Well, we were all a bit nervous to see Dr. M today. It is always hard to hear the difficult details when it pertains to your child. I had prayed for courage and peace for us and for Emma too and God did answer that prayer. I, in particular felt very calm at our meeting.
Emma only joined us for a few minutes at the beginning to ask a few of her own questions. Can I play water polo? "no" (but she will be able to after her surgery has healed.) Do I already have limited motion in my neck? After some examination Dr.M said "yes, you may not find your loss of motion too noticable." Emma then left the room as she requested to not be a part of our discussions. Although, we do fill her in and she is quite aware of the details of her condition.
Dr.M reminded us again of the risks of the surgery and we discussed the procedure in a bit more detail. We advocated for Emma in regards to the "halo" that he said she would likely have to wear for 6 to 10 weeks after by trying to empress upon him that she would be complient to wear a brace instead. (which he had mentioned before might be a slim possibility). Her surgery will likely take place late fall or around Christmas time. We will have to wait a few weeks for a date. Dr.M told us to be sure to call and check if we didn't hear in a timely fashion.
I asked Dr.M if he and the other Dr. that we had seen prior to the last appointment would be working together on Emma's surgery and found out that he actually is more qualified to deal with Emma's case. His specialty is pediatric genetic spine defects and although this surgery is quite rare, this is what he does. This was when I had to hold back the tears. We had kind of been lost in the shuffle at Children's a few times in the past year but I can see now that it was all part of God's plan. Dr.M is fairly new to Children's and seems to be a good fit for Emma's particular problem. I know that the Lord is taking care of us and knows what we do not.
Emma may still need to see a nerosurgeon to consult before her surgery but that's still to be determined.
For now, we just wait.... The Lord is good. Emma is strong and courageous.
2 comments:
What good news - a doctor you feel you can work with makes things just a little easier. We continue to pray for your family.
Thanks Corrina. I know that no story is the same, but we just visited my niece who had serious spine surgery last Fall and we were amazed at her recovery. You would never know what she has been through by looking at her. God keep you!!
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