A new update from Harper's Mommy:
our computer crashed about 3 weeks ago and has been a BEAR to get up and running again. we've had lots going on anyway and i don't know that i would've gotten a note up before now even without the great excuse.
i noticed that my last note was a little over a month ago. that is bananas. feels like an eternity. so much has changed. and it's really all been for the better. the morning after the second surgery, i noticed that the bottom of the flap was turning a dark gray color. by the next day, we'd pretty much determined that it was dying (w/the help of photo e-mails to the surgeon who was in INDIA at the time) and we had to start her on nitroglycerin cream. we rubbed in all over the "flap" for 48 hours in hopes that it would help circulation and give the dying skin a wake-up call. it didn't. the bottom of the flap died. it turned black and hard. however, the top is a beautiful color that matches the rest of her hand beautifully. also, her belly looks fantastic...i was in awe of how incredible of a transformation it was. she has one long line from her hip bone down next to her belly button). we are confident that it will shrink alot over the years, so hopefully she won't be too bothered by it (handsome, Godly men dig scars anyway, right?).
because the bottom of the flap had died, AND, after about 5 days we noticed that her pinky bone was exposed, the surgeon wanted to get her into surgery as soon as he was back in the country. we were in sebastian at the annual BFR (buerke family reunion) that week, but ryan/harper/me headed home for a short night's sleep and then drove down to mirimar for her procedure early the next morning (july 6th). it went well. he took another graft from her stomach (just extended the original "line" he'd made during surgery #2). after she woke up, she was incredibly motivated to get out of there because she knew we were headed back to "the beach house" to see her cousins. it was so adorable...almost as soon as she opened her eyes and was coherant she asked to go to the bathroom...she knew that's what had to happen in order for her to be released. we got back just before bedtime and she was able to eat some brownies and ice cream and even do some sparklers that night with her cousins (pics on my sister natalie's page).
i really wish that i'd been blogging or something during these past few weeks because it's really been fun to see her get back to REALLY being herself. her hand is gross and scabby, but she doesn't care. she uses her 2 "good" fingers all the time...almost like normal. it has been VERY encouraging. my only struggle has been that i'm a nervous wreck because of the fact that she is romping around like a normal kid. her hand is still very fragile...she's knocked it a few times and it bleeds (but praise God for that healthy bloodflow!). i am NOT a nervous or normally naggy mom, so it's been a struggle for me to find a balance between letting her be a kid and not letting her put herself in danger (if she fell on her hand, it would be BAD NEWS).
this morning after breakfast i was doing her medicine routine (we just have to apply a coat of Aquaphor 3 times a day) and noticed her dadgum pinky bone sticking its head out again. e-mailed pics to the doctor and by the end of the day, we know we're in for another surgery on friday. we are preparing ourselves for the possibility that the surgeon might just take her pinky bone because it refuses to keep its tissue....they can't just graft skin straight over bone. the bone is very short, so if he does remove it, it won't change her life. however, it will be really hard to explain to her why in the world they would cut a bone off on purpose. she has no idea that we've been having this problem for a month (of course we haven't ever told her that her pinky bone is sticking out).
anyone who has kids knows that there is no greater joy than hearing something come out of your kids' mouths voluntarily that you have said to them over and over and thought they never heard. harper said to me last night, "God had a reason for me getting my fingers cut. We don't know what it is, but it will make me a better person." you could not have slapped the smile off my face.
i'll do my best to write something else after friday's surgery.
also, she starts school in a month, so i'm excited to see all that will pan out once that happens.
This is what it will look like for several months until the digits are seperated. The bottom isn't this pretty...very scabby bacause it's the newer graft.
our computer crashed about 3 weeks ago and has been a BEAR to get up and running again. we've had lots going on anyway and i don't know that i would've gotten a note up before now even without the great excuse.
i noticed that my last note was a little over a month ago. that is bananas. feels like an eternity. so much has changed. and it's really all been for the better. the morning after the second surgery, i noticed that the bottom of the flap was turning a dark gray color. by the next day, we'd pretty much determined that it was dying (w/the help of photo e-mails to the surgeon who was in INDIA at the time) and we had to start her on nitroglycerin cream. we rubbed in all over the "flap" for 48 hours in hopes that it would help circulation and give the dying skin a wake-up call. it didn't. the bottom of the flap died. it turned black and hard. however, the top is a beautiful color that matches the rest of her hand beautifully. also, her belly looks fantastic...i was in awe of how incredible of a transformation it was. she has one long line from her hip bone down next to her belly button). we are confident that it will shrink alot over the years, so hopefully she won't be too bothered by it (handsome, Godly men dig scars anyway, right?).
because the bottom of the flap had died, AND, after about 5 days we noticed that her pinky bone was exposed, the surgeon wanted to get her into surgery as soon as he was back in the country. we were in sebastian at the annual BFR (buerke family reunion) that week, but ryan/harper/me headed home for a short night's sleep and then drove down to mirimar for her procedure early the next morning (july 6th). it went well. he took another graft from her stomach (just extended the original "line" he'd made during surgery #2). after she woke up, she was incredibly motivated to get out of there because she knew we were headed back to "the beach house" to see her cousins. it was so adorable...almost as soon as she opened her eyes and was coherant she asked to go to the bathroom...she knew that's what had to happen in order for her to be released. we got back just before bedtime and she was able to eat some brownies and ice cream and even do some sparklers that night with her cousins (pics on my sister natalie's page).
i really wish that i'd been blogging or something during these past few weeks because it's really been fun to see her get back to REALLY being herself. her hand is gross and scabby, but she doesn't care. she uses her 2 "good" fingers all the time...almost like normal. it has been VERY encouraging. my only struggle has been that i'm a nervous wreck because of the fact that she is romping around like a normal kid. her hand is still very fragile...she's knocked it a few times and it bleeds (but praise God for that healthy bloodflow!). i am NOT a nervous or normally naggy mom, so it's been a struggle for me to find a balance between letting her be a kid and not letting her put herself in danger (if she fell on her hand, it would be BAD NEWS).
this morning after breakfast i was doing her medicine routine (we just have to apply a coat of Aquaphor 3 times a day) and noticed her dadgum pinky bone sticking its head out again. e-mailed pics to the doctor and by the end of the day, we know we're in for another surgery on friday. we are preparing ourselves for the possibility that the surgeon might just take her pinky bone because it refuses to keep its tissue....they can't just graft skin straight over bone. the bone is very short, so if he does remove it, it won't change her life. however, it will be really hard to explain to her why in the world they would cut a bone off on purpose. she has no idea that we've been having this problem for a month (of course we haven't ever told her that her pinky bone is sticking out).
anyone who has kids knows that there is no greater joy than hearing something come out of your kids' mouths voluntarily that you have said to them over and over and thought they never heard. harper said to me last night, "God had a reason for me getting my fingers cut. We don't know what it is, but it will make me a better person." you could not have slapped the smile off my face.
i'll do my best to write something else after friday's surgery.
also, she starts school in a month, so i'm excited to see all that will pan out once that happens.
This is what it will look like for several months until the digits are seperated. The bottom isn't this pretty...very scabby bacause it's the newer graft.