A Train

[jc3]

thanks alison for the list. Now on your list and others have said they bike riding is okay from 6 months on and my dr. just said no to bike riding until 1 year. I guess each dr. has their own list of restrictions. I was surprised rollerblading was on the 6 month list also. I guess if someone is a good rollerblader before then it would be okay. Not for someone just trying it out.
thanks i'm sure it will help some of the others here who are also unsure of restrictions.
Jennifer

[jc3]

i meant to post last night about nicole's day in the city. She did fine. Alot of walking. They left on a 12:00 train and took a 7:00 train home. She said she was fine and not in any pain, but i don't think she would have told me if she was. She seemed fine when she got home, she didn't lay down and rest or anything her friends were over and today she is at the mall. So i'm glad it went okay. She never got to ride the ferris wheel after all that. She said the line was too long.
Thanks for all the advise yesterday
Jennifer

[Mary Lou]

Jennifer,

I'm glad to hear that Nicole had a good time in the city. All that worrying for nothing, right? lol

Jamie went to Washington D.C. today. For us it is a three hour drive each way. She is tired, but no more so than everyone else. Her only complaint was that the seats on the bus were uncomfortable. I took Tylenol along and she never even asked for any, which was good. She mentioned to me today that she can feel the rods in her back. When I felt her back, I could feel them too and this didn't surprise us as the doctor told us since she is so skinny, that she would probably be able to feel them.

Mary Lou

[jc3]

hi marylou
i can't believe you are able to feel the rods. I can't imagine what it would feel like. I have definitely heard of people being able to feel them. Nicole is skinny also, but has never mentioned it. I did hear about that and asked the dr a while ago about that and he said some can feel them, but they are pretty deep in there. But i guess Jamie is really skinny.
I'm so glad to hear that the trip to Washington went well! That is great that she was able to do it and keep up with everyone. You went right? That must have been a long day. I thought you were going overnight, but i must have read it wrong.
Oh i got that list of rescrictions from the dr. It is a great list and i will give it to you as soon as i get some time to type it up. I will try and type it tonight and send it to you. It is really pretty detailed so it was good.
Jennifer

[susannajon]

Jennifer, sorry I was in an sales meeting out of town and haven't had much of a chance to log on. No, Boachie did not give me a list of things that were safe to do at different stages, so you're not crazy. They must have forgotten. My husband took her to her one month post-op appointment. I gave him a list of questions to ask, and if course he didn't remember to bring it. It you talk to Lindy, ask her to send me one too! I totally agree with Pat. After a $200K surgery the least they can do is answer our questions, especially since they didn't give us the list! I say

I'm glad your daughter got to have a little adventure in the city. I haven't let my daughter out of my sight yet... Well until today. Yesterday she had her first PT session. Her therapist seems outstanding, and I'm looking forward to having my daughter work with her. She was very careful and thorough, and she's had a lot of experience with post-surgical scoliosis. She also called the doctor's office, and asked lots of good questions about what degree they wanted her bending at the hips and such. It was very reassuring to me to hear her.

Today she had a half a day of school, and we both had a dentist appointment. Tonight we went out for dinner, and my daughter seems totally fine. She's still up now, reading a book for school. I expected her to be wiped out, but she's tougher than I give her credit for. Tomorrow she has PT in the morning, and then a half day of school again. We'll see how she feels this weekend.

It is hard to believe how far she has come in just 7 weeks!

[jc3]

hi susanna
welcome home from your business trip. I was wondering where you've been. When i called Lindy she said oh you must have gotten the list, i said no i think if i did it would have been important to me and i would have remembered. I will e-mail it to you. It thought it was a really good list.
Sounds like grace is really on her road to recovery now. Once they start going out they are really on their road to recovery. As i said in another post once, it was alittle sad when nicole started getting back to school and hanging out with her friends. I was happy of course that she was feeling good and recovering, but on the other hand i was so used to her being with me 24/7 for so long. I definitely worry about her with everything now. Last week when she had a cold i had her home for 3 days. If it was one of my other kids maybe they would have been home one day and then back to school if there was no fever and they were just a little stuffy. I just don't want anything to happen to her. That is so great that the therapist is great! I really didn't feel like our therapist had any experience on scoli patients. She was very sweet and gentle with nicole, and the place was on the list that Lindy gave me, but i was really nervous about it. What do they have her doing? I can't believe she's going 1/2 days already! Wow, what did she say about it? How was sitting in the desk?? It bothered nicole alittle at first and some days were okay while others weren't so great, but it got better.
Jennifer

[susannajon]

Hi Jennifer,

She said her pain was OK, but I went to school at the four hour mark with a pill for her, and she looked like she was a little uncomfortable, but she was so excited to be back in school. She is in a play, and she's been rehearsing her lines over the phone, but today she was learning all her blocking. I showed up right in the middle of her drama class, and I could tell that 4 hours of school had been enough for her. We'll see how she does tomorrow when she has PT and a 1/2 day of school.

Susanna

[nicoles mom]

suanne and jennifer
Glad to hear Grace is doing so well and Nicole had a good time in the city. I hope my Nicole will start doing more. She is in bed too much says her back feels better when shes layng down. She staring to take the tylenol /cod #2 today 1 every 6 hrs and 2 at bedtime she was taking norco half every 5 hrs for the last two weeks. I think the new med isn't that strong she was in some pain today I may call lindy tomorrow maybe to soon to take the tylenol/ cod. I was wondering what ???s to ask the doctor at the 4 week appointment we go on monday. She is going to start PT just need to find a good one. I really want to find someone who is good and has experience with the surgery she had. My school doesn't want my Nicole back in school until she taking tylenol only. Hopefully by the three week in may she will be back to school part time.
theresa

[Mary Lou]

Jennifer,

Yes, I went with Jamie to D.C. I think I would have been too nervous to let her go alone since she isn't really supposed to be in crowds yet. I think it is Susanna's daughter who is not going on her class trip to Philly-it is a three day trip and very soon after surgery.

