BC's Children - Michael's Orthopaedic Surgery Journey

11/29/2017

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09/11/2017

2 week adjustments... Pin sites are infection free so we got to take the Mepilex foam pads and clips off...Michael can have a normal shower when we get home!

08/13/2017

One year ago... the frame came off... 10 days and the next one goes on... here we go again.. I can't imagine what things would be like for Michael without the advances in technology and the care at Childrens Hospital. Hope Air thank you for being with us in each journey!

12/15/2015

Doctors in the Orthopaedic Department at BC Children's Hospital are celebrating the success of technology that has allowed them to lengthen the limbs of 30 patients.

12/15/2015

12/15/2015

11/01/2015

Thank you to facebook for allowing the change to the page name - I felt that with all the positives that have happened and how the journey has gone that I didn't want it just to reflect the previous struggle with wait times :)

11/20/2014

In keeping with what this page was originally set up for....it was because of the fruststration the length of time kids are having to wait for surgery at BC Childrens... there hasn't been alot of activity on the page and it has gone back and forth between being about the wait times, being about sharing Michaels story, being a place to vent about why Childrens would create further wait times by not renewing the contract of such an incredible Dr. as Dr. Brown is. I think it will now go back to being about Michaels story as we take a step in a new direction. As it is possible to be blessed in life to experience care from two great Dr.'s. My ultimate goal is timely confident care for Michael as we step forward with Dr. Cooper and team. My frustration with the administrators of BC Childrens remains though with their poor communication skills (poor meaning zero) and the anxiety and stress they put us and our children through. I do still feel there is a missing care piece as I don't think there was any case-conferencing or discussions between the two Dr.s about each child. So, the issues are seperate. We step forward excitedly with a new doctor in Michaels care, but will continue to be a frustrated voice in terms of wait times, allocation of funding, and poor communication from the Hospital powers that be.

10/30/2014

Michael and I were in to see our family Dr. yesterday because the bottom of his left foot has turned in to a bunch of giant pressure blisters. We now have a referral for an orthotic to be made for the inside of his shoe for now. I did give her Dr. Browns email address as well. Monday morning I got a call from Childrens that Michael is due for an appt. so they booked him with a Dr. Cooper?... I guess what I need to do is get an open mind between now and then and give this new Dr. a chance. I just wish there had been any type of communication at all from Childrens, when they ended our relationship with Dr. Brown. I did receive the letter from Dr. Brown, but nothing at all from Childrens Hospital even when I wrote a short note to Patient Quality Care... Ilizaharov #1 was put on June 2012, taken off March 2013.... we saw Dr. Brown for the final time March 2014 which would have likely been the beginning of Michael's second surgery.... since then there has been no word from Childrens nothing to indicate their plan or a timeframe... and no response to the short letter I had sent in..... oh but don't forget to buy a ticket for the dream home lotteries because they make sure to keep you informed where and when you can buy those.... where does all the money go anyways, obviously not towards keeping quality care and wait times down for children? and I guess not even on paper that would have allowed them to respond to the waiting parents...So I guess this is my bitter side, but I will work on having it set aside for Nov. 19th when my focus will be to the new Dr. Cooper 'what is your plan to care for my son's need?' Open minded I will go... but this is a one chance deal Dr. Cooper, you have one chance to make me feel the confidence and professionalism that Dr. Brown held. There was no mistaking that he knew exactly what he was doing, and there was never any other answer I needed to give him other that 'yes and ok'. He had a goal and a plan for each child and he executed it with 100%. Somewhere around here I need to try find an open mind!

03/28/2014

Dr. Ken Brown heads up the Ilizarov limb lengthening program at Children's. The Iilizarov apparatus is used primarily for patients who have a limb length discrepancy. A limb length discrepancy is when one limb (usually the leg) is shorter or longer than the other. It is considered a problem if the leg length difference is more than 2 cm. (about1 in.). Leg length discrepancies are caused by changes in bone growth. These changes may be caused by fractures, infections, tumors or for reasons unknown (idiopathic).

The Ilizarov is made up of two metal rings that encircle the leg or arm, wires that secure the rings to the bone, and metal rods that extend between the rings. These rods can be lengthened, like a telescope. An operation is required to apply the Ilizarov frame. A small cut is made in the limb between the rings. Through this opening, the outer hard layer of bone is cut and the soft inner marrow is left undamaged. The lengthening usually starts one week after the frame is applied. The typical rate is 1 mm per day. The apparatus pulls the two sections of bone apart creating a gap. This is called distraction. New bone cells form in the gap and harden throughout the lengthening. An x-ray is taken at each clinic visit. This allows the orthopedic surgeon to measure the length of the distraction and look for new bone growth....the best!.. and BC Childrens just chooses to have his years of dedicated knowledge, skill and relationships with 'his patients, his kids' be completely disregarded... no communication... and no plan... why create waits when they aren't needed?

16 free doctor reviews and ratings for Orthopedics / Sports Dr. Ken Brown - 16 reviews - Vancouver, BC - Orthopedics / Sports | RateMDs.com

03/28/2014

...some photos from his first surgery with Dr. Brown and team...he started out with an 8 cm difference...we gained 5 cm of new growth during the 9 months of having the frame on...Michael was 4'8 in June 2012...5'2 in January 2013...and now 5'5 in March 2014...with his growth spurt the length difference in back to 5 cm...and again we will wait....

03/28/2014

... very disheartening day with a morning of tears with Dr. Brown and team....I don't know whether to be sad or mad or brush it off and move on... but Michael is officially in limbo care and limbo plan and limbo time frame for the 2nd half of his surgery... Childrens Hospital just up and decided to not renew Dr. Browns contract.... they have no plan in place just that they are not renewing the contract... so we come home today with no clue as to how urgently he needs his second surgery we just come home to wait for a letter that might possibly come from the hospital explaing something...explaining what...their justification for not taking quality patient care in to consideration when making their money and politically based decisions?.....Does Childrens Hospital maybe forget they are dealing with Children...that have all formed a big bond with their Dr....do they have no awareness of continuity of care...and that these kids are scared enough at what they are going through...you don't need to change what has been the constant for them......how awful does that feel for the kids that show up like Michael did today...so happy to see Dr. Brown again...to show him how awesome the bone is...to show him how tall he is getting...and then to hear the news that Dr. Brown had to give us...which was alot of I don't knows....I hope this gets shared around, and one day gets seen by whatever yahoo might work for Childrens Hospital and had to do with the non-renewing of this contract...true shame...no communication at all...and at what point did it stop being about quality patient care....