Sunday, July 18, 2010
CT - A View of the Inside!
On Thursday this week Emma had a CT scan that her surgeon had ordered after he cancelled her surgery. It was uneventful, though Emma and I had the opportunity to view her pictures and to learn how a CT scan works. Interesting! We will be having a follow up with her Dr. on August 24th to discuss the results. We are enjoing our summer neck brace free and one little thing I am personally thankful for is that I am not trying to wash Emma's hair with her laying on the kitchen counter on her back for the next few weeks! So, so greatful for God's blessing!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Healing, an unexpected gift!
Psalm 145:8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.
This has been an amazing day! This verse has been running through my mind for the past few hours. This morning Emma and I headed out for an 11am. Pre-op appointment where they prepare her for her upcoming surgery scheduled for next Friday July 9th. We checked in and went to our usual first stop, X-rays. We waited there as usual and after a while Emma was called in for her turn. We then proceeded to the ortho waiting room where we waited to see Emma's surgeon. Dr. M. came to see us, chatted a bit, examined Emma and took a look at her X-Rays. As he was looking them over he said, "You know, this doesn't look as bad as it did. If this has improved the way that it appears that it has, we won't be doing this surgery! I would like a couple of different views of her spine and then we'll decide." Well, this sent Emma off the deep end! she was so excited that she might not have to have this surgery. I was cautious and telling her not to get too excited just in case. We went back to radiology and had the other X-rays, then back to see the Dr. This time, another surgeon who has seen Emma as well came in with a student to examine her case and X-rays. They were not at this time aware that Dr. M was looking at not doing the surgery. I brought them up to date and they chatted it over. Dr. M was still busy with another patient. After a few minutes, they left the room and we could hear them chatting about Emma out of our sight. We couldn't quite hear, or understand for that matter exactly what they were saying. Another few minutes passed and Dr.M, the student Dr. and the ortho nurse all came into the room. Dr.M. calmly stated, "We are not doing the surgery." And then he went on to expain and show us why. I'll try to recap in my uneducated language here. The reason Emma was having the surgery is due to something I affectionately call "the hinge". Below her last fusion (C1 to C4) she also has a natural (or unnatural, however you want to look at it...she was born with it.) fusion which joins C5 to C6. This left motion between C4 and C5. Motion is good, however in her case she was hyper extending which the Dr.'s called "unstable". This meant that she was at great risk of injury and also that over use could damage her spinal chord because of the unusual extention of her vertebra. The Dr. showed me on the X-ray a disk at C5 that is worn down because she has apparently had the hyper-extention since birth and it was exasperated by the last surgery. Today however, this "hinge" fell within the "normal" range. Enough so that they said that she has gone from unstable to stable. The last scan she had was in April, and that is the one that made the Dr's say, "it's time, we have waited long enough, we have to do something about this." Today, there was no cause for concern and she no longer needs the surgery. Amazed? I am dumbfounded to say the least, it gave me shivers. I asked Dr. M before we left, "Have you ever seen something like this happen before?" He asked me, "You mean vertebra going from this kind of unstabilty to stable? No, I've never seen this before." He then asked me if I had any questions. I was speachless. I just kept saying to Emma, "This is crazy!" I still am processing all of this and feel a little like I'm in shock.
After calling Keith, I spoke to my sister-in-law Megan. She said, "what an answer to prayer." And I said to her, "We never even asked for this!" It is more that an answer to prayer. We were praying for Emma's safety before, during and after her surgery. Not for healing. It just shows how we don't know what we need and God does. How, He gives us gifts that we don't deserve just because He loves us. It reminds that we are always in His sight and that He is actively involved in each of our lives. His hand has touched Emma's body. He has taken what he created and changed it for the better with greater craftmanship than even the best surgeon in the world could have. For Emma, for our family, for our church family, for friends, for the Dr's, and all those who hear this story.
