Magic Leg Day is Finally Here !

This was the proto-type leg we tried first. The foot was the wrong color ...




























Here she is with her leg. She grabbed it from Mark with a smile as large as her birth country !













First with the walker and after about 10 minutes ...















she was off and running !

The cast is off ... the journey continues ...

Tomorrow

The hospital called last night to ask a million and one questions and give some pre-op directions. They did say that we would be getting another call today with more information and more questions ! (Is that possible???)

We have gotten the fabric for the upper part of the magic leg. We settled on pink cammo ... hopefully we can match the aluminum shaft part to the fabric ...

ONE, yes ONE more day !!!

Not counting today because it is half way over ... we are down to 1 day !!!

We need to be at the hospital by 8:45 for her 10:00 appointment. Looks like Wednesday will be an early one !!!



This is out toga that turned into a loin cloth ... you can see the cast beginning to unravel!

2 1/2 days ...

We are into "cast-off" week ! Yeah !! Good thing because I swear mold is beginning to grow ... nasty!

5 days ...

5 days and counting down ...

6 days and counting ...

Here is the cast at just about it lowest point ... it has been vomited on, urinated in, gotten wet in the bath and is coming unwrapped ...

Count Down to the Cast Off !

One week from tomorrow ~yeah.

Hanger Day

What the components and leg will look like and do!


Up and ready in the rain! Off to find out about the magic leg!

Of course we are going to do a little shopping with Sissy !!

We met with Gail from Hanger in Bangor. She will be seeing us again on the 5th at the hospital. So much of what will happen next will depend on how Luo's leg looks. More than likely, she will get a support stocking to help with any swelling and after that a trip to Hanger in Augusta for the casting to make the upper part of her magic leg.

Her prosthetic will come up above the knee, with a metal shaft and metal foot. The foot will be covered in a flesh covering to look "real". The upper part of her leg will look however we want it to ... it can be flesh covered or we can pick any fabric that they will work into the mold. Kind of cool if you ask me !!!

Once the mold is done and the rest created, the leg will be on and she will be off and running ...

As we sat in the office looking at examples of legs and feet, Luo took the foot and held it to her "fin" and looked at me as if to say,"this is what I am getting, right?" We talked about what would be happening after the cast and she smiled. I know she understands what is coming her way and is really excited to have it !

July 24th ... our first trip to the orthotist

This Friday we are meeting with Luo's orthotist to get information about her "magic" leg. This will be the first real conversation we have had about exactly what she will be fitted with and how it will work.

This is the beginning of something great for Luolin! She watches kids run, jump and dance and wants to do the same. As soon as she has her prosthetic and is used to it, she will be right there with them!

We have been very lucky thus far with her surgery and recovery. About the worst thing that has happened is that she was carsick and threw up all over her cast ! It has been a tough summer trying to keep the cast clean and DRY (shat is that?) ... it will b nice for everyone once it is removed !

We will keep you posted an what is happening next ... for now we have a rambunctious three year old with a strong will and a mind of her own ...

Pics ... Luo's first time out on the boat

(not sure what happened here ...)

July 4th and 5th

Nothing better than a "foffee" ice cream cone after a great day in the boat!

Sissy making things better ...

Luo and mom at the fireworks ... she was not impressed ...

July 4th started out with a 5 K race with mom and sissy ... by the time we got to the finish line, mommy was carrying Luolin and sissy was pushing an empty stroller !! Good times ~

In the evening, we went to the fireworks ... in the rain. Not one of Luo's favorite things to do ...

Really good example of what's to come ...

Luo's "fin" all wrapped and safe in the cast ...

Both of the addresses below are from the Hanger Company. It is really amazing what they are able to do with technology and artificial limbs ...

The first address is about the type of amputation Luo has. The video is really amazing!
The second address talks about pediatric prosthetics. I love the picture of the little girl wearing flip flops !


http://www.hanger.com/ProstheticsOrthotics/LowerExtremityProstheticsProgram/Pages/Symes.aspx

http://www.hanger.com/ProstheticsOrthotics/LowerExtremityProstheticsProgram/Pages/Pediatric.aspx

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig ...

