Anyone like Roller Coasters?

3 weeks down and 1 to go!!!!!  Yahoo!!!!  The follow up appointment is next Thursday, and I think it could go without saying (I'm going to anyways) we can hardly wait.  I admit time has gone by faster than I thought it would and both kiddos have been super amazing.  Braiden has been sleeping a bit more and eating a bit less, which seems normal to me.  His body needs the extra rest and he's been pretty immobile so he doesn't need as much food (kinda nice for a change).  He hasn't taken anything for pain since his third day home, so that is great!  He has been tolerating being dependent on everyone pretty well, not too much crankiness and his patience level has certainly grown (not a strength of his) and, if I'm being honest, my patience level is growing also (most days).  Sebaztian has been remarkable, little to no jealousy or irritation over how much of my time Braiden has been getting.  In fact, he has been a super helper, he is really serving his family well in this challenging time.  Many times if Braiden asks for something and I start to get up, Sebaztian will stop me and go do it for me.  He does from time to time seem to get overwhelmed by it all, he pushed Braiden off the couch once and he can be more sensitive than normal (he's a sensitive kiddo as it is).  But, all in all they both have been awesome!

 I've been asked many times "So, will this take care of it? Will everything be all good now?"  The truth is nobody knows.  He will have at least one more surgery in a year or so to remove the plate and screws, that's about the only I know for sure.  No two cases of Perthes are alike....it's just unpredictable.  He is still in the fragmentation stage (dead bone being reabsorbed) the bone hasn't started growing back yet.  So, we still have  a ways to go.

It was exactly 1 year ago today that Braiden was diagnosed with Perthes.  Talk about a roller coaster ride and a good one at that.....one that totally gets your adrenaline up, makes you dizzy and then slows down and when you least expect it, it hits you with some serious loop-de-loops making you completely disoriented and out of sorts.  Oh, and it seems to never end.