Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Eight Months Out....
What a blessing the surgery was! She is back to full speed ahead and loving every minute of it! She has even been training for track season which starts next month--never has she wanted to go out for a sport before so this is huge! We are looking forward to her one year check-up coming up in June.....
Friday, July 3, 2009
Update
The surgery was 3 weeks ago yesterday and she is doing great! She quit taking pain medication after two weeks and only takes the occasional Tylenol or ibuprofen. The only pain she has is just muscle discomfort. The biggest help for this that we have found has been foot massage using essential oils.....
She is back to many of her normal activities including swimming and bike riding.
Here are a couple of before and after photos.....
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
Truly is amazing, isn't it?!!
She is back to many of her normal activities including swimming and bike riding.
Here are a couple of before and after photos.....
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
Truly is amazing, isn't it?!!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The Surgery
We loaded up the camper and headed out for the surgery two days after school was finished. We decided to take a mini-vacation before we went to Raleigh for the surgery. We stopped outside of Cincinnati the first night and went to the Creation Museum. We only had about two hours to spend there, but it was sufficient time to see the exhibits. The next day we drove several hours to Williamsburg, VA. We spent one whole day at Colonial Williamsburg, the next day at Busch Gardens, and the third day shopping and driving to Raleigh. We did enjoy these few days of sightseeing, but the surgery was definitely on all of our minds...
We had an appointment with Dr. Hey on Wednesday in between his surgeries. He explained all that would be happening during the surgery and what to expect after. This put all of our minds at ease. We were able to go back to the camper that night and watch a movie and we all got more sleep than we expected.
We were up early the next morning and to the hospital by six. We got checked in and they brought us back to prep her for surgery. She was very anxious, but Dr. Hey met with us and prayed with us which helped. But, I will say that watching them wheel her away when she was asking to go home was one of the hardest things I'd ever done.
The surgery lasted less than three hours. Dr. Hey met with us and told us that the surgery had gone perfectly--she is straight! We were able to see the xrays and breathe a sigh of relief. She was very anxious in the recovery room and was asking for me so I went back to be with her. She just wanted to be assured that she was straight and that everything was OK.
Post-op is just tough. There's no way around it. It was tough for her and for us. The morphine pump made her sick, the pain was excruciating without it and with nausea on top of that things were tough. The next day she was able to get out of bed, get the IV's out and begin the rehab process. This was probably the most difficult day and night. It was hard on all of us, but the nurses were great and we did make it through.
By Saturday things were better and by Sunday we were headed home. We had originally planned to drive home. Dr. Hey said that she would be fine driving, but we knew we would have to take it slow as she had to walk every two hours. My sister had the idea that we could fly Southwest to Midway and she would drive us home from there. It was a decision between 18 hours of driving and 6 hours to fly. We chose to fly. Dr. Hey graciously offered to drive us to the airport since my husband and son left early Sunday morning to drive the camper home. It was rough getting through the airport and sitting two hours on the flight, but she made it and was thrilled to get home. We got home around six and the boys were home about 9:30 that night.
My sister (who is a nurse) spent the night and got us through the first several hours at home which was a huge blessing! Our biggest challenge now is finding the perfect balance of pain meds. But she is up and moving even though the pain is still pretty bad when the meds begin to wear off.
All that said, she is doing amazingly well. The biggest change we have seen is that she is incredibly taller than she was! Her back and posture are beautiful! I don't think she's to the point yet of saying she's glad she did it, but things are definitely looking up.
The Lord has been with us--guiding our decisions, blessing us with friends and family who pray and care for us so much, and giving us peace and strength all along the way. He blessed us with a godly doctor who reminded us all that it is God who heals. We feel very blessed.
We had an appointment with Dr. Hey on Wednesday in between his surgeries. He explained all that would be happening during the surgery and what to expect after. This put all of our minds at ease. We were able to go back to the camper that night and watch a movie and we all got more sleep than we expected.
