blewgoat

My first daughter was born with Polands. She is almost 7 now. When she came out and the dr. threw her on my ex wifes chest, her hand smacked my wife right in the face. Thats when we noticed it was smaller and all the fingers were webbed, like one big finger. We said whats that, the nurse said "oh looks like shes got a little something going on". And right then my mother in law burst into the room all happy and shouts "let me see those ten little fingers and ten little toes". This all happened in about 1 minute. The good natured comment from the mother in law and what it must have felt like when she realized what we said in response was pretty distracting from the situation.

They immedialty started doing scans on the baby, took her away a few times, then sent a genetisist from childrens hospital to talk to us. We were told it was Polands within a few hours of birth.

After going through the major tests for problems with organs and heart we were able to go home. We had an appointment at childrens hospital a few days later. They told us all they could find was the hand deformity and that she was missing her right pectoral major muscle. In her hand she had all the bones, but she had no joints in her fingers, just her thumb. And the skin and muscle was all fused as one peice of flesh, like the palm of a hand. The small hand is about half the size of the other. After a few more appointments they scheduled her first surgery. At 6 months old they seperated her thumb and pinky. She had her 5th and last surgery for now when she was 4. She now has 5 fingers that bend at the palm, all 5 nails, and can use it without much difficulty. Still no joints in the fingers so grabbing large or round objects can be hard.

Each surgery was very scary for us. Not for her. She had trouble waking up once. About 2 weeks after her last surgery, she got a sliver in her toe from a picnic table at a beach. From it a month later she had a staff/strep infection in her blood and heart which damaged a valve. This caused juvanile rhymatoid arthritous. She had to be on steroids and all sorts of stuff a couple times daily. They wanted to amputate her leg at one time. Luckily it has been knocked down enough that she has no problems from it besides sore joints occationaly. But she will have complications for ever. She does have strength issues with her arm and chest, cant do a pushup. She is smart, active in sports and dance, well off socially, and seems to always be the "alpha" in her groups.

So after all those shannanigans in her early life, what scares me shitless and the most out of any of it is that her right chest is litterally sunk in and her mom had large breasts early in life. She handles people saying things about her hand just fine. Even when other kids pick on her. But I am petrified that as she gets older being made fun of will alter her personallity and take away all that she is now. I have accepted that in 10 years im going to go to jail for punching the shit out of some punk kid that breaks her soul.

However, seeing that you made it through your teens with one breast and judging by your comments you are not a social hermit and have a bright outlook on life, I have a renewed hope for her quality of life. Seriously, thank you for your post. It has settled a fathers mind. Thank you.

Btw, yes, Polands is somewhat considered genetic because some families will have generations with it. And with a different mother I have had another daughter and another daughter due next month. It was intense waiting to see that one come out and find nothing wrong, and just as intense waiting for this one.

Yes! Thats was her number 1 movie for a few years. She still has quite a connection with Nemo. He is used in reference by her frequently.