(no subject)

[the_rck]

I’m annoyed with myself. Last night, around 2:00, I was half to three quarters asleep and somehow got the idea that Cordelia no longer needed painkillers, so I deleted all the alarms on my cell phone that would tell me what to give her when. Fortunately, I woke up further before we’d gotten much past when she was due for the next dose, but… That could have been bad. And I had to recreate all of the alarms. The times are easy enough; it’s remembering whether this particular dose should be ibuprofen or Tylenol that’s hard.

Also, when I got up to give Cordelia medicine at 7:00, my left ankle (so not the one I injured last year) hurt a good bit. That kept me from getting back to sleep between then and when Cordelia needed me to help her get to the bathroom. It mostly is hurting at rest and doesn’t seem to be worse when I put weight on it, but it feels like it should hurt more when I put weight on it, if that makes sense. I’ve wrapped it to see if that helps at all.

Cordelia’s pediatrician’s office sent me an electronic copy of the form for the school so that they’ll give Cordelia medication in the middle of the day. Unfortunately, there were two problems. The first was that the dose was wildly wrong. It said 4 milliliters when it should have said either 20 milliliters or 4 teaspoons. The second problem was that the words 'Error! Reference not found.' covered the bottom of the first page, obscuring the text that was supposed to be there. I have asked them to correct and resend, but I’m not sure when they’ll get to it.

Cordelia’s friends persuaded her to sit at the dining room table for a couple of hours, playing games. We used a stool with a folded blanket on it to prop up her leg since having it hang down hurts a lot. They played Apples to Apples, either Jr or Disney (I wasn’t paying attention to that) and Pandemic. They actually won the Pandemic game.

Cordelia tried to go out the front door yesterday afternoon with me behind her and her friend in front of her, but she got too scared that she’d fall and didn’t make it even onto the porch. There’s a step down from both the front door and the back door to their respective porches. I haven’t measured, but my best guess is between two and four inches. I’m pretty sure that Cordelia will feel safer doing this with Scott because she knows that he can carry her if he has to. Scott spent a good bit of time last night, after we were in our bedroom, looking at instructional videos online to find out how to use crutches on stairs.

I emailed Cordelia’s teachers and principal to ask if we could have a meeting before Cordelia faces a full day at school. Cordelia has asked for that, and I think it’s reasonable and shouldn’t take very long. She just wants to talk to her two main teachers (or even just her advisory teacher) to be sure that we have a plan for things like where she’ll sit in each class and who’ll carry her stuff from class to class and whether or not she gets an elevator key, and, if not, how she will reach the person who needs to give her access to the elevator when she needs him. Cordelia thought we could do the meeting before school on Wednesday, but I also suggested after school on Tuesday. The teachers may not go for after school because they’ll be coming off of the over night field trip, but if they’re willing, I think it would be better not to have the deadline of school starting hanging over the conversation.

Comments

alarms

[dialecticdreamer]

change the noise -the alarm sound- for the time, based on which med she's to take. It REALLY helps!

Re: alarms

[the_rck]

I'll see if I can figure out how to do that. It's probably easy enough, but my brain is trying to dribble out my ears from the stress and broken sleep.

Re: alarms

[dialecticdreamer]

LOL- I made hubby set them. *G*

Separately, the stairs.

[dialecticdreamer]

Going up or down stairs with crutches is a skill. She SHOULD have been shown how to use the crutches when she got them, ESPECIALLY for more than level surfaces as you have more than one story in your home. It is worth PESTERING the pediatrician or the orthopedist (more likely) to make SURE she gets the current, relevant information she needs, which likely means a visit to a physical therapist (PT.

Basically, Cordelia is now the person with three feet. Most often the crutches will work together, as one foot, and her good foot is the other one.

Stairs-up.
1--PLANT those crutches comfortably, and solidly, about shoulder width apart, then step up with the good foot. DO NOT PUT MUCH weight there, it's just to get ready.

2- MOVE the crutches up to the step, taking the weight and stride as she is used to-- the hesitation is more to allow for the space the crutches need and to keep from banging the tips into the riser ahead, which can freaking HURT if the vibrations are strong enough.

THE HESITATIONS will disappear, often in a few hours of use, but practicing with a single-step area is WAY better than trying stairs up to the second floor.

Stairs DOWN-
1-Get ready, make sure there is plenty of clear space for her movements, as this is the 'unfamiliar' movement. Having a spotter is great.

2- Move the crutches, together, down. They- and her arms- are going to be taking her weight for this, so keep them a little closer than shoulder width so there's less chance of splaying or slipping.

