Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
A Standard Super Ankle
We made our second trip down to the International Center for Limb Lengthening (ICLL), this time accompanied by Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Dan, for Lauren's 18 month check-up. The appointment with Dr. Standard was yet another confirmation that he is one of the most wonderful human beings that I've ever met. He's so thorough and so personable, and most importantly for us, an expert in treating fibular hemimelia. Lauren's limb length difference (LLD) is now between three and four centimeters. I was relieved to hear that this hasn't changed much since her last appointment six months ago. The actual difference between her two legs is supposed in increase as she grows, but with the percentage of the difference staying the same. I still say her FH leg is doing a good job keeping up!
Dr. Standard said that Lauren is big enough so her Super Ankle procedure could be done any time now. The goal of this surgery is to reconstruct Lauren's ankle so that her ankle bone is aligned on top of her heel bone, rather than the two bones being in the side by side position that they're in right now. An added benefit of aligning the bones is that it in itself produces a little bit of length. Dr. Standard also said he thinks that Lauren's (partial) fibula is definitely playing a role in her ankle stability. The "Super Ankle" is the broad name used for ankle procedures that are somewhat individualized to each FH patient. Usually an external fixator is required for about 6 weeks afterwards but in Lauren's case, he said there's a possibility that she would need just a cast. I guess that's something that he will determine once he's doing the surgery.
Our feeling is the sooner the better for Lauren to be walking on the bottom of her foot rather than the inside of it. Dr. Standard and Dr. Herzenberg have found that doing the ankle surgery separate from the first lengthening helps maintain the most ankle mobility possible. So moving ahead with the surgery will also give Lauren plenty of healing time before her first lengthening which is planned for when she's 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 years old. Dr. Standard said this is his toddler season (since the big kids are back in school) and that means he's not quite so busy. We're now awaiting a phone call back to see when we can schedule surgery. In the mean time, Lauren is doing great with her 2cm lift on the bottom of her shoe. It amazes me how much she DOESN'T fall!
Dr. Standard said that Lauren is big enough so her Super Ankle procedure could be done any time now. The goal of this surgery is to reconstruct Lauren's ankle so that her ankle bone is aligned on top of her heel bone, rather than the two bones being in the side by side position that they're in right now. An added benefit of aligning the bones is that it in itself produces a little bit of length. Dr. Standard also said he thinks that Lauren's (partial) fibula is definitely playing a role in her ankle stability. The "Super Ankle" is the broad name used for ankle procedures that are somewhat individualized to each FH patient. Usually an external fixator is required for about 6 weeks afterwards but in Lauren's case, he said there's a possibility that she would need just a cast. I guess that's something that he will determine once he's doing the surgery.
Our feeling is the sooner the better for Lauren to be walking on the bottom of her foot rather than the inside of it. Dr. Standard and Dr. Herzenberg have found that doing the ankle surgery separate from the first lengthening helps maintain the most ankle mobility possible. So moving ahead with the surgery will also give Lauren plenty of healing time before her first lengthening which is planned for when she's 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 years old. Dr. Standard said this is his toddler season (since the big kids are back in school) and that means he's not quite so busy. We're now awaiting a phone call back to see when we can schedule surgery. In the mean time, Lauren is doing great with her 2cm lift on the bottom of her shoe. It amazes me how much she DOESN'T fall!
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