Thigh Ring and Foot Plate removal details

Complete fixator the night before the partial removal

Close up

6:00 am arrival for the partial removal

We were thrilled we were scheduled for 7:30 am vs. the first two procedures that started AFTER lunch- UGHH!

Mary doesn't like change and requested to have the partial removal at the original hospital we had the fixator put on in. We were able to do so and luckily we were in the exact same prep room with the same nurse as when we put the fixator on.

Taking vitals

Getting weighed in

Mary weighed in at a pound more than when she had the fixator put on but since I have since weighed the foot plates and the thigh ring at 3 lbs. I am guessing the parts of the fixator she still has on weigh at least two more so I think Mary has lost 4-5 pounds during this process.

We asked and she was able to keep Miranda's bracelet on because it doesn't have any metal on it. Mary was thrilled.

Nurse Wendy her O.R. Nurse seemed very sweet and I was able to tell her that Mary was pretty nervous.

Walking across the bridge to the OR

One difference this time is the anesthesiologist and Dr. Scott talked to us in the pre-surgery area vs. after the bridge in the O.R. lobby so our goodbye was as soon as we walked across the bridge into the O.R. hall. Mary was very nervous...When they brought the wheelchair to her Daddy they said they had her wrapped in a lot of blankets to keep her warm. Mary told me later that night that she was so nervous she was shaking.

We were able to get our "lucky" booth in the cafeteria where we have sat waiting for Little Sisters hernia surgery 4 years ago and Mary's fixator operation.

We were called to recovery at 8:12 am- less than 45 minutes from saying goodbye.

The picture above is how Mary looked when we arrived in recovery.

Dr. Scott actually found us in the cafeteria before we were called to recovery and said he poked around at the top sites to prevent them from being puckered later so she should take an antibiotic for 5 days to prevent an infection. He said he did straighten her knee in the OR. Her knee was MUCH better than during the manipulation on June 19 and he emailed me a picture of how straight he got it in the O.R.. He said her blood pressure did go up a little while he was straightening it. (Not fun to hear.)

Dr. Scott's picture of how straight he was able to get her knee in the O.R.

No thigh ring!

Thigh ring OFF!

Foot plates off (and they are heavy!)

No foot plates

Nurse Janet was great and since Mary's procedure was so quick no one else was in the recovery room. Janet explained all of the nurses had worked in ICU for 20 years together but it finally because too sad so they move to recovery to "retire". They have all been in recovery for 10 years now.

Mary was starting to feel pain in her foot so she had one small dose of morphine and we gave her the Tylenol with Codeine we brought from home before we left. Nurse Janet thought it was better because it lasts longer than the morphine. Pain was always under control this time unlike on June 19- YEAH!!!

Reading Calvin and Hobbs with Daddy

Feeling better so moved onto to the ipad

Testing a cracker before taking the Tylenol and being released

Dressed and smiling- getting nervous about moving to go home though...

She moved and we are headed home

We were in the car by 10:45. The whole process took 5 hours and that included taking our time in recovery which was 2 1/2 hours less than on June 19.

Her foot is extremely sensitive and she was only willing to lightly touch her toes to the ground.

Good news is her toes already look less curled.

Her PT had warned about her skin being very sensitive and we heard from another fixator parent that it gets better everyday but can last up to a month. We are going to have to push Mary to doing a little more everyday. She told both of us today that she thinks we were wrong having the thigh ring and foot plates removed wasn't an improvement. It's just because she has to get used to what it's like not having the pieces on and de-sensitizing her foot.

Mary's Physical Therapist called today to check in on her today. He asked if she has beared weight on her foot yet. I said no...Dr. Scott wants her to walk, walk, walk! The nice thing is the more she walks the less PT we have to do.

The number one thing Mary is excited about is she goes from having to clean 16 pin/wire sites to 8.


16 applicators to clean the wire/pin sites



Now she only needs 8!!!



Now she only needs 4!!!



8 q-tips to wipe the wires and pins



blue wires on the inside of her foot



After removing the gauze a day later-blue wires outside of foot

Thigh pin sites covered



Pin sites in thigh