The operation has happened and the frame is now on. The surgery lasted 6 hours so was quite intense. This is due to the sheer number of bones in the foot so any surgery here is complicated.
The surgeon has broken the bottom of Ava’s leg and broken all the bones across her foot. The various wires from the frame are attached to these bones and we begin the process of moving their alignment on Saturday.
Ava is very spaced out as didn’t return from surgery until 6.30pm. She is also on a self administered morphine drip so is topping herself up regularly (children’s dose!) which is obviously making her very sleepy.
A few people have asked why the operation/procedure is being performed. To put it simply if we had left Ava’s leg and foot and performed no surgery she would be in a wheelchair for life, with a very visible deformity too. It would be impossible to walk with a 12 cm leg length difference (which is the difference predicted by the consultant at skeletal maturity) let alone the fusing of bones in her foot.
Years ago before the illzarov frame people would have been given the option to amputate but that would be such an incredibly difficult decision for any parent to make for their child. In some cases today that is still the only option for parents.
Thankfully we can go down the surgery route, even if it is a long drawn out process that is painful for Ava. We know looking back she will thank us for this.
So tonight is all about Ava resting and being comfortable. Hopefully we all get a few hours sleep as it’s been a long and emotional day.
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