Elan’s hip surgery was this past Friday morning and it was a success!
Dr Shawn Standard of the Rubin Institute’s International Center for Limb Lengthening, performed the operation. The center is part of Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.
Elan gets a fixator
As many family & friends know, our 9 yr old has Perthes disease.
On November 7, Elan will have an external fixator surgically mounted onto his hip. The fixator rests on the outside of his body and will be in place for 4 months. This device pulls the hip or femur bone back, allowing new cartilage to take shape. It is this cartilage that will ultimately form a new hip ball and socket for Elan. Once the fixator is removed, Elan will be in a brace for several months.
What do sick kids have to do with social media?
Well, actually a lot…
Our son was recently diagnosed with a rare hip condition. While not life threatening, it is serious and will require surgery and extensive recuperation.
We, of course, were shocked at the news. Elan is an outgoing, kind soul that goes out of his way to avoid stepping on ants. Intuitively, while my wife was finding solace through family & friends, I went online to research and connect with others.
Through social media channels such as e-mail lists, web forums, flickr, you tube, blogs, podcasts, social bookmarking sites such as delicious, online communities and Wikipedia, I was able to begin digesting different treatment options. There isn’t consensus in the medical community for Elan’s condition. Drs. generally support treatment options and surgery that they are familiar with. As bad luck would have it, we have to act quickly and make a decision that may impact the rest of his life.
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