We were up early the next morning and to the hospital by six. We got checked in and they brought us back to prep her for surgery. She was very anxious, but Dr. Hey met with us and prayed with us which helped. But, I will say that watching them wheel her away when she was asking to go home was one of the hardest things I'd ever done.
The surgery lasted less than three hours. Dr. Hey met with us and told us that the surgery had gone perfectly--she is straight! We were able to see the xrays and breathe a sigh of relief. She was very anxious in the recovery room and was asking for me so I went back to be with her. She just wanted to be assured that she was straight and that everything was OK.
Post-op is just tough. There's no way around it. It was tough for her and for us. The morphine pump made her sick, the pain was excruciating without it and with nausea on top of that things were tough. The next day she was able to get out of bed, get the IV's out and begin the rehab process. This was probably the most difficult day and night. It was hard on all of us, but the nurses were great and we did make it through.
By Saturday things were better and by Sunday we were headed home. We had originally planned to drive home. Dr. Hey said that she would be fine driving, but we knew we would have to take it slow as she had to walk every two hours. My sister had the idea that we could fly Southwest to Midway and she would drive us home from there. It was a decision between 18 hours of driving and 6 hours to fly. We chose to fly. Dr. Hey graciously offered to drive us to the airport since my husband and son left early Sunday morning to drive the camper home. It was rough getting through the airport and sitting two hours on the flight, but she made it and was thrilled to get home. We got home around six and the boys were home about 9:30 that night.
My sister (who is a nurse) spent the night and got us through the first several hours at home which was a huge blessing! Our biggest challenge now is finding the perfect balance of pain meds. But she is up and moving even though the pain is still pretty bad when the meds begin to wear off.
All that said, she is doing amazingly well. The biggest change we have seen is that she is incredibly taller than she was! Her back and posture are beautiful! I don't think she's to the point yet of saying she's glad she did it, but things are definitely looking up.
The Lord has been with us--guiding our decisions, blessing us with friends and family who pray and care for us so much, and giving us peace and strength all along the way. He blessed us with a godly doctor who reminded us all that it is God who heals. We feel very blessed.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Diagnosis
I'm writing this not only for our own benefit, but also as a testimony of God's faithfulness. I know that when I was researching and scouring the net after our daughter's diagnosis it meant so much to find stories of other families that had experienced this journey as well. So, if you happen to find this site because of your own diagnosis, welcome. Let us know who you are in the comments section.
This is our family's story of scoliosis. The story actually begins almost 30 years ago. I too was diagnosed with scoliosis at my 5th grade physical. My parents took me to Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children for observation/treatment. I wore a Boston Brace beginning at the age of 13 and then moved into another one (can't remember the name of it, but it came up much higher)which I wore until I was 16. I have very bad memories of wearing the brace as you can imagine. I could only wear clothes that had elastic waist to fit around the brace and my shirts had to come up to my neck to cover the top. However, there was no clothing that could cover the brace completely. It was unsightly and embarrassing to a young teenage girl. At the time I was attending a small private school--the very modest uniforms were thankfully very forgiving... Anyway, my curve did not progress--it stayed in the upper 20 degrees. But at the time of my release from Shriners I remember them telling me that I probably would not have needed bracing--gee thanks for nothin'!!
My scoliosis has caused me trouble in my adulthood--I had difficulty in pregnancy and had neck and back aches constantly. I found a doctor when I was in my early thirties that correctly diagnosed atrophied muscles due to the brace. He taught both my husband and me exercises and physical therapy to do at home that actually decreased the curvature in my spine.
Fast forward to our daughter's 13th year. Since I knew what to look for and knew that scoliosis can be hereditary (my grandma was VERY crooked) I had been watching her for signs. In April of 2008 she came home from a band concert complaining of an aching back. I told her to lie down so I could rub her back. As I laid my hands on her back I instantly knew something was terribly wrong! I had her stand up and bend at the waist. Sure enough, she had a huge rib hump on the right side. I could tell by looking at it that it was not a small curve--larger than what I had I knew.
How could this happen? We had her checked at her regular physicals and I know that when we had gone shopping for clothes at Christmas time it was not there. I have since been told that a curve can get to this size in just a couple of months when there is a big growth spurt (yes, she grew about 5 inches that year).
