Friday, November 18, 2016

A Surgical Procedure That I Will Never Forget



Having a disability can be a huge burden during one’s earlier years.  Not only do have to learn how to overcome every day challenges that most people face, but you have to go head to head with issues that hardly anyone else knows anything about.  For me, this extra issue came in the form of multiple surgeries. 

I cannot go into detail about every surgery I have had the “pleasure” of experiencing, but I can give the details on a particular operation that remains stuck in mind to this day.  This experience was an even defined the end of the nineties. 

In the winter of 1999, my primary doctor discovered that the ball of my hip was coming out of its socket.  I was sent to a hospital that specialized in surgeries for those who are disabled.  I met with another doctor by the name of John Herzenberg.  He claimed that the hip ball on in the right leg would need to be put back in the socket correctly, or I would face complications later on in life.  After the operation was completed, an Ilizarov would be required to be attached to my leg for three months to ensure that hip ball would remain in place while my body healed.  The operation was performed on the thirtieth of June.

After the operation was over, there was quite a long recovery process.  The Ilizarov had pins on the side of it that went directly into my bone.  This means that my leg had wounds that could not heal until the apparatus was taken off.  I endured the device on my leg for three long months.  I had to clean my pinholes out twice a day.  Difficulties ranged from putting on pants to using the toilet correctly.  The mechanical devise was quite the monster, but it made for a good arm rest. 

It took my leg five months to heal completely after the Ilizarov was removed.  The ball of my hip still remains in its proper place to this day.  I will never forget this event in my life regardless of how much time passes.  Something such as will test the strength of an individual, but he or she be better off for the experience. 

No comments:

Post a Comment