Had my 1 month follow-up at BMC last week. They took a set of X-rays and said that there were no visible changes (which is a good thing right now).
Author: Openbah
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1 month post-FVFG follow-up
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Post-op X-rays
Here are a couple X-rays that were taken immediately following my surgery.
You can see the drain tube I was talking about in this X-ray. A screw was also inserted to make sure the fibula graft stays put until it bonds with the hip.
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More details on my surgery
I arrived at Columbia Presbyterian at 7AM on March 14th. After being admitted I was told to wait to be brought to x-ray. Eventually someone came, led me to x-ray, films were taken, and I was brought to the pre-op area. A couple nurses and doctors came in and thoroughly went through my medical history, making sure no surprises were waiting for them in the OR.
I was then moved to another holding area closer to the OR. I met the anesthesiology team who asked me lots of questions about how I react to anesthesia, and how my family reacts to it. Afterwards, my surgeon and his team came in, he put his initials on my bad leg (NY state law), and walked us through the surgery one last time.
At 8:45AM my parents were asked to leave. A doctor inserted an IV, and I was told I’d be waiting until the they were ready for me. About 45 minutes later, I was finally wheeled into the huge OR. It was the most impressive OR I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen quite a few. I was given oxygen, and they began positioning me on the table. Apparently, my height caused some logistical issues, but eventually they worked things out. I was told that they were ready to go and that was the last thing I remember.
The first hour of being unconscious was spent padding, positioning, and preparing the leg for surgery. Next, the lower leg was opened up, muscles were disconnected, and using a saw, an 8″ section of fibula was removed. It was thinned down and prepared to be inserted into the hip.
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2 week follow-up appointment
Had my 2 week follow-up appointment with my surgeon in Englewood, NJ. A set of x-rays were taken, which were unremarkable. Next the 59 staples in my leg were removed and replaced by steri-strips. It feels great to have them out.
Finally, my doctor came in and did a quick assessment of the incisions and of the leg. He said other than the pink area at the top of the hip incision, things looked great. He gave me a new antibiotic prescription, and after a 5-minute conversation about narcotic addictions, wrote me another prescription for Percocet. I see him again in 6 weeks.
