Re: Home from Birmingahm/new cast

[Guest guest]

Esther,

Where do you live? Remind me of your daughter's story? How old is she?

Sorry for all the questions.

has been going to ish Rite since he was 9 months old. He is now 30

months.

We are blessed to be going to ish Rite and living only 30 minutes away.

Most importantly to have found a doctor that has been able to help him. The

nurses are always wonderful with . And the Child Life Specialist are GREAT!

Make sure you ask if they can help with your daughter.

What is your daughter's name? I would like to say a prayer for her and like to

pray specifically.

Keep us posted on how things go this next week. Wish we were going to be there

so I could meet you.

Take care,

Tasha

Mommy of twin boys- and 30 mths

Fort Worth, Texas

" A. E. R. " wrote: Hi

Tasha!

What a blessing to read your story! We are going to the same hospital, but our

Dr. is Dr. ston. We are driving there on Sunday in order to get our daughter

admitted on Monday for her Halo Traction on Tuesday. I would love to hear more

about your experience there. So far, it's all good. My little girl really needs

to get her body " fixed " as soon as possible! She is in so much pain! It hurts to

see her ache so bad! We will definetely need to see a Child Life Specialist. She

is getting scared...

Thanks for your help!

Esther

If anyone speaks ill of you, Praise them always. If anyone injures you, Serve

them nicely. If anyone persecutes you, Help them in all possible ways. You will

attain immense strength. You will control anger and pride. You will enjoy peace,

poise, and serenity. (Unknown)

Re: Home from Birmingahm/new cast

Hi Misty,

We go to Texas ish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas.

His doctor is Dr. Karl Rathjen.

The cast worked very well for about the first 3 casts. had a total of 6.

After his 4th cast his curve stayed the same. Never improved, but never got

worse. His last cast he improved 5 degrees.

The plan is to continue in the brace. If need be we will go back to the cast

and alternate back and forth. I don't even want to think about it right now.

We go in January for an xray to see how he is doing.

I had another thought about Haley being afraid of the medical staff.

Does your hospital have Child Life Specialist? Maybe you could ask them to come

help. I use to volunteer at a Children's hospital with Child Life. They are

wonderful! Just a thought.

Take care,

Tasha

Misty Dennis <mistyhldyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Hi Tasha,

Who is 's doctor? Did they decide to brace b/c the cast wasn't helping

anymore, or do they think the brace will do the job? I know exactly what you

mean about feeling your emotions. Haley does the same, but I get tense b/c

I know how she is going to act, so in turn, she also gets upset...Vicious cycle

huh?!?!? Thanks for your prayers...please continue

Misty and Haley

Tasha Fontenot <ryanswalkyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Misty,

I can totally understand your disappointment.

This is a long road, but one well worth it and you all will get through it just

fine.

It has its ups and downs and I am sure you are well aware of that by now.

Well I can tell you that had the " happy juice " for every cast change. He

would have been a complete monster without it.

He is VERY leery of all medical staff. Anyone that is not in street clothes.

We were in Fedex the other day and a nurse was a few people behind us. She had

on scrubs. He saw her and immediately hid in front of me. He would peek around

to find her, but knew she was someone that he did not want to have ANYTHING to

do with.

Sad that our babies make that connection, but I guess I would too.

I always made sure I had ALL of 's favorites the day of the cast change.

Toys and snacks. I usually had a new toy as well. Anything to distract him from

what was about to go on.

I made sure I was very positive and upbeat throughout the whole day.

totally feeds off my actions.

I would suggest trying the happy juice(can't remember what it is called). It

has always worked for him and he has had it since he was 13 mths old for the

MRI. He gets really silly and then he just chills out. I think someone else

mentioned this........ ....if you find someone she does well with it is worth

asking for that same person if they are available. Help her make/find a good

connection with the hospital. I know easier said then done. It took a long

time not to be upset everytime we walked through the doors.

had the best correction of course in the first cast. From there it was

very minimal and basically stayed the same. That is why he is in a brace now.

