Her Legs Feel "Normal"!

Fiona is doing great. She is completely off the Fentanyl, and as a result was also able to come off all the leads (the cords that measure heart rate, oxygen saturation and repirations). She still has her IV in, for the Valium, but the cord isn't attached to the Fentanyl pump anymore, so she is free to move her arms around. The last time she was bathed and changed, she wanted to lie on her back, so she went to sleep with her arms above her head. Her dad likes to sleep that way too.

She is currently awake, chewing on a cheerio and watching Sprout. The TV in her room is great. It is a small screen that is attached to what looks like the Canada space arm. So she can be in any position in the bed, and the TV can be brought to her eye level.

It was a grey day today, and I didn't get out for a walk, mostly because she was awake a lot more, and I didn't want to leave her. I did enjoy an afternoon Blizzard (the Dairy Queen kind - the cafeteria makes them... very dangerous for someone in search of comfort food) and a big plate of macaroni and cheese.

So on to the real excitement on this post. I have been trying to assess the condition of her legs. I read that you can tell the difference immediately, but I didn't want to man-handle her too much. Today, after changing and rolling her, I couldn't resist. I took a hold of each leg, and gently tried to straighten it, and it went! Toward the end of the movement, Fiona pushed back, but she has so much more extension than before. Then I gently held her foot in the palm of my hand, while pressing down on her thigh. Then I tried to bend her foot at the ankle. Again success! Her left foot is still a little turned in, and she resists more on that side, but she is not in any pain or complaining when I do this. In a nutshell, when I just pick up her leg, it is like Maddi's. Loose but not floppy. She is in control of the movement of her leg and resists me at certain points, but she is also relaxed. It is like new legs. Doesn't even seem like the same kid. Because of all the sheets and blankets, it seems like the top half is Fiona and the bottom half is a leg transplant. It is very surreal for me. I am VERY happy. Still, there is a little sense of loss. Those other little stiff legs served her the best they could. They are the same legs. See. I'm having trouble even accepting that! Same legs only better.

Now I am VERY curious to see how strong she will be on her feet. I guess we won't find that out until tomorrow afternoon.

Another nice surprise was that her feet don't seem any more sensitive than they were before the operation. I had read that there is extra sensitivity (like pins and needles) after SDR. She kind of reacts when anyone messes with her socks, but nothing drastic. She is able to splay her toes as well. The increased sensitivity may reveal itself when she is bearing weight.

I am so excited to see her in PT tomorrow! I can't wait for her to be off all the drugs, to see if she can articulate how her legs are feeling for her. As much as we all might think this will be a great feeling for Fiona, she has not known anything else in her life but tone, so the change could be very unsettling for her. It might even feel bad too her. I have to be prepared for this as well.

I'm going to go feed her, and try to take some pictures.