Helping with the new kitchen floor ...

Luo's HOT walker !

Sitting in her Luo sized chair playing video games ...

Day two of being home with the "amputee with and attitude" ... it is amazing how three has kicked in so quickly!!!

Like so many people have said, Kids heal and adapt so quickly. Luolin is living proof of that! Within just a couple of days she has weaned herself from her pain meds (yeah), figured out how to get around with her cast, gotten REALLY good about the potty and pretty much mastered her walker. She is an amazing kid!

The morning after ...

We had a fairly good night with the usual hospital interruptions ... Luo slept lots and was quite comfortable. She has gotten really good with the BP cuff and finger thingy ... as soon as the nurse comes in the arm and finger are up.

This morning when all of the med wore off, she was in quite a lot of pain, so they brought in the morphine to calm her down. Right now she is resting comfortably and the hope is she will stay that way through out the day!

We are here ...

In the pre-op area getting ready to go!

Luolin, Kurt and I are in Bangor for the night. We will head to the hospital around 6:30 ... stay tuned.

We arrived at the hospital around 6:45, got checked in and met our first nurse, Linda. We spent time in the pre-op area watching TV, meeting with doctors and getting ready. Luo recognized her doctor when he walked in! She handled everything very well.

Her anesthesiologist came and spoke to her and asked if either mom or dad were going in while she went to sleep. I decided to go. She was very good about everything ... within minutes, she was wired up and ready to sleep. It didn't take long after that for her eyes to close. As I walked out, I saw her surgeon, who gave me a nod and a smile.

Here we sit waiting ...

Luo Turns THREE!

The day after with her new iPod and headphones ... listening to Raffi ...

At home after dinner ... pic taken with her new camera from her sister

Ole !

Her new ride ...

Cycling with Daddy

Today we celebrated Luolin's third birthday ...

We had lunch with Scott and Sissy after shopping for a new birthday outfit. We couldn't decide on what type of cake we wanted, so we made both ... a 4 layer extravaganza ... we had a family dinner at Margarita's complete with a burrito, a sombrero and singing! We then came home to cake and presents ... it was a very good day!

Beginning to Freak Out ...

Less than a week from now we will be in Bangor with Luo. Her surgery will be complete ... stage one anyway.

On the 18th we met with her surgeon ... he gave us the following information.

The surgery will take between 2 and 3 hours. He explained what they will do and how they will do it. Her little foot will be removed, then tissues will be moved to create her weight bearing stump. They will straighten the lone leg bone, putting in a pin for it to heal. She will be stitched up and ready to go. She will have a type of soft cast on her lower leg and will have to be pretty low key. (Ya right) About a month after the initial surgery we will return to the operating room to have the pin removed. Here is where they will measure for her "magic leg" which she will have about 2 weeks after that. Then she will have to get used to it - which he feels won't be a problem. Everything is hinging on how she handles the pain and how quickly she heals.
We did have new xrays done with her standing. There is a definite difference between the length of her big leg from hip to knee and her little leg. The doctor wasn't sure how that would all play out in the future, so we will have to wait and see. Hopefully as she grows, that leg will catch up somehow ...

We will be heading to Bangor on the 28th, spending the night and getting to the hospital early on the 29th. She is his first case in the morning ...

Keep Luo in your thoughts ... stay tuned!

A Little Taste of Home

I think we have found Luolin's comfort foods !!

Tonight, for the first time, we ate local Chinese food. It was a total hit with Luo!! I think she ate more than her big brother did ...

With each passing day we see our daughter growing and changing ... her English is coming along very well, the potty is a good place to leave things ... she loves her daycare provider and all of her friends there and most of all she knows that she is loved by all of us and is really becoming an affectionate little girl. Not so sure that there was many hugs and kisses where she came from ...

The Budding Artist

Here is Luolin painting a ceramic bowl that a friend made for her. I think we may have another artist in the family!