Psalm 103
Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits---
who forgives all you sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear
him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust,
As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and it's place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him.
and his righteousness with their children's children--
with those who keep his covenant
and rememver to obey his precepts.
The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you servants who do his will.
Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
I will post a short update soon. There is a little more to what happened today and what the future holds for Emma....but hey, who knows, after today, I am reminded that God's ways are not our ways. Anything is possible.
Thank you Lord!
And, thanks to all of you for your many prayers!
We love you!
Corinna and family.
This has been an amazing day! This verse has been running through my mind for the past few hours. This morning Emma and I headed out for an 11am. Pre-op appointment where they prepare her for her upcoming surgery scheduled for next Friday July 9th. We checked in and went to our usual first stop, X-rays. We waited there as usual and after a while Emma was called in for her turn. We then proceeded to the ortho waiting room where we waited to see Emma's surgeon. Dr. M. came to see us, chatted a bit, examined Emma and took a look at her X-Rays. As he was looking them over he said, "You know, this doesn't look as bad as it did. If this has improved the way that it appears that it has, we won't be doing this surgery! I would like a couple of different views of her spine and then we'll decide." Well, this sent Emma off the deep end! she was so excited that she might not have to have this surgery. I was cautious and telling her not to get too excited just in case. We went back to radiology and had the other X-rays, then back to see the Dr. This time, another surgeon who has seen Emma as well came in with a student to examine her case and X-rays. They were not at this time aware that Dr. M was looking at not doing the surgery. I brought them up to date and they chatted it over. Dr. M was still busy with another patient. After a few minutes, they left the room and we could hear them chatting about Emma out of our sight. We couldn't quite hear, or understand for that matter exactly what they were saying. Another few minutes passed and Dr.M, the student Dr. and the ortho nurse all came into the room. Dr.M. calmly stated, "We are not doing the surgery." And then he went on to expain and show us why. I'll try to recap in my uneducated language here. The reason Emma was having the surgery is due to something I affectionately call "the hinge". Below her last fusion (C1 to C4) she also has a natural (or unnatural, however you want to look at it...she was born with it.) fusion which joins C5 to C6. This left motion between C4 and C5. Motion is good, however in her case she was hyper extending which the Dr.'s called "unstable". This meant that she was at great risk of injury and also that over use could damage her spinal chord because of the unusual extention of her vertebra. The Dr. showed me on the X-ray a disk at C5 that is worn down because she has apparently had the hyper-extention since birth and it was exasperated by the last surgery. Today however, this "hinge" fell within the "normal" range. Enough so that they said that she has gone from unstable to stable. The last scan she had was in April, and that is the one that made the Dr's say, "it's time, we have waited long enough, we have to do something about this." Today, there was no cause for concern and she no longer needs the surgery. Amazed? I am dumbfounded to say the least, it gave me shivers. I asked Dr. M before we left, "Have you ever seen something like this happen before?" He asked me, "You mean vertebra going from this kind of unstabilty to stable? No, I've never seen this before." He then asked me if I had any questions. I was speachless. I just kept saying to Emma, "This is crazy!" I still am processing all of this and feel a little like I'm in shock.
After calling Keith, I spoke to my sister-in-law Megan. She said, "what an answer to prayer." And I said to her, "We never even asked for this!" It is more that an answer to prayer. We were praying for Emma's safety before, during and after her surgery. Not for healing. It just shows how we don't know what we need and God does. How, He gives us gifts that we don't deserve just because He loves us. It reminds that we are always in His sight and that He is actively involved in each of our lives. His hand has touched Emma's body. He has taken what he created and changed it for the better with greater craftmanship than even the best surgeon in the world could have. For Emma, for our family, for our church family, for friends, for the Dr's, and all those who hear this story.
Psalm 103
Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits---
who forgives all you sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear
him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust,
As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and it's place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him.
and his righteousness with their children's children--
with those who keep his covenant
and rememver to obey his precepts.
