We need more power, Scotty...

we're trapped in the gravitational field of Children's hospital and we can't break free! OK, that may be an exaggeration, but it's what it feels like. Early in the summer, while we were in Pennsylvania, M hurt her knee. Being the kind and compassionate mother that I am, I ignored her injury (aside from suggesting she stay off of it and giving her a bag of ice) and assumed that given time it would get better. Five weeks later, when it was still swollen and bothering her, I took her into the doctor. After poking and prodding, the doctor ordered an MRI. Armed with the results of the MRI, we now know that she chipped off a piece of cartilage that was attached to her thigh bone. (Not only did she injure her knee, but M. injured it in a very unusual way it seems.) We were then referred to a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at Children's. M. is still having pain because the piece of cartilage is floating around in her knee causing trouble and the doctor will have to surgically remove it. It will all be done arthroscopicly, but she will still need a general anaesthesia. We won't know if she has to stay overnight until she is in surgery and the doctors can really see what needs to be done. The best case scenario is that she is able to come home the same day.

On the positive side, M's knee is bothering her too much and since the surgery won't happen until October, the doctors don't seem overly concerned. We also seem to have ended up with one of the best pediatric orthopaedists around. It is one of the positives of living in such a major metropolitan area.

After the surgery I proclaim our family done, really and truly done with Children's for a while. Well, at least until December, when K will go in for his semi-annual appointment with the plastic surgeon. Maybe it would be more realistic to just limit our events at Children's to two of the seven children.

(And, yes, J and I do enjoy watching the occasional episode of Star Trek.)