Robbie’s leg surgery is planned for the end of December if everything goes well. His surgeon will be Dr. Lin from MD Anderson. More information on the surgeon is located here:  http://faculty.mdanderson.org/Patrick_Lin/Default.asp?SNID=1806315031

For sure, we know that they will remove and replace his knee and part of his tibia with titanium. Prior to the surgery, the doctor will take additional scans which will help to determine how much of Robbie’s leg bones will be replaced. Additionally, the doctor will decide whether or not to move his leg muscle to the front of his leg during surgery to help hold everything together. 

Robbie will also have a plastic surgeon in the room to assist with removing any soft tissue near the tumor.  During the surgery he will have another biopsy.  The biopsy will help the team of doctors to determine the type of chemo and how many rounds he will need following surgery.  His plastic surgeon will also help to put the skin back together after surgery as Dr. Lin mentioned it is a difficult task. Robbie will have an enviable scar down his entire leg.

After surgery, Robbie will have to keep his leg straight for six weeks and then do physical therapy for months. Within a few weeks of his surgery, he will also start back up chemo every three weeks.  We are not sure how many weeks we will be in Houston yet or what to expect after surgery. We have heard that the first three months are the hardest. 

Below you will find imaging of his knee and leg as well as an info graphic we found online:

 A little hard to read, but this is a picture of Robbie’s tumor.