Prior to his first cast his curve was 34 and after this last one he was down to

15.

Hopefully the brace will hold his curve at 15 and over a LONG period of time

help to bring it down some more.

We know we still have a good bit of this road to travel.

Most of 's casts were on for 12 weeks. One was even on for 3 months and 8

long days.

Anyway I pray that Haley does get better correction in this cast.

Good luck and hang in there.

Take care and keep us posted,

Tasha

Mommy of twins boys- and 30 mths

Fort Worth, Texas

mistyhld <mistyhldyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Hi everyone,

We are home from Birmingham and Haley is now in her fourth cast (her

second Mehta cast. We really had our hopes up that we would see

dramatic results. She even looked much better to us after the cast

was removed Thursday! So we were shocked when Dr. Khoury said even he

was dissapointed with the results. Last time he told us her spine

was rigid and hard to manipulate, but he managed to get her curve to

18 degrees in cast (she was 38 degrees out of cast.)

He said at best there was maybe 2 degrees of improvement from this

cast, depending on where he measured the curve. He said the 1st cast

did " loosen " her spine and he was able to address the rotation much

better this time. She is currently 20 degrees in cast (38 degrees

out of cast). He said he was still hopeful that this cast would show

some improvement (he's hoping for 5 degrees), but that it was going

to be a long road. She was in the previous cast 8 weeks and he wants

to shoot for 10 weeks in this cast. He said the longer the better

b/c towards the end of the cast is when it fits the tightest and does

the most work.?.?.?. What do you all think of that? It is already

VERY fitting :)She was very bruised aroud her belly when the cast was

taken off.

This visit was not quite as smooth as last time. She has an allery

to egg and was not able to have some of the meds that go along with

anesthesia (because there is egg protein in the meds) Sooooo, she

reacted quite differently to the anesthesia. She was very nauseated

after waking up and coughed up blood (I guess b/c of the tube down

her throat) the nurse acted as if this was no big deal, but it was

very SCARY for me! Haley is very scared of doctors and gets very

upset even walking into the hospital. I was wondering if any of you

had suggestions on how I might could help her cope better. The nurse

wanted to give her some " happy juice " but explained that usually they

only give it to kids 3 yrs and older. I am NOT a big medicine person

anyway, so when she told me that, I said no thanks! If this would

help her I would be willing to do it, but I want to know if any of

your little ones have ever had it and how it affected them. THANKS

Misty and Haley

------------ --------- --------- ---

Take the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news,

photos & more.

[Guest guest]

Esther,

Where do you live? Remind me of your daughter's story? How old is she?

Sorry for all the questions.

has been going to ish Rite since he was 9 months old. He is now 30

months.

We are blessed to be going to ish Rite and living only 30 minutes away.

Most importantly to have found a doctor that has been able to help him. The

nurses are always wonderful with . And the Child Life Specialist are GREAT!

Make sure you ask if they can help with your daughter.

What is your daughter's name? I would like to say a prayer for her and like to

pray specifically.

Keep us posted on how things go this next week. Wish we were going to be there

so I could meet you.

Take care,

Tasha

Mommy of twin boys- and 30 mths

Fort Worth, Texas

" A. E. R. " wrote: Hi

Tasha!

What a blessing to read your story! We are going to the same hospital, but our

Dr. is Dr. ston. We are driving there on Sunday in order to get our daughter

admitted on Monday for her Halo Traction on Tuesday. I would love to hear more

about your experience there. So far, it's all good. My little girl really needs

to get her body " fixed " as soon as possible! She is in so much pain! It hurts to

see her ache so bad! We will definetely need to see a Child Life Specialist. She

is getting scared...

Thanks for your help!

