Back to school

[pat]

back to school

Hey MaryLou and Jen!

Jamie starts back full time in a couple of weeks, only because the new term starts then, and it didn't make sense to start now with the schedule changing in a couple of weeks. The only difference between truly full-time and what she's doing is that she'll miss the first two hours of school every day (till the end of the school year), because she goes swimming every morning (physical therapy). I'm the one that initiated the whole swimming thing (the doctors and school were absolutely fine with it), because I know once she gets back into school, all she's doing is sitting sitting sitting all day. She needs a strong body, besides the academics right now. And since she's excused from P.E.
Jen, sorry missed one of your posts: Jamie's fused from T-4 to L-2. Where are your girls fused?

Has anyone "peeked" at their daughter's scars, amazing isn't it? Stay well everyone! Pat

[Mary Lou]

Hi Pat & Jen,

Our Jamies are fused pretty much the same! My Jamie is fused from T-3-L-2.

I've looked at Jamie's back several times. The doctor made it a point to show me her back as soon as she was sitting up and then showed me some of her incision at her two week check-up. It looks awesome! I took pictures of Jamie's back before surgery and can't wait to take pictures once the streri-strips are gone to compare. Has your daughters told you that they are looking at their backs? Jamie told me the other day that the scar is so thin, which she and I are very pleased about, of course we can only see about three inches total at this point, but it looks good.


Mary Lou

[jc3]

hi marylou and pat

The first time i saw nicoles scar was in the hospital the 2nd or 3rd day when they changed her bandage for the first time. There were steri strips on there but it looked so much better than i thought it would. Then when the dr. took the steri strips off at 3 1/2 weeks i was able to get a real look. I was amazed how good it looked. Nicole would not look at her back until i think it was a week or two ago she looked at it. I don't think she really liked it. School is going pretty good. Monday there were no complaints, but yesterday and today she said her back her during a few of her classes. Monday and tuesday she had to stay after to make up some tests so it was a long day. I even gave her a pain pill tonight since she said her back hurt. I think she is overdoing it a little and the weather has been damp so i'm sure that doesn't help. She doesn't even rest when she gets home, but she said it doesn't hurt at home it's when she is sitting in the desk it sometimes starts to bother her. I feel bad for her, but hopefully she will get used to it. When she was going half days she was fine.
Nicole is fused T4 to L2.
well glad to hear everyone is doing well, keep me updated on the girls
jennifer

[Mary Lou]

Pat & Jennifer,

I'm glad to hear things are going well for your girls. Are your girls still leaving class early? Jamie is still leaving class late to avoid the busy hallways and I'm still driving her to and from school. She has an appt. with the surgeon on the 4th of Feb. and I guess we'll continue as we are until we talk to the doctor. Personally, I'm in no hurry to put her on the bus.

Jamie was a little unhappy with me today. She is six weeks post-op and still has most of her steri-strips on. I took Carmelle's advice and put Bacitracin on them to loosen the glue. She did not like me touching her back. I just think it is time for them to come off. I told her it was either me putting Bacitracin on her steri-strips or the doctor taking them off!

Mary Lou

[pat]

HI!!
Jamie still leaves her class early or sometimes late (like your Jamie is doing) to avoid the busy hallways, that's in place till the end of the school year. She also gets to eat her lunch in the teacher's classrooms (instead of the very very chaotic lunch room, and their's no backs on the seats/benches.) She has a bunch of friends who join her for lunch there. Jamie gets on a mini van, and it's just unbelievable, she's the only one on it, and they bring her right to my front door (we have a very long driveway; I can't see the road; otherwise I'd be standing down there everyday); it's really nice. I now do that with my other two daughters (I have an 8 year old too!)

MaryLou, I keep reading about Jamie's "steri-strips;" I don't know what you mean. Jamie just had a long narrow strip of gauze on her back, and that came off about two weeks after surgery. Jamie still has these steri-strips on?; what about baby oil, would that help get them off? Her poor back, I can't imagine what their backs must feel like, so sensitive!
Thanks!
pat

[jc3]

hi marylou and pat,
nicole is still leaving the classes early and gets some x-tra time to get there and i am still driving her to and from school. We have an appointment with the dr. for feb 28th, which i have to cancel and i am going to make it for the 1st week in feb as well and i guess we'll find out when she can ride the bus and go in the halls with everyone else. I also am in no rush for her to do any of those things, just curious to hear when he would let her, but i'll still drive her for a while. She eats lunch though in the lunchroom.
About the steri-strips, I'm surprised they didn't come off from the water in the shower. Nicole's steri strips were still on when we went for her 3 1/2 week check up because she wouldn't get her back wet and they took them off. She was not happy. She doesn't like anyone touching her back. The nurse took them off with alcohol. I thought they were supposed to fall off on there own. Did they come off with the bacitracin? Nicole would have never let me do that. She really will not let anyone touch her back.
keep me updated still on the girls
jennifer

[Mary Lou]

Hi Guys!

Jamie's steri-strips look like short strips of tape. They cover from the top to the bottom of her incision and they overlap each other just a little bit. She's had these since surgery. Right after surgery she had a HUGE gauze bandade and tons of tape, but the steri-strips were always under all of this. They changed her bandage only once, I believe, in the hospital and I had to change it about every other day until there wasn't any drainage. These steri-strips are very sticky and they are used basically to make sure the incision stays closed since they only used internal stitches. The strips seem to be coming loose, but we'll see once she gets her shower tonight.

