Two Weeks Out

Garrett went to his orthopedic appointment today with a big cast and high hopes of leaving with a shorter cast and he was not disappointed.  Actually this appointment  put a smile on his face bigger than I've seen in weeks.

The latest X-ray showed that his transverse break continues to heal and that he could go to a Patellar Tendon Bearing  Cast.   We were not expecting this type of cast at all.  As you can see from the picture, the cast goes up and around the knee from behind.  He has forward and back movement, but no side to side.  The best and most unexpected news is that by next week, he should be able to walk without or with little assistance from crutches.

I guess with this transverse break, the pressure of walking/standing will stimulate bone growth.  So really as soon as he feels like he can comfortably start bearing weight, he's been cleared to do so.  This was completely unexpected.  This still does not change the timeline of the recovery as the tibia is one of the slowest healing bones in the body.  But it will make the recovery much easier.

This is Garrett's leg when the cast was removed.  There is a sizable difference  between the size of his legs, particularly his thighs from atrophy.

We go back again in two weeks for another X-Ray and recast.  He will likely stay in this type of cast for at least six more weeks until he can be moved to a walking boot.  Unfortunately with this type of cast, he was unable to get a waterproof cast, but I think the trade off is worth it.  The doctor thinks he could probably be driving again in about two months.  And after therapy he will likely be able to start back to soccer when the season resumes in July.

Progress

Week 2....
Garrett had another appointment today at the ortho.  He had another x-ray which is the second one since the injury.  Doctor said the bone is in a good position which is great.  This definitely puts Garrett on the road to a full recovery.  And when we asked if it would definitely need to be another 3 weeks in the long cast, he gave a long sigh.  After a bit of silence he said Garrett would need to come back next week for another x-ray and at that time he would consider putting him in a shorter cast.  We are really crossing fingers that this will be the case.

Today Garrett went back to school for the entire day.  I was a bit worried.  Last week, he went on Thursday for 3 periods, but was too tired to attend more than one class on Friday.  I wasn't sure he could make it the whole day.  But he did.  He was tired, but I'm very relieved that he won't miss more school.  His good friend Cory has had his driver's license for a year and has offered to take Garrett to school in the morning.  It's a huge help and I think Garrett prefers to go with a friend in the morning.

Jack went to school last year with a little boy who just so happens to be the son of the doctor that Garrett is seeing.  So I know the doctor's wife fairly well and ran into her last week.  She mentioned that one of her son's used a different type of crutch which had a better ergonomic design and was more comfortable.  She said she'd let Garrett use them.  Here are the Mobilegs.  They are a pretty unique design and there's give when pressure is applied.  Hopefully they make getting around a little easier.

I have to say, in just the last couple of days I think Garrett is becoming much more mobile.  He's less likely to call out for help, he's getting more independent.  All in all, we are in a much better place than we were last week.  I didn't expect to see this much improvement in such a short time.  Keep thinking good thoughts, he has a long road ahead, but the worst is definitely behind him.