Esther

If anyone speaks ill of you, Praise them always. If anyone injures you, Serve

them nicely. If anyone persecutes you, Help them in all possible ways. You will

attain immense strength. You will control anger and pride. You will enjoy peace,

poise, and serenity. (Unknown)

Re: Home from Birmingahm/new cast

Hi Misty,

We go to Texas ish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas.

His doctor is Dr. Karl Rathjen.

The cast worked very well for about the first 3 casts. had a total of 6.

After his 4th cast his curve stayed the same. Never improved, but never got

worse. His last cast he improved 5 degrees.

The plan is to continue in the brace. If need be we will go back to the cast

and alternate back and forth. I don't even want to think about it right now.

We go in January for an xray to see how he is doing.

I had another thought about Haley being afraid of the medical staff.

Does your hospital have Child Life Specialist? Maybe you could ask them to come

help. I use to volunteer at a Children's hospital with Child Life. They are

wonderful! Just a thought.

Take care,

Tasha

Misty Dennis <mistyhldyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Hi Tasha,

Who is 's doctor? Did they decide to brace b/c the cast wasn't helping

anymore, or do they think the brace will do the job? I know exactly what you

mean about feeling your emotions. Haley does the same, but I get tense b/c

I know how she is going to act, so in turn, she also gets upset...Vicious cycle

huh?!?!? Thanks for your prayers...please continue

Misty and Haley

Tasha Fontenot <ryanswalkyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Misty,

I can totally understand your disappointment.

This is a long road, but one well worth it and you all will get through it just

fine.

It has its ups and downs and I am sure you are well aware of that by now.

Well I can tell you that had the " happy juice " for every cast change. He

would have been a complete monster without it.

He is VERY leery of all medical staff. Anyone that is not in street clothes.

We were in Fedex the other day and a nurse was a few people behind us. She had

on scrubs. He saw her and immediately hid in front of me. He would peek around

to find her, but knew she was someone that he did not want to have ANYTHING to

do with.

Sad that our babies make that connection, but I guess I would too.

I always made sure I had ALL of 's favorites the day of the cast change.

Toys and snacks. I usually had a new toy as well. Anything to distract him from

what was about to go on.

I made sure I was very positive and upbeat throughout the whole day.

totally feeds off my actions.

I would suggest trying the happy juice(can't remember what it is called). It

has always worked for him and he has had it since he was 13 mths old for the

MRI. He gets really silly and then he just chills out. I think someone else

mentioned this........ ....if you find someone she does well with it is worth

asking for that same person if they are available. Help her make/find a good

connection with the hospital. I know easier said then done. It took a long

time not to be upset everytime we walked through the doors.

had the best correction of course in the first cast. From there it was

very minimal and basically stayed the same. That is why he is in a brace now.

Prior to his first cast his curve was 34 and after this last one he was down to

15.

Hopefully the brace will hold his curve at 15 and over a LONG period of time

help to bring it down some more.

We know we still have a good bit of this road to travel.

Most of 's casts were on for 12 weeks. One was even on for 3 months and 8

long days.

Anyway I pray that Haley does get better correction in this cast.

Good luck and hang in there.

Take care and keep us posted,

Tasha

Mommy of twins boys- and 30 mths

Fort Worth, Texas

mistyhld <mistyhldyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Hi everyone,

We are home from Birmingham and Haley is now in her fourth cast (her

second Mehta cast. We really had our hopes up that we would see

dramatic results. She even looked much better to us after the cast

was removed Thursday! So we were shocked when Dr. Khoury said even he

was dissapointed with the results. Last time he told us her spine

was rigid and hard to manipulate, but he managed to get her curve to

18 degrees in cast (she was 38 degrees out of cast.)

He said at best there was maybe 2 degrees of improvement from this

cast, depending on where he measured the curve. He said the 1st cast

did " loosen " her spine and he was able to address the rotation much

better this time. She is currently 20 degrees in cast (38 degrees

out of cast). He said he was still hopeful that this cast would show

some improvement (he's hoping for 5 degrees), but that it was going

to be a long road. She was in the previous cast 8 weeks and he wants

to shoot for 10 weeks in this cast. He said the longer the better

b/c towards the end of the cast is when it fits the tightest and does

the most work.?.?.?. What do you all think of that? It is already

VERY fitting :)She was very bruised aroud her belly when the cast was

taken off.