The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you servants who do his will.
Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
I will post a short update soon. There is a little more to what happened today and what the future holds for Emma....but hey, who knows, after today, I am reminded that God's ways are not our ways. Anything is possible.
Thank you Lord!
And, thanks to all of you for your many prayers!
We love you!
Corinna and family.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Upcoming Surgery
Well, the day is drawing near. We are starting to think about and prepare for Emma's next spine surgery. She is scheduled for July 9th and will be attending her pre-op this coming Tues. June 29th. We are on our way.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
A New Chapter in Emma's Spine Story
Wow! I haven't had anything to add to Emma's blog since April of last year. I guess that is a good thing as the Lord and kept and preserved Emma as she has enjoyed life being 11 and has been actively training her new dog for agility! She loves her puppy Penny and she has been a source of activity and pleasure for Emma.
The last time we saw Emma's Dr. was in July and he said that things were steady and holding so I didn't really have any new news to share.
Yesterday was Emma's 6 month check up with the surgeon. When we arrived she had her normal xrays and then we waited to see the surgeon. We weren't really sure which of the two Dr's she would see but the surgeon who actully did her surgery came in to see her. Emma was happy about that because she likes him better than the other Dr. He just seems to have a nicer bed side manner which makes him a little easier to talk to. (I think Emma has a little crush on him too)
He carefully examined her xrays as ususal and was taking longer than he regularly does comparing xrays from April, July and now. (Emma and I both knew what was coming) He said then that her upper scoliosis curve is now 57 degrees and the lower curve is 37. This progression is not untypical (is that a word?) and they were expecting it to continue to worsen. He told that us that she is now within the surgical range for her scoliosis but they still want to wait a while before doing anything because she is still so short and they want to give her more opportunity to grow. He is quite confident that he can straighten out her top curve almost completly the way it is now but doesn't want to wait until her last growth spurt because he thinks she will be so crooked then. However, he is still concerned about Emma's "hinge" as we affectionately call it. There is way too much motion in her vertebra between the fusion that they did in Nov. of 08 from C1 to C4 and a natural fusion that she has at between C5 and C6. So, there is a "hinge" between C4 and C5. That hinge has put her spinal chord at risk since her last surgery which we did know. The Dr. however feels that we have waited long enough on this and no longer thinks that we should wait to combine it with her scoliosis surgery. He is still concerned about her losing function in her arms or legs due to injury caused by the motion there. It does look quite misaligned on the xray. So he wants to add to her previous fusion by extending it now to C7 which I believe is her whole cervical spine. He did say that the surgery sould be less involved and her stay in hospital should be a little shorter and she will wear an E coller like before and not a halo. He said, "How does May look for you?" I said "That soon?" He told us that it is not an emergent case but he doesn't want to wait too long and will expedite her for whenever we think is good. I asked if we could do it in June so that she can finish school and participate in the school play. He said that he thought it should be okay but gently reminded us that he cannot guarentee that she will not have adverse affects from waiting. But, he also said that she has been stable since her last surgery so they have no reason to think that will change. So, June it is. I just have to call with the date when when Emma is finished the school play which I didn't have with me at the hospital.
He did ask me if we should go ahead or something like that once he said that he thought maybe he should extend the fusion. I told he that I didn't know and that he is the Dr. I told him that we were still doubting the last surgery while she was in the OR and didn't feel sure that we should have done it until we got the report after surgery. So, I was the wrong person to ask if we should go ahead. I asked him, "Do YOU think we should?" He said yes but, he also shared that he'll probably be driving home from work later wondering if he's made the right decision. Even the Dr.'s are human.