3- Transition her weight down, lifting her good foot MORE than usual, as a thump can actually cause her to twist in reaction. Plant the good foot.

4- CHECK everything, THEN ease her weight evenly between the crutches and her good foot. This step will also disappear with practice.


I am NOT- NOT- NOT a professional. When I was about Cordelia's age, I had surgery that required me to be on crutches for weeks on end, and since I have always been concerned (paranoid) about falling, the PT broke down the steps and explained them, and specifically had me learn to use the crutches on a level surface walking between the parallel bars in the PT room. DROPPING the crutch if she feels like she's starting to fall is a GOOD idea if there's any fixed surface to grab-a door frame- or HEAVY furniture to grab.

BTW, Please! Pass onto Cordelia as much of this reply as she'd be interested in, along with my assurances that it took only a couple of weeks for me to go from "these are strange and alien objects" to using the same crutches to navigate the uneven heights and VERY narrow spacing of getting on and off a school bus, along with that what, foot-wide aisle between seats-- without much extra thought at all. Kids leaving their backpacks in the aisle were more bother! After awhile I was also doing a wide "Monkey Swing" lope in lieu of running when getting between classes, which was admittedly FUN... so I might've looked for extra opportunities to use it!

Last note- for the hand blisters and soreness-- pick up some good quality lotion, (I prefer aloe-based)-- and pick up a sheet of sticky moleskin. Apply to the hand grips if they're the hard rubber kind, just fitting as wide a grip around the top half of each handle as the sheet allows-- right where the top edge of HER palm sits, which may not be the twelve o'clock top.

Re: Separately, the stairs.

[the_rck]

Thank you for all the advice! I will pass it along.

Scott and Cordelia managed to get her out of the house twice today and then back in, all under her own power. At this point, I think she mainly needs enough practice for the movements to be reflex. I know that, for getting up and sitting back down, she has the most trouble when she hesitates and starts thinking about what she needs to do, and I'd expect this to be similar.

I mean, yes, if circumstances change at all, she needs to stop and think. We still could, in theory, get icy weather, for example. I'm hoping not, but March/April in Michigan can get nasty. But, if our front steps and the sidewalks are icy, I may have her go to school late, after things thaw a bit.

Re: Separately, the stairs.

[dialecticdreamer]

THIS is why I absolutely will not consider moving somewhere I have to deal with snow and ice. My stepdad was at school again (after his retirement, so... pushing seventy?) and slipped on an icy patch of street in Missouri. He broke his nose. His graduation picture looks like a mug shot. GREAT family story now, but terrifying at the time due to various complications with the break and the swelling and and and.

I am amused and gratfuel for the myriad California weathers I do deal with, none of which can be called "flurries" or "snowstorms," though we do deal with ice periodically and idiots who think hoarfrost is a sign of the Apocalypse -- and drive accordingly.

Re: Separately, the stairs.

[the_rck]

A girl who lived a block further from the school than we do broke her leg in third grade (ice skating field trip). When she came back to school, it was January, and her mother had to drive her to school every single day because it wasn't safe for her to try to walk that distance.

Re: Separately, the stairs.

[dialecticdreamer]

I FULLY understand that decision, from both the exhausting-early-days on crutches AND the parent's worry. I hope you can arrange something which meets your family's needs well before Cordelia needs it.

Re: Separately, the stairs.

[the_rck]

Driving Cordelia to and from school isn't an option for two reasons. The first and foremost is that I can't drive and don't have access to a car even if I could. The second is that cars aren't allowed in the school parking lots during drop off and pick up. Most parents have to park as far out as where we live or even farther and then walk their kids in.

I think, for this other family I mentioned, that another big factor in driving back and forth was that the third grader had a brother in kindergarten and a sister who wasn't yet three. I really can't see managing a stroller (or worse a free range pre-schooler) *and* a kid on crutches in the snow and ice.

Re: Separately, the stairs.

[dialecticdreamer]

My only other suggestion is to contact the school BUS system, now, and expect to invoke ADA with every breath, in order to get her short-term accommodation (on a short bus, here in CA.)

Our school PICKUP was exactly a mile from the house for a kindergartener, who went to a magnet school, so the district rule was to pick up at "local" address- and because we were at the mile limit, it was the school he should have attended-- BUT they insisted a parent or guardian be present at both pickup and dropoff.

I had a todder in tow. I have CP and waking issues. NOW major walking issues. So I was walking four MILES each day, and the school was NOT changing the pickup. I fought all the way up the state Ed ladder, bussing, calls to my representatives for a MONTH, but it was a permanent change in sites- to the church a block away from my house.