This visit was not quite as smooth as last time. She has an allery

to egg and was not able to have some of the meds that go along with

anesthesia (because there is egg protein in the meds) Sooooo, she

reacted quite differently to the anesthesia. She was very nauseated

after waking up and coughed up blood (I guess b/c of the tube down

her throat) the nurse acted as if this was no big deal, but it was

very SCARY for me! Haley is very scared of doctors and gets very

upset even walking into the hospital. I was wondering if any of you

had suggestions on how I might could help her cope better. The nurse

wanted to give her some " happy juice " but explained that usually they

only give it to kids 3 yrs and older. I am NOT a big medicine person

anyway, so when she told me that, I said no thanks! If this would

help her I would be willing to do it, but I want to know if any of

your little ones have ever had it and how it affected them. THANKS

Misty and Haley

------------ --------- --------- ---

Take the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news,

photos & more.

[Guest guest]

Misty,

I always 2nd guess myself and always wondering if something better

is out there.

Max ends up screaming also while they peddle him, last time was an

hour. I know the best the thing you can you is be there for your

child for reassurance that they are not being harmed and you as

their safety net is here to protect them. It's hard to say this if

they are in pain, but I know Max is uncomfortable, but not in pain.

Working in child psychiatry, my heart breaks for the children that

don't have the support system and reassurance.

When Max screams whether peddling or gettignhis cast trimmed/cut

off, I put my face near his and sing in his ear and talk to him

calmly directly in his ear. When chldren scream so loud, they tune

everything out except their voice, so talking directly to them may

help them focus on your voice and positiveness. It helps Max most

of the time.

Haley will be more scared if you weren't around during these hard

times for her. She needs your support and by seeing you, she is

comforted by your presence, even though she may not show it.

Aekta

> >

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > We are home from Birmingham and Haley is now in her fourth cast

> (her

> > second Mehta cast. We really had our hopes up that we would

see

> > dramatic results. She even looked much better to us after the

> cast

> > was removed Thursday! So we were shocked when Dr. Khoury said

even

> he

> > was dissapointed with the results. Last time he told us her

spine

> > was rigid and hard to manipulate, but he managed to get her

curve

> to

> > 18 degrees in cast (she was 38 degrees out of cast.)

> > He said at best there was maybe 2 degrees of improvement from

this

> > cast, depending on where he measured the curve. He said the

1st

> cast

> > did " loosen " her spine and he was able to address the rotation

> much

> > better this time. She is currently 20 degrees in cast (38

degrees

> > out of cast). He said he was still hopeful that this cast

would

> show

> > some improvement (he's hoping for 5 degrees), but that it was

> going

> > to be a long road. She was in the previous cast 8 weeks and he

> wants

> > to shoot for 10 weeks in this cast. He said the longer the

better

> > b/c towards the end of the cast is when it fits the tightest

and

> does

> > the most work.?.?.?. What do you all think of that? It is

already

> > VERY fitting :)She was very bruised aroud her belly when the

cast

> was

> > taken off.

> > This visit was not quite as smooth as last time. She has an

> allery

> > to egg and was not able to have some of the meds that go along

> with

> > anesthesia (because there is egg protein in the meds) Sooooo,

she

> > reacted quite differently to the anesthesia. She was very

> nauseated

> > after waking up and coughed up blood (I guess b/c of the tube

down

> > her throat) the nurse acted as if this was no big deal, but it

was

> > very SCARY for me! Haley is very scared of doctors and gets

very

> > upset even walking into the hospital. I was wondering if any

of

> you

> > had suggestions on how I might could help her cope better. The

> nurse

> > wanted to give her some " happy juice " but explained that

usually

> they

> > only give it to kids 3 yrs and older. I am NOT a big medicine

> person

> > anyway, so when she told me that, I said no thanks! If this

would

> > help her I would be willing to do it, but I want to know if any

of

> > your little ones have ever had it and how it affected them.