But, having said all that, we are trusting just as before that all things are in the hands of our great God and that he works all things out for his glory and our good. What peace and comfort that brings. Even to Emma. ( She was remarkably accepting of the information she received. She just said she knew it would come sooner or later.) I think that how she handled the news is a blessing also from God. God has kept her in a remarkable way all of her life when we didn't even know what was going on in her body. We are so thankful. So, for those of you who would like to know how you could pray, I'm sure it obvious but please pray for her continued safety over the coming months before her surgery. That her spine will remain stable and that she would not loose any function. We praise and that God for friends and family who support us in this way. Thank you all so much! I will post again when we receive a surgery date.
Love and Blessings,
The Grooms
The last time we saw Emma's Dr. was in July and he said that things were steady and holding so I didn't really have any new news to share.
Yesterday was Emma's 6 month check up with the surgeon. When we arrived she had her normal xrays and then we waited to see the surgeon. We weren't really sure which of the two Dr's she would see but the surgeon who actully did her surgery came in to see her. Emma was happy about that because she likes him better than the other Dr. He just seems to have a nicer bed side manner which makes him a little easier to talk to. (I think Emma has a little crush on him too)
He carefully examined her xrays as ususal and was taking longer than he regularly does comparing xrays from April, July and now. (Emma and I both knew what was coming) He said then that her upper scoliosis curve is now 57 degrees and the lower curve is 37. This progression is not untypical (is that a word?) and they were expecting it to continue to worsen. He told that us that she is now within the surgical range for her scoliosis but they still want to wait a while before doing anything because she is still so short and they want to give her more opportunity to grow. He is quite confident that he can straighten out her top curve almost completly the way it is now but doesn't want to wait until her last growth spurt because he thinks she will be so crooked then. However, he is still concerned about Emma's "hinge" as we affectionately call it. There is way too much motion in her vertebra between the fusion that they did in Nov. of 08 from C1 to C4 and a natural fusion that she has at between C5 and C6. So, there is a "hinge" between C4 and C5. That hinge has put her spinal chord at risk since her last surgery which we did know. The Dr. however feels that we have waited long enough on this and no longer thinks that we should wait to combine it with her scoliosis surgery. He is still concerned about her losing function in her arms or legs due to injury caused by the motion there. It does look quite misaligned on the xray. So he wants to add to her previous fusion by extending it now to C7 which I believe is her whole cervical spine. He did say that the surgery sould be less involved and her stay in hospital should be a little shorter and she will wear an E coller like before and not a halo. He said, "How does May look for you?" I said "That soon?" He told us that it is not an emergent case but he doesn't want to wait too long and will expedite her for whenever we think is good. I asked if we could do it in June so that she can finish school and participate in the school play. He said that he thought it should be okay but gently reminded us that he cannot guarentee that she will not have adverse affects from waiting. But, he also said that she has been stable since her last surgery so they have no reason to think that will change. So, June it is. I just have to call with the date when when Emma is finished the school play which I didn't have with me at the hospital.
He did ask me if we should go ahead or something like that once he said that he thought maybe he should extend the fusion. I told he that I didn't know and that he is the Dr. I told him that we were still doubting the last surgery while she was in the OR and didn't feel sure that we should have done it until we got the report after surgery. So, I was the wrong person to ask if we should go ahead. I asked him, "Do YOU think we should?" He said yes but, he also shared that he'll probably be driving home from work later wondering if he's made the right decision. Even the Dr.'s are human.
But, having said all that, we are trusting just as before that all things are in the hands of our great God and that he works all things out for his glory and our good. What peace and comfort that brings. Even to Emma. ( She was remarkably accepting of the information she received. She just said she knew it would come sooner or later.) I think that how she handled the news is a blessing also from God. God has kept her in a remarkable way all of her life when we didn't even know what was going on in her body. We are so thankful. So, for those of you who would like to know how you could pray, I'm sure it obvious but please pray for her continued safety over the coming months before her surgery. That her spine will remain stable and that she would not loose any function. We praise and that God for friends and family who support us in this way. Thank you all so much! I will post again when we receive a surgery date.
Love and Blessings,
The Grooms
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