the one where I talk about Summer Zoe's HIP
I look at her sweet smiling face and can't imagine anything any different. Happy Summer Zoe! She's always been a happy person. Happy baby, happy kid, happy cheerleader, happy baller.
But it's been such a hard year on all of us in the Bednarz Household. Very hard. Not just the cancer. But EVERYTHING.
But please don't misunderstand me and think I'm in some deep depression or on a pity pot over here, grumpy and mumbling. Because I'm not. I'm very thankful for what we have and how we are very blessed in this household. Yes. Life is hard, but it's never meant to be all roses. How else would we yearn for Heaven if it was always so good down here?
Okay, so an update on Summer Zoe. After my last post, I had many of you asking why she was in her warm up clothes. What's going on? And many of you know, especially if you play ball with her. But I've kept pretty mum about most of it. Not because it's a super secret thing or anything, but because I've been busy dealing with life and LBMS and CMS Football Orders! LOL Life has been busy. And I just haven't had the time to process all this in my head and share our journey.
Really it's HER journey. I've just been along for the ride.
Okay, it all started at WTAM TEAM CAMP in Canyon. It was the summer before her Junior year of ball. Sumer took a hard fall in a game on their "sucky" floor in the activity center. Her back started hurting about 2 weeks later. And her tailbone as well. So we called up the doc and he schooled an MRI which showed a ruptured or bulging disc. He then sent us to a specialist who recommended taking a year off for it to heal. That wasn't going to happen, I knew. She may be Happy Summer Zoe, but she was quickly becoming the grumpy Summer Zoe and I had to find a solution. She did not NOT want to play.
So, we then called a doctor in Dallas, Dr. Sterling that specializes in sports related injuries and works with bull riders and olympic athletes. I figure if he could help a bull rider keep riding, then he might could find out what was causing Summer so much back pain. He did. In just seconds of examining her, he told us that she has a tilted pelvis. Possibly from the fall. One leg was longer then the other and he then went on to explain how this is common in female athletes. That we don't work the core much in practice and training and that a fall like she had could certainly leave her with a whacked out pelvis. Her pelvis was basically tilted, or crooked and the pressure of it being "out" (as we fondly refer to it around here), was causing pressure on the L5 in her back, thus she was messed up.
He called in his trainer, Dale Smith, and he got her pelvis back in alignment with some stretches and physical therapy. Over the course of the weekend, we saw Dale several times and she felt so much better! He warned us at the time, that once a fall happens like this, and your pelvis gets whacked like it did, it could easily happen again and she needed to really work to straighten the muscles in her core section to protect this from happening. We were just relieved to get some relief. And Summer? Thrilled she could still play! Dale worked out with her several times and things were looking pretty good. Sure, there was still some pain, but it was minor compared to what she is dealing with now.
Junior year was tough. She got a concussion, make that TWO concussions, and had to sit out quite a while. But she came back strong and played well and her team made it to the playoffs. WOO HOO! Several times during the year, her and Devin made the trip to Dallas to see Dale and keep her aligned. She was having some clicking in her hip and mentioned it to him and Dr. Sterling, but no one ever mentioned anything about that being a symptom of torn cartilage. NO ONE.
So, we started off this year and the pain in her back was always there, but better. She could play through it and had no plans to play college ball and really just wanted to enjoy her senior year playing ball with her friends.
Here's a picture of those friends. (These 4 crack me up!) Wait..two are missing.
These hot babes! From left to right: Kaitie, Haley, Summer, Taylor, Jordan, and Courtney
And these HOT BALLERS!
These girls are FAMILY. Several have been playing together since 6th grade. They play well together, they love each other. They trust each other. I love the relationship these girls have and I love these girls. They are all super sweet, drop dead gorgeous, and most of all, have good hearts.
So when the pain in her hip started, Summer pushed through. She didn't want to let her team down, her family down and she didn't want a little pain to stop her. But it got worse. The pain intensified and was there all the time. She couldn't get relief and when I was shooting games, I could see it all over her face. So, back to Dallas and we did an MRI on her hip. That's how we found out about the torn cartilage.
What to do? Dr. Sterling referred us to a surgeon that specializes in minimally invasive hip arthroscopy. Here's the description:
With the use of small incisions, customized instruments, innovative imaging techniques and global navigation, many procedures may be performed with less pain and blood loss, and minimal scarring. The result is a rapid recovery, high patient satisfaction, and the best possible outcome.
Anyway, Dr. Scheinberg, the one we were referred to,can not get her in until 2014. 2014!!! Ugh...he's that good and that booked up. So, I went on a hunt. I researched his background and contacted the Steadman Clinic he did his fellowship and training under. (anyone ever heard of this place? They have a location in Denver as well.) This momma bear contacted them and spoke with them directly and asked all sorts of questions. I had all her records shipped and they agreed to do an evaluation of her case to see if they can possibly do it there.
So, that's where we are.
In waiting.
But, wait...our little story takes another turn.
Summer woke me up early Friday morning BURNING up. She was on fire! 102 temp! Of course I kept her home thinking it was the flu, however, after a visit to the doc, and several tests later....
WE HAVE MONO.
UGH...
So we will wait with MONO on the docs that hold her well being in their hands. I expect to hear back from them this week and hopefully we will have a surgery date and can go further down the road on this journey. I don't ask "what else can happen". I don't want to know. I take this a day at a time. One day at a time. That's all we can do, right? That's all we are asked to do. RIGHT!
I'm spent. Done. Praying. Waiting.
Love Does,
Kristin