Scoliosis - the early days - Charlotte

We went back to the doctor in Charlotte yesterday and saw A's CT scan. It was absolutely amazing technology, and did confirm what everyone has told us. I wish we had been given the chance to do this testing from the beginning, but I know the other things were necessary as well.

She does have two different vertabrae that are formed in the shape of a wedge or pie, and there are three that are fused together on one side. (I think those look like one big blob.) He will be fusing five of her vertabrae together on one side, and will probably place some rods in there to stabilize it as well. She may wear a brace, and possibly a body cast after surgery. (I told L that if they have to put her in a body cast, I'm going to ask them to put a cast on her baby doll as well.) Alot of that depends on what type and how many rods he can get in there (since she is a small person, it may be limited). There are certain things that he really could not answer definitively until the actual surgery.

We do know that her hospital stay should be from 3-5 days depending on how things go. As far as when, we still don't have a definite answer, but should hear from the surgery scheduler any time after 14 days. (Apparently it takes that long for them to verify that we do have insurance and they will get paid - eventually.) The dr. is not available until mid-Sept. but we are leaning toward early to mid-October. We would like to go to the beach and participate in the fair before this, since life will be limited for A after the surgery. The closer we can wait to colder weather, the better, since playgrounds and the like will be off limits.

Scoliosis - the early days - Charlotte

We took A to see a specialist in Charlotte yesterday afternoon and were very impressed. The doctor had the same opinion as the dr. in Philadelphia, so we are hearing the same thing now.

He would like for her to have a CT scan and we will then meet with him to discuss her surgery. If the CT scan shows that her vertabrae are fused together, (which is shown on the x-ray) then she will need to have anterior/posterior fusion of those vertebrae to stop her curve. He would go in from her back, as well as her side to get to both the front and back of her spine. Her hospital stay will be 4-5 days if everything goes well. He could not say for certain that she would have other surgeries, later, but he did feel like it was very probable to have another one as she gets older.

We will let you know when we get the CT scan scheduled. We will have that in Charlotte (Carolinas Medical Center), as well as the surgery. Thanks so much for your encouragement during this process. I'm hopeful that we are on the right course for A, and that she will have a full recovery and will lead a normal life.

Please begin to pray for her doctor, Dr. Michael Wattenbarger, and that he will have great wisdom in treating her.