Hi All,
I've been in somewhat of a panicked state of mind for the last few days so I thought I'd write to you all and see what thoughts or ideas you might have for me. Last Thursday, we had Alexander's 2 year post-op appt. with Dr. Wagner at Children's Hosp. in Seattle. He said the fusion looked good. But when my husband and I expressed our ongoing concern about his posture, Wagner studied the x-ray more and said there were structural reasons for the posture.
While stating he still felt he fused to the right levels (T8-L3), he mentioned to us and to his two students that the curve was causing the posture to tilt and that at some point "we could fuse him all the way down and anchor it to the pelvis". He said he wouldn't recommend this now but seemed to say that it might be recommended in the future.
On Monday we're going to see an orthotist for a small shoe lift to see if that can help. But I'm really trying not to panic although I'm feeling like I can hardly cope with the possibility of another huge surgery at some point in the near future for this kid.
The thought of him needing another huge, body-restricting surgery in the not-too-distant future is really feeling overwhelming to me and I've been teary, with an upset stomach much of the time whenever Alexander or my other son aren't around. Everyone else in my life are really clueless about all of this.
Any of your thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much in advance.
I've been in somewhat of a panicked state of mind for the last few days so I thought I'd write to you all and see what thoughts or ideas you might have for me. Last Thursday, we had Alexander's 2 year post-op appt. with Dr. Wagner at Children's Hosp. in Seattle. He said the fusion looked good. But when my husband and I expressed our ongoing concern about his posture, Wagner studied the x-ray more and said there were structural reasons for the posture.
While stating he still felt he fused to the right levels (T8-L3), he mentioned to us and to his two students that the curve was causing the posture to tilt and that at some point "we could fuse him all the way down and anchor it to the pelvis". He said he wouldn't recommend this now but seemed to say that it might be recommended in the future.
On Monday we're going to see an orthotist for a small shoe lift to see if that can help. But I'm really trying not to panic although I'm feeling like I can hardly cope with the possibility of another huge surgery at some point in the near future for this kid.
The thought of him needing another huge, body-restricting surgery in the not-too-distant future is really feeling overwhelming to me and I've been teary, with an upset stomach much of the time whenever Alexander or my other son aren't around. Everyone else in my life are really clueless about all of this.
Any of your thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much in advance.
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