Meet Kady, a patient seen by our experts in the Center for Excellence in Hip. Learn more about her journey below.

Blog written by Kady's mom, Jessie. 

Kady is a healthy and active 11-year-old. She loves to play volleyball, make arts and crafts, play board games and go tubing or fishing. This past summer, her older sister was participating in summer workouts at their school, and on the very first day, Kady attended with her sister. But unfortunately, things ended with us making a trip to the emergency room. 

Kady was in the middle of running a 40-meter dash when she felt a pop in her hip and fell. There was nothing on the track that she could have stepped on or tripped over, and with the pain she was experiencing, her coaches and I thought she possibly pulled or tore a muscle. 

We left the practice, headed home but then she could not get out of the car. That was when I decided she needed to go to the ER. The X-rays showed a growth plate fracture and slip of her femoral head. We were then transferred to Children’s Health in Dallas. Once at Children’s, we learned that Kady had a hip condition called slipped capital femoral epiphysis or SCFE. At that point, I didn't fully understand what that was, but I knew it sounded like an emergency. They told us that SCFE required surgery, and we would be transferred to Scottish Rite for Children. The nursing staff at Children’s told us that we were going to be seen by one of the best pediatric orthopedic surgeons in the country, Dr. Sucato! Hearing this eased my worried momma mind a bit.

Once we arrived at Scottish Rite, I got a much better understanding of her condition and learned all about a SCFE. Surgery was scheduled for the very next day, and it didn't take us long to see just how amazing the staff was! When we met Dr. Sucato for the first time, I knew Kady would be in wonderful hands! He walked us through what would be done during surgery and assured us that following surgery, she would have instant pain relief from the muscle spasms she had been experiencing. 

Surgery went great! It was such a huge relief on my momma heart to see my baby girl pain-free. She was able to get some much needed rest, and we were even able to go home the day after surgery. Before leaving, we worked with Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, to learn how to use and maneuver her walker and wheelchair. Nurses Alex and Stephanie were amazing, and so very helpful!

Kady is 3-months post-op and is healing perfectly. On October 10, Dr. Sucato gave her the green light to begin walking. She no longer needs her wheelchair and occasionally uses her walker.  He made sure she that she understood that although she could start walking, she is still in the healing process and will still have some restrictions. She is definitely ready to get back to doing all of the things she could do before her injury, especially volleyball! We understand that her healing is what's most important and it's going to take some time. 

Our entire experience with Scottish Rite was absolutely amazing, and I could not be happier with the care she received. Dr. Sucato and his team, along with the rest of the nursing staff that took care of our girl, were wonderful. From standard nursing checks to keeping Kady comfortable and pain-free, the overall care and encouragement was simply amazing. Scottish Rite wholeheartedly cares about their patients. 
 

DO YOU HAVE A STORY? WE WANT TO HEAR IT! SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US.