OK, so the next day I knew we needed to get an x-ray. I took her to my local chiropractor first who had some x-rays done. We were looking at a curve of about 36 degrees. Here's where you need to understand some things about our daughter to know why we chose the options we did. I knew that an orthopedic doctor would put her in a brace--that is the SOP for anything over 25 degrees. I also knew that 40 degrees was the standard for surgery. After much prayer and talking we chose not to put her in a brace. Her self esteem would have suffered more than a brace would have helped. We weighed out the pros and cons and decided to explore other options.
Having had success in getting my curvature corrected we took our daughter to see the doctor who had helped me so much. She was already comfortable with him and trusted him--very important. He taught my husband and our daughter many exercises and things to do to keep her back flexible and strong. This has also been her saving grace in keeping back pain away. My husband still works on her back every night which helps her sleep more peacefully.
Anyway, my husband and I planned all along on a 3 step process. The first was the physical therapy. If that didn't turn things around significantly then I had learned about the CLEAR Institute while searching online. We had planned to take her there this summer for a two week intensive treatment as step 2. Step 3 was to take her to the Hey Clinic for surgery.
We knew that the physical therapy was helping her cope with scoliosis. Especially after long days of sitting in school. She comes home sometimes with a lot of discomfort although she suffers quietly. However, I knew that the curve itself was not getting any better. We had the appointment made for the CLEAR institute but it costs so much money (insurance only covers a SMALL portion). I had gone back to work in January for the express purpose of paying for this treatment. I knew I wanted to get some more x-rays done just so we knew what we were looking at as we made a decision between step 2 and 3.
Last month we had new x-rays that revealed a 45 degree thoracic curve. Having talked to the people at CLEAR I knew that they don't have big success with anything over 40 degrees. Plus, she was NOT thrilled at all about having to sit in a traction chair for 20 minutes every day for x amount of years...
On to Step 3, Dr. Hey. I talked to his staff on the phone and she got me set up with orders for x-rays which I was able to get taken locally and got those plus the ones we had taken last year sent to him. Once he got the films he called me to consult over the phone. He recommended surgery and was very positive and upbeat about the outcome. Our whole family had a Skype consultation with him one Saturday afternoon where he was able to show us her pictures and explain in detail the surgery and answer all of our questions. We scheduled the surgery for Thursday, June 11th.
OK, so there are the facts, but there are never just facts... This has been an emotional and spiritual journey for all of us. She is so strong and we are so proud of the way she has handled her diagnosis! She doesn't complain or whine. She is understandably a little nervous about the surgery, but at the same time is excited about having a straight back. The way her back is now clothes are difficult to fit because of the way some things accentuate her curve. She is excited about being more "normal" in that respect.
We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is using this to grow us, teach us, and mold us into who He wants us to be. Looking back I can now see how God used everything I went through to make me into the person I am today. And I know that He is doing the same, but differently, for our daughter. We are trusting her to His care. Dr. Hey told me that this is not just his job, but his ministry. I believe that. Yes, it's a little scary, but we have a God who is so big and we're trusting Him completely.
This is our family's story of scoliosis. The story actually begins almost 30 years ago. I too was diagnosed with scoliosis at my 5th grade physical. My parents took me to Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children for observation/treatment. I wore a Boston Brace beginning at the age of 13 and then moved into another one (can't remember the name of it, but it came up much higher)which I wore until I was 16. I have very bad memories of wearing the brace as you can imagine. I could only wear clothes that had elastic waist to fit around the brace and my shirts had to come up to my neck to cover the top. However, there was no clothing that could cover the brace completely. It was unsightly and embarrassing to a young teenage girl. At the time I was attending a small private school--the very modest uniforms were thankfully very forgiving... Anyway, my curve did not progress--it stayed in the upper 20 degrees. But at the time of my release from Shriners I remember them telling me that I probably would not have needed bracing--gee thanks for nothin'!!
