We have a surgery date!

[Laura P]

Hello ladies,

Sounds like everyone is back to doing good. Cheryl I am sorry about all of Brianns homework. I am so thankful that we did the homebound and didn't rush Jamie to get back too soon. She went back the first day after homebound and hasn't had any problems. Cheryl, I too have never heard of a IB school. Our high school is very hard and many of the kids that have graduated have talked about they were more then prepared for college. So we do have what they call ap classes but have not heard of IB. Please vent anytime as I know it is frustrating. Our only problem was like Liz and loosing our parking pass. The teacher in charge looked at her and said she would have to park at the church and walk. This is quite a distance if you havn't had surgery much less with surgery. She is a real toot about the whole thing. Our only consolation is someone spoke up for her and they gave her a handicap parking pass. I had to go and get her one from the city but it turned out to be free so I calmed down. Hope it gets better and hope you had a good and warm spring break.

It is so cold here is AL. It was sleeting Sun. and this is spring break week. We let Jamie go to the beach and she said it is nice there but promised she has not gotten any sun on her back. Connie to answer your question no Jamie does not care about her scar. In fact she said she was kind of excited about showing it off. She is something. Hope she does good this week. Will know on Thurs that is when she will be home.

Ann hope youall had fun. This is the first time in 5 years that we do not have a cruise planned. We love them.

Hopefully soon warm weather will be here to stay.

Laura P.

[AnnLF]

Good morning!

Well, it was spitting snow here yesterday, so this cruise is looking better and better. Sounds like you all in the South are getting hit with the sleet. Snow, sleet...bring on the sun!
Liz, too, isn't shy about her scars, which amazes me. That's a sign of strong self-esteem for all our girls! Her front one, for some reason, seems to be fading more rapidly than the back one. Have any of you tried those creams? I bought some of that medera (sp?), so I'll post the results, if we see any.

Cheryl, I feel bad you are under this school stress. Vent anytime you want, because all of us certainly understand what Briann went through and you'll get the sympathetic ear you need. I haven't heard of an IB school either, but it sounds like they're a tough bunch. I've never been one for the dreaded projects...they just seem to cause stress for the whole family. Not to mention that more than 2 hours of homework for 14 or 15 year olds seems extreme even if a student hadn't undergone spinal surgery! Ah, Cancun will be just what the doctor ordered....

Laura, when Liz went in to see her administrator about getting the parking pass, he too, kind of hassled her. She was pretty rattled. I guess he said something to the effect that it's interesting she can drive, but can't take the bus. They just have no idea. She comes home often during her lunch period to rest before heading back for the afternoon -- she'd need a personal chauffeur. But the strongly worded letter from her doctor outlining her surgery did the trick...saying he didn't want her jostled on a bus or standing at a bus stop. She got the pass.

Connie, that ibuprofen sure does the trick, doesn't it? Can Elizabeth take some to school with her? Lizzie takes two in the a.m. automatically with her vitamins and it seems to ward off any pain from sitting in the school chairs. But you're so right, the fatigue is part of the process. Do you have any spring break plans? I think we all really deserve it this year.

Take care all, Ann

[AnnLF]

Good Morning All!

Just a quick note to see if anyone else has experienced this. Liz and I spent 2 days in 2 different airports trying to get home from spring break. It was a nightmare, to say the least. Her left foot was so swollen at one point, even after elevating it, that I called the doctor. This was after they announced that we would finally board the plane, but that it was likely to sit out on a runway from 2-4 hours due to bad weather in Chicago. I was nervous about her sitting for so long with this incredibly swollen foot. To make this long story short, when we got home (finally), she had to go for an ultrasound of her leg. Her doctor said that because it was her left foot only (her anterior surgery was on the left side), he wanted to play it safe and make sure there was no blood clot. The good news is that her she was all clear, thank God. The foot is still swollen, so, who knows? I'm guessing that after months of a somewhat sedentary lifestyle -- and then going on a cruise with lots of walking and activity -- it may have been a shock to her system.

