Extra! Extra!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! I finally have enough information to tell a complete story! I am so happy I waited to share it all together rather than in pieces because it has been dynamic with too much potential for unnecessary drama. No. Thank. You. I’ll take patience, thankyouverymuch.

Here’s the story…

X-ray

I went in on 7/7/2021 to do new X-rays. The initial look was not at all what I was hoping for. I thought for sure I’d see good signs of bony healing, a lot of white on the X-ray. But instead there is almost none. In fact, in comparison with previous X-rays, there is seemingly less.

The white you’re seeing in the pubic joint space in the early X-rays are the bony fragments that were harvested from my right iliac crest – like little croutons packed into the pubic joint space. These act as seeds for new bone growth, but over time they are absorbed, which is why the most recent X-ray looks almost solid black. The fragments are all gone.

This latest X-ray seems to be showing little to no healing, even considering the absorption of the bone croutons. How upsetting that could be, like jumping off the Cliffs of Insanity into a giant pit of despair, doom, and gloom. One might flash on the idea of having gone nowhere for almost 6 months, enduring a lot of yuck with the allergy.

But, those weren’t my thoughts or feelings. I really just made those up right now for the sake of this writing. My REAL thoughts were to be patient and see what the next steps would reveal, wasting no time with crazy, instead focusing on the ever-present concept of the obstacle being the way. A new way was absolutely welcome and warranted, so patience for its discovery was all good.

CT Scan

We needed to do a CT scan in order to get a better look.

Right after my Dr. appointment, I was able to get in at a local imaging clinic for a CT scan. It took some scheduling gymnastics, but it happened – thank you universe! This test would reveal much more detail about the bony growth and density, information not possible with an X-ray. A review of this imaging is the information I’ve been waiting for these last two days.

My information came in yesterday afternoon.

It turns out that there are bony bridges forming right up under the metal plate, much more than we expected to see based on the X-ray. It isn’t enough to remove the hardware entirely – that would take at least 6 more months. BUT, it is positive growth and opens up an entirely new, unexpected option.

Option 1

If there is enough bony growth, it is possible to replace the current metal, the plate and all six screws, with a single (titanium this time) screw.

Like this:

This would obviously be much less metal and have a higher probably of being more comfortable. It would require more downtime upfront while more bone grows since it offers less immediate stability, but if I have enough bone to support it, it looks like an amazing option. My Dr. won’t know if I am a good candidate for this option until he sees the actual bone in surgery.

Option 2

The next option is to replace the current hardware with identical titanium hardware. New plate and new screws. This is more stable, but more metal that may still cause mechanical irritation. It is the choice if Option 1 can’t work. This would alleviate my allergy issues and make the remainder of the healing process more tolerable.

Option 3

The final option is to do nothing right now, continuing to tough out the allergy while the bones heal. Carry on as I have been. Then when it is all healed take it out and be metal free. I’m looking at 6-8 more months realistically, possibly more.

Considerations

• Can I, and should I, try waiting?
• Is it smart to continue on with the allergy?
• Is it safe? Or will it cause too much damage to my immune system?
• Is this a matter of patience, or is it wiser to call it and move to options 1 or 2?
• Options 1 and 2 would be permanent fixtures, option 3 gives me a chance of being metal free afterwards.

I have things to think about and more information to gather, but at least I now I have a complete picture and path to follow.

Stay tuned! Things are happening!

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