort, and puppies, down here at home. Johnathan...well, he'll still be annoying his brother via phone just from Nebraska instead of New Mexico. And what could we ask for from you? Mostly and most importantly prayers. For each of us in our own ways of needing it, for the doctors, for the safe travels as we drive to Baltimore, for sanity, for patience, understanding, all the good stuff! I will let you know our GoFundMe account is still up and running and we could use all the help you can provide and thank you in advance for your help. We have a little saved from the last round of surgeries to help fly Adam home to work after surgery but of course food, housing and medical bills add up quickly, so thank you.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the past, present and current support. We would not have made it this far without you. And thank you for sticking around to read this whole long blog! I mentioned somewhere I'd spare you the details...maybe next time!

Until then~
Momma Miller

What a week...and it’s only Wednesday

Hello all,

I come to you from the Hackerman-Patz House, our home away from home. As I sit here watching it rain yet again, a daily thing here, I realize that’s the worst thing that’s happened this week! It’s been a long week for sure but overall it’s going okay. Sunday was Mother’s Day of course, happy Mother’s Day to all you amazing super hero’s raising kiddos! We went from camping in the morning to home to pack and on the plane in enough time to be in Baltimore for a late dinner. Minus a little turbulence everything went smoothly. 

Monday brought our pre-op appointment with Dr. Herzenberg. We took a ton of X-rays and talked for almost an hour in total. The X-rays were taken to see growth plates, current leg length discrepancies, and to check the rod that was in his leg.  We then sat down and talked with the doctor and left feeling confident that we’ve set up a good plan for Zackary. He said due to nerves and muscles that run from the hip down toward the knee, Zackary complaining of pain in his lower femur could actually be displaced hip pain and he had hope that removing the rod would stop most if not all of the pain. He also said he’d be giving him a cortisone shot in his hip, when taking out the rod, to help with pain management. He confirmed as well that the bone looked dense enough for there to be no concern of removing the rod and Zackary being the active boy we know he wants to be with a little bit of PT. 

Once we decided what was going to happen this week we moved on to what the next few years looks like. He talked about different options, I won’t go into great detail and bore you but there’s options of internal and external hip reconstruction surgery. Each has pros and cons but after consulting with the dr and Zackary we’ve decided internal will most likely be the route we will take. Looking back at the X-rays again and taking measurements in addition to knowing Zackary will lose some length in the hip reconstruction the dr let us know we will have to do another round of leg lengthening before we even begin the hip osteotomy. It was always a possibility but he made it very clear that it’ll be a must now, but only for about half the length as last time. Looking at his growth plates and estimation of natural stopping point of growing at the age of 15 it was decided that the leg lengthening will happen in 2020 and the hip osteotomy to happen in 2021 once the lengthening procedure has healed. He let us know we can continue to cortisone shots to help with pain if the rod removal doesn’t help enough and that he has a doctor he trusts to give the shots in the Phoenix area! 6 hours from home seems like a hop, skip and jump compared to here! So that was some encouraging news too. 

Tuesday morning came all to quickly after a late night at our annual Olive Garden pre surgery dinner. We made it to the hospital around 9:30am with 11:30 surgery time scheduled. After being taken back to triage the first doctor let us know the surgery had been bumped to 11:45. Then we finally saw Dr. Herzenberg about 12:15 and he said hopefully before 1pm. Then about 1:20 they came in and took Zackary back. He was a trooper like always only complaining about being starving every few minutes. A fair statement since he hadn’t eaten in over 12 hours. They gave him his ‘happy juice’ cocktail and before we knew it he was loopy and we were giving our good bye kisses. One hour later Dr H came out and let us know the rod came out very smoothly, he had it in hand since Zackary requested to keep it. He also let us know he did the cortisone shot in the hip and a couple other shots of pain management in his leg that should last awhile. This made the momma in me very happy, I hate seeing him in pain. An hour after that we were able to sit by his side in recovery while he woke up and before leaving the hospital, though very drowsy, he was already taking steps to and from the bathroom! He spent the rest of the day sleeping at the HP house and spent the whole night eating once he woke up! 

Today has included eating more, playing video games, watching tv and playing ping pong! Yes, playing ping pong, with no assistance! He’s walking everywhere with no pain or crutches. I’m keeping him on Tylenol and asking him to take it easy but if anyone knows him you know nothing slows him down! We’re very lucky with how smoothly has gone the last couple of days! We will stay here a couple more days just to keep an eye on the incisions and make sure he’s healing well before heading home on Friday. Thank you to everyone who’s helped on this trip with prayers, finances, good thoughts, texts and calls. They all, and you all, mean so much to us. Thank you!!!

Until next time-

Momma Miller