So glad I found you guys!

[Elisa]

Got both CDs Gayle but thanks for remembering. I didn't send them down ahead, just the pics from the most recent set. Nope, I have absolutely no idea which doctor(s) we will be seeing and probably won't know until Thursday morning when we actually get to Shriners' Hospital but I'll let you know. I too am very curious but it really won't mean much to me b/c I am not familiar with any of them anyway. I've been told to expect to be at the hospital from 3-5 hours and I'm pretty sure a lot of that time will be spend waiting for this and that and getting results etc.

I thought the gentleman that was coming to pick us up was also picking others up along the way but apparently they are sending him over here to the Island just to pick us up. Talk about top notch service, wow.

[Elisa]

I'm so ready for a break now with all my running around. Got the boy a haircut, wish it were shorter but that's what you get when you leave him there while you run more errands. The extra travel/medical insurance for both of us for two days was a grand total of twenty bucks. Now we can both slip on peels of any sort, hurt ourselves and we're totally covered. Did you know that a hospital bed for one night in the US without anything else costs 10K? O_o

Picked up some sparkling juices and some snacks to take with us as well as some decent red wine that I am helping myself to right now.

Got an automated call from Shriners a few minutes ago reminding us of the appointment and to confirm it so that's done.

Now let's see what exactly is wrong with the boy's spine... I want details!!

[Pooka1]

Spiny mouse,

You are in the home stretch, almost in the chute.

Things will begin to move at the pace they should have all along.

In your case with a teenage boy, the delay is something that a might have happened even if you were being seen every few months by a surgeon. He has grown in this last year. You might not be at a disadvantage over it is what I'm saying. The surgeon will probably comment on this.

Good work. Enjoy the wine.

Sharon

[Pooka1]

BY the way, mentions of "chinchilla" peaked during the early years of the depression for some reason...

http://ngrams.googlelabs.com/graph?c...=0&smoothing=3

[Elisa]

Sharon, I was just saying to my husband the other night that even though we've waited for fifteen months or so to have our son looked at by a specialist, I'm not really sure it would have made that much of a difference anyway b/c he has done a lot of growing in that time. His pain has been minimal as well. It's also given me/us time to research, understand, have things absorb and sink in as well. I do feel a lot more confident about the whole situation than I did even a few months ago before I found you guys. Oh yes, the red wine tastes especially good tonight. I probably won't sleep much though for fear I'll sleep in and miss my ride, lol.

[Elisa]

We're here!

Pulled into Portland around 3:30 this afternoon and we left Vancouver BC at 8:30 this morning, stopped for a quick lunch, so the timing wasn't bad. We'd have been here a good 45 minutes earlier but... umm, there was a mom/son who wasn't on the driver's list so we had to turn back and pick them up. I am so glad that wasn't me b/c I'd have been bawling my eyes out but the mom took it all really well, lol.

Everything is great: bus ride, hotels, hospitality etc. No complaints at all. It will be a very early and long day tomorrow b/c we will have to get up, get ready, have breakfast and be ready and waiting for the shuttle bus outside at 7:15 am. Our appointment is at 8:15 am so I will have a lot more to report after that. There is no Internet on the bus so I'll have to wait until we're back in the Vancouver BC hotel tomorrow evening.

Talked to my husband a bit ago and all my critters are fine so I am happy.

Edit: Oh my, I can't believe how cheap alcohol is down here. I just picked up a nice bottle of Yellow Tail Shiraz for $6.99 in the shop downstairs and it would sell for $17.00 up in BC. Now that's just criminal. >_<

[Pooka1]

Glad you had a safe trip!

Big day tomorrow and you are ready.

In re the libations, you can bring a few hundreds bucks worth of goods duty free, no?

[Elisa]

No Pooka, no stopping at duty-free b/c the bus goes straight to the front of the line so they can cross the border asap without anyone having to declare anything. I totally understand that and don't want to be held up either. I guess I'll just have to drink a bunch here. *hiccup* haha!

It feels weird to be off my safe quiet lil island but really exciting too. It's not very often someone drives you around in a big comfy bus with recliners, pays all your hotel and meal bills so my son and I am totally thrilled. I really enjoyed the ride down here and am looking forward to getting all comfy in my chair again and enjoying the ride. Oh, you should see the looks from other drivers, especially truckers when they see the big Shriners' bus go by: they all look, point and give a nod or a wave. Very cool. O_O

Answers tomorraww!

