10 weeks 5 days Post-op
McFarland Bypass (done 2/21/2018)
We tried to distract Amy with headphones and an iPad. Total fail. There was screaming. ? But, this new cast-guy is a wizard. Never have I seen anyone whip off a cast so fast! Very impressed.
Wow! Look at that lateral view. Looks nice and straight, right??? ?? Also the grey areas around the graft is new bone forming. 
❤️
Random: Look! I think her kneecap is forming!
Couple things to take note of:
1st, drill holes are GONE. Totally healed. Woohoo!
2nd- near the top there’s a grey fuzzy area between Amy’s tibia and fibula. It kinda looks like a spiderweb. This is called a “cross union”. I didn’t even know he did this. Because Amy’s fibula is strong and unaffected, he is knitting these two bones together at the top to transfer a little more weight to the fibula, and take some stress off the tibia. He was very pleased to see new bone forming here.
3rd- the top and the bottom of the graft are incorporating very nicely into her bone. He is very pleased with her progress.
All in all, at this juncture, he’s giving her about a 75%-80% chance she will NEVER break.
???????
No doubt- This surgery was 100% the right move for her. Not out of the woods yet, but I see an awful lot of sunlight!!!
Now for the bad. Remember Amy’s new brace? Her beautiful princess brace I just showed off Friday? Remember how I was like, gosh… this is awful straight?
Well, guess what??? It wouldn’t even FIT ON HER LEG. ???. She was hollering and yelling, “You’re hurting me!” while everyone was manipulating her leg, trying to see if there was a way to make it work, instead of casting her, so she could have it cut off, cobaned back on, and be non-weight-baring while a new one is made. ??? Kyle, the in-house orthotist, took it back twice, trying to bend the plastic to make it fit her leg. I’m not sure what the point of molding her leg is IF YOU WON’T MAKE A BRACE THAT FITS HER EFFING LEG!!! ???
Let me be clear, everyone today was really wonderful, and was trying to do their best not to hurt her. But it was just awful, and it exhausted her. Every time the team left the room, she just collapsed, unable to deal with it anymore. ?
I’m never going back to that orthotist, I’m making a complaint, and I will do everything I can to put his head on a frigging PIKE.
In the end, this is what we got. Her leg fits into it, but it doesn’t come around her leg enough to support it, it’s too tall so her knee won’t bend, and there’s a HUGE gap on the left side. Essentially, it’s FUBAR brace. ???
To make things WORSE, I emphatically instructed the orthotist to NOT straighten her leg, because I didn’t want to put pressure on her graft. But, hey. I’m just a mom. What do I know?
Positives: there is no pressure on the graft side. No support either, but at least no pressure. For anyone keeping track, this is the 3rd brace he’s made for us, and the 3rd one he’s messed up. 3 strikes and you’re out, buddy!
I also want to point out that he was way nicer, and more accommodating when my husband was present. Yeah. That feels awesome. ???
Anyway, here’s my brave little warrior. Brace on (which won’t fit in her shoe) wheelchair fixed, and smile on face.
I’m going to try on her old brace when we get home, see if it has a better fit. We have an appointment with a new orthotist on Monday. She comes highly recommended by a friend, so I’m willing to regularly trek to Modesto to see her. It’s not too far to receive decent care.
In the meantime, she can’t weight-bear. Awesome.
Positives: Bath tonight!!! Finally!!!
Here is Amy’s old (repaired) brace. She hasn’t worn it since February 3, 2018. Wow, it is SMALL. But, it fits her leg very snuggly.
But look how short it is! That scares me. I sent these pictures off to her doctor, but I think the fit around trumps the height. I’ll do whatever he advises though. Wow, gnarly scars peeking out the top!
We got home wicked late, so we didn’t make it into the bathtub. But tomorrow we’ll clean up her leg, (and the rest of her, with BUBBLES!!!) and see what kind of scarring we’re dealing with. My baby has totally earned her warrior marks.
