Monday, May 7, 2012

Recent Visit with Dr. Nowicki

Aghh!  Where has the time gone?  Over a month without an update and I have so much to share!
On Wednesday, April 25 we visited with Dr. Nowicki here in Kalamazoo.  We had some x-rays done of her knee and hip.  Good news…. Dr. Nowicki was very pleased with the results.  Based on what he saw, he definitely thinks that our best option will be limb lengthening.  What a relief, I just hope that Dr. Standard and Dr. Herzenberg can confirm.  I know limb lengthening will be a trying process, but I feel so blessed that we have a clear front-runner, that it isn’t a ‘six to one, half dozen to another’ scenario…. where Matt and I are forced to choose what’s best. 
So, you’re asking what was it that made Dr. Nowicki pleased?  First of all, he was pleased with her movement of the leg, and to hear that she is bending and rotating it well without signs of pain… (reminder, early on any movement in her leg was obviously painful – leading to her wearing a harness)  Also, the x-rays showed what appeared to be the femur being held into place, even though we couldn’t see a femoral head.  A certain gap in the hips, along with her movement, lead him to believe that there is a femoral head present, but we just can’t see it on the x-rays (whether it hasn’t ossified or it may be turned).  This is great news because often PFFD children are missing their femoral head.  On top of that, Dr. Nowicki thought her hips looked great and said that hip reconstruction may not be needed!  Though not definite, I take any good news we can get J 
Soon I’ll add a few shots of her x-rays from 4/25/2012…. 6.5 months old.

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