Kaiser Kids + Co

Yesterday was just so busy that we forgot to post our update!

Friday (7/22)

What an eventful day! We started our day with our first big girl haircut to prepare for pre-k! Our girl was so happy with her cut!

After lots of errands and fun, we went to ortho for a follow up. Again, the doctors were thrilled with the progress she has made and how awesome her thumbs look. Now…..removing the stitches was a completely different story! We did not enjoy that process in the slightest. Nonetheless, they are finally out! We will be back to normal activities and swimming in no time! We will return in one months time to ensure that there is no unusual build up of scar tissue and that her incision marks heal properly!

Update!!!

We had our first day of PT/OT yesterday and didn’t have to schedule a second appointment! They were so thrilled with Harper’s range of motion just 13 days post op! She had so much fun with the activities that she didn’t even realize she was working her thumbs so hard!

The stitches were ready to come out but Harper was not! We go back Friday to get them removed. After the get removed, we will just have to continue with some home PT exercises and keep them moisturized so that the skin can hopefully return back to normal!

We are so proud of you, Harper!

1 week post-op update!!

We are officially one week post-op! If you’ve been following our story, you will remember that on 7/8/22, Harper had to undergo bilateral trigger thumb surgery to release the tendon in both of her thumbs that was preventing her from being able to complete basic tasks with ease. Prior to surgery, she had difficulty opening door handles, buttoning, etc.

Harper has surpassed any expectations we had of what her recovery would look like! She has had minimal pain, although there are times that her pain will come and go. After day two, she returned to her normal, bubbly self. She has not let this surgery or the casts hold her back from living her best life! By day 3, she was able to open door handles and button her pajamas WITH the casts on!

Below you can see how much progress has been made with her thumbs in just one week! We are looking forward to the upcoming week, where we will begin PT/OT and get our casts removed!

Thank you for all of your continued prayers, love, good vibes, and support!

Day 6 update:

Harper is back in the kitchen with minimal pain!!! We are making breakfast potatoes, maple venison sausage, and eggies (Harper’s favorite)!

Thank you so much for all of your continued prayers and support!

Day 2 and 3 Post Surgery

Day 2 was wonderful! Harper was in minimal pain and was back to her normal, rambunctious self! She ate like a champ, got lots of rest, and even wore her slings for a bit. She slept the whole night without needing more medicine (which was great), but did have to be adjusted several times through the night to elevate her hands above her heart. This is probably the most challenging part of recovery so far…..getting her to slow down enough to elevate.

Day 3 started off well! We had a sleepover with our aunt, had our bestie come over for lunch and a movie, and played. We even took a bath and somehow managed not to get our soft casts wet! While we felt good for most of the day, the evening brought some pain from overdoing it during the day. Tonight, we are definitely sore and having to catch up with medicine to stay on top of the pain!

We made this little calendar to cross of the days until we can get our casts removed AND we are practicing number recognition! 10 more days until our first PT/OT appointment and 12 more days with a cast!

Day 1

What a LONG day! We were up and at the hospital with time to spare by 6 a.m. We even somehow managed to swing by Starbucks for some liquid energy!

Harper was so excited to wear her gown and hair cover! She danced around as she exclaimed how much she looked like a doctor. The whole procedure, from initial gas to releasing both tendons to waking up from recovery lasted about one and a half hours. The doctors and nurses came in multiple times while Harper was in recovery to brag about how well she had done during the surgery and even when waking up from the anesthesia.

Once Harper returned from recovery, she was very tired, but happy to see that her teddy also had soft casts, just like her! While being monitored and discharged from the hospital, she was very groggy and tired. That didn’t last long by the time we got home! The girl has been WIRED all day! You would’ve never guess she had a procedure done this morning!

Before being discharged, Harper was determined to get herself dressed and remove her heart monitor stickers by herself with her new thumbs. She didn’t quite understand that she had “boo boos” that needed rest and healing.

We took a VERY long nap and woke up wanting to go for walks. Pesky rain ruined our plans!

She is NOT a fan of the double slings or resting and relaxing for that matter. We have a long two weeks ahead! Maybe decorating our slings with pretty mermaid bows from our MiMi will help!

Our pain level has been relatively low as day 1 comes to a close. We first want to thank the Lord for keeping her safe and healthy during the procedure. Thank you to our family, friends, and those just following her story for the love, thoughts, and continued prayers.

Update:

Harper is out of surgery and doing well. The doctors and nurses said she was an angel! She is very sleepy. We are headed home to get some much needed rest after a long morning.

I’ve never been a fan of the dark. I like lots of light.

When Harper became diagnosed with bilateral congenital trigger thumb and hyper extension of both MCP joints, that’s exactly where I was….in the dark. See the comments for definitions.

In all my research and Facebook postings, I was only able to find one local lol who was going through the same thing we were going through.

To our surprise, the orthopedic surgeon we sought out suggested that surgery was the only viable option for ensuring she wouldn’t experience difficulty and pain later on in life.

So, a surgery was scheduled. To decrease recovery time and time under anesthesia because she is so young, the surgeon opted to perform surgery on both of Harper’s thumbs at the same time. For the next two weeks, Harper will recover while in double arm slings. She is expected to wear these as much as possible during the day, as well as at bedtime to help alleviate some of the pain and swelling that she will experience.

Hey y’all! I’d like to take a quick minute to introduce myself and my purpose for starting this page.

I’m just a southern mama living in Middle Georgia. Day to day, I’m an elementary teacher and LOVE what I do! I am so passionate about teaching children. I’ve been teaching for 5 years now.

I am a mother to two beautiful girls, Harper and Hazel, as well as our two fur babies, Sam and Bella.

When I’m not rockin’ the girl mom life, I enjoy crafting (mainly custom t-shirts) and working out. Harper and I also enjoy making cooking videos together.

My purpose for creating this family lifestyle blog is to share our experiences and life moments in hopes that it will inspire and educate others!