> THANKS

> >

> > Misty and Haley

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Tonight's top picks. What will you watch tonight? Preview the

hottest shows on Yahoo! TV.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Misty,

Sorry to chime ini here, but Dr. Sturm realized fairly early casting

was not going to correct Max's curve, but was very afraid a brace

would allow the curve to progress at a rapid rate compared to the

cast. Max's brace wearing it 20 hours/day for 5 months, the curve

double.....we couldn't chance it again!

Yes, it is interesting how each doc have their own ways.

Aekta

> Hi everyone,

>

> We are home from Birmingham and Haley is now in her fourth cast

(her

> second Mehta cast. We really had our hopes up that we would see

> dramatic results. She even looked much better to us after the

cast

> was removed Thursday! So we were shocked when Dr. Khoury said

even he

> was dissapointed with the results. Last time he told us her spine

> was rigid and hard to manipulate, but he managed to get her curve

to

> 18 degrees in cast (she was 38 degrees out of cast.)

> He said at best there was maybe 2 degrees of improvement from

this

> cast, depending on where he measured the curve. He said the 1st

cast

> did " loosen " her spine and he was able to address the rotation

much

> better this time. She is currently 20 degrees in cast (38 degrees

> out of cast). He said he was still hopeful that this cast would

show

> some improvement (he's hoping for 5 degrees), but that it was

going

> to be a long road. She was in the previous cast 8 weeks and he

wants

> to shoot for 10 weeks in this cast. He said the longer the better

> b/c towards the end of the cast is when it fits the tightest and

does

> the most work.?.?.?. What do you all think of that? It is already

> VERY fitting :)She was very bruised aroud her belly when the cast

was

> taken off.

> This visit was not quite as smooth as last time. She has an

allery

> to egg and was not able to have some of the meds that go along

with

> anesthesia (because there is egg protein in the meds) Sooooo, she

> reacted quite differently to the anesthesia. She was very

nauseated

> after waking up and coughed up blood (I guess b/c of the tube

down

> her throat) the nurse acted as if this was no big deal, but it

was

> very SCARY for me! Haley is very scared of doctors and gets very

> upset even walking into the hospital. I was wondering if any of

you

> had suggestions on how I might could help her cope better. The

nurse

> wanted to give her some " happy juice " but explained that usually

they

> only give it to kids 3 yrs and older. I am NOT a big medicine

person

> anyway, so when she told me that, I said no thanks! If this would

> help her I would be willing to do it, but I want to know if any

of

> your little ones have ever had it and how it affected them.

THANKS

>

> Misty and Haley

>

> ---------------------------------

> Check out the hottest 2008 models today at Yahoo! Autos.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Misty,

Sorry to chime ini here, but Dr. Sturm realized fairly early casting

was not going to correct Max's curve, but was very afraid a brace

would allow the curve to progress at a rapid rate compared to the

cast. Max's brace wearing it 20 hours/day for 5 months, the curve

double.....we couldn't chance it again!

Yes, it is interesting how each doc have their own ways.

Aekta

> Hi everyone,

>

> We are home from Birmingham and Haley is now in her fourth cast

(her

> second Mehta cast. We really had our hopes up that we would see

> dramatic results. She even looked much better to us after the

cast

> was removed Thursday! So we were shocked when Dr. Khoury said

even he

> was dissapointed with the results. Last time he told us her spine

> was rigid and hard to manipulate, but he managed to get her curve

to

> 18 degrees in cast (she was 38 degrees out of cast.)

> He said at best there was maybe 2 degrees of improvement from

this

> cast, depending on where he measured the curve. He said the 1st

cast

> did " loosen " