Goodbye Fixator Number 2!

Daniel had his second fixator removed yesterday after 12 weeks.  Daniel had been getting constant pin site infections and had been on and off antibiotics for quite a while.  On Saturday we had our first trip to Accident and Emergency in Singapore with another pin site infection.  The doctor took an x-ray which we sent to Dr Paley on Tuesday.  He saw that the actual pins were quite loose in the bone and there was space around the pin which was causing the pin site infections.  "Fixator pins loose. that’s why he is having infections. Ready for removal". Ready for Removal?  Shane, Daniel and I were literally jumping for joy reading these words!

I emailed Daniel's new consultant at KK Women and Children's Hospital, Mr Arjandes on Tuesday night.  He replied that night and rang us Wednesday morning to say he could do it on Thursday.  I rang the insurance company and all the paperwork was done by Wednesday night.  A dream compared to the long winded and frustrating funding application process we had to go through last time Daniel's fixator was removed.  It was also great not having to organise flights to the US, worrying the whole time that Daniel would get a cold (which he always has done!) and we would be on the plane back.

We are loving KK Women and Children's Hospital so far.  The staff are lovely and it is SO organised.  We get text messages reminding us of appointments and while sitting in the waiting room telling us how many people there are ahead of us.

We had to be at the hospital at 7am.  Daniel's spirits were pretty good.  Daniel managed to get carpet burn on his nose in the admissions area while running around and diving on the floor!  He started to get scared once the pre-op checks started and Shane got dressed in his operating theatre wear.  He remembers what happened last time so I don't blame him.  We managed to bribe him with the promise of a chocolate bar after the surgery to take his pre-med this time without spitting it out (it tastes disgusting - business idea - design a pre-med that kids actually like!).  He was very happy when he went in, lolling about and laughing at iPhone videos of Max walking (see below).

The surgery was over really quickly and we were in recovery with Daniel in about an hour.  It all went smoothly.  Daniel's post surgery reaction in recovery - not so much!  He had a tantrum which lasted about 40 minutes yelling out, "I want my fixator back on".  He did this last time his fixator was removed and except for the big 10 hour surgeries where he has no energy left and he is drugged to the eyeballs, he usually has a big tantrum that subsides once he has something to eat.  Those that know Daniel will know that you can't deprive Daniel from food for too long and the nil by mouth requirement is not really his thing.

After recovery, we went back to the ward where we stayed until 5pm once the staff were happy he was ready to go home.  With no pin site cleaning tonight and no exercises until we start again on Monday, we didn't quite know what to do with ourselves.  We are looking forward to our first fixator free weekend!

From Monday, Daniel has more agressive physiotherapy ahead of him to make sure that his hip does not refuse.  The fixator was in place to distract or separate the femur from his hip so that the fusion did not reoccur.  Without the fixator in place anymore, we have to hope that with normal daily motion and physiotherapy, it will not refuse.  We recall Dr Paley saying that if it has not refused six weeks post removal, we should be all okay.

Waiting to go into operating theatre.  Note the screwdriver Shane is holding.
We brought our own screwdriver (from Maplin on Edgware Road, London)
for the consultant to use to take the fixator off!

An ice-cream treat on our way home.  I had to go out and
buy some shorts last night that don't have a hole for the fixator!

We got to bring the fixator home (and our screwdriver).
Note the long pins that went into Daniel's bone (ouch!) .
The kids have had fun playing with all the parts.

Posted By Kristen (Daniel's Mum)