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  • New here... and scared!

    Hi all, I'm actually the mom of a soon to be brace-wearer (hopefully I will get her to log on and post soon!)

    Anyway, my daughter is 14 and will be getting a modified boston tlso with outriggers on Monday. Initially I happened to mention to her doc about her bad posture and pack pain and they wanted to do xrays because they thought there might be some scoliosis. Well,, it went from that to getting the xrays and a childrens hospital referral that wanted to see her asap and then the diagnosis of Scheuermanns Disease with associated scoliosis.

    Since she is premenarchal (all the women in our family start late) and she is not yet skeletally mature her orthopedic doc wants to brace her 23 hours a day. She ended up having a curve in the lumbar spine and one in her thoracic as well. In addition, she has significant vertberal wedging and endplate damage. I dont remember her curve numbers right off the top of my head, I will have to check. Her new orthopedic doc also set up an appointment with a orthopedic surgeon on monday as well as she isnt convinced bracing is going to do the trick, all though she is willing to give it a shot.

    Both she and I are very nervous and anxious about her getting the brace on monday. I have so many questions about it. How do you pick stuff up off the floor? Can she lean over and pick up her little sister? How long does the discomfort last after she gets put in it? Anyway, sorry for rambling, hopefully I can get her talked into coming on her to read up on some of your posts about stuff like clothing etc..

    Thanks for listening, this looks like a great site, I have learned a bunch about bracing all ready!

    Stacie

  • #2
    Moved from kids forum to parents forum.
    Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
    Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

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    • #3
      Hi Stacy,

      What a lot for you to deal with all of a sudden. It sounds like you are doing everything you can to get on top of things. I am not sure what outriggers are/look like but with a standard tlso your daughter should have no problem picking things up, bending, etc. It will take some getting used to but once she is used to it and it's been adjusted for anything that bothers her, she should be OK as far as that stuff goes. My kid does EVERYTHING in her brace (wears it 23/7). The only thing she says is hard is sitting on the floor (something that happens a lot in 1st grade, not so much in 8th or 9th).

      It's great for you to encourage your daughter to check out the kids sections here (dressing may take a week or two to figure out but the two of you will figure out what works for her). She also should take a look at SpineKids.

      Hang in there and best of luck.
      mamandcrm

      G diagnosed 6/08 at almost 7 with 25*
      Providence night brace, increased to 35*
      Rigo-Cheneau brace full-time 12/08-4/10
      14* at 10/09 OOB x-ray
      11* at 4/10 OOB x-ray
      Wearing R-C part-time since 4/10
      latest OOB xray 5/14 13*
      currently going on 13 yrs old

      I no longer participate in this forum though I will update signature from time to time with status

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      • #4
        Your daughter will probably be eased into wearing the brace - gradually wearing it for longer periods of time each day for the first couple of weeks, I would imagine. That's what they had my son do and it helped him adjust. She'll definitely be able to bend over using her hips, not her waist as the pivot point. She'll probably be able to pick up her little sister but it might not be as comfortable for either of them because the brace is smooth and a little person won't really be able to cling on with their legs in the same way.

        She'll probably need to buy clothes a size or so bigger. My son wore only elastic waist pants while he was in the brace. She might consider doing some exercises, swimming perhaps, that keep the torso strong because the brace can tend to weaken torso muscles from lack of regular use. Also, exercises of that type are usually allowed as extra time out of the brace :-)

        I hope that helps.
        Laurie

        Mother of Alexander & Zachary:
        Alex is 16 years old and in the 11th grade. He has congenital scoliosis due to a hemivertebrae at T10. Wore a TLSO brace for 3 1/2 years. Pre-op curves were T45 & L65; curves post-op are approx. T31 & L34. Had a posterior spinal fusion from T8 to L3 on 7/12/07 at age 12. Doing great now in so many ways, but still working on improving posture.
        Zach is 13 years old and very energetic.

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        • #5
          Hi, Im 14 as well. I dont wear the same brace as your daughther and my condition is not nearly as bad, but i can understand what shes going through. I wish you both the best.
          Courtsta!

          Beautiful Inside and Out...
          Even with a curve!

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by oneladymedic View Post
            Anyway, my daughter is 14 and will be getting a modified boston tlso with outriggers on Monday. Well,, it went from that to getting the xrays and a childrens hospital referral that wanted to see her asap and then the diagnosis of Scheuermanns Disease with associated scoliosis. Stacie
            Welcome Stacie!

            My daughter was prescribed a "modified" Boston brace several years ago. Sorry I can't offer very much advice because Jamie just wouldn't wear her brace. Like your daughter, Jamie too has both Scoliosis and Kyphosis, although her's isn't Scheuermann's.

            My advice would be to get at least two opinions and more if need be. Make sure the doctor you choose is one who deals with Scoliosis, Scheuermann's and vetebral wedging on a regular basis. You might consider getting a second opinion from a doctor at a Shriner's hospital.

            Good luck.

            Mary Lou
            Mom to Jamie age 21-diagnosed at age 12-spinal fusion 12/7/2004-fused from T3-L2; and Tracy age 19, mild Scoliosis-diagnosed at age 18.

            Comment


            • #7
              My daughter wore the boston brace for 18mon she would gladly give encouragement and share pictures of her braces, etc. Hopefully you can get your daughter to log in and join the teens. I see CMLsoccergirl has already said hello - have her team up with cactigirl96, titaniumtough, etc.,

              Best of luck!
              Last edited by Rodsmom; 05-24-2009, 06:28 PM. Reason: spelling

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