Upcoming Surgery

It's crazy how fast this summer is going by. We had so many plans of things to do before Jake has his surgery on July 11th, and now we only have one week left. We did manage to have some fun this weekend with putt-putt and a great bike ride around Aurora Reservoir. We're already making plans for things he can do in his wheelchair after surgery so he can get out of the house.

With surgery just a week away, I think the reality is really setting in with Jake. He was asking a lot of questions at dinner tonight, the big one "Why don't I have a choice?" That's a tough one to answer. As we explained to him, for most everyone surgery is not a choice. Something in their body isn't working the way it's supposed to, and there generally aren't any other options. We don't really want to do this either but if the surgery will help get his foot flatter and make walking easier, it will be good in the long run and a tough decision we have to make. 

He is having three different procedures: A tendon transfer, which will split the tendon that runs along the instep and move part of it to the outside of the foot (this is due the tightness in his foot that causes it to rotate in). His heel cord is too tight so they are going to release it. And finally a heel slide where they cut his heel bone and move it over so his foot gets in better alignment. 

Post surgery, he'll spend six weeks in a cast, with three being non-weight bearing. That's going to be interesting since we live in a multi-level house with a lot of stairs. :-) He's supposed to be able to walk on it after three weeks, so we'll see how it goes. 

Right now our focus is staying positive about how much this should help and trying to keep him from being too nervous. Would greatly appreciate some extra prayers for a successful surgery.