BUT-- AND I KID YOU NOT-- I could've had HIS site and bus temporarily changed due to an injury (like he broke a leg) inside a week. They had arrangements in place for that, but WOULD NOT renew after the temporary time limit expired.

BTW, tell Cordelia that this story is one the oldest dosn't WANT me to tell unless it's important. THIS is important. SHE is important, and I can picture you riding up the phone and email flags until you get what you need for her. Fortunately, BEING a temporary change may make this much simpler for you.

AND, not being in California.

Re: Separately, the stairs.

[the_rck]

Oh, and technically, we only have one level to the house. She doesn't need to go into the basement for anything, and that's the only interior stair.

The steps to the front and back doors, though, are pretty much universal around here. Many houses have more steps than we do. I'd have been pleased if they'd shown Cordelia how to handle steps. Instead, the guy who brought the crutches adjusted them to her height and had her go up and down the hallway a couple of times.

I'm expecting a referral for PT, but that will probably mean something in April, after she's been back at school for a week.

Re: Separately, the stairs.

[dialecticdreamer]

Sigh. That's not instruction- that's ASSUMED instruction. He ASSUMED that she wasn't having any problems and didn't ASK. STAIRS area problem everywhere. Outside, they're usually called CURBS. Grumblemumble, what a JERK! Honestly, if you have the spoons to spare for it, it's worth complaining, and explaining all the stress Cordelia has suffered, ESPECIALLY with a basement classroom. What was she supposed to do for the week she has to attend the class? Figure out HOW to handle stairs on her own? NOT COOL.

The process DOES become natural enough that the first few days after she doesn't need them will be just as weird and awkward as the first days without them, so tell her that, too. The good news is that the movements ARE grooved into muscle memory jut like riding a bicycle, so she won't need to relearn them later. (LOL, yes, in my thirties, I needed them again after a different surgery.)

Re: Separately, the stairs.

[the_rck]

I will mention the issue to the orthopedist when we go in on Monday.

I've always been afraid I'd end up needing crutches. I think I'd end up wrecking my wrists.

Re: Separately, the stairs.

[dialecticdreamer]

At this age, or older, my best idea is to use wrist supports (like for RSI/carpal tunnel) which have that steel spoon insert, and adjust my grips to compensate for the wrist braces. If you're worried that carpal tunnel is in your family history, MENTION it to the PT in particular; they will probably make a point of teaching Cordelia best practices, and remind her to do stretching and wrist flexes during her day. Make a habit now to use the same stretches suggested for RSI and heavy typing every time she gets home and puts her leg up after school, and again at some point after dinner. Twice a day when she has no visible NEED for the exercises nevertheless gives her both the skills/information she needs AND and easy habit she can take for granted as much as brushing her teeth or combing her hair.

Re: Separately, the stairs.

[the_rck]

I don't know that there's a family history apart from me. I've never had carpal tunnel, but I've had RSI of various types in my hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Given any excuse, my tendons start complaining. When I was in college and when I was working, I could count on having some sort of injury, often RSI-ish but sometimes due to falls and the like, two to four times a year and lasting for at least a month. I got to know the PT folks at the campus clinic really, really well.

None of my immediate relatives have had this problem, but I'm also the only one with fibromyalgia, so I suspect it relates to that. But I will definitely talk to the PT about it. I don't want Cordelia having those sorts of problems.

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

Here's hoping they agree to the meeting and it will help lower Cordelia's anxiety levels about the logistics of going to school.

[the_rck]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I don't think it's an unreasonable request apart from being right after an over night field trip when those two teachers are going to want to get home to see their own families and get showers and all of that. I don't think we need more than fifteen minutes to half an hour, and teachers usually don't leave the school right when the students do.

[hobbituk.livejournal.com]

I think having the meeting is a very sensible approach to making it easier and for Cordelia to feel happier at going back to school.

Poor lovey is having a horrid time.

[the_rck]

I think she understands that her father and I would take it all away if we could.

Mainly, what she seems to want right now is reassurance that we're not going anywhere, that we'll help her get through.

[bubblesbrnaid]

A meeting is a very good idea, if only to make sure all her teachers are aware of the situation. Sometimes the gossip misses one.

[the_rck]

This is a very small school. There are only between 40 and 45 seventh graders, so there are two teachers for the core subjects, and all the kids spend about 2/3 of their time with those two teachers. Those two already know what has happened, and I emailed the orchestra teacher already. I need to go online and find out which specials Cordelia has this quarter (orchestra runs all year. Other things vary quarter by quarter) and email those teachers.

Cordelia wasn't actually interested in meeting with all of her teachers, just the two main ones. It may be just as well. Some of those teachers cover more than one school and so might not be available.