Follow up Appointment with Plastic Surgeon

Yesterday I had my appointment with Dr. Higgins. He was quite pleased with the way things looked and again reassured me that everything was "normal" despite how funky it still looks to me. Its still really swollen although now instead of a cantaloupe its about the size of a small orange or large lemon. The graft is starting to fill in, although it still looks like mesh not skin. I also found out why the back of my leg has been so sore. I figured it had to do with him taking a piece of muscle from my calf to fill in the hole in the front. I was right about that, but didn't know about one additional reason. Turns out I also have an incision that runs straight down the back of my leg from the crease of my knee to the bottom of my calf. That was his "secret" he said with a sly grin. I figured the opening that was already along my shin was enough to get the muscle he needed, but apparently not. Everything has dissolvable stitches, so there is no need for any additional things done to me except dressing changes and waiting to heal. I'll see him again in ten days and then we will start changing the dressing on our own. He said it would probably take about 6 months until the graft area was completely covered and looking "normal." Although I have no idea what "normal" is going to be for my leg. Not that I'm really worried about what it will look like. I'm much more concerned with the functionality obviously. I am curious though.

Mom and Sandy, my nurse case manager, both came in to see how things looked and to take notes on anything Dr. Higgins had to say. So if you talk to my mom she can verify the funky appearance now.

While in the waiting room, Sandy was telling my parents and I about Dr. Higgins' talents. On another workers comp. case that she was assigned to, a guy somehow lost his thumb. Dr. Higgins was able to rebuild a new functional thumb for the man from his second toe. The guy is good.

I really like him. He's got a very good bedside manner. I feel like he anticipates questions and concerns and addresses them before you even have a chance to voice them. While unwrapping things he's talking the whole time: "Don't worry about that yellow on the gauze its from xyz medicine that's in the dressing", "what you're going to see with the graft is that some of the spots are starting to fill in", "its still going to be bulged out, but smaller than what you saw a week ago." He instills confidence, puts you at ease and does it all while having this child-like enjoyment in his work. Apparently he's one of the best in our region, because every time I mention his name to someone in the medical field I get this "ooo la la, he's the one working on you" response.

Yesterday morning I also had my home care nurse Wendy out for my weekly check in and care of my PICC line. She changed the tape and bandages, cleaned the area, put new extension lines and caps on and took blood to send to the lab. She also called the pharmacy to make sure my delivery was on its way for this week's doses and all the peripheral stuff that she and I need (replacement parts, saline and heparin flushes etc.). Before I've even posted this there was a knock on the door and my shipment is here.

Things are moving along and we've just got to wait and see if my bone is healing as well as the surface. Only the x-ray will tell that which Brumback won't do until I'm finished with the antibiotics. Until then I just keep plugging along with the status quo and hoping for the best.