Hi everyone! So glad i can finally post. I've been reading posts here and waiting to be able to post since my daughter's diagnosis. Well here is her story.
At the end of April the school nurse calls me to let me know that Ashleigh failed her scoliosis screening. Apparently she felt Ashleigh's scoliosis was bad enough to warrant a phone call home plus a letter home. She suggested i get her in to see a doctor. So i called our family doctor and we went in a week later.
He took a look at her back and felt that the nurse made a correct diagnosis, but sent us for x rays to confirm it.
A day later the doctor calls our house and says that yes she does have scoliosis. I had been reading up and knew that scoliosis curves were measured in degrees. So i asked what the degree of her curve was. He told me 40 degrees. They were going to call and get her in with a pediatric orthopedist.
The orthopedist appt wasn't for 2wks. So of course we read and read and read. We knew that based on a 40 degree curve she would have to wear a brace. But we didn't know what kind, because we didn't know where on the back the curve was located. We looked at different braces and watched youtube videos of kids wearing braces.
We finally go see the orthopedist. I had picked up Ashleigh's x rays to take. The orthopedist examines ashleigh's back and of course she has tell tale signs of scoliosis. right hip sticks out further than left hip, and when she bends forward her left shoulder is humped up more than her right shoulder. They decide to re-do the xrays because the original ones are hard to read, and only done at one angle and they want several angles.
New x rays show not 1 40 degree curve. But 3 curves. First curve up by her neck (i don't know technical terms yet) is between a 20-30 deg curve (i wasn't really focused on that one.) 2nd curve in the middle is the largest at 55 degrees and last curve at the bottom is a 45 deg curve. So no brace for us and we are probably going with surgery. They want to give us time to think about the surgery come up with questions, and we have another appt with the orthopedist (he would also be the one performing the surgery) on July 6th. He said we could pick when we wanted it done, since Ashleigh is having no back pains or other problems associated with the scoliosis. We were thinking during the winter when marching band is through. This is her first year in marching band, and she's been looking forward to joining for the past 3 years.
I am nervous, but not about the surgery. I am mainly nervous because she is a type 1 diabetic. I am afraid they'll forget to test her sugar during the surgery, she'll go low. Or while she's in the hospital they'll give her to much insulin or not enough insulin. She's on an insulin pump, i'm afraid they'll make her go off her pump while she's hospitalized. She has an appt with her endocrinologist on July 4th, so i'm going to discuss with them how the hospital handles diabetes care for surgery patients. Her endo is located in the same children's hospital where the surgery will be performed.
Chris mom to 4 girls 13 year old daughter with Type 1 diabetes and Scoliosis.
At the end of April the school nurse calls me to let me know that Ashleigh failed her scoliosis screening. Apparently she felt Ashleigh's scoliosis was bad enough to warrant a phone call home plus a letter home. She suggested i get her in to see a doctor. So i called our family doctor and we went in a week later.
He took a look at her back and felt that the nurse made a correct diagnosis, but sent us for x rays to confirm it.
A day later the doctor calls our house and says that yes she does have scoliosis. I had been reading up and knew that scoliosis curves were measured in degrees. So i asked what the degree of her curve was. He told me 40 degrees. They were going to call and get her in with a pediatric orthopedist.
The orthopedist appt wasn't for 2wks. So of course we read and read and read. We knew that based on a 40 degree curve she would have to wear a brace. But we didn't know what kind, because we didn't know where on the back the curve was located. We looked at different braces and watched youtube videos of kids wearing braces.
We finally go see the orthopedist. I had picked up Ashleigh's x rays to take. The orthopedist examines ashleigh's back and of course she has tell tale signs of scoliosis. right hip sticks out further than left hip, and when she bends forward her left shoulder is humped up more than her right shoulder. They decide to re-do the xrays because the original ones are hard to read, and only done at one angle and they want several angles.
New x rays show not 1 40 degree curve. But 3 curves. First curve up by her neck (i don't know technical terms yet) is between a 20-30 deg curve (i wasn't really focused on that one.) 2nd curve in the middle is the largest at 55 degrees and last curve at the bottom is a 45 deg curve. So no brace for us and we are probably going with surgery. They want to give us time to think about the surgery come up with questions, and we have another appt with the orthopedist (he would also be the one performing the surgery) on July 6th. He said we could pick when we wanted it done, since Ashleigh is having no back pains or other problems associated with the scoliosis. We were thinking during the winter when marching band is through. This is her first year in marching band, and she's been looking forward to joining for the past 3 years.
I am nervous, but not about the surgery. I am mainly nervous because she is a type 1 diabetic. I am afraid they'll forget to test her sugar during the surgery, she'll go low. Or while she's in the hospital they'll give her to much insulin or not enough insulin. She's on an insulin pump, i'm afraid they'll make her go off her pump while she's hospitalized. She has an appt with her endocrinologist on July 4th, so i'm going to discuss with them how the hospital handles diabetes care for surgery patients. Her endo is located in the same children's hospital where the surgery will be performed.
Chris mom to 4 girls 13 year old daughter with Type 1 diabetes and Scoliosis.
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