Week #36 - Surgery Update #3

Devin just got home this afternoon which is much sooner then the standard 5-6 days for this type of surgery. The main reason that he was able to return home this soon was due to the fact that we have a very good relationship with the surgeon and several other doctors and nurses at Harborview and they know we are prepared to take care of him at home, which really made the surgeon feel comfortable with him being cared for at home - he basically told us we could bring him home as soon as he could physically handle the ride home.

During the surgery the doctors cut his femur below where it was already broken and notched it a little to adjusted the angle, along with adjusting the angle where the bone was already broken. This helped make everything line up the way it needed to.

They removed all of the hardware put in the first surgery and replaced it with brand new (and different) hardware to hold things in place while it heals. The hardware from the first surgery was designed such that most people keep it in place even after the bones are healed. The latest hardware he got from this surgery is often removed after the bones have healed, mostly because it is more intrusive and can easily be felt under the skin (Making it very painful when it gets bumped).

Devin went directly from the car to his bed as soon as he got here and went to sleep. His trip home wore him out, but all-in-all he is doing remarkably well.

Here is a picture of Devin in the hospital with his little
brother who was very excited to get to see him.

Week 36 - Surgery Update #2

The surgery has been completed, he was in the OR for about 8 hours. The surgeons were all in agreement that it went very well, and seemed much more optimistic about his chances of the bone healing. The hardware installed back in September was removed and bone grafts done and new (and different) hardware was installed to hold things in place to give the bone a change to heal.

Week 36 - Surgery Update

Devin went in for surgery today. He was scheduled for a 2pm start time until last night when we got a call form Harborview to change it to noon. We got there at 10am as requested and at 11 the surgery had been delayed. Devin when in for surgery around 1:30 this afternoon and will hopefully be done between 6 & 9 tonight.

The anesthesiologist and attending doctor at the surgery preparation room were both amazed that three top surgeons all well known and respected are all collaborating on this surgery and will all be in the operation from start to finish saying that this is unprecedented. The surgeons all agree that this will be a challenge, we are hopefully optimistic that this will help his leg/hip recover.