Hello everyone.
My 14 yo daughter began complaining of severe back pain back in Nov. We took her to a local medical clinic where the doctor ordered a series of x-rays and was to call us back with the results.
Over the weekend while waiting for the results her pain became so bad that she was curled up into a ball on her bed crying. I called back the clinic and the Dr. had put a note on her file that if her pain increased to take her to the ER.
My husband and I took her to Phoenix Children's Hospital. They did blood and urine tests. They also ordered 2 X-rays and a CAT scan. Their diagnosis was severe scoliosis and for her to schedule and appointment with their orthopedic surgeons unit (off campus).
We attended the appointment the first week of December. Unfortunately, this unit seemed more interested in helping boys with sports injuries than girls with scoliosis. There was only one other girl in the waiting room. The Dr. took a 36" x-ray and said that she should be fine. I asked about bracing and he said it would not help. I asked about surgery and he said she wasn't sick enough. I asked about the quick onset and he had no answers. I did ask what her curvatures were. He replied T: 20 L: 35. He then went on to say how our insurance would not pay for another visit to his office but that he was going to prescribe her to start physical therapy. In short, I was greatly disappointed in this doctor. I also declined the physical therapy as every website that I have visited said there is no proven benefit in physical therapy for a scoliosis patient.
I immediately called her PCP and he said he would get us a 2nd opinion with a different doctor as he felt her case needed attention.
The 2nd appointment was at the end of December. This doctor did not have any of her previous x-rays to view as they were never forwarded to his office as they were supposed to be. He checked her over and pretty much repeated what the first doctor had stated. However, he did want to see the x-rays and wanted us to pick them up and drop them off at his office.
We were able to obtain her x-rays and dropped them off at her office the next week. I checked her 36" x-ray and it had markings on it showing her curvatures at T: 21 & L: 36. He checked her x-ray and found nothing wrong with her vertebrae (other than the scoliosis). He said she should be seen once a year for follow up.
In the mean time our daughter is in extreme pain due to her condition. She's been prescribed Naproxen for the pain and it does seem to help but she can't keep taking these for the rest of her life.
Due to the health plan that we are on she will now have to be seen by Children's Rehabilitative Services which is a clinic that operates out of St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix. She has a basic appointment with them at the end of Feb. She was also scheduled to see the Orthopedic Clinic in May. They DO have a scoliosis clinic but the first orthopedic surgeon put notes on her chart that she HAD to see one (of the two) doctors in the Orthopedic Unit and not the Scoliosis Clinic.
I checked up on the doctor that she's to meet with in May. He specializes in knee replacement surgeries and has "some" scoliosis experience. Ugh.
We have reached out to the Shriner's Hospitals for help and our application is currently pending.
So, can anyone tell me the following:
1. Is quick onset normal in scoliosis? She did NOT have the severe curvature at the beginning of the summer. We would have noticed since we have a pool.
2. In a girl that just turned 14 with curvatures of T:21 & L:36 how likely are those curves to progress and how quickly?
3. What can we do for the pain?
4. She is shrinking. When she was measured in November she was just over 5'2". Her last measurement put her just under 5". To me this says her curvature is getting worse. Am I correct?
My 14 yo daughter began complaining of severe back pain back in Nov. We took her to a local medical clinic where the doctor ordered a series of x-rays and was to call us back with the results.
Over the weekend while waiting for the results her pain became so bad that she was curled up into a ball on her bed crying. I called back the clinic and the Dr. had put a note on her file that if her pain increased to take her to the ER.
My husband and I took her to Phoenix Children's Hospital. They did blood and urine tests. They also ordered 2 X-rays and a CAT scan. Their diagnosis was severe scoliosis and for her to schedule and appointment with their orthopedic surgeons unit (off campus).
We attended the appointment the first week of December. Unfortunately, this unit seemed more interested in helping boys with sports injuries than girls with scoliosis. There was only one other girl in the waiting room. The Dr. took a 36" x-ray and said that she should be fine. I asked about bracing and he said it would not help. I asked about surgery and he said she wasn't sick enough. I asked about the quick onset and he had no answers. I did ask what her curvatures were. He replied T: 20 L: 35. He then went on to say how our insurance would not pay for another visit to his office but that he was going to prescribe her to start physical therapy. In short, I was greatly disappointed in this doctor. I also declined the physical therapy as every website that I have visited said there is no proven benefit in physical therapy for a scoliosis patient.
I immediately called her PCP and he said he would get us a 2nd opinion with a different doctor as he felt her case needed attention.
The 2nd appointment was at the end of December. This doctor did not have any of her previous x-rays to view as they were never forwarded to his office as they were supposed to be. He checked her over and pretty much repeated what the first doctor had stated. However, he did want to see the x-rays and wanted us to pick them up and drop them off at his office.
We were able to obtain her x-rays and dropped them off at her office the next week. I checked her 36" x-ray and it had markings on it showing her curvatures at T: 21 & L: 36. He checked her x-ray and found nothing wrong with her vertebrae (other than the scoliosis). He said she should be seen once a year for follow up.
In the mean time our daughter is in extreme pain due to her condition. She's been prescribed Naproxen for the pain and it does seem to help but she can't keep taking these for the rest of her life.
Due to the health plan that we are on she will now have to be seen by Children's Rehabilitative Services which is a clinic that operates out of St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix. She has a basic appointment with them at the end of Feb. She was also scheduled to see the Orthopedic Clinic in May. They DO have a scoliosis clinic but the first orthopedic surgeon put notes on her chart that she HAD to see one (of the two) doctors in the Orthopedic Unit and not the Scoliosis Clinic.
I checked up on the doctor that she's to meet with in May. He specializes in knee replacement surgeries and has "some" scoliosis experience. Ugh.
We have reached out to the Shriner's Hospitals for help and our application is currently pending.
So, can anyone tell me the following:
1. Is quick onset normal in scoliosis? She did NOT have the severe curvature at the beginning of the summer. We would have noticed since we have a pool.
2. In a girl that just turned 14 with curvatures of T:21 & L:36 how likely are those curves to progress and how quickly?
3. What can we do for the pain?
4. She is shrinking. When she was measured in November she was just over 5'2". Her last measurement put her just under 5". To me this says her curvature is getting worse. Am I correct?
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