Saturday, April 09, 2011

Another Adventurous Week!


Wow! From Wednesday to Friday, life has been a little crazy. On Wednesday afternoon, Anna had her post-op appointment to see how she's healing from her appendectomy. She's fine! Feels like a normal kid. So what does a normal kid do once we get home (on a nice spring day, I should add)? She goes outside to rollerblade in the park! Great exercise! She came home a little worse for wear, cleaning up brush burns and asking for band-aids (I added the neosporin). About an hour later, Anna talked about how her left arm felt a little heavy and tired. We (hubby and I) asked many questions, but didn't see any swelling (and her range of motion wasn't all that bad), so we gave her Tylenol and some ice to keep on the injury. A few hours later, Scott thought that there might be a little swelling, and he was concerned about her diminishing range of motion, but if we went to the ER at that time of night, we would have been there all night. We chose to get some rest and call the doctor's office in the morning.

Thursday morning--Even the triage nurse wasn't totally sure that Anna needed to be seen, but we decided on an appointment after school. So our favorite Doctor Joe gave Anna a thorough exam of the elbow and arm, talking about possibilities of fluid in the joint (I'm thinking swelling from the injury---not arthritis), and very possibly a crack/fracture of the radial head. He ordered x-rays done on Friday. So off we go---trip to Lemoyne (horrible traffic through Camp Hill, as always)to the Heritage Diagnostic Center (love that place and the people there!). At 4:30 p.m., I found a voicemail message on my cell phone (I'm not a huge cell phone user, and it was in a pocket of one of my fall jackets) from Dr. Joe's office. Long story short, I had about 20 minutes to retrieve Anna from a neighbor's house and once again head through that horrible traffic (worse, actually---rush hour on a Friday!) to go retrieve Anna's x-rays (by 5:00 p.m., when they closed---got there three minutes after 5, and they waited for us!) and take her to the Orthopedic Institute of Pennsylvania, where they had an injury clinic open until 7:00 p.m.

The radiologist at Heritage Diagnostic Center thought there was a fracture (hence the rush to get into OIP to at least get a sling or splint or something for protection over the weekend). The orthopedic doctor at OIP didn't see any fracture, though. It's probably just severely bruised. They did provide a sling, though, which is good. Anna's arm was heavy and "dragging" with the injury, and they were concerned about her neck and shoulder muscles being pulled because of that.

The one bright spot to a rushed and stressed Friday evening---the Physician's Assistant at OIP looked at the x-rays and said, "Well, I really don't see any fracture, but I'll have the doctor look at it. Anna, you still have some growth plates in there, so it's a little hard to see." Anna didn't know what growth plates were, so when I explained, she's excited that she may not be done growing!!! She would love to be taller!

Hardly ever a dull moment around here, but Anna is ready to have a break from doctors and hospitals for while. She's been in far too many exam rooms in the last two months for her liking. We're having a quiet day today!

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Anna says "Thanks"! (First published in the church newsletter)


Anna wrote a thank you note for the church newsletter, following her surgery. Since many "internet" and Facebook friends were also praying, and a few sent cards, Anna said I could share her "thanks" on the blog, as well.

Dear Church Family,
It has been over a month since my appendectomy. On Sunday, February 27th, I woke up with pain in my side. My mom took me to the hospital--I won't give you the details--and they took my appendix out.

You have been very supportive of my recovery. With a month gone by, I'm back to my old self, being outside running or rollerblading and being an organized student in school.

I would like to thank the church family for their love and support. I received many cards, some flowers, and visits from Pastor Nancy and Pastor Charlie.

I also thank you for your support in the MASH (Mechanicsburg Area Senior High) musical which was only three days after my trip to the hospital.

Finally, I would like to thank God for all He has given me in this life. I am so blessed to have a church family who love and support me as I grow in life, physically and spiritually.

God is watching out for all of us, and we are blessed.

Love, Anna Zeigler