Having a titanium prosthesis instead of a knee comes with a few complications. In my case, I had to have quite a few procedures due to the implications of bone growing whilst metal does not. Because I was only 8 when they found the tumor, I had obviously not hit puberty yet and so had quite a bit of growing to do. In order to combat this, the prosthesis could be lengthened a few inches by a simple operation, which I had a few times over the ages of 10-15. This evened my legs out for a while, but my left leg kept growing. Because the prosthesis could not be lengthened any further, they decided to remove the growth plates surrounding my left knee in another simple operation. However, my strong will to grow didn't seem to stop completely. This left me with one leg one inch (2.5cm) shorter than the other, causing quite a bit of pain and a very bad limp.
So, they made the decision to stretch my actual bone, and it was quite a horrific experience. This was the period of my life in which I became severely depressed, but it had to be done.
The whole process involved an illazrov frame:
The basic physics of this is that a set of pins pierce through the bone on either side of a clean break, which is the first step of the operation. Then the external frame is fitted with three pillars running in between the two sets of pins on circular frames. On these pillars are nuts which you tighten four times a day, every day in order to grow 1mm. So the longer the difference is between the lengths of bone, the longer you need the frame on for. You also have to wait about a month (if I remember correctly) before starting to turn the nut, and after you have lengthened it to match the difference (so in my case I only lengthened it for 25 days because 1mm = 1 day). However, my bone did not grow back at the rate it should have. This increased the time I had to have the cage on for, which was a huge trigger for my depression. I was absolutely heart broken when I went for my check up and they told me I had to keep it on for another month.
So, to explain this part of my treatment better, I have a timeline of photos for you guys.
1. An x-ray of my legs with the inch difference between left and right.
(Look at the middle of my knee, it's the easiest point of comparison)
2. My legs the day before the operation. July 4th 2012.
3. The day of the operation. July 5th 2012.
4. Two months later, the start of sixth from with some unique tights. September 2012.
5. Jeans!
6. Just after I'd finished lengthening the 25mm.
Waiting for the bone to grow back and fill in the inch gap. Septmeber 2012.
7. FINALLY the day of the operation to remove the frame. November 30th 2012.
8. The day after the operation. Complications.
My bone had not grown back strong enough for me to have a below-the-knee cast.
This is what they tried to avoid by keeping the frame on longer but sadly it did not work.
9. Getting a below the knee cast. January 2013.
10... No more casts! June 2013.
11. On the inside: two legs the same length :)
And that was that. One year and a pair of straight legs.
Sophie xo
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