BB: The final chapter – coming out of spica…. – Northernmum

by

And breathe.

We are home.

It has been a hell of a week and although the attention and care we have received in hospital has been second to none, it hasn’t gone smoothly, or to plan.

We started last week bouncing with excitement, watching with unrestrained joy as BB’s spica was removed and her hip pronounced fixed.

 

Splitting the orginal spica cast

Seeing those legs splayed out spica style caused a huge wet grin to linger on my face for hours.

BB one hour after spica cast removal

 

We spent the week with friends, playing, and finished it off with a trip to Legoland where the lure of a slide proved to be a fatal mistake.

BB goes on a slide at legoland (no spica)

 

Then Friday afternoon BB ended up in a different hospital to where her hip was operated on and back on a stretcher.

BB in A & E

Initial x rays showed nothing but movement was agony for my daughter and so we booked in for the night and she found solace in her fathers arms.

DDH: after spica
My Daddy

The next day more x rays showed BB’s leg was broken and conversations between the two hospitals began on the best way to treat her leg.

A leg cast was suggested but dismissed on Saturday as putting too much pressure on the hip.  The word spica was brought back into play.

Sunday signalled confirmation, BB was going back into a spica cast for six more weeks.  My heart broke, I had longed to see my smallest cast free for her second birthday in three weeks.

To add insult to injury the hospital didn’t have anyone to put a spica on so it was suggested that we moved 80 miles to her hip hospital, and then they changed their minds….  Again.

Conversations continued and suddenly darkness fell and we were destined to spend another night in bay 13.  Knowing six weeks of spica lay ahead I spent as much time bathing BB as possible in the hope the cleanness would stick to her.

BB bathing before the spica

Monday came and I wiped away the tears of yesterday.  Then monday finished with the only decision being made that BB would go back into spica in this hospital on Tuesday when the expert was in.

BB’s baby got a raw deal, we put her back in spica first.

Baby Doll in spica

Finally four days after we broke BB she was placed back into a gown, wheeled into theatre, put gently to sleep and her legs wrapped up once more.

Just before BB's spica goes on

 

Then it all went wrong.

BB returned from theatre barely able to breathe in the new cast and had to return immediately for it to be cut.

This was the end result.

 

The new spica cast

I hope even to a non spica parent you can see this isn’t right.  Within moments she developed dry skin, red patches and bits started to fall off.
The doctors had gone home, we checked back in for night number five.

The next day we met the chap who originally diagnosed BB with hip dysplasia.  He spoke to us, agreed the cast was no good and said to take it off.  He took his mobile from his pocket and called his friend, BB’s hip surgeon.

Five minutes later he returned, a new care plan prepared.

No spica, not six weeks in cast.

One leg cast, lightweight to not distress the hip.  Ten days till removal.

BB will be out of cast for her second birthday.

 

One broken leg = one cast

Lots of questions remain,

Why did she have a general anaesthetic when a spica wasn’t needed.

Why were we given the anxiety of a potential six weeks in spica when the reality is less.

Why did it take six days and a lot of pain and distress for my one year old daughter to endure?

 

But we are home and happy; and completely flipping exhausted.

We  may have *borrowed* some cast styling materials to keep BB looking funky….

BB : Home and with her new stripey cast

 

 

67 thoughts on “BB: The final chapter – coming out of spica…. – Northernmum”

  1. I think what she’s gone through is awful and I hope you’ll complain. So need the NHS to get act together and stop doing this to ppl. Am very glad you’ve got it sorted though.

  2. and breathe and drink gin, and think its not long till the weekend…….

    And for BB – yes its been hell, yes they *ducked up* as my phone liked to put it, but at least no damned spica!! I know you’ll take the leg cast over that and lets start that 10 day count down and then it’ll be second time lucky!

  3. Oh my goodness Jane – I can;t even begin to imagine what you’ve been through. Just been catching up on what’s gone on. I’m so glad that she is just in the one cast and will be out of that for her birthday. She is so brave, as are you. Big hugs you lovely beautiful lady xx

  5. It’s a dreadful tale but the outcome is so much better than it was 24 hours ago ..onwards & upwards for all of you. Also, haven’t read your blog for a few weeks so not seen your pics for a while – BB is just getting more and more gorgeous – and still smiling! – what a little star she is. x

  7. What a dreadful time you’ve had but now you can all look forward to BB’s birthday plaster free. Unless of course you want/need to get plastered!

  8. It’s not great news that she’s in a cast but I’m thrilled for you that she’s not back in spica and you are home!! You’re a great mum x

    Gin. Get the gin open!

