Casts were removed yesterday

[Guest guest]

My son had been wearing two casts fro seven weeks until yesterday: one on his

leg for a fractured femur, and the other one on his back for his scoliosis. We

were SO excited to get those things off! Owen has very bad reflux and is fed

via j-tube, so the casts were just disgusting and he smelt really, really bad.

When they cut him free, Owen just laid on the bed wriggling. It was so funny!

He was flexing all those muscles he hadn't been able to for so long, and in the

car ride home he removed both socks and shoes, which he hadn't been able to

reach in nearly two months. He was so happy.

The news on his scoliosis wasn't so happy. Initially we saw a lumbar curve

measuring 32 degrees to the left, back in September last year. Yesterday the

x-rays showed that the curve has migrated north a little, and a new curve has

developed near his pelvis, trying to compensate for the bigger one. The top one

now measures 24 degrees, and the bottom is 17. He's starting to get an 'S'

shape.

I'm so disappointed. Before his most recent cast, the docs thought he'd only

need one more cast before moving to a brace, but now they're hesitant to stop

the treatment too soon. I am so DONE with these casts! I absolutely hate them!

My son has a genetic condition that affected his development, so although he

turns two next week, he isn't crawling, walking or talking. I really feel like

the casts are holding him back, especially the last two.

I asked the doc what type of cast Owen is in, and he said it's a combination of

a Risser and a Mehta. All I know is that it's very heavy and doesn't seem to be

having the impact we were hopeful it would last year.

Frustrating! Stupid scoliosis...

Eleanor

[Guest guest]

Hi Eleanor,Sorry, to hear you didn’t get the news you were hoping for. I wanted to let you know that developing a compensatory curve during the casting process is not unheard of. I’ve seen it multiple times and if the casts are applied properly and in a solid block, the chances of the curves resolving are more great. Especially, since lil O’s #’s are so low. I would stay the course and press on for more casts just to be sure. I loved that he was able to take off his own shoes & socks!!! Big deal for big boy! Hang tough mom….HRH From: infantile scoliosis treatment [mailto:infantile scoliosis treatment ] On Behalf Of gingerertSent: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 8:16 AMinfantile scoliosis treatment Subject: Casts were removed yesterday My son had been wearing two casts fro seven weeks until yesterday: one on his leg for a fractured femur, and the other one on his back for his scoliosis. We were SO excited to get those things off! Owen has very bad reflux and is fed via j-tube, so the casts were just disgusting and he smelt really, really bad.When they cut him free, Owen just laid on the bed wriggling. It was so funny! He was flexing all those muscles he hadn't been able to for so long, and in the car ride home he removed both socks and shoes, which he hadn't been able to reach in nearly two months. He was so happy.The news on his scoliosis wasn't so happy. Initially we saw a lumbar curve measuring 32 degrees to the left, back in September last year. Yesterday the x-rays showed that the curve has migrated north a little, and a new curve has developed near his pelvis, trying to compensate for the bigger one. The top one now measures 24 degrees, and the bottom is 17. He's starting to get an 'S' shape.I'm so disappointed. Before his most recent cast, the docs thought he'd only need one more cast before moving to a brace, but now they're hesitant to stop the treatment too soon. I am so DONE with these casts! I absolutely hate them! My son has a genetic condition that affected his development, so although he turns two next week, he isn't crawling, walking or talking. I really feel like the casts are holding him back, especially the last two. I asked the doc what type of cast Owen is in, and he said it's a combination of a Risser and a Mehta. All I know is that it's very heavy and doesn't seem to be having the impact we were hopeful it would last year.Frustrating! Stupid scoliosis...Eleanor

[Guest guest]

Thank you , that's reassuring to know it can happen.

Owen's casts are in a big block, from armpit to groin, and he has a small

cut-out on one side to allow us to access his feeding tube. They make it almost

impossible for us to pick him up comfortably and he finds it hard to sit up

easily as the bottom edge digs into his thighs. They're made of fiberglass and

soft padding, with a plastic layer against his skin.

But at least we've seen some improvement, even if it's not what we were hoping

for. He's going through a growth spurt now, which might help.

I did have one other question: when they did the x-rays on Tuesday the cast had

only been off for about an hour. They said a true assessment is better after a

few days, when the spine has had time to settle. If this is the case, would his

numbers be better or worse? Just looking at it, it does look straighter than

last year, but he has a bigger muscle on one side than the other so it's kinda

hard to tell.

Thanks again,

Eleanor

>

> Hi Eleanor,

>

> Sorry, to hear you didn't get the news you were hoping for. I wanted to let

> you know that developing a compensatory curve during the casting process is

> not unheard of. I've seen it multiple times and if the casts are applied

> properly and in a solid block, the chances of the curves resolving are more

> great. Especially, since lil O's #'s are so low. I would stay the course

> and press on for more casts just to be sure.

>

> I loved that he was able to take off his own shoes & socks!!! Big deal for

> big boy!

>

> Hang tough mom..

>

> HRH

>

>

>

> From: infantile scoliosis treatment

> [mailto:infantile scoliosis treatment ] On Behalf Of gingerert

> Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 8:16 AM

> infantile scoliosis treatment

> Subject: Casts were removed yesterday

>

>

>

>

>

> My son had been wearing two casts fro seven weeks until yesterday: one on

> his leg for a fractured femur, and the other one on his back for his

> scoliosis. We were SO excited to get those things off! Owen has very bad

> reflux and is fed via j-tube, so the casts were just disgusting and he smelt

> really, really bad.

>

> When they cut him free, Owen just laid on the bed wriggling. It was so

> funny! He was flexing all those muscles he hadn't been able to for so long,

> and in the car ride home he removed both socks and shoes, which he hadn't

> been able to reach in nearly two months. He was so happy.

>

> The news on his scoliosis wasn't so happy. Initially we saw a lumbar curve

> measuring 32 degrees to the left, back in September last year. Yesterday the

> x-rays showed that the curve has migrated north a little, and a new curve

> has developed near his pelvis, trying to compensate for the bigger one. The

> top one now measures 24 degrees, and the bottom is 17. He's starting to get

> an 'S' shape.

>

> I'm so disappointed. Before his most recent cast, the docs thought he'd only

> need one more cast before moving to a brace, but now they're hesitant to

> stop the treatment too soon. I am so DONE with these casts! I absolutely

> hate them! My son has a genetic condition that affected his development, so

> although he turns two next week, he isn't crawling, walking or talking. I

> really feel like the casts are holding him back, especially the last two.

>

> I asked the doc what type of cast Owen is in, and he said it's a combination

> of a Risser and a Mehta. All I know is that it's very heavy and doesn't seem

> to be having the impact we were hopeful it would last year.

>

> Frustrating! Stupid scoliosis...

>

> Eleanor

>