Jamie eats lunch in the cafeteria as well. She would like to see the leave late restriction lifted, but I'm very happy with the arrangement.

We're expecting 7-14 inches of snow today. I guess we'll see how Jamie deals with not being able to go outside as this is really the first thing she has had to miss out on since surgery.

Mary Lou

[susannajon]

Hi everyone, It is so encouraging to hear how well your kids are doing. Our daughter's surgery is scheduled for March 9th, so we are gearing up for all the pre-op stuff. I can't wait for us to be in your shoes!

One of my daughter's questions was when would it be OK for her to go to King's Dominion and get on the roller coasters. Dr. Boachie told us 1 year before he'd want her riding amusement park rides. I guess I'd rather be safe than sorry. One year away from roller coasters won't kill them and might mean many years of a problem free back. Gosh, I'd hate to have one day at the amusement park undo everything we've gone through. Maybe she can go along for the trip, cheer her friends on when THEY get on the big roller coasters, and maybe try some of the more gentle kiddy rides?

I'm such a worry wort!

Susanna

[jc3]

hi marylou,
Nicole also wants to know when she can go in the halls with everyone else, i'm in no rush for her. We got the snow also here and yesterday she said she was "going" in the snow. Needless to say she didn't because none of her friends were able to get here. I hope today she doesn't want to. I worry also about the snow and ice lasting for days, i worry about her slipping.

susanna,
Did you ask boachie how long for other activities? Nicole used to be a cheerleader, i wonder if she'll ever be able to do that again? Nicole is doing great, she hasn't mentioned her back bothering her in a while, but i asked her the other day if it felt "normal" and she said no. I wonder if it does ever feel "normal" again after this.

[susannajon]

Jen, From everything I've heard, there's no reason she shouldn't be able to cheer again if she really wants to. Maybe light stuff in 6 months and pretty much back to normal at one year. I don't know whether Boachie would want her being thrown around and such, maybe she won't be able to compete, but I'll bet she'll be able to participate at some level. I read on here all the time about kids who run, ride horses, play hockey, lacrosse, and basketball. Even if cheering is not going to work, I'm sure she can find something to keep her active and bring her joy. Maybe dance?

[jc3]

hi susanna,
I think she realizes she will not be able to cheer again. I don't think you can even make the team if you don't do some kind of flips or something. She is very thin, so she was always a "flyer", which i wouldn't want her ever to do anyway again. I would be too nervous. I'm sure she will find something else to do. I am curious to see when we go back for her 4 month check up what restrictions will be lifted. My main thing was that i was happy with, the first dr. we were using had told nicole when she wasn't wearing her brace that if she had to eventually have surgery that would would have to wear a brace anyway after, which would have been a big problem. I worried if she wouldn't wear one before how was i going to get her to wear one after. Then we went to boachie and that was one of the first things i asked him, if she would have to wear a brace after and he said no. She was so happy about that. Did you get any snow where you are?

[Mary Lou]

Susanna,

We are dealing with the same roller coaster issue. Jamie's band is going to Dorney Park (half is a regular amusement park and the other half is a water park) in May and I outright told her she wasn't going. We need to have a non-refundable deposit turned in by February something and how am I supposed to know how she will be doing in May? It is not only Jamie who is in band, but her sister as well which means I stand to lose two deposits. I really don't think Tracy would go without Jamie. I will discuss it with her doctor in February, but I, like you, don't want to risk everything for one day.

If you think you are a worry wart, keep reading! You'll find out that we are all worry about out kids...getting bumped in the hallway at school, cheerleading, going to amusement parks, and that's just what we've written about here! I've learned that we wouldn't be where we are now if I hadn't worried and asked a lot of questions. You can never worry too much about your kids.

Mary Lou

[susannajon]

Jen, yes, we got burried. About 10 inches of snow, and today the wind is terrible! 25 to 35 miles an hour and it's only gotten up to 21 degrees. Not fun. We were supposed to have gone skiing this weekend, and sleep in the stone cabin with no heat. Thank goodness we backed out!!! It's an annual thing we do with our daughter's girl scout troup, and she just didn't think she could handle sleeping on cold stone floor. My husband and I are big wimps, we usually stay in a bed and breakfast and let our daughter stay with the scouts in the cabin. I would not have been able to sleep worrying about her in the cold last night. Her back seems to be so sensitive to temperature changes these days. I would have been terrible for all of us.

How about you guys? Looked on the news like the whole East Coast pretty much got clobbered.

[jc3]

hi susanna
we got alot of snow too. Nicole's friends were here and they decided to go check out the snow. I didn't want her to, but she said she would be fine. I told her to go in the backyard because it wasn't slippery i don't want her to fall. All of a sudden i look out my front window i see her in the front on the driveway and she was running!! I was freaking out. They came in like five minutes later thank goodness. I don't think she's allowed to run yet! I am worried with the snow turning to ice just even getting in and out of the car, i don't want her to slip. I didn't think of all the snow and ice before we booked the surgery. Not the greatest time of the year to do it. I don't blame you for not going on the overnight trip. It would have been freezing!!
Jennifer

[pat]

SNOW!

Yeah, post-op fusion surgery kids and snow; what a combination!! We got about 18 inches. A friend came over with snowshoes for Jamie, it worked out great. Jamie wanted to get on skis! It pacified her for the day!! Felt bad for her otherwise, all that beautiful snow.

Yikes, watching Nicole out there running on snow! It's hard.

stay well everyone!!!
pat