February 26, 2012

We're back! You might not have known we were gone. Well, we were. Trying to be stealthy and safe by keeping it quiet...Don't want any break-ins...burglars beware, our house is protected! Anyhow, we took a trip to Dallas to meet with Clayton's new orthopedic surgeon and make a plan... We actually have been back since Tuesday, but I've been working hard making up time at work, so I'm a little late on posting...We spent pretty much all day Monday at the hospital. We met with the nurse, the fellow and then briefly saw the doctor before heading off to do X-rays and then meeting with the doctor again. Clayton was not cooperative that morning and as luck would have it, he was the only child misbehaving in the waiting area. Always fun when people stare at you while you try and quiet your screaming child. Thankfully, somewhere between the X-rays he changed his tune and spent the rest of the afternoon being super patient...at least as patient as a four year old can be. After the X-rays, we went back and after a good sized wait, got to talk with the doctor. We talked for a while and went over various scenarios. He explained that it would be difficult to decide which surgery to do until we see how Clayton responds to halo-wheelchair traction. He feels that while we are doing traction, we can get to know him and he can get to know Clayton and we can all decide what the best option will be. I felt really good about the visit despite the fact that the idea of my baby in a medieval-like contraption made want to run from the room and catch my breath; which of course I couldnt do, I had to stand there like a rational mother; not the distraught mother picturing her life for a month or more living in a hospital in Dallas with a child in wheelchair traction while my other half is back in Alabama working. Yep, just me and Clayton all alone in Dallas...for a while. Hearing that information, is the moment where you literally feel everything coming to the surface and you just have to try like hec to suppress it. I knew going into this he was going to need the traction, but hearing it and making a plan just makes it so much more real. Its hard to wrestle with the idea of putting Clayton through traction while he is healthy and cancer free. I hate that he has to spend any of his healthy days in a hospital and making the decision to move forward with this kills me for that reason. I know thought that if Clayton's cancer comes back, then we need every advantage we can get and a straight back that doesn't cause respiratory issues is a huge advantage. This doctor fills me with hope that moving forward now is definitely the best thing for Clayton. He is the confirmation I needed to know we have come to the right place. It won't be easy, but it will all be worth it. When it is finally over, George and I can finally get some much needed relief and Clayton gets to move ahead a little taller.

I'll come back with details of our plan later...