There's No Place Like Home....

Well, it took a little more than three clicks of my heels, but we're back in Kansas Nod....

We were not sent away this time (thanks for the broom, Marly!), and, indeed, granted audience with the Wizard.

 

  (Well, truth be told, he looked more like this after seeing the mess Lil' Crow's knee was in:)

After some hobnobbing with his fellow wizards, and some deep digging into that black bag of his, he came up with this:

A combination arthroscopy, osteotomy, and the grand finale: a tibial tubercle transfer (also known as the "Triple T") and combination lateral release.

 

Basically, this all involved breaking (yes, intentionally) the tibia (the main bone in the lower leg) and moving it, cutting the bone underneath the kneecap to change its alignment, and moving Lil' Crow's kneecap.  More incisions were made to remove some of Lil' Crow's hamstring which was then used to reattach the newly realigned kneecap.  Holes were drilled and screws were inserted to hold it all in place.  (Did someone say they would like pictures???)

 The Wizard also found a wayward piece of bone that was embedded on the side of Lil' Crow's patella, which he removed.  Unfortunately, the Wizard did say that Lil' Crow's patellofemoral articulation (the groove on the end of the femur on which the kneecap slides as the knee bends) is basically flat (in a normal functioning knee, it should be at a 45 degree angle) and there is no "fixing" that....

But, all in all, the surgery went relatively smoothly (all 4.5 hours of it) and "as expected." Obviously, however, only time will tell if it was, in fact, "successful."

The trip home was long.  Let's just say pain and long-distance travel aren't the best mixers.  (And thank the good Lord that I had the packed a puke bucket....)

 

The next few weeks will be filled with return visits to the Emerald City....

And then...the dreaded physical therapy....

But, hopefully, my posts will get back "on track" and this will be: 

Thank you for bearing with me through this journey and the journey re-do's....  Your prayers and well wishes were like a warm blanket in that cold waiting room....