Yes, I can feel Jamie's rods. They just feel like a hard spot on her back. As she allows me to, I'm sure I will be feeling the length of her back to see if I can feel them everywhere or just in a certain spot, but you can feel them on both sides at the same level. Jamie is very tiny. She will be 14 this summer and doesn't even weigh 90 pounds yet. Her doctor told us a long time ago that she might be one of the few people who want their rods removed at some point because of being able to feel them. I've told her that is totally her decision, but I don't really ever expect her to be too heavy, so maybe she will maybe she won't. We don't worry about it.

Susanna,

Your daughter is doing great! Tell her to keep up the good work. At four weeks, when Jamie returned to school, she was tired too. Most days she would come home and lay down while I made her lunch and then seem to be fine after a little rest. Let us know how p.t. and school go today.

Mary Lou

Mary Lou

[jc3]

hi susanna
grace is doing awesome. It will take some time being comfortable and not tired after school. My nicole didn't go 1/2 days until she was 9 weeks! It amazes me with all these kids going back by 3 and 4 weeks!! They are doing awesome. My nicole did everything alittle slower then she should have. She was on her pump in the hosp longer then she should have, left the hospital later then she should have, stayed on the pain pills probably longer then she should have, etc.. She didn't move around alot in the house for a while. She had found her one position and didn't want to move from it. I remember trying to get her up for a little walk in the house, she didn't want to get up. When she first went back to school i noticed after school she would get changed and go right to the couch with her laptop, and she did that for a while.
Sounds like she is doing so great though!
Jennifer

[jc3]

hi marylou
you're right now i remember it was susanna's daughter that was supposed to go on the 3 day trip. I don't blame you for being too nervous for Jamie to go if you weren't there.
theresa
don't worry each one recovers at their own pace. Like i said my nicole moved along at a snails pace at the beginning, which was fine. I sometimes also felt that she needed to get up and move around more, but she only wanted to stay where she was most comfortable. I bet susanna could help you out with some good questions for the 4 week check up and about the meds, if you don't feel the one she is on is strong enough definitely call and put her back on something stronger. It's not even 1 month. My nicole was on pain meds until 8-9 weeks, not all day long but at 4 weeks she still took 1 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon and one right before bed. Don't rush her off them if she needs it. My nicole was on percocet until her 4 week check up and then vicodin. Don't let her be in pain, she'll recover quicker when she isn't in pain
Jennifer

[susannajon]

Jennifer, your daughter isn't too unusual. If you can believe it, it's been 7 weeks since my daughter's surgery, and she just started doing half days yesterday, so we're not moving much faster than you guys. She seems to be fine, doing school in the morning, and then PT in the afternoon.

The trip to Philly is next week, and I'm not letting her go. I just don't think it's wise to have her spend all that time on a bus, and then walking all day, and sleeping in a youth hostel on an old lumpy bed.

We are going to go cabin camping with her Girl Scout troup in a couple of weeks. I am going to get a nice thick inflatable mattress for her, and we WILL be skipping the hiking and white water rafting. I am game for sitting around the camp fire roasting marshmallows!

Theresa, Don't let the school rush you. It's none of their business whether she's still taking narcotics. If she starts back doing half days, you can give her a dose in the morning, and another when you pick her up. Don't rush it! If she needs meds, she needs them. Kids with adequate pain relief heal faster. Your daughter is doing great! Don't worry. Listen to the doctor, and your daughter's needs, not the school on this one.

Susanna

[jc3]

theresa
i definitely agree with susanna on the meds! It is none of their business and they wouldn't know if she had a pill in the morning. I was shocked that the pills didn't make my daughter groggy or doped up so they wouldn't know if she had one.
susanna,
I don't blame you for not letting her go to philly. I would be too nervous about it also. Your trip with the girl scouts sounds perfect.
Jennifer

[nicoles mom]

The Meds Don't Make Nicole Groggy Or Doped Up Either. But Lindy Said To Ask Then And I Did. Lindy Assumed She Was Off The Meds I Don't Know Why It's Only Just 4 Weeks. I Put Nicole Back On The Other Meds She Was In Pain Taking The Cod. Monday I See The Doctor I Will Talk To Him About The Drugs She Should Be Taking And How Much. The Only Reason They Knew About Her Taking The Drugs Is Lindy Told Me To Ask If She Could Return Taking The Cod. Lindy Was Hoping For May 11 I Told Her That Would Be Impossible. Nicole Is Like Your Nicole Jennifer I 've Been Yelling At Her To Get Up. Well I'm Kind Of Glad Her School Has An Over Crowded Problem Big Time. The Six Grader Start School At 7:30 Go Home At 1:30 And The 7th And 8th Grader Go At 9:00 Till 3:00. She Would Get Knocked Down In The Halls. Some Of These Kids Are Big My Nicole Is Tiny 75 Pounds And 5 Ft Tall Now. Home Schooling Is Going Well Anyway. So I Will See What Tomorrow Brings.
Theresa

[nicoles mom]

Susanne Jennifer Mary Lou Anybody
I Forgot To Ask
Questions To Ask The Doctor At The 4 Week Appointment
Just Didn't Want To Forget Anything
Thanks Girls
Theresa