Ahn-Bao very quickly learned to maneuver just about anything he needed to with the double arm casts (in case it wasn't clear, the casts were to keep his hands out of his mouth post-surgery) -- a clinical solution that seems only slightly more humane than one of those lampshades that go on a dog's head. If he had a big enough sippy cup, he could hold the very bottom and could get it to his mouth with great efficiency. He could also itch his nose or wipe tears away by rubbing the cast against his face. It all seemed very cruel, and produced quite a number of looks from strangers ("what did they do to that poor child, break both his arms?"). 
The downsides were more parental than child-related: no water play and washing requires a whole plastic-bag-rubberband-apparatus. The needing to be fed by Mom or Dad was probably a positive for bonding and certainly created much less mess than a two-year old with a spoon and mostly liquid food.
Three weeks post-surgery, on July 14, Ahn-Bao had his post-surgical check-up with the surgeon and the designated day to remove the casts. The saw used to cut off the casts was pretty scary (for both Ahn-Bao and his mother holding him) but didn't hurt him. When they were off, he seemed very surprised and happy to see that his elbows were still there and they worked! Kia offered spontaneously that she was surprised and happy that his arms were still there when the casts came off. Yasmin and Elias were glad to get to see the casts that we brought home as souvenirs, although Yasmin's first comment was that they were kind of stinky!
No comments:
Post a Comment