It's A Date!!!!!

Have word, a plan and a date! Dr. Watson and I have been exchanging e-mails re: my upcoming surgery. He received the CT's a week ago or so, and made a diagnose as follows: "Have reviewed the scans.....not as big a defect as I thought...with evidence of "hypertrophic" bone...which is good...as I suspected I think the healed fibula has acted as a distraction force...I would.... 1) cut a small segment of fibula out...(which heals back very quickly)..and.... 2) exchange your rod to 1 size larger diameter...which is placed with a reamer device which helps to produce a small bone graft at the defect...that.and the fibular osteotomy will aid in compressing the tibial segments together....as well I would... ..3) graft the lateral side (where the main defect is..(see pics)...using iliac aspirate and bone morphogenic protein....OP-1.....which I will need you to sign a special consent form as this can only be used as an "humanitarian use exemption"...used only in special cases where the bone has not healed after numerous attempts"

So, just got word From Pat, scheduler at Dr. Watson's office that December 15th is the day!

In the interim, I have been swimming 4-5 times per week (about 6400-7300 yards or 3.5-4 miles) , trying to get in SOME shape for surgery. Dr. Reid & I have been hitting the Riverplex in Peoria, as they have a 75 foot lap pool, and he has given me "the business" during workouts, making it really tough. After a 10 minute warmup, it's pyramid laps, then finish off with 10 sets of 50 yard sprints. The Yoga Nazi joined us last Sunday for a workout as well. I cannot believe how fast they are. Dr. Reid & I raced last Friday, 100 yards, and he went to the 125 yard mark to make it fair. He STILL beat me, barely though, I like to believe.

















Here's some pictures Dr. Reid took while we were swimming. Look at the form, the grace and the technique I have. Don't look at the thinning head of hair. Oh well, you can't have it all in life!

Give Up, or Fight Like Hell......

Lance Armstrong said it in his first book "It's Not About the Bike", as in we have two choices. I have said that to myself, daily for the past 2 years , 2 months and 10 days, starting within moments of the impact.

G & I went down to see the orthopedic specialist, Dr. J. Tracy Watson (credentials include: orthopedic specialist, world renown surgeon, cutting edge of technology doctor, all around nice guy who did my tibia nail, graft etc. in 3/05 , and the best part, he tolerates me) at St. Louis University Hospital this morning, after the tibial fracture still being non-union. He thought he was rid of me, but to no avail. The other doctor assisting, Dr. Phillips is a really nice guy, who we met before my last round of major surgery in March of 2005. We reviewed more x-rays, and Dr. Watson layed out a couple of options:
1. Do nothing further, although the tibia will probably always be non-union, and I can live my life as is, or
2. Surgery, meaning something to the effect of many options, such as: "re-nail" the tibia with a larger one, ream the tibia out, to take place of a bone graft and make way for the new, larger nail, remove a portion of the fibula and use it for grafting, or all of the above in some fashion or another, and add some Bone Morphogenic Protein, which is super secret DNA biological "stuff" that the experts get to use.

If you have known me for about 5 minutes, you would guess I selected option 2. I have to get my "move on, with my move on" at some point in my life, and I really don't want to be racing against the pro's when I am 5o years old, when I get through this. I have grown accustomed to the cane, but it's really a pain when trying to run a marathon. The upside to the cane is that little old ladies will open the door for you. (Not a great return on investment if you ask me.)


Of course, Dr. Watson knows me too well by now, and would not commit to any of the above procedures, as I may hold him to it, the day of surgery. He told me to get a CT scan, and send it down to him for review. So, I politely ask, are you going on vacation soon? He quickly responds that he CANNOT do my surgery before Thanksgiving. Rats! I pulled that trick on him last time he did my tibia.......it went like this, "so.......Dr. Watson, when do you think you can do the surgery?" "Anytime" was the response. "Great, see you next week, let's rock & roll"

Ok, maybe it didn't happen exactly like that, but I am a willing patient, and want to see some progress here. This is my Christmas morning, opening presents, with the exception of medical hardware, blood, swelling, pain etc. Yeah, just like Christmas morning!

So, schedule the CT's, send them down, his people will talk to my people, and we'll set something up. I need to get this behind me, once & for all. After a while, you get sick & tired, of being sick & tired I guess.

So here we go again, in the ring and fighting like hell!