Surgery Update

Lauren went into surgery at 7:20 this morning and came out at 11:45.  

My sleepy bear...

 She is responding really well!  Hasn't cried one time and does not appear to be in any pain from her feet.  Which is a good and bad thing.  I don't want her to be in pain, but if she was it means that she could feel her feet.  I suspected that she wouldn't be able to feel, but I was hoping:)  

They ended up releasing and correcting tendons and bones.  She has stitches and temporary pins coming out of each foot.  They are wrapped well within her hot pink casts.  We're just checking for swelling...  Over the next few weeks we need to be watching for any signs of infection or blistering... Which is hard with casts on and without her being able to tell us.  

So fever and or consistent irritability is key.   Plan is to take these casts off and the pins out in 6 weeks, then make molds for new AFO's, then recast for 4 more weeks.  This doesn't seem so bad. 

Her casts before the sisters get a hold of a marker and finger nail polish;)

As far as urology is concerned, they decided that her defect was rather high, which can make things a bit more difficult to fix.  As discussed in the past, we're still thinking that her colostomy will be permanent, therefore allowing less surgical work for her rectal tract later on.

At this point, which it could change, we believe that she has little to no bladder control.  Which means that once the urine is made, it doesn't hang out in bladder and come out in bulk-it just comes out once it's made (her bladder doesn't hold the urine).  If this is the case, less surgical work to urinary tract will be needed as well.  She would use a catheter through her abdomen straight into her bladder to urinate.  This would obviously be a surgical procedure and this too would be a permanent solution for urinating.  

All this being said, it may turn out that they will just have to close off each of the fistulas (or bridges) between each tract and just really focus on the vaginal one.  During today's procedure they discovered that she has two vaginas (yes, you read it correctly), which apparently is common with a urogenital sinus defect.  So, when they work on these things, they would correct her vagina as well giving her just one.

You know, right now her defects aren't presenting any problems and if this is the case she probably won't have these surgeries for another year.  They want her to be larger and when she's about 2 (when typical children begin to potty train)  would be a good time to address these issues.

I'll be following urology in SB clinic still and we'll stay on top of and monitor things, but for time being this is the plan.

Thank you all who have followed and prayed right along side of us during her journey.  I am incredibly blessed to know such wonderful people!  

Love,

McGinnis Family