Lewis’ Leg after one Fixator Removed

I spoke with Dr. Silveira today, who confirmed that Lewis was still doing well. He also surprised me when he told me that they are beginning to remove the fixator! One bar had been removed the previous week, and he had just removed the second bar this morning. Only one bar and four pins remain supporting the leg. They felt it was time to introduce some stress to the bone, “micro-motion” that would help the bone callous and induce bone remodeling to complete the healing process. He said Lewis was using the leg but was a little more unstable after the bar removal. This was to be expected, and a limited amount of stress will help healing. Of course I am anxious that the bone does not break, but time has come to move to this new step!They plan to remove the final bar in a week or so. At that time, Lewis will have not support for the leg other than his own bone. If all holds together, Dr. Silveria said we could talk about taking him HOME!

Your thoughts and prayers for Lewis are very appreciated now that he is in the final and critical stage of his healing. If the bone can mend and the infection gets cleared up, Lewis can come home!

Lewis’ Leg Showing External Fixator

Lewis did not get the radiographic exam that he was due to have earlier this week. The technicians felt they needed to manipulate the leg to accurately evaluate the condition of the bone, and the doctors felt that it might be too early to perform such manipulation. Since Lewis continues to walk on and use the leg, we are hoping that healing is occurring.The infection may be lessoning, with the drainage beginning to clear up. Lewis’ spirits are such that he still wants to steal food from Psycho; so he has some of his original “gumption” still there! We are so pleased to hear that despite the long confinement and challenging process of healing, that Lewis is “still Lewis.” We owe the staff at OSU more than they can imagine!