My scoliosis has caused me trouble in my adulthood--I had difficulty in pregnancy and had neck and back aches constantly. I found a doctor when I was in my early thirties that correctly diagnosed atrophied muscles due to the brace. He taught both my husband and me exercises and physical therapy to do at home that actually decreased the curvature in my spine.
Fast forward to our daughter's 13th year. Since I knew what to look for and knew that scoliosis can be hereditary (my grandma was VERY crooked) I had been watching her for signs. In April of 2008 she came home from a band concert complaining of an aching back. I told her to lie down so I could rub her back. As I laid my hands on her back I instantly knew something was terribly wrong! I had her stand up and bend at the waist. Sure enough, she had a huge rib hump on the right side. I could tell by looking at it that it was not a small curve--larger than what I had I knew.
How could this happen? We had her checked at her regular physicals and I know that when we had gone shopping for clothes at Christmas time it was not there. I have since been told that a curve can get to this size in just a couple of months when there is a big growth spurt (yes, she grew about 5 inches that year).
OK, so the next day I knew we needed to get an x-ray. I took her to my local chiropractor first who had some x-rays done. We were looking at a curve of about 36 degrees. Here's where you need to understand some things about our daughter to know why we chose the options we did. I knew that an orthopedic doctor would put her in a brace--that is the SOP for anything over 25 degrees. I also knew that 40 degrees was the standard for surgery. After much prayer and talking we chose not to put her in a brace. Her self esteem would have suffered more than a brace would have helped. We weighed out the pros and cons and decided to explore other options.
Having had success in getting my curvature corrected we took our daughter to see the doctor who had helped me so much. She was already comfortable with him and trusted him--very important. He taught my husband and our daughter many exercises and things to do to keep her back flexible and strong. This has also been her saving grace in keeping back pain away. My husband still works on her back every night which helps her sleep more peacefully.
Anyway, my husband and I planned all along on a 3 step process. The first was the physical therapy. If that didn't turn things around significantly then I had learned about the CLEAR Institute while searching online. We had planned to take her there this summer for a two week intensive treatment as step 2. Step 3 was to take her to the Hey Clinic for surgery.
We knew that the physical therapy was helping her cope with scoliosis. Especially after long days of sitting in school. She comes home sometimes with a lot of discomfort although she suffers quietly. However, I knew that the curve itself was not getting any better. We had the appointment made for the CLEAR institute but it costs so much money (insurance only covers a SMALL portion). I had gone back to work in January for the express purpose of paying for this treatment. I knew I wanted to get some more x-rays done just so we knew what we were looking at as we made a decision between step 2 and 3.
Last month we had new x-rays that revealed a 45 degree thoracic curve. Having talked to the people at CLEAR I knew that they don't have big success with anything over 40 degrees. Plus, she was NOT thrilled at all about having to sit in a traction chair for 20 minutes every day for x amount of years...
On to Step 3, Dr. Hey. I talked to his staff on the phone and she got me set up with orders for x-rays which I was able to get taken locally and got those plus the ones we had taken last year sent to him. Once he got the films he called me to consult over the phone. He recommended surgery and was very positive and upbeat about the outcome. Our whole family had a Skype consultation with him one Saturday afternoon where he was able to show us her pictures and explain in detail the surgery and answer all of our questions. We scheduled the surgery for Thursday, June 11th.
OK, so there are the facts, but there are never just facts... This has been an emotional and spiritual journey for all of us. She is so strong and we are so proud of the way she has handled her diagnosis! She doesn't complain or whine. She is understandably a little nervous about the surgery, but at the same time is excited about having a straight back. The way her back is now clothes are difficult to fit because of the way some things accentuate her curve. She is excited about being more "normal" in that respect.
We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is using this to grow us, teach us, and mold us into who He wants us to be. Looking back I can now see how God used everything I went through to make me into the person I am today. And I know that He is doing the same, but differently, for our daughter. We are trusting her to His care. Dr. Hey told me that this is not just his job, but his ministry. I believe that. Yes, it's a little scary, but we have a God who is so big and we're trusting Him completely.
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