  10. bloody hell, what a complete nightmare Jane – how you have kept your marbles and patience is beyond me – so happy that they sorted BB out in the end – what an enormous relief

  11. oh and just to say I love how BB’s baby gets the same cast treatment in each photo, first sepia, then single white cast then she too is treated to funky stripes! hehe

  12. Oh my goodness Jane I’m so sorry you, your little girl and family have gone though such a hard and difficult time. I’m pleased she will be out her cast by her 2nd birthday. She is just beautiful btw, but I guess you totally know that already.xxx

  13. Dearest darling Jane.
    I have been following (read lurking) your week from hell and have been at a loss for words. I know how excited you were on the day before the spica came off.And how lovely for you all to have had a trip out together. The bad luck that ensued – you couldn’t make it up. Then everything else that has gone on. Fuck, you all need a seriously lovely holiday (NOT an NHS holiday ;)) to recover from this. Having lived in Turkey where there is no free health service and hospitals perform unnecessary operations in order to earn their monthly quota (and where they also broke Aleyna at birth) I do have a huge amount of respect for our NHS system. However miscommunication leading to what seems to be an unnecessary general anaesthetic given to a toddler is quite shocking to me. Huge huge love to you all. And bless that little girl who continues to smile. Love you xxxxxxxx

    • The NHS have brought my three beautiful children into the world, I have a lot of time for the system, nothing is perfect and this week we saw a completely different side.

      however one bad experience does not the norm make!

      xxxx

  14. So pleased that blasted spica is off. But not that you and my gorgeous BB had to endure all that when it could have been fixed with one simple leg cast. I think you deserve a glass of wine on Saturday.

  15. Lost for words… shocking honey. I really thought things had improved since my days of going through it but seems there are still incapable people out there. I hope you get some answers honey and I am so glad that it is just a one leg cast and not for long too. Yey to 2nd birthday celebrations! xxx

  16. Holy cow! Way to get your hopes up, then have them dashed, dashed even more, then soften the blow! That is top news! Not good news, obviously, had it been a week ago, but top news as of 2 days ago! I hope she heals well x

  17. Brilliant that she isn’t in the cast for the next six weeks – and she’ll be out in time for her 2nd birthday. Such a shame that you had all the preamble, but I guess you have to hold onto the idea that this was the right way for it to go. xxx

  19. I’m so sorry for all you’ve been through. I know it’s hard to see little ones spend even a fraction of their childhood in a cast in hospital. My youngest cousin was in the same kind of cast for months when she was very small. She is now an anaesthesiologist, and I couldn’t think of a better doctor to be around small children as she knows so very well what they’re going through. Hopefully through all this BB will grow stronger – and you’ll just have to start saving right now to put her through medical school!

  21. O no what a bloody roller coaster ride you have all been on …eventually reaching a happy ending conclusion! I hope it all goes well with this new cast and the weeks will fly by. There are a lot of serious questions that need to be answered and I truly hope you get peace of mind and some answers. x
    I actually held my breath through that middle part of your blog x
    Rachel.

  22. That sounds so much better today. She does look very funky. I hope you all get some well deserved rest and that this is really the last stage before BB is free to enjoy her legs.

  24. I am so glad to see BB looking so happy in that last photo. What a week for all of you. I hope the next ten days fly by, and then you can all put this week behind you.

  25. Oh what a week you have been through. But the relief of knowing that she will be out of cast in 10 days must give a silver lining. Still alot of unnecessary mistakes and poor judgement was made.

  26. What an awful mess, it’s very worrying to read that so many errors of judgement still happen. Thank goodness you’re home now xx

  27. The last picture say’s it all ‘stuff the rest of it I am happy now!!!’

    Though slightly worried you are going to miss than warm value tea 😉 xxx

  30. Oh what a relief. I’m so pleased she didn’t need to go back in the spica, she is absolutely adorable and that photo of her sleeping on Daddy brought a tear time eye. Bless her 🙂 x

  31. Poor BB :0( I can’t believe you were put through all that unnecessarily, I’ve just read the last couple of posts about this and have tears streaming down my face. You’ve really been put through it. So glad she didn’t need to go back into spica though. I can’t believe she will be 2 soon! She gets more adorable every time I see her :0)

  33. I’m just catching up ….sounds like you had more than your fair share of crapness last week but I’m so pleased that BB doesn’t have to go back in Spica…..and she really is such a beautiful little girl & is so rocking that stripy cast!
    x

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  35. My heart goes out to BB and all of you. My own hip dysplasia was discovered when I was 2-1/2 years old, by my orthopedic-surgeon uncle. My course of treatment was much longer, involving a full body plaster cast for 1-1/2 years, plus braces for another year. The ” big test” my mother described when the casts were sawed off (yes, with a power saw) is that I could stand and bear my own weight. I could, and so I began swim therapy. The message here is that treatments do improve, and new treatments continue to develop and be tested. My surgeon knew the hip sockets created by the treatment wouldn’t last forever, but by the time I was 40 and needed something new, total hip replacements had been developed. I’ve had both hips replaced, I’m now almost 70 and I am in better shape than many of my friends. Love your family, thank your doctors and caregivers for all they have done, have faith that medical treatments and those who need them will continue to improve. Hugs to all of you.

    • I am a nurse in paediatric orthopaedics and it is really interesting and educational to read your experiences. While I love looking after patients in full or half spicas my heart goes out to them and their families. It is just so difficult to get around once the child is over say 1 yr. Unfortunately we are seeing more and more kids having failed spicas and surgery, which is devastating for the parents who have endured with the agony of spicas for up to a year total of the childs life. I could definitely see issues with the spica case you posted !! Ours are all neatly cast fibreglass in funky colours (I recommend purple or a dark one for anyone reading as the lighter colours look pretty gross when it is time to come off). Bless you and your family xx

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