Update: Arden’s (2nd) Pin Removal Trip

September 14, 2021

The past two weeks have been incredibly busy. There have been quiet moments, but when we’re traveling for Arden’s appointments, it seems like we all become a little extra tired and worn out. Yesterday was the first day in a while that we haven’t had something extra going on. Brodi headed to work and Arden and I had a day at home. Arden relaxed and I checked some items off of our to-do list. Exciting I know!

On Wednesday September 7, we drove down to Edmonton. We weren’t able to leave until Brodi was off work, so it was already a late start for a 5 (plus) hour drive. Unfortunately we made it about an hour away from our house before I realized that I had forgotten Arden’s cooler bag full of his feeds and meds in the fridge. Luckily, Brodi’s mom came to the rescue, grabbed the cooler bag from our house, and met us about halfway back to home. It still cut out a large chunk of time though, and we didn’t arrive in Edmonton at our hotel until around 1AM.

Arden was set to be the first orthopedic surgery case of the day on Thursday, so we arrived at the hospital at 6AM. Pre-admission was shorter than it was last time, as he had just been there and they had already filled out most of his information. Since Arden already had one pin removed from his right foot, it was supposed to be a fairly quick procedure to remove the pin from his left foot. Nonetheless, surgery on my baby still makes me nervous.

The surgery happened at around 8AM. Brodi and I were both able to be with Arden before surgery, and Brodi was allowed into the operating room to be with Arden until he went to sleep. Of course I wanted to be the one to go in with him, but for some reason this week I could NOT keep my emotions in check. I knew that if I went into the OR that I would definitely cry, and I didn’t want that to be the last thing Arden saw before he went to sleep.

The procedure was only supposed to take around 1 hour, but Arden didn’t come out of recovery until around 10-10:30AM. As Arden was going to be admitted overnight in one of the units, we had to wait outside that unit until they wheeled him up from the OR. Brodi napped in a chair and I did my best to keep my eyes open until Arden was wheeled past.

Arden did surprisingly well after surgery. He was alert, happy, and ready to play. We were placed in an “intermediate care environment” (ICE room), where there are 4 patients in the room (with dividing curtains) and two nurses in the room. Arden was ready to play as soon as they were finished taking his vitals. He soon powered out and required a nap though! The room we were in was stuffy…and boring! I love that it was boring, because it means that Arden was doing so well that he didn’t require extra support. We did his care as usual and updated the nurse as we went. Arden napped on and off, requiring tylenol/advil here and there for his pain. However, I think he was just so excited to have his legs free from the casts that he’d worn for months, that he was pleasantly distracted.

During the afternoon, Arden was also able to get an ECG and a holter monitor put on. We were supposed to do both of those things, along with a visit to his cardiologist, next week to check on his ectopic atrial tachycardia and ensure that it hasn’t returned. Doing it this week in the hospital meant that we wouldn’t have to make another trip down to the city, and I could just talk to the cardiologist over the phone.

At around 3:30PM, Arden was doing well, so we asked if there was the potential for him to be discharged that day. If we were to stay in the hospital overnight, Brodi and I would be the only ones allowed in with Arden. Therefore, we would have to take shifts staying up to watch him. (The nurses CAN look after him overnight, but at this age, Arden makes strange, and we would never want him to wake up feeling alone or afraid). About an hour after we had asked, the surgeon came up to chat with us, and he was very happy with Arden’s recovery. He put the order in for discharge, and we were able to return to our hotel around 5:30PM.

Arden rested well that night, and so did we! Like usual, we had brought one of Arden’s night time caregivers with us, so she took care of Arden while we all slept.

On Friday we returned the holter monitor to the hospital, and then Arden had an appointment at the orthotist to get his boots and bar fitted to take home. He was quite perturbed when he realized that his little legs still weren’t going to be free! Just like the casts, the boots and bar will take some time for him to get used to, and in the meantime, may be somewhat uncomfortable. Arden has to wear them full time for at least the next 3 months, and then after that he will just need to wear them during sleep times. Right now, it looks like he’s constantly wearing a tiny snowboard. I feel awful for him because it looks incredibly uncomfortable for sleep!

These interventions are so hard, because we know they do cause some distress. We know that it makes Arden uncomfortable. But we also know that if we don’t do these things now, he will never walk. It’s hard to watch him have this journey, but he is SO strong. The way that Arden recovers and carries on after every bump in the road is nothing short of amazing. We are always so proud of his resilience!

We now have a two week break, and then we’ll be back on the road to take Arden to the trach clinic. At that time we’ll see the ENT, the respirologist, respiratory therapy, and the home nutrition team which includes his dietician, nurse, and speech pathologist.

Until then, we’ll be soaking up the last of the warm (ish) days at home, and Arden will be enjoying his REAL baths now that he’s cast-free.

XO, Rayel