[leahdragonfly]

Hi Elisa,

thinking of you and your son tomorrow. I'm so glad you will finally have some answers.

I'm happy your trip is going so well!

Best,

Gayle

[Elisa]

Thanks Gayle. Yep, tomorrow is the big day when we finally get what we came here for in the first place and that is answers. Talked to my mom on the phone a few minutes ago and she said I sounded so relaxed. I told her that I was very relaxed (no jokes about the wine people) and the getting here was totally great. If I didn't know better, I'd think we'd booked a holiday. Shriners = wonderful people and I haven't even seen the brand new wing of the hospital that apparently "you can see your face on the shiny floor" and the staff are extremely friendly and knowledgeable. I have no doubts.

Man, the food prices here are amazing too. I think I'd be a whole lot fatter if I lived down here, lol.

[hdugger]

And you have to try our beer too! The two things Portland really gets are beer and movies, and we mostly try to do the two of them together. If they throw in something else, like sitting on a rooftop and drinking beer while watching movies, so much the better. In the summer there are even pools that let you float around at night while watching movies.

Best of luck tomorrow - so good to know he's finally being seen and you'll have your answers.

[hdugger]

Oh, if you get the chance (and it may be waaay too hectic), there's a new tram that runs from one of the buildings across from Shriners and takes you to the bottom of the hill and back up. It's a short ride - probably no more than 10 minutes each way - and it gives you a great view over the city and on through to Mt. Hood (assuming it stays clear tomorrow).

Here's the link

http://www.portlandtram.org/

Beyond that, there are some great aerial walkways all over OHSU (the complex that Shriners is in).

Edit: Oh, and while it's free from the top, you have to buy a $4 ticket to get back up, and it only takes credit cards. So, just make sure you don't get stuck at the bottom with only cash

[Elisa]

I am absolutely stuffed. This Jubitz truck stop sure does pile on the food. My son had a full rack of ribs with fries which came with steamed veggies, coleslaw and he had a dish of prawns on the side. I had a steak with prawns on the side, salad and there were buns and other things but I couldn't eat it all and we put it in a to-go container. I know I won't be having breakfast in the morning and will just pop some of the leftovers in the microwave tomorrow; that was a lot of food and it was good. I had pint too and only cost me $3 (alcohol is not included with Shriners, for a good reason, haha).

hdhugger, we won't have time tomorrow to do anything except get through the appointment and get back on the bus to head north unfortunately but next time I will would definitely love to check out that sky tram... and the beer floating around somewhere watching a movie on a rooftop, lol.

Does anyone want to marry me so I can move down here? No one can tell my husband though.

I'm going to call the front desk for a wake up call tomorrow I think b/c I am getting so tired and certainly don't want to sleep in. I wish I had more time here. Next time I will though for sure.

[Elisa]

Answers

We saw Dr. Joseph Ivan Krajbich today and he examined my son thoroughly as well as looked at his previous x-rays along with the new one he had taken today. We aren't going home to Canada this afternoon with the rest of the passengers on the bus b/c we are having an MRI done tomorrow at 4:30 along with a pulmonary test. He wants to rule out any spinal cord issues that could be the cause for his scoliosis. If so, then we will deal with that issue. If the MRI comes back okay, his plan is to have our son come back to Shriners asap as he feels his case is urgent. His curve is 110 degrees and it is not very flexible.

First step: halo traction for two weeks in order to stretch out the spine naturally using head weights.

Second step: spinal fusion

He will be in the hospital for about four weeks.

He said my son's case is nearly the worst he has seen in perfectly healthy teens and if something isn't done asap his spine will get worse and eventually collapse.

That is it.

[leahdragonfly]

Hi Elisa,

my heart goes out to you reading your post. I am glad you're getting answers, but good lord, 110 degrees. I am so sorry for your son and you that this was not able to be corrected sooner.

I have heard that Dr K does the most complicated spine surgeries there in Portland, so I am sure your son will be in good hands. His nurse and Dr d'Amato's nurse wrote a very good article about scoliosis that I will try to dig up for you.

How is your son taking to the news? And my dear Elisa, how are you holding up?

Take care, I'm thinking of you, Gayle