Lauren at Dr. Paley's office.For the record, Lauren amazed us at how well she did on her first plane rides. Other passengers even remarked at what a good baby she was. Needless to say, we were some proud parents! I will post more pictures from our trip to West Palm Beach but I know some of you are waiting to hear how our big appointment went. I'm glad to say it went a little better than expected. Maybe we've been planning for the worst but the news from Dr. Paley definitely left us feeling better about the road ahead.
Dr. Paley figures Lauren's leg length difference would be 4 1/2 inches at full grown. This means that she'll only need two lengthenings, one at age 2 and one at age 12. At age 2, there will be 2 1/2 months of lengthening and 2 1/2 months of bone consolidation or "recovery" I guess you could call it. Anyway, Lauren will need to be down there for the first 2 1/2 months but then will be able to come home and do therapy and x-rays locally. We won't have to make trips down there every two weeks as we thought, just one return trip to take the frame off.
The second bit of good news is that Lauren won't have to wear lifts her entire childhood. She will need one before her first lengthening and for a little while afterwards on her left leg. Because girls grow half of their height by age 3, the other half is so gradual that she won't need an external lift again until she is about 9. Girls are actually full grown by 14 and she should have two same length legs by then.
The best news...Dr. Paley said Lauren has a good foot and her ankle motion is better than most (with FH). She'll only need a minor version of the Super Ankle procedure. We asked about the ankle bone that didn't show up on her x-ray from birth. Dr. Paley pointed at her current x-ray and said "it's right there", and that it must have lagged behind. I read that the bone she was missing (or so we were told) is not always calcified at birth and does not always show up on x-rays. I just thought since it showed up on the other side it should be showing up on both. That part is still a little hard to believe, but it did come straight from the mouth of the expert after all. He even said that we could try letting her walk without an ankle brace to start and see how it goes.
Dr. Paley is going to send us a copy of his report so if we've left anything out we'll be sure to post it. Our next step is more x-rays at 9 months old to determine what kind of lift Lauren needs before she starts walking. Dr. Paley will send us a script to have it made locally. Then our next trip to WPB will be for a surgery plan when Lauren is 17 months old.
We'd heard that Dr. Paley was very down to business and maybe not so personable which was fine with us, as long as he could help our daughter. Still, Lauren was able to get a compliment or two out of him about her "beautiful blue eyes".
Dr. Paley figures Lauren's leg length difference would be 4 1/2 inches at full grown. This means that she'll only need two lengthenings, one at age 2 and one at age 12. At age 2, there will be 2 1/2 months of lengthening and 2 1/2 months of bone consolidation or "recovery" I guess you could call it. Anyway, Lauren will need to be down there for the first 2 1/2 months but then will be able to come home and do therapy and x-rays locally. We won't have to make trips down there every two weeks as we thought, just one return trip to take the frame off.
The second bit of good news is that Lauren won't have to wear lifts her entire childhood. She will need one before her first lengthening and for a little while afterwards on her left leg. Because girls grow half of their height by age 3, the other half is so gradual that she won't need an external lift again until she is about 9. Girls are actually full grown by 14 and she should have two same length legs by then.
The best news...Dr. Paley said Lauren has a good foot and her ankle motion is better than most (with FH). She'll only need a minor version of the Super Ankle procedure. We asked about the ankle bone that didn't show up on her x-ray from birth. Dr. Paley pointed at her current x-ray and said "it's right there", and that it must have lagged behind. I read that the bone she was missing (or so we were told) is not always calcified at birth and does not always show up on x-rays. I just thought since it showed up on the other side it should be showing up on both. That part is still a little hard to believe, but it did come straight from the mouth of the expert after all. He even said that we could try letting her walk without an ankle brace to start and see how it goes.
Dr. Paley is going to send us a copy of his report so if we've left anything out we'll be sure to post it. Our next step is more x-rays at 9 months old to determine what kind of lift Lauren needs before she starts walking. Dr. Paley will send us a script to have it made locally. Then our next trip to WPB will be for a surgery plan when Lauren is 17 months old.
We'd heard that Dr. Paley was very down to business and maybe not so personable which was fine with us, as long as he could help our daughter. Still, Lauren was able to get a compliment or two out of him about her "beautiful blue eyes".
That is great news. I am so happy for your family. I realize you have a tough road ahead, but it sounds like Dr. Paley is going to help make it easier. Lauren is such a beautiful baby and is such a blessing. \
ReplyDeleteGod is at work here, there is no doubt! We are thrilled with your report and will continue to pray for you all as you continue on this journey!!
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