Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Medical update ...

Lydia's MRI was scheduled for the end of August, but she was placed on a wait-list in the event of a cancellation.  We got a call last Thursday evening telling us there was a cancellation for Friday morning and asking if we could have her there by 8:15 a.m.  We were able to make that work, so Lydia's MRI is completed.  Now we are waiting for her neurosurgeon to read the MRI to determine whether or not she has a tethered spinal cord or any other issues related to her spina bifida.

Regarding Rachel's scoliosis, because skeletal back surgery (or lack thereof) at such a young age can have profound future implications, and because every scoliosis case is unique, we would like to have another pediatric orthopedic specialist review her case before we decide for sure what to do.  We are strongly leaning toward the surgery that her primary ortho doctor recommended (removing a hemivertebra and fusing two vertebrae), but it's a bit scarey to think about her having rods and screws or what-not attached to her spine at such a young age.  So we want to gather as much info as we can before proceeding.  We are currently trying to get her in to see a specialist at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.  They are exclusively a pediatric orthopedic hospital in Dallas.

Also, Rachel's neurosurgeon is concerned that her increased spinal curvature could be an indication that her spinal cord has retethered.  As such, he has ordered an MRI so we can be certain.  We are awaiting the scheduled date for that, but are hoping that she will be able to get in early via a cancellation.

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