It's been awhile...

    I started and stopped this update many times this summer but never quite finished it. I spent summer studying to take and then passed my ASWB exam (woohoo!). I am happy to say I am now an official LCSW.  

    At this point summer has come and gone. We've passed the six month's post-surgery point, which was July 25th. And today marks the six months post lengthening point, Aug.22. We spent summer resting and continuing to work on Amaya's physical therapy homework; she walks a mile a day, does stretches and exercises to build her strength and increase/maintain her flexibility. She had two physical therapy sessions and her therapist has requested more sessions. Once we hear back from insurance then we can schedule more.  

    We've had two new sets of x-rays and updates. Her x-rays are showing that her bone is healing and consolidating. However, the growth is slower than we'd like or expect. The plan in July was to continue with daily walks, continue with bone supplements and continue to monitor the bone growth. Six weeks later we got follow up x-rays and after looking at those Dr. Nelson said the plan now is to have her continue walking, keep an eye on symptoms (pain and discomfort), get x-rays in one month and follow up. If we don't see more bone growth and she's uncomfortable then she may need a bone graft with possible exchange of the nail. He said it sounds worse than it is. They would use the same incision spots as last time and put in a new non-magnetic nail, a millimeter or two larger, which helps stimulate bone growth. Dr. Nelson said, "Probably she'll be up and walking soon after." 

    Amaya is being such a trooper at the thought of another possible surgery. She smiled and said she was frustrated but would do whatever it took to get better. We joked saying she may get to ten surgeries rather than the scheduled nine, and we reminded her that she can get more of the hospital pudding she loves. She was happy about that! We're a bit frustrated but focusing on the positive; she's had a relatively smooth process and only another minor complication when she was six (her bed sore), she's able to walk, she's maintaining her range of motion, and her pain and discomfort is minimal.  

Enjoying the beautiful view after her first walk on an uneven path.

These two x-rays above were taken July 11th. Now compare them to the ones taken six weeks later…

    These x-rays were taken Aug 17th. I can see growth, but mostly on the left side (inside of her thigh) the outside doesn't seem to be growning much at all. Immediately Amaya was disappointed as she noticed a stark difference. She was frustrated ad wondered if the PT was even helping. We tried not to worry until we heard back from Dr. Nelson and tried to stay optimistic. As you can tell there's more growth on the inside part of her femur, especially compared to the outside. 

    Its hard to get a good look at the x-rays because these are photos of screens, so the quality is a bit poor which is a challenge for Dr.Nelson.  

Amaya realizing she could touch her butt with her foot-this was the first time since her surgery in January! 

These two were taken July 25, 2022 on her 6th month anniversary. 

She was excited and even gave me two silly poses. 

First day of 11th grade for Amaya and 8th for Lidie. They're getting so grownup! Amaya was so excited to start school without crutches and to be able to walk around campus.