Double appointment days can always be a bit stressful. It throws off our routine, we never know what the x-rays are going to show and honestly there's always a bit of anxiety knowing the doctor doesn't give out good news at every visit. This time though, we were excited to see the doctor for Zackary's first post-op appointment. We both woke up and decided it was a good day to have a good day. We started off by being able to sleep in an extra 30 minutes so we were already ahead of the game! Breakfast was made and off we went. Doctor waiting rooms where we usually spend at least 45 mins (usually closer to 90 mins) only took us 20, can you say winning?! The x-rays were taken and then we sat in our room waiting for the doc.
Dr. Herzenberg came in with his fellow doctor and was in a good mood, mind you we're use to his....doctor style bedside manner, I'll leave it at that. He even complimented Zackary's drawings on his leg and asked to take a picture with his 'favorite dude patient from NM'. Zackary and I just smiled (under our masks of course) and knew he was ready to have a good day too. He asked how Zackary was doing and as I flowed with praise on Zackary's healing, flexibility and low pain he quickly joined in when he saw with his own eyes how much Zackary was able to move his leg. He said his flexibility was at the point he would expect for week 4/5, not beginning of week 2, good news! He moved on to the x-rays and said he was pleased with what he saw! This was the moment we got to give a big sign of relief. We've sat in that same room when the doctors told us he's not happy and we had to stop and even reverse the lengthening process, not fun. So his words helped melt away the anxiety.
We knew it was smooth sailing from there as said to keep working hard. Then, before he left the room the doctor left us with not only good news of allowing Zackary to increase weight bearing from only toe-touch to 40-50 pounds but ended with great news letting us know we could actually increase his lengthening rate! We moved from 4 times a day to 5 times a day, totally 1mm a day. This is huge, and proves the praise was warranted because Zackary is killing it this time around.
The appointment went so quickly we actually had time to go on a nice walk (pictured) on a fun path and even got hospital pizza for lunch. It's the little things when you're stuck in the room everyday all day. He moved onto PT for the day and, as usual, his therapist said he's doing great and is quickly learning what 40 lbs feels like. The weight actually stimulates bone growth, so that mixed with his assortment of vitamins and good attitude we are convinced our goal of being home by August 1st may be more realistic then we had originally thought. So needless to say, Monday was a good day to have a good day!
The last big event for this week was getting fitted for his CKD (custom knee device) today. It's like a removable cast with a ratcheting gear to adjust the range of his leg. Though he is doing well now with his flexibility it is very common to lose range of motion and become stiff the more lengthening they do. The CKD allows his leg to be forced in a straight position for a certain amount of time each day so he does not lose the ability to straighten. For now, it's only a couple hours a day, but as we progress so will the amount of time he needs to be in it each day. He will have to sleep in it for up to 8 hours within the next couple of weeks. Not one of Zackary's favorite medical devices but he knows the importance.
Now that we have all of that excitement out of the way for the week we go back to the daily routine of PT, work for me, growing for Zackary and enjoying time together because, well, that's all we have these days and I'm ok with that. Next week's doctors appointment is on Thursday so if anyone wants to pick a good day to have a good day, won't you join us then?! Thanks for all the support and love, we hope this finds you well and in good health.
Until next time,
Momma Miller
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