Today we had our second follow-up appointment with Dr. Nelson. It was nice to see how happy he and the assisting surgeon were with the results of Amaya's surgery. He said the incisions had healed well and the knee now has the same function as the right one does. This is amazing! Her knee no longer dislocates, or buckles. This use to cause her to fall quite often.
He wants to see her in six weeks to follow up with her progress and then again in six months to plan for the next surgery. By her next appointment she should be done with her physical therapy. Physical therapy will be three times a week for a month. He was quite happy with how much movement and mobility she had in her knee. Physical therapy will help strengthen her muscles and increase her ability to bend and straighten her knee.
He thinks that the next surgery (when he lengthens the femur and releases the muscles in her hip) will happen in about a year or so. They don't typically perform that surgery between the ages of four and six, because cognitively it is a lot for a child that age to handle. And since their is a lot of physical therapy (usually two hours a day), time (about nine months for the lengthening process) and work involved with the next surgery he said he might wait until she is six and a half or seven. He's hoping he can get all of the lengthening done in one surgery, but there is a limit to how much lengthening they do in one surgery. It's usually about three inches, and Amaya will need about four to five.
While waiting for Dr. Nelson, the assistant surgeon was talking with us and admitted to not knowing what to expect at this point in her recovery, because only a few surgeons know how to perform the super knee procedure. We are very fortunate to have Dr. Nelson so close to us and to have such good insurance that allows us to see him for treatment.
Again, thank you to friends and family for your continued support along this journey, that Josh and I sum up with one word, intense.
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