The top part of it slides up as the leg lengthens. My doctor loosened the screw on the back of the top part of the fixator so it can now move.
At the top of the fixator is a hole in which to insert the wrench:
The wrench is 5mm Allen wrench, whatever that means. I put it in at such an angle so that I can get a 15 degree turn:
It winds up looking like this:
I do that four times in one session, and then repeat that four times a day. So sixteen cranks a day in total.
What does it feel like? It's kind of hard to describe. The best description I can think of right now is that awful feeling you get in your bones when fingernails scratch across a chalkboard. It doesn't hurt, exactly, but it feels really weird and uncomfortable.
The lengthening is starting to make my leg hurt. My bone aches now, and my ankle feels tight. I'm beginning to see how important stretching and flexing my ankle is going to be in order to keep mobility.
After just a few times, I'm already dreading each turning of the screw. Good thing I have Lamar here to do it for me:
Days until removal of the fixator: approximately 78
5 comments:
I love your blog--best of luck recovering from your surgery. You're kind of bionic now! (Hi Kelly!)
wow. you are bionic...in a hardware borrowed from the eye doctor sort of way. I'm glad they have that little arrow of direction on there. and really glad you are home from the hospital!
It's official, you're the toughest person I know... so long Buffy, hello Allison! Okay I don't KNOW Buffy, but I think if she were real, and you and she were to embark a "who's a bigger bad-ass" contest, she'd be toast.
Wow. That's insane. And I just read what happened on Monday! How scary...but I'm relieved to hear you're ok. Hang in there, kid--you're always going to be one day closer to the end of this!
Cake
Track 5.
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