Our First Four Years with Pseudarthrois of the Tibia

I will never forget that early June day four years ago when we were first told. Standing in a cold room, our daughter Emma was 15 months old and had just broken her leg. The local Orthopedic walked in the room and said "She has pseudarthrosis of the tibia, you are looking at many surgeries, and probably amputation. I will be sending you to Madison." (This is the university hospital in our state). After picking up my chin from the floor, we left the clinic and went home. We spent the next few days in a state of panic/depression/denial. Then we took the long drive to Madison, our doctor there walked in the room and calmness fell over us. Our first question to him was "Are you going to take her leg?" He said, "No, she may never be a track star but she will have a normal life." This calmed us like you would not believe.

So began months of casts, having to have 5 people hold her down because she didn't want the cast changed. She would scream, cry, kick and fight. I truly believe during what we thought was the last cast change she re-broke the leg. That September day when we were suppose to be put into a brace was terrible. The doctor stood and looked at the X-ray and shook his head, "We need to do surgery, ASAP. So back in a cast we went, and let me tell you it was the funniest looking cast out there. This was for several reasons, One was a resident did the casting, not a cast-Tec. Also the clinic they did the cast at wasn't set up to have casting done at it so the supplies were not in abundance, so she had a white cast that was fat and odd shaped.