Heavy Metal

Today I had my first follow up with my orthopedic surgeon. I had an x-ray of my knee and clavicle to see how they are healing and they are doing well. I will get the rod out of the clavicle in 2 months- it is a simple outpatient surgery (like dental surgery), with another small scar on my chest. I am really glad the rod will come out because it probably causes me the most discomfort right now and it is so disturbing how it pokes out a little at the center of my chest, which is the extra little bit that the surgeon needs to pull it out (yuck!). In the x-ray the thing that looks like two paperclips is part of my bra strap :-).
The metal in my leg is there for good (unless there is some sort of problem in the future). The x-rays are really intense- even the x-ray tech remarked that I have quite a bit of metal in there. I imagined the metal to be a bit different, like a square plate screwed to the bone with 4 little screws, not s 6-8 inch piece of metal that looks like it came from The Home Depot.


It looks a bit haphazard, but my surgeon assures me that there is a method to this madness. I will have to keep the brace on my left leg (no weight bearing, i.e. no walking) for another 2 months! You can see a slight fracture in the knee cap, and my right knee cap has the same fracture. In a month that should be healed and I can take the brace off my right leg (though I don't know that this will help my mobility much). I meet with the surgeon again in 1 month. We have to drive to Oakland for these appointments, and it is quite a trek (left Gwen with my Dad who is staying with us this week). After the appointment Spencer and I went out for Chinese food just the two of us which was a treat on a few different fronts. It was nice to be out and spend time with Spencer, just the two of us.


P.S. Happy Inauguration Day! I didn't get to watch the inauguration but Gwen and I listened to most of it on the radio. What an amazing time this is for our country.