Today marks five months since Amaya had her lengthening surgery back in January. She's recovering really well and making great strides. Each day and week we see her improving and its great to see. For her it feels like a long journey and at times she gets frustrated. Recently she's said things like, "I just want to be done (with pain and recovery)." And "I want to walk normal." Even though I understand her pain and frustration I have to also continue to help motivate and push her. We make sure she does her daily physical therapy homework, eats well, gets good sleep, stays hydrated and takes supplements and vitamins. These are often contrary to what being a teenager is all about so some days we have our work cut out for us. But her physical therapist reminded her that her body is needing "fuel" to grow and solidify her bone and do her PT homework.
The past month Amaya's physical therapist had wanted her to transition from using her crutch to using a walking stick while walking. The next step would be to walk unassisted. Around school she was still using the crutch (more to avoid peers and give them a visual cue to not bump into her or to rush her as she walked). Amaya didn't really need the crutch, but it helped. During her twenty minute walking sessions (part of her PT homework) I noticed that Amaya was reluctant to walk out in public and was having some hesitation about losing the crutch and switching to the walking stick. It had become a true crutch (emotionally and mentally); it was limiting her and preventing her from progressing. We had a couple of talks about it and once she was able to see it for what it had become, a "true crutch" then she began to transition away from it. After three days of using the walking stick Amaya was ready to try to walk unassisted. Now she's happy to be walking unassisted and is getting better each day!
When we went to her physical therapy appointment this week she went without a crutch or walking stick. It was interesting because her first thought was, "Will my therapist be upset with me?" (for walking in unassisted) but when she was met with praise and encouragement Amaya realized she was on the right track. This had been her first session in two weeks and the therapist was happy with how well Amaya has done with her homework and recovery.
What's next? We will continue with daily PT homework, see the therapist every two weeks with the focus being on working on agility and building strength. We will now get her x-rays every 6-8 weeks and continue to monitor her bone growth. We're giving her a daily bone supplement (with calcium, vitamin D and magnesium) to help with her bone growth. Dr. Nelson wasn't too happy with how her bone growth was at the last x-rays. He's not worried yet but we're keeping an eye on it and he suggested we add the supplements. Amaya's enjoying her summer and resting as much as she can. She's also taking a film class at the local community college and working one day a week.
