UUGGHHHH! Today I found out that Hannah can only miss one more day of school and still be exempt from finals! Has anybody seen a study guide for a high school final lately??? CrAzY!!! You can only miss a total of 4 days for the entire year and she has missed 3. Why does this suck you might ask?!?!? Well her appointment for Scottish Rite in Dallas is on a Wednesday...a Wednesday is the only option. We were hoping for a Thursday or Friday to make it a weekend road trip and so that she could tour TCU (Texas Christian University) at the same time! That won't happen....Oh Well....first things first right?!?
Today was ok...I didn't see her much because I took Hollee to Karate. She did seem in good spirits as we watched American Idol though. Looking forward to the weekend as usual...may not Blog until then~
Much Love~
Rhonda
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Day 5 (yes we skipped Day 4)
Hannah very rarely complains about pain but I can see it on her face sometimes. It breaks my heart. I would do anything to take her pain away...Today I mailed in the CHiP application and I will send the Harris Co. Hosp. District app tomorrow. We did find out other good things at Shriners the other day...I need to try and get Hannah on SSI. I hate to label her in ANY way at all but technically she has a disability and that's what things like SSI are for and DARS too. She could possibly get her college paid for. 100%...what a miracle THAT would be! She is so smart and positive that she deserves to be able to be the very best she can be. Right now we are kind of at a wait and see point. I think that's another one of the hardest parts....hurry up and wait.
I'll fill ya in soon!!! <3 MY HANNAH <3
I'll fill ya in soon!!! <3 MY HANNAH <3
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Day 3
Not much to report on this Saturday! Hannah is spending the day with Garrett! I love it when she smiles <3 Hope they have a GREAT day together! This Mom is headed out for a much needed Girls Night!!! Catch ya' later!!!
Friday, February 24, 2012
Day 2 (part 1)
Well it's only 9:30 in the morning but Renee & I have been on the ball already. Renee has made calls to Scottish Rite and has info and I have been on the phone with Harris County Hospital District trying to apply for a Gold Card and filling out applications for CHiP. What we get out of all of that I guess will be part 2 for later tonight. Yesterday after Hannah was told she couldn't run the way she wants to, Travis bought her an Ibanez starter acoustic guitar. She loves music so much and we decided that she needs something to focus on. She and Travis sat in the bedroom for a good hour and a half learning chords. I hope it is something that she falls in love with!
Well...back to the paperwork for now...update later!
Well...back to the paperwork for now...update later!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Day 1 (the real one)
WOW!!! What a day! We got up at 5:00am. Something pretty normal for Hannah and Travis but not so much for me...Renee made it over and we were headed downtown to Shriners. It really is a beautiful place...We were on the 5th floor and could see quite a bit of downtown! It was a gorgeous morning. Everything went quickly and everyone was so nice and considerate. At one point Travis was looking through his wallet for some change in the cafeteria and the lady that had been working the front desk brought him change. Travis & Hannah went to have her vitals done then we went back and answered tons of questions. Next it was off to x-rays. Finally a doctor and a couple of students came in to examine Hannah and look at the x-rays. To make a lot of "doctor lingo" short, the doctors decided that she has arthritis that is so advanced in that hip that she will have to have a replacement surgery. BUT Shriners does NOT do replacement surgery..... Hannah was so disappointed! We all were. We had such high hopes and expectations. The doctor also told Hannah that she is not going to be able to run a marathon like she wants to...that was the point when I think her heart broke into a billion pieces. I can't put into words how much it hurts to have to sit and watch as your child's simple dream is yanked out from under her. It felt like we were back at square one again.
Instead of just sending us out the door though, the people at Shriners told us EXACTLY what to do next. Who to go to and phone numbers and referrals, etc etc etc...They were fantastic! So the next few decisions and steps we will start taking tomorrow. At the same time we applied to Shriners we applied to Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas and she was accepted there as well....so some phone calls and a trip there at the end of April!
Life changing journey's don't happen over night, so keep praying for us and I will update often!!!
Rhonda & Hannah
Instead of just sending us out the door though, the people at Shriners told us EXACTLY what to do next. Who to go to and phone numbers and referrals, etc etc etc...They were fantastic! So the next few decisions and steps we will start taking tomorrow. At the same time we applied to Shriners we applied to Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas and she was accepted there as well....so some phone calls and a trip there at the end of April!
