We had a really good appointment with Dr. Rubery (the spine surgeon) today. We went over Brady's medical history, including his surgery with Dr. LaQuaglia and Dr. Bilsky at Sloan. Right away Dr. Rubery said he knew both doctors and had actually done his residency with Dr. Bilsky 20 years ago. He knew Dr. LaQuaglia because his niece was operated on by him 15 years ago. He shared with us that she had Neuroblastoma too, and although the surgery went well, she didn't survive the cancer. That truly hit home...
He sent Brady down the hall for a few X-rays. He needed to have them because the MRIs Brady has had done are with him laying down. He needed to see his spine in a standing position because it affects his alignment. I went with Brady, and Matt stayed and discussed Brady's history a little bit more. Brady had to stand completely still for the XRAY. He did really well, and was totally adorable in a little gown with clowns all over it. He even said, "Cheese!" when the tech took his "picture."
Then we went back to the room to discuss the results. Dr. Rubery noted some slight scoliosis at the surgical site. I'm sure most of you are aware of scoliosis, but if not, you can think of it as a left or right curvature of the spine. He also noted slight kyphosis at the surgical site (curving of the spine outward). He explained that there is not research-proven way to prevent scoliosis and kyphosis at this point. Bracing might help, but it also might restrict growth in his chest. So, we are going to do X-rays every 6 months to watch how his spine grows and changes. More than likely, if deformity happens, it will occur when a growth spurt happens (adolescence). A good friend of mine reminded me today that we have a lot of praying time between now and then. Can't help but think of the lyrics, "Jesus, He can move the mountains. Our God is mighty to save!"
I will be going out of town this weekend from Friday night to Monday night. I'm flying to Albuquerque to visit my friend Julie and her family! I'm really excited to see them and the southwest!! I'm also going to miss my family like crazy and am trying not to think about that part:( A change of pace can be so refreshing and I am so grateful that my wonderful husband is SO capable and willing to hold down the fort while I'm gone! I'm even thinking about passing along the blogging duties to him for the weekend...I would love to be a reader for a few days:)
I wanted to share this great resource for facts about pediatric cancer. If you CLICK HERE you can get to the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation website. This particular page has a wealth of information regarding statistics and funding. Very interesting stuff!
Albuquerque is beautiful. Lots to see and do! I hope you enjoy it! The southwest has many beautiful things that are uniquely different than WNY.
ReplyDeleteHave a fun and relaxing weekend, Megan. Matt will hold down the fort very well.
ReplyDeleteA.
Glad the appointment went well and you have a plan. Enjoy your time in Albuquerque. :o)
ReplyDelete-Rosalie
Yea, Dr. Rubery! I knew he was a good choice! Conservative, but not tooooo conservative to let things get out of hand. It sounds like a good plan. BTW, Jeffrey had some scoliosis (30-ish degrees) that was followed for about 4 years. It hit in his growth spurt and then he outgrew it. Since Brady is so young, they'll keep track of him and treat him if any significant changes happen. Sumana was followed for several years and didn't get into trouble until the last year . . . and they were able to do the VEPTR so she can go big and straight! I know both of my kids have different reasons for their scoliosis, but I wanted to encourage you that Brady is in excellent hands!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Cheryl
PS--- ENJOY NM!!! A break is soooooo good . .