Stuck in house with 3yo ds2 in stinky hip spica case and dh in the US - not coping

[smoggie]

Hi
Just wanted to vent really. DS2 fractured his femur 6 weeks ago - we (well mainly I )spent 3 weeks with him in hospital whilst he was on traction, then he had a hip spica cast put on which basically covers all of one leg, his pelvis and half of his other leg, so basically he can't bend in teh middle.
DH had to go to the US for a conference and couldn't get out of it, he went on Friday and will be away until this Friday.
I am totally knackered, my back is really starting to hurt from all the lifting, I'm being so short tempered with them, I'm shouting and snappy and just so pissed off with this smelly pot that we can't keep clean (even when I put a tena lady inside and a nappy over the top he wets inside the pot some nights).
Sorry, but I'm jsut feeling sorry for myself and sorry for them too as I'm just not being the mummy I want to be at the moment. I've just emailed the in-laws to see if they can come over tomorrow morning for a few hours whilst I just potter around the house doing chores/paperwork and just generally have a break from it. Fingers crossed they're not busy ( I can't leave the house as they're too old to lift him if he needs moving)
He gets the pot off next tuesday, so we're counting down the days. I feel so selfish because he has coped so well with it, but I'm just totally ground down by it.

Sorry - just needed to write it down to get it out of my system.

The best thing we found about it being picked up before she could walk was that she didn't know she was "supposed to be" walking by that age and so she wasn't bothered that she wasn't walking (IYSWIM) although she did manage to pull herself up in the cast and try to walk! When she did come out of the cast she was walking within a month and hasn't slowed down yet!

My DH is quite good at pulling me back from theedge of sanity when I go there! I think that it is all part and parcel of being a mummy though.

Hi RedN

Went to Alder Hey yesterday, and she is fine for another 12 months. They said she's on the verge of the normal range, but still within it.

FABBO!!

That's brilliant news. We've got a couple of weeks before DD goes to hospital so starting to get more paranoid now!

Riven - so for you and your dd. We have to keep going back annually until dd is 5, but your story obviously puts mine into perspective. Big hugs to you and your dd.

RedN - I brought the appointment forward because I just wanted to know, my imagination was running away with me. Keep me updated on dd.

PJ - will keep you updated.

riven - If I bump into our ward sister (at school gate) I'll see if she has any other advice re smelliness! Can't imagine how hard it will be with older child - big hugs and stay in touch if you need any further advice. How old is you DD at the moment?

Hi Guys

Hope you don't mind me joining in. I took my DS who is 14 months to get the results of a food allergy test on Thursday and while I was there I mentioned that I thought he might be limping a little. They measured his leg and said one was shorter than another and sent him down for an x ray. when the results came back, it was clear that his left leg bone is nowhere near his hip socket and the ball and socket are under developed. They've put in a referral to GOSH, but all they could tell me was that he will need to have a cast put on for a matter of 'weeks'. I was quite shell shocked, but have been trying to find out about it and it seems that this is DDH and that it will be the hip spica cast they are talking about. I would appreciate any words of wisdom any of you can offer as we're not quite sure what is ahead of us.

Hi,

I read your message as I am trying to find out the weight of a hip spica cast that my baby wore when he was 14wks old....

You are doing a great job! And I totally understand your despair and anxiousness and really feel for you at the moment. It is so frustrating that medical staff aren't more supportive of the care when kids are in the plaster. When I asked about nappy changes and keeping the plaster dry, the hospital staff just said try the sanitary napkin and good luck....and let them know if I find a better way. Ha, that was no help at all. So my method was to use a LOT of cotton wool (went thru at least a pack a day) and put it in and around the whole opening, before putting on a nappy. It did work for me and the only time the plaster got wet was in hospital before we went home. The next hurdle for us was when the plaster got too tight and his feet went blue and the hospital wouldn't remove the plaster early - just suggested we put the poor little baby upside down for as long as possible!

I hope things get better for you. I'm so glad you at least have this site with such lovely people to at least support you!