Fixate this!

So here it is. The Ilizarov.

Let me give you a quick run down on how this thing alters life as I know it. 

-It’s heavy. With the foot plate on it must weigh 7-8 lbs. Pounds that are hanging from the extremity of a limb. I tried a front lever yesterday. It didn’t work out.

-Each of the 21 pin sites need to be cleaned regularly. After all, these are open wounds that go directly into healing bone. For now, this means scrubbing each site with saline daily and then wrapping sensitive or weeping sites with gauze. Then blowdrying the whole thing. The whole process takes a while. Infection is a real possibility. Well, actually, as my doctor says, its a guarantee. In fact, right now I’m halfway through a round of Keflex because of the first of what will be more than a few infections. And the infections hurt. Allot.

-Even with the foot plate removed, its next to impossible to get any normal clothes over the beast. Thats why I’m wearing stupid tearaways in the video. As for going out in public - I’ve chopped the leg off of some old pants and flared the side. Still not sure what I’m doing to my suits yet.

-The Ilizarov is designed to bend the leg back straight. In the video you can see the colored struts in the middle of the leg. Each day I turn these to a prescribed point and little by little the device torques on the bones. Think orthodontist adjustment, but every day.

-There’s a new bone stimulator in the mix now. This one uses ultrasound. So every night I lube myself up and strap the thing on for 20 minutes. Its painless.

-My foot is always cold. I haven’t come up with a good way to keep it covered or warm yet. For now, I’m treating it like cold hands when out cragging. If I can keep my core extra warm, there will hopefully be enough surplus heat to warm the foot.

-At night I bag the whole thing in a pillow case to avoid tearing up sheets and my other leg in bed. It actually works pretty well.

-Everyone asks if it hurts. Laying around etc it feels allot like a cast - more awkward than anything. But with movement, impact, or too much time hanging below my heart at a desk it throbs, stings, rings, etc, but honestly it hurts way less than it looks like it should. The biggest offenders are the pin sites near joints. The knee wire has been driving me nuts. In order to crutch or train I have to bend and straighten the leg a bunch and this wire doesn’t like all the movement.

-One of the worst things about this rig is that with the foot plate on, my left leg is almost 3 inches longer than the right. This is ravaging my hip and back. With out the foot plate I have to hop around on one foot or gently touch my toes to the ground which has the same effect. Core work and simple yoga will hopefully keep things somewhat healthy.

I’ve got a 6-9 month lease on this thing.