We knew it was coming. We were content to stay with an older doctor with a conservative view of surgery. We prayed she would outgrow it. We tried to keep her knees safe. We did all these things over and over until it became clear that our only option, our only permanent fix (we pray!) was surgery. Bailey's knees have dislocated a combined 13 times since December 2010, but the right knee has been a consistent problem, dislocating a mind-boggling 11 times. The last time it happened, when a friend bumped into Bailey and she came down on it the wrong way, it was so much more painful and swollen than all of the other times before. We knew it was coming. Her semi-retired, good-as-gold, gruff-in-a-kind-sort-of-way orthopedic doctor was unavailable to see her until the following week and we needed answers immediately, so we took the first available appointment with a young, new-to-the-practice doctor. Bailey liked him from the get-go. He told us that surgery was a necessity and that sooner rather than later was best. He and Bailey talked about Scripture. I cried. And we scheduled the surgery for the Monday of fall break week to minimize missed school. With surgery more than a month away, I safely put it out of my mind until it was really time to deal. My entire life, I have worried and worried and WORRIED until I'm exhausted over things in the future. But with kids and my aging brain, I have chosen to focus as much as is humanly possible on today. You'd be amazed at how much more peace I feel by doing that, but it's hard and I often have to force myself to not stew over next week's or next month's challenges. We sprung Bailey from school on the Friday before her surgery and she and her daddy went to Knob Creek, a mega gun show in Kentucky that they love attending! This time, her cousin Sam and his daddy met them and they had a fantastic time together, focusing on everything but her surgery, which was sweet and special for her little mind, and mine. Sunday night, after enjoying a wonderfully fun birthday party for our nephew, we had to face the music. Tomorrow was the big day and we had to get ready. And I wasn't ready, not by any stretch of the imagination. This was my sweet girl, my #1 daughter, my baby, who had never had any sort of invasive medical procedure, who'd never really been sick, outside of that one little trip to the ER several years ago. We were both pretty terrified. But Bailey came up with a fantastic idea that really help channel our nervous energy - draw on her legs! We knew we were going to write "this one" on the knee facing the operation, but we took that about 10 steps further and drew all over both legs . . . with Sharpies! It was so much fun and took our minds off the scariness of the surgery. And I think I even surprised her with my enthusiasm for our little art project! Sometimes, you just have to forget the "rules" and have fun with your kid, and that's exactly what we did!
The next day, we were up bright and early for our 6 a.m. curtain call. It's always eerily quiet at that time of the morning and seems surreal, like people don't REALLY get up that early. We left at 5:15 a.m. to make sure I got my required caffeine fix from Starbucks on the way. Shortly after we arrived, my sweet daddy arrived as well. It was so nice to have someone to talk to and for Bailey to talk to to take her mind off her surgery. We were also blessed by visits from my dear friend, Michele, and our pastor, Daniel, who was just coming back from medical leave following heart surgery. Bailey really likes him and he definitely lightened the mood and put her mind at ease.
Bailey was most terrified by the thought of the IV, so once that was in place, she was much more at ease. Once the "happy juice" was on board, she was goofy and giggly and telling jokes! I was so grateful for that silliness. They wheeled her away to surgery shortly thereafter and we were left to wait in the lobby for our precious girl. Thankfully, the surgery was over fairly quickly and there were no surprises, but I was not prepared for how pale and sickly Bailey looked after her stint in the recovery room. There was some trouble managing her pain and she hurt terribly when we picked her up. Do you remember driving home at a snail's pace with your brand-new baby? Driving home with a child post-surgery is infinitely worse! Once we finally got home and administered the first of several meds Bailey would be taking for the next few days, she was able to rest a bit and so were we. I pray that once Bailey heals completely, she will be able to walk, run, and play without the constant worry of a dislocated knee. We are so thankful for the wisdom of her doctors, the care of her nurses, and the love and prayers of family and friends!
