The good news is the xrays look great! We had a hard time distinguishing what is new bone and what was old bone. Dr. Kogan was thrilled with the results. We also did xrays of his spine and all looks great there (huge huge huge sigh of relief there).
Here's the leg xray. The black spots in his bone are where the pins were. Over time those will fill in with new hard bone.
For the most part, the pin sites healed pretty well. I will say I am VERY glad he's a boy because I have a feeling a little girl might be upset about the way it looks. One of the pin sites is very infected, which we were surprised to see. He's on an oral antibiotic and we're swabbing it with iodine for a couple of days to try to clear it up.
It's hard to see in this picture, but the pin sites are reddish-purple scars that are sort of pitted into his leg. The infected pin is the bottom of his leg....the red, angry looking sore.
We are not happy with the new brace. I'm not sure who's idea it was to make it the way that they did, but it's not going to work. First of all it's not hinged, so he won't be able to walk/ride bikes/etc with it. For some reason, they built up the heel to compensate for a slight knee contracture he's developed. It's like a high heeled brace, totally ridiculous! We can't even put a shoe over it. So, we're going to talk with his therapists next week and get their recommendations for what he should have. Then we'll get a new brace made. We'll have to make this one work until we get a new one.
Here's the new brace...soon to be the old brace.
Jack is definitely very hesitant to walk or put much pressure on that leg. We've learned that it's best to not put any pressure on him and let him move at his own pace. He went swimming last night, and was hesitant to get in the pool, but once he was in he was swimming and kicking with both legs.
It's amazing to think that we're at this point in the lengthening process. I'm glad we did it, but can't say I'd be thrilled if we had to do it again! Jack is home with me today so that I can keep an eye on that infection. We were watching Good Morning America and there was a segment on Perthes disease (a degenerative hip disease in little kids). They covered a little boy that had surgery and intense therapy as a result of Perthes, and the reporter (Cameron Mathison) had overcome Perthes disease as a child. Cameron said that as a result of his struggle with Perthes he was determined and hard-working. As a kid, he learned what really is important and came out of his ordeal working harder than everyone else. I explained to Jack, it' doesn't matter who is the fastest runner, but rather who is the runner that's trying the hardest. I am so thankful that Jack and I got to watch the segment together.
Jack is definitely enjoying his new freedom! He's let me rub his leg gently and last night we gave it a good (but gentle) scrub in the shower. This morning, he keeps telling me how good it feels to reach down and not have pins or a cast on! Last night he said, "I don't feel like I've one victory, I feel like a hundred thousand victories!" I had to agree :)
Jack never stops amazing me.
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