The verdict for Zoey is the same as the other two doctors who examined her. Her only good choice is amputation. Even if she spent her entire childhood having surgeries (and recovering from them), doing painful leg lengthening, etc., she would still not end up with a good foot. There just isn't enough to work with because of the ankle joint and bone not being there.
Our next step is to attend an amputee clinic where we will all have the opportunity to see and talk to other kids who have had amputations. After we attend that, we can schedule the surgery.
For Chloe: she is less severe, but will still need surgery at some point. She has a choice between leg lengthening of her shorter leg, or leg shortening of her longer leg. The shortening is MUCH easier. They would go in and cause the growth plate to slow down her growth, allowing the shorter leg to catch up a bit. The downside of that is that it would make her shorter (by at least 1.5 to 2 inches). If she chooses leg lengthening, she would have to wear an apparatus on her leg for a year (it looks like a cage). She took one look at it and said, 'No way.' She doesn't need to do anything for another few years, so she has time to think it over.
So...no big surprises but I am so glad to know about the amputee clinic. It will be really nice to talk to other families who have already been through it.
We finished up our girls day out with lunch at McDon*lds. Yuk. I've been feeling gross ever since. The girls were thrilled though, because they got a Happy Me*l, which they don't normally get when we go to McD's. Ah...the small joys in life!
Jeff had a 101 fever when I left but aspirin seemed to help and he is doing pretty well tonight.
Thank you so much for praying! Sorry no pics today. I actually forgot--even though I took my pocket sized camera with me.
