July 23, 2009 Nathan had his tibia, fibula and foot bones aligned in an external fixator by Dr. Dror Paley. Over the next 4 1/2 months he will have this fixator on his lower leg/foot.
The lengthening time will be 4-6 weeks. We have to turn rods three times per day. After that, he will have part of his ankle joint fused to aid in stability. The entire course of therapy he will be
able to walk on it, swim, shower, etc., not like a cast. The few days leading up to the surgery, Nate had a slight cough. We worried that this might cancel the surgery. Right up until prep we were crossing
our fingers hoping that he didn't get sick. He never did and we were relieved once he made it out of surgery. Now it's time to get moving forward! Each day getting closer to a straight foot! |