Life changing journey's don't happen over night, so keep praying for us and I will update often!!!
Rhonda & Hannah
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Day 1 (eve)
Hey...it's me, Mom. ...or Rhonda depends on who is reading this. (We are a family of 4...Rhonda=Mom, Travis=Dad, Hannah=15 yrs old, Hollee=7 yrs old) Tonight I write as Rhonda. I wanted to start a blog for Hannah and I to keep up with everything that is gonna take place over the next year or so. So I guess there will be 2 stand points at times depending on what Hannah wants to say. Here's her story from my view:
When Hannah was about 11 years old she started complaining to her Dad and I about pain in her right hip. At first it wasn't constant, so we chalked it up to growing pains and gave her some ibuprofen and sent her to bed. After this went on for about 6 months and started to become more painful we decided to have x-rays done. The x-rays showed abnormalities and the doctor ordered an MRI. At this time we had no medical insurance so an MRI was out of the question. We went back and forth trying different doctors, struggling with paying the majority of our paychecks to have insurance and fighting Medicaid/CHiP. It's really one thing to have your little babies sick and them not be able to verbalize their pain...when your "big" babies can tell you exactly what is wrong and how much it hurts, it tugs at completely different heart strings! Travis's
mom helped us pay for an MRI and we got 2 different diagnosis---Avascular Neucrosis or Leg Calves Perthesis Disease. Honestly they are basically the same thing but if it is A.V. it developed over time and if it is L.C.P.D. she was born with it. What all that means is that the ball of her femur has NO circulation to it and the bone is dead. This has over the years deteriorated and has been shoved up into her pelvis through being an active child. Active meaning that she played soccer, danced, ran, jumped, and played until it was so bad that her leg is at this point 1.5" shorter than her left leg. She has literally sat in my lap and cried and there has been nothing I could do for her. :' ( The doctors wanted to put her on pain killers until she was done growing and surgery turned into an option. Since I am a drug and alcohol therapist that was NOT an option for me. To me they were handing her an addiction! We have kept pain meds on hand in case of really horrible pain, but we always try to handle it with ibuprofen and ice packs as well as some accupuncuture and chiropractic treatments.
Tomorrow we go to Shriners Hospital to get some final answers and hopefully a PLAN!!! Our whole family is going to use this blog (including Hollee) to share our feelings and triumphs!!!! Cant wait to hear from you all either!
MUCH LOVE~
Rhonda
When Hannah was about 11 years old she started complaining to her Dad and I about pain in her right hip. At first it wasn't constant, so we chalked it up to growing pains and gave her some ibuprofen and sent her to bed. After this went on for about 6 months and started to become more painful we decided to have x-rays done. The x-rays showed abnormalities and the doctor ordered an MRI. At this time we had no medical insurance so an MRI was out of the question. We went back and forth trying different doctors, struggling with paying the majority of our paychecks to have insurance and fighting Medicaid/CHiP. It's really one thing to have your little babies sick and them not be able to verbalize their pain...when your "big" babies can tell you exactly what is wrong and how much it hurts, it tugs at completely different heart strings! Travis's
mom helped us pay for an MRI and we got 2 different diagnosis---Avascular Neucrosis or Leg Calves Perthesis Disease. Honestly they are basically the same thing but if it is A.V. it developed over time and if it is L.C.P.D. she was born with it. What all that means is that the ball of her femur has NO circulation to it and the bone is dead. This has over the years deteriorated and has been shoved up into her pelvis through being an active child. Active meaning that she played soccer, danced, ran, jumped, and played until it was so bad that her leg is at this point 1.5" shorter than her left leg. She has literally sat in my lap and cried and there has been nothing I could do for her. :' ( The doctors wanted to put her on pain killers until she was done growing and surgery turned into an option. Since I am a drug and alcohol therapist that was NOT an option for me. To me they were handing her an addiction! We have kept pain meds on hand in case of really horrible pain, but we always try to handle it with ibuprofen and ice packs as well as some accupuncuture and chiropractic treatments.
Tomorrow we go to Shriners Hospital to get some final answers and hopefully a PLAN!!! Our whole family is going to use this blog (including Hollee) to share our feelings and triumphs!!!! Cant wait to hear from you all either!
MUCH LOVE~
Rhonda
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)