Last Wednesday Amaya and I made the long trip home. With a combination of car and airplane we made it in under twelve hours. The airline was super helpful and made it easy, however TSA, ugh, not so much. They insisted on doing a secondary inspection of each of our bags, asked lots of questions but the worst part was they did a full pat down of Amaya and insisted she remover her shoes and sweater. When the TSA employee accidentally hit Amayas's hip incision Amaya winced and let out a moan. The lady asked what happened and Amaya let her know, but the woman still continued to check each incision (pat down the bandages). It was frustrating to say the least. The kindness of airline employees and strangers got me through it. People who offered to pull our suitcase, offered to move chairs, who held doors open, who lifted our baggage, who shared their stories and offered smiles. Kindness truly is amazing.
Once we were back home we felt a huge sense of relief and joy. It was so wonderful to be reunited as a family; this is the longest the four of us have been apart. The next few days we focused on getting Amaya settled at home, me reintegrated at work, catching up on sleep and everyone back on their routines. The first night home Amaya slept the entire night without needing any pain medication. Woohoo! This also meant Josh and I were able to sleep through the night as well. The comfort of your own bed and room are amazing! On Thursday we picked up crutches for Amaya and she began to practice with them. Later that night she and Josh went to the movies, which was a nice distraction and pick me up. Friday we began lengthening (three times a day for two and a half minutes each). I'll do a separate post showing how we do it, its pretty fascinating! The weekend was a great time to catch up on laundry, unpacking but also to rest. Rest felt crucial and it was nice to be reminded by loved ones that its ok to do "nothing."
Since we've been home we've been showered with kindness and love. Lots of well wishes, hugs, cookies, brownies, dinners, offers to drive Amaya to PT, offers to help pay for equipment Amaya may need, and chats with friends. Being near our support system has brought an energizing surge of joy, peace and love. These will help sustain us during the next few months as we navigate lengthening and recovery.
All in all Amaya is doing amazing! Her pain is managed, she's sleeping well, her lengthening is on track and she has her PT set up. Amaya went back to school today. She was tired and sore, but her pain was managed with over the counter Tylenol. I think it was good for her mental health to get back to "normal" teenage things like peers and school and away from medical and leg stuff (last Friday she was home alone and got "bored"). This is the most school she's ever had to miss after a surgery so I'm glad she went back and had a good day.
Thank you all for the love and support. I can't explain how much it means to us.
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