Pulling the Trigger

Peyton is scheduled to have surgery tomorrow on his left hand. His preschool teacher discovered that he has a trigger thumb and is unable to straighten his left thumb. (see above picture) We had never noticed it! He did a few things weirdly with that hand (like crawled with a fist), but we just attributed it to quirkiness.

Trigger thumb occurs when a bump exists on the tendon that moves the joint at the tip of the thumb, causing the thumb to be locked in a bent position.

Although a bent thumb may sound trivial- think of all the ways you use your thumb(carrying things, clapping, holding a pencil, hitting a golf club, playing the piano, and my favorite- doing cartwheels!) Our pediatrician referred us to Scottish Rite Hospital here in Dallas and the hand team there recommended surgery as soon as possible to correct it and move on with his development. We were lucky to get a last minute opening tomorrow.

Peyton will have to be put under anesthesia while they do a simple procedure so we ask for your prayers tomorrow. He will be able to return home at the end of the day with a soft cast and pain medicine. He will be in a cast for about 10 days and that will be the hardest part of this process- it has to stay completely dry (no playing in sink, water hose, arm in bath, etc.) because if it gets wet he is at serious risk of infection. I also anticipate this cast being used as a weapon! Watch out Mallory! :)

Scottish Rite hospital is an amazing, amazing place. It was started by the Texan Masons, and runs entirely on donations and focuses on children with orthopedic conditions, such as scoliosis, clubfoot, hand disorders, hip disorders and limb length differences, as well as certain related neurological disorders and learning disorders, such as dyslexia.

They treated us like royalty at our first appointment and I know tomorrow will be the same. The children are so loved on there. I left the hospital knowing how blessed our family is, many of the patients have serious conditions, we saw many babies and toddlers being pulled in wagons because they cannot walk. The hospital does not charge a dime for their services and it is a happy/cheerful environment. I know we'll be donating/volunteering there in the future to say thank you for helping our son.

I'll post again with an update. Goodbye Trigger, Hello Future Cartwheels!!!