Scoliosis Sucks!

Because Kate is limited in what she can do physically, she is now doing archery. She really enjoys it and is doing well at it.

Kate should have been wearing her brace for her scoliosis but she went on strike in January and started refusing to wear it. She would put it on at night only to rip it off and leave it on the floor by morning. At first it was just here and there, but it gradually became straight up absolutely no. She found her voice and let us know she was done. It just hurt too much and she basically said she would rather have surgery than wear it any longer.

Looks like she gets her wish. She went to her back doctor last week and it turns out she is still getting worse. AND apparently the brace only had like a 10% success rate in preventing surgery anyway. Very annoying to find out after the many painful days and nights in her brace. Her new number in her lower back in 42, up from 38 I believe, last fall. They normally do surgery when the number hits 50. In addition to the sideways curve, it is also curving in toward her breastbone, which likely impacts her heart and lung function. Yay, right?!

The surgery to correct it would be a fusion of her back, likely almost the entire length of the vertebra. The downsides would be that she would not have any further growth there, and she would lose flexibility. The upside is that she would not have pain, the risk of further complications from further bending would be eliminated, and she would get to stop wearing the brace. Kate is thrilled about this part. The surgery is not without it's risks. There could be nerve damage, and her cardiologist would have to consider how it will affect her heart. There aren't really other options so we have to move forward with the surgery. She will still be able to do archery, but there are other activities that she will  not be able be limited by lack of flexibility.

Her doctor wants her to wait another 6 months before having the surgery. One reason is just to recheck her back and make sure her x-rays are truly what they say they are or to see if the bending stops on it's own. It's very unlikely, but fusion is permanent so it's better to be certain. We will probably not wait too long as her back may continue to get worse with makes more straightening they have to do in surgery. We will probably wait until the end of summer since the surgery requires a week or so in the hospital and another three weeks at home before she can resume normal activity. There are tests to be run before she can have surgery. She needs to have a pulmonary test, her regular EKG and cardiac echo, we need to talk to her hip doctor, etc. Everyone who has been involved with her care, with exception of her eye surgeon, will have to be consulted with and involved in the surgery decision and care. First of these appointment is June 3rd with her EKG.

I won't lie, been a rough start to the year between this news and my dumb Meniere's. Here's hoping the rest of the year is awesome, the surgery goes well, the pain ends, and heart stays stable. Insert animal sacrifice and multiple prayers here.... make that a fruit,veggies, and plant sacrifice. Kate is a pescetarian, no animals should be harmed, even in jest.