Jennifer, age 13
Her first physical therapy appointment was five days after the surgery.
MOTHER: Her first physical therapy appointment was five days after the surgery. We didn’t have much choice about which physical therapist she saw. We went to the place her insurance covered.
JENNIFER: Everyone was really nice there. At first I went two times a week, then three times a week. Now I’m back down to two. The physical therapy wasn’t really that difficult. Sometimes it felt like they really didn’t push me enough, that I wasn’t doing enough.
MOTHER: I think she was on crutches for about a month. After about seven weeks, she began to walk normally. That’s about the time she stopped using her brace. The crutches were difficult. Jennifer’s chest wall hurt from using them. The surgery itself was very, very good, but sometimes it’s those little things that you don’t think about that can be hard.
JENNIFER: At school, I needed to have a friend help with my books, and I would leave from every class three minutes early. I was tired from the crutches, so I couldn’t really stay after school for extra help. That made it hard to catch up on what I had missed. Some of the teachers were very understanding. Others weren’t.
MOTHER: I don’t think she was really prepared for the length of the whole ordeal. I don’t think any of us were. The therapy has been long and tedious. Right now it’s difficult because she feels great, but she is still not allowed to play sports.
It was extra work for all of us. For a few weeks, I had to drive her to and from school every day.
Recently, the surgeon told her she could get on roller blades. I was having heart failure when she put them on. And for that first basketball game, I’ll need a valium.
JENNIFER: It’s been about four and a half months, and I have no pain. My leg feels much better. All in all, it hasn’t been that bad. If I knew another kid who was about to go through it, I’d tell them not to be nervous.