Hope all is well with everyone and that spring breaks went well! Ann

[dancermom]

Hi Ann. That is truly strange and a bit worrying about Lizzie's left foot. I guess it is possible from the inactivity that her body was just not used to moving so much, but I would have been pretty worried too. We aren't having any of those type of problems, although when my Elizabeth gets overly tired her middle back starts to really bother her and she gets pretty achy.

Have you guys done any physical therapy? We go back to see the Dr. on April 21st and if the x-rays look good then he said he wants to start her on some physical therapy. I have no idea what type of exercises or what he will want her doing. Elizabeth is ready to start being more active again, but we both know she will have to build her strength back up and her endurance.

I hope Briann is doing well, Cheryl. I know that we all have gotten back into the school routine and life has gotten busy again. That is a good thing and shows how much the girls have healed and moved on with life.

Laura, how did the beach go for Jamie? Did you keep from getting her scar sunburned? I know that we will have to be diligent with sunscreen and watching the time outside.

Take care everyone.

Connie

[AnnLF]

Hi Connie,

Glad to hear from you. I'll be anxious to hear what kind of therapy Elizabeth will have. Liz isn't on tap for any -- her doctor is of the belief that with kids, just getting back into their routine is enough. I'm not so sure of that. At her last appt., he told her she could start (softly) hitting tennis balls again, but she's apprehensive about it. A little dose of physical therapy might get her on track.

The foot is back to normal -- how bizarre was that?!? It's amazing how little things like swollen feet take on a whole different dimension following these surgeries. A year ago, I would have said, elevate it, and then that would have been it. Hope all is well with you and Elizabeth and she continues to stay on the mend. Ann
P.S. Oh, Lizzie's scars were fine following our week in the sun. She applied 45 sunscreen to the scars only -- she has an olive complexion and is very brown everywhere else -- and the 45 did the trick.

[Cheryl M]

Hi Guys,

It's me! Our surgery date is 5/15. Doctor said it should take less than 2 hours. I'm pretty sure Briann is not going to have the thoracoplasty. We gave her facts and testimonies and we're letting her decide. Just got word from the school today that she will be exempt from all end of the year tests! Praise the Lord that we don't have that to worry about.

I've been avoiding even discussing this and praying that it would just go away but it appears that we're really gonna do this.....again! Doctor says it should only take a few hours. He does want to replace the whole rod which means a full incision and her scar is looking so good right now......bummer! He says she should go home at least by the next day. I'm going to push for at least 1 night there.

I sent some private messages. Thanks so much for all of your support. I truly feel like I know all of you and it feels so good to know you are praying for us.

Hope everyone continues to heal beautifully!

Cheryl M

[dancermom]

Hi Cheryl and Ann. Cheryl, glad to talk to you, but I am so sorry that Briann is going to have to have this second surgery. I can understand your worries and concerns - even the thought of the scar healing so nicely and then having to open her back up. I have told my Elizabeth and she feels really bad for Briann because she knows how she would feel in reverse.

I would definitely push for at least one night in the hospital. It is too major of a surgery to be sending her home too quickly. I do pray that it is nothing compared to the first one though. I will be anxiously awaiting hearing from you once you guys go through with this. I also have to agree with you concerning the thoracoplasty - it is good that you are letting it be Briann's decision.

Ann, thanks for the sunscreen advice. I put some sunscreen on Elizabeth a couple of days ago and it really bugs her for me to run around the scars, but I don't want them turning purple on her or burning. I was thinking 45 or 50 sunscreen should work well for her too.

We go back for a recheck this coming Friday and I am anxious to find out what he has to say. I missed the last appt. because I was sick, so I will be glad to see the new x-rays and hear what she can and can't do. We also should find out about starting physical therapy. I will let you all know what he says.

Take care everyone. Our school is out on May 25th and it is a big deal for the 8th graders to go on limo rides the last day after school gets out. It isn't too expensive when you have a group of 10-12 girls chipping in for a couple of hours in the limo. I don't know why that is our school's tradition, but my daughter has been planning this every since her brother was an 8th grader four years ago! My son graduates on May 21st and I can't believe that he is a senior. So, it should be a busy next month. I hope all of you can enjoy the spring and Cheryl, please know that I will be keeping you and Briann in my prayers.

Love,
Connie

[Cheryl M]

Hi Everyone,

Our surgery date is 5/15, the day after mother's day. The Pre-op is the 8th. Briann has decided against the thoracoplasty so she should heal really quickly. I'm just so ready to get this behind us. Please pray for a successful surgery and a quick recovery. Dr. thinks we'll only be in hospital 1 night.

Cheryl M

[KRIS ATKINSON]

My prayers are with you again! Kris

[dancermom]

Hi Cheryl. You and Briann are definitely in my heart and prayers. I am glad that she will only be in the hospital for one night. What will this do to the end of the school year for her?

My Elizabeth started doing physical therapy last week. She is going 2 times a week for 4-6 weeks. The doctor wants her to strength her stomach muscles and back. He has basically released her to do whatever she wants as long as there is no hard jarring or jolts. She will probably start dancing again this summer. I am glad that she is doing the pt first to help strengthen her body and show her what is ok or not to do.

Take care everyone. I think of you all often and am so glad for this website. It helps to talk to others who understand and are going through similar problems.

Love,
Connie

[Cheryl M]

Hi Connie,

I wish Briann's doctor would recommend physical therapy. He doesn't think she needs it.

Briann is exempt from all end of grade tests. Praise the Lord we don't have that worry. I guess her grade will be based on where she is on May 12th and any make-up work she can do for 2 weeks. She wants to go to 8th grade graduation and I am praying she will be healed enough to participate. There are lots of other fun things that last week too and I am just hoping she will be able to go partial days. She is only having 1 vertebra fused but Doc is replacing the entire rod so her incision will be the full length of her back. Bummer!

Thanks for your prayers and my best to you and Elizabeth.

Cheryl

[Cheryl M]

Hi Everyone,

Briann's pre-op went well. We had the same nurse as last time and she remembered us. We were only there 30 minutes. The anesthesiologist showed me her charts from the last surgery and everything looked good. This was a relief. I always wonder if they tell you everything that goes on in there.

Surgery is set for 8:30 on Monday (15th). She chose not to do the thoracoplasty so surgery should be about 2 hours. Please pray that her recovery is quick (doc said 2-3 weeks) as she so badly wants to participate in 8th grade graduation on 6/9.

Hope everyone is doing well and thanks for your prayers.

Cheryl M

[AnnLF]

Dear Cheryl,

Glad to hear to post-op went well, with no surprises. The familiarity of having the same nurse/same anesthesiologist must have provided some measure of comfort. Is this a de-ja-vu experience or what?

Tell Briann that Liz has told her friends (who all know about the "three Elizabeths) and that the prayer chain has widened.

After all that Briann has been through, we're hoping this will be much easier and that she'll be fine by graduation.

Keep us posted on Monday, if you can. Oh, and Happy Mother's Day! Love, Ann

[dancermom]

Hi Cheryl and Ann. We are praying for Briann on this end too. It is the same way here with people knowing about the "3 Elizabeths". I wish Briann didn't have to go through another operation, but thankfully it isn't as intense or as long as the first time. I can only imagine what must be going through Briann's mind and yours. Please let us know as soon as you can how she is doing on Monday. We will also be praying that Briann will feel well enough and strong enough to go to her 8th grade graduation.

We don't have an 8th grade graduation here, but my Elizabeth and nine other friends have a limo for after school gets out that last day. It will take them downtown where they are eating at a nice restaurant, riding the water canal, and then heading back to the high school for pictures. There will be at least 3 moms (me included) waiting downtown for them to chaperone their excursion.

I hope everyone is continuing to heal and get stronger. Elizabeth is on her 3rd week of physical therapy and it seems to be helping her get quite a bit stronger. Plus the therapist is working on massaging the scar tissue that has built up around the back scar and the hip scar. That hasn't felt too good, but apparently it is something that needed to be worked on.

Love,
Connie

[Cheryl M]

Thanks guys for your prayers. This time I will already know where the computer room is on the Ped floor so I should be able to update you on Monday. We're all fairly calm at this point so the prayers are working. I'm just praying she doesn't catch a cold. Seems like everybody has one.

Cheryl M