Update on Montreal Appointment

[Sealy]

Hey Gang,

Where to start ?! I am SO glad that while going to University, I
picked up a minor in French as well because it sure came in handy !
I really felt I was in a different country - I must admit though,
Toronto is a cleaner city :) The French really pride themselves on
their cuisine and boy the cafes...were beyond compare. Naturally, my
two kids only wanted to eat at McDonalds so we couldn't really
experience the fine food too much. A funny thing, right beside
McDonalds they had a McCafe ?! I've never seen anything like it -
their lattes were really good. :)

Oh yes, the reason for our trip ? We saw Dr. Rivard...a brilliant
man. He looked at Deirdre's x-rays, measured her and said that there
is no reason why she can't go into a SpineCor brace. He wanted to
remove the cast right there and then and fit her for the SpineCor -
not knowing what to say, I gave him my standard when in doubt
answer: "I'll have to think about this" :) He then said that the
cast she's currently in is not really holding her since it's very
loose, he thinks that if we were to remove the cast her curve would
be about 11 degrees or so. He pointed on the x-ray taken in April of
this year that the vertebrae on the concave side of T8 and T9 have
grown - this is evident by looking at the increase in distance
between the two ribs at that juncture. After reflecting on this, he
went on to say that infantile curves of 68 degrees can resolve
completely and that it wouldn't be such a bad idea to remove the cast
and have Deirdre monitored without ANY support for two or three
months ?!!!!! I guess I must have been looking at him in a funny
way, because he said: "you think I'm a crazy, reckless man don't
you ?" :) I told him I couldn't go with this scenario and said I
would prefer to gradually wean her from any kind of support.

So basically, I have a lot of thinking to do. I do want to talk to
Dr. Alman, our new ortho and get his thoughts on this. The next
time we go to Montreal will be to fit her with the SpineCor.



Sealy

[sins]

That is a very good appointment Sealy!
The best part is the sense of optimism from him that she'll recover fully from scoliosis.I think you're right to exercise caution though,however the spine cor brace is what you were hoping for and with any luck this will continue to hold the curve.So, no more anaesthesia, no more cumbersome casts, the little sweetheart must be very happy too!!

[Amazed Jean]

Oh what an excellant appointment. Yeah Sealy and Deirdre! Take your time and decide what you feel best with but just hearing that she might not have to go under anesthesia again brightens my day.

[andrea]

That's great Sealy. I wanted to ask how it had gone, but wasn't sure whether to or not. Sometimes it takes a while to get your head round stuff doesn't it? What a wonderful appointment. I'd have probably just gone "ok then" and let him do whatever, but that just goes to show that I am way too trusting of what I get told. I think you're right to take your time and think about what's right for you. Let us know what you decide.

[newgirl]

Sealy
:clap: :clap: :clap:
That is so positive, you must be delighted. I agree that the spinecor is probably a safe weaning option from support, but the fact that he thinks it will completely resolve is so wonderful.
Well done both of you,
:squeeze:
Nicola

[Sealy]

Nicola, I LOVE the expression on your Garfield cat ! :D


I don't think Dr. Rivard was actually referring to her curve when he said that infantile curves of 68 degrees can resolve....Maybe he was :???: Come to think of it, I guess it was a very positive appointment in that he thought we could just monitor her curve without any support for two or three months. I was left with more doubt as to which path to take and he seemed quite disappointed with my refusal to remove the cast and fit her with a SpineCor brace. He explained that children who have been treated for a length of time with a rigid brace don't do very well with the SpineCor because something happens to the vertebrae (usually at the apex ) I don't know if it's muscle atrophy or what ?! Apparently the damage is irreversible. I think this is why most curves revert back to their pre-bracing levels once the brace is discontinued. He explained that I wouldn't have to worry about that happening with Deirdre because at her age, the vertebrae are still forming.... Sorry if I can't explain this very well since I'm not a scoliosis specialist. If I see that Deirdre isn't cured of her scoliosis and we have a long haul ahead of us, then I'll seriously consider the SpineCor. If the brace is just to hold her curve for a few months ( 3 - 6 months ) then I'll go with a rigid brace - from what I understand the rigid brace is meant to only hold the curve and is not meant to be worn on a full time basis - the casting is supposed to have "cured" her. :-?


Sealy

[newgirl]

Sealy,
The expression suited my mood last night :-D,
Don't worry about taking time making your decision. Personally I feel that if the decision to be made was about me, I wouldn't agonise about it as much but because i have to make decisions that affect my daughter I have to weigh up every pro and con about a hundred times before I am happy. Do you know what I mean?
It is just so wonderful to hear of sucesses and regardless of what decision you make over the next few months Deirdre will be able to go swimming and have baths and tummy kisses very soon :bounce:
N

[Sealy]

Nicola,

I know exactly what you mean ! I pesonally have no idea what I'm going to do... I'm hoping the situation will just resolve itself :woe: :(



Sealy

[gerbo]

Originally posted by Sealy@Sep 1 2005, 12:56 AM
If I see that Deirdre isn't cured of her scoliosis and we have a long haul ahead of us, then I'll seriously consider the SpineCor. If the brace is just to hold her curve for a few months ( 3 - 6 months ) then I'll go with a rigid brace - from what I understand the rigid brace is meant to only hold the curve and is not meant to be worn on a full time basis


I think you are pretty good at making sensible decisions. After your initial posting the above was exactly what I was going to suggest, deleted it as I did not want to sound to negative, given how enthousiastic you sounded.

But indeed, short term you are only going to complicate matters by going to different centrs/ doctor/ approach and a straightforward "hard" brace seems so much more logical, in the short term.

I f she would need bracing longterm, and only time will tell, then, like others, you will have the option of considering the spinecor.

Best wishes

gerbo

[Sealy]

Originally posted by gerbo@Sep 2 2005, 02:28 AM
But indeed, short term you are only going to complicate matters by going to different centrs/ doctor/ approach and a straightforward "hard" brace seems so much more logical, in the short term.

I f she would need bracing longterm, and only time will tell, then, like others, you will have the option of considering the spinecor.

Best wishes

gerbo
Thanks Gerbo,

I've always been one to take the path of least resistance. :D