Today marks many things, it’s four weeks post surgery, the nineteenth and final day of lengthening (pending Dr. Nelson’s approval once he sees her x-rays), it’s 2/22/22, and a busy day of appointments. We started the day with physical therapy then had a check in with Amaya’s pediatrician then got new x-rays. Since it’s the last day of lengthening we’re getting x-rays of the femur as well as a one of her pelvis, this allows Dr. Nelson to measure the growth of the femur.
Physical therapy was intense but great! When we started the therapist told Amaya she had a goal of getting her to 95 degrees today. Amaya worked hard, really hard, and was able to get her knee to 98 degrees! That’s huge! We maintained her range over the weekend and in the half hour we were there Amaya got from 90 to 98 degrees. It’s amazing how much can get packed into a thirty minute session. The therapist massaged above Amaya's knee and noticed the skin was tight. She said the scar tissue is wanting to attach to the muscles. We don’t want that to happen so she told us we should massage it. She showed us how to massage it in a way that will help separate it but not damage the incision. She suggested we do it three times a day and once the scab fully falls off (should be any day now) then we can massage vitamin E oil onto it. The therapist was happy with how Amaya’s been doing and encouraged her “you’re getting there. It’s just a hard road.” That it is.
We saw Amaya's pediatrician who wanted to check in on her since Dr. Nelson is so far way. She's also the one ordering the x-ray orders to our local hospital. I appreciate her care, concern and desire to check in on Amaya and not just submit orders. She was impressed with how well Amaya is doing. We showed her the most current x-rays and explained how the Precise device works. She was impressed by the process.
When we went back for x-rays we had the same x-ray tech as last time. He wondered why we needed x-rays again and when we explained the lengthening she's undergoing he and his trainee were fascinated. They've never seen "that kind of technology" before. We've got our x-rays and have emailed them to Dr. Nelson. I am nervous, worried and excited waiting to hear back.
As we did our last lengthening tonight Amaya said, "Wow can you believe this is our last lengthening, like ever?!" This could be it. The end of a very long journey. We did her first lengthening when she was six and now at sixteen she's done her second and final one. All in all this would be a total of 3.99 inches of new bone! I'm amazed and grateful!
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