Three month follow-up after fixator removal

      Here's what Amaya's x-ray looked like today. The one on the left is the straight on view and the one on the right is the side view. We're three days shy of the three month mark since the fixator was removed. You can see where the pins where much clearer than where the new bone is. Dr. Nelson was very happy with her x-rays and how her bone was healing!

    Before Dr. Nelson came in Dr.Jaeger, the resident who helped when the fixator was first put on,  came in and looked at Amaya's x-rays with us. This is the first time he's seen her since her fixator was removed. Dr. Jaeger pointed out that you could barely see where the new bone was. He went over some questions with us and then asked Amaya, "so, would you do it again?" She answered with an honest, "uh-uh." I laughed at her honesty and was a bit surprised by her answer. But I guess I don't blame her. I would also be surprised if she was excited to go back and live through all the tough and painful times. I definitely don't want to relive them! It's not in our nature to choose or want something painful. Perhaps she's not at the point where she can see the benefits of the lengthening and decide if they outweigh the pain. She's only seven after all. It's funny I think she's adjusted to having a level leg that she's forgotten what it was like to have a shorter leg, wear a lift, have an unstable hip or unstable knee. I'm not sure, just guessing. I'm curious what her answer will be in a few years, and later in life. Would she do it again? Will she be glad we did what we did? I can tell you that as a parent its not easy. Having to think, wonder, weigh the options, and decide what to do for your child, especially surgically isn't easy. These are tough choices. All we can do is get all the information, seek out the best treatment options, and then decide what is best. And most of all love Amaya and let her know that she is amazing and can do anything.
    When Dr. Nelson came in he looked at her x-rays and was very happy with them and how her bone healed! The x-ray technician only took x-rays of the femur and not the entire legs like Dr. Nelson likes, so he'll have them do that next time. He said after that we'll lessen how often she's getting x-rays. I can't even count how many she's had this past year alone (maybe fifty?). We told him about the pressure wound on her heel and he looked at it then had her walk around. But she walked perfectly. Not like she normally does. She kept her foot straight and walked heel to toe with each step. I'm sure she was working hard to impress Dr. Nelson, but part of me wanted her to walk like she normally does so he could see what we see. He said her left leg did look a little bowed. He said that was pretty easy to correct down the line. He said he would just put a screw on one side to alter how the bone grows (I'm assuming in the growth plate). He said her right knee is a little knocked and the left one is a little turned out so it gives the illusion that's its very bowed. But he said they're both within normal range. He said that even though the left leg is bowed the leg does have good alignment.
     Then he had Amaya take her pants off so he could examine her legs closely. He had her stand, walk and lay down. He pushed and pulled on her knees, and had her bend her knee. He said she had great mobility and its okay that she has a limp when she walks. He said she will have that for awhile, but hopefully in time it'll lessen. He said by the time she's an adult she won't have that. He said to just give it time opposed to just therapy to let it heal. He said she's doing great! He was very happy with how her leg is healing and how her leg looked. Which was nice to hear because we're not quite sure what's normal healing for such a procedure. He said we can drop down to two days a week of physical therapy at this point. He said he had another girl come in recently who had her fixator removed two years ago. She didn't do any therapy after it was removed and she did fine. Her leg now bends all the way like it did before. He said a lot of it is just going to take time for her body to heal. He was very happy with her progress. He also said she was fully cleared to do anything! She was very excited about that because she's very excited to play soccer and do her first triathlon this spring. We mentioned the triathlon to Dr. Nelson and he said his sons participate in it and he will come by and watch Amaya. He even asked that we send him an email before the event to remind him so that he can keep an eye out for her. It's very sweet that he cares so much about Amaya and will be coming to watch her compete.
     As he looked at the x-rays and at her legs he said she's pretty much level now and doesn't need a shoe lift. But as she continues to grow her right leg will grow faster than the left one. He said the left one will grow at the predetermined genetic rate. So even thought the left one does grow it doesn't grow at the same rate as the right one. He didn't have all her figures, measurements and predictions in front of him but he was remembering that the projected difference was about 11 cm (4.3 inches) or 12 cm (4.7 inches). Since she already lengthened 8 cm (3.1 inches) when she's done growing her expected discrepancy will be about two inches. He said that we can do a lengthening with an internal fixator or stunt the growth of her right leg. I knew all that before but had kind of forgotten it since I was focused on the tasks at hand. At previous appointments he said we would only do one lengthening, so it was a bit of a shock to know we might have another one to do. But, like I always tell Amaya, "I don't know how many surgeries you'll end up having. Dr. Nelson is the specialist, he knows what's the best way to treat your body and wouldn't ask us to do something that wasn't good for you." Its a little unnerving knowing what lies ahead "down the line." But I know we're in good hands and we've got some time to enjoy before then.
    Before we left he advised us to give time for the heel to heal. He suggested getting a gel/soft cushion insert for her shoes to help cushion it. He said its sometimes hard seeing many doctors for one area. You end up with lots of doctors and lots of opinions. He suggested holding off on surgery on her heel and said he didn't think waiting would hurt it. He said it isn't directly under the pressure spot of her foot and it won't hurt the bone. He was a bit surprised we were referred to the plastic surgeon but suggested sticking with the foam and inserts. I was very relieved to hear his opinion of the heel. It had been worrying me a great deal.
    Before we left he gave us orders to come back in six months. At that point we will get full length x-rays so he can measure her height, take some measurements, and make some calculations. I'm sure we'll talk more about what's to come in the future. Then he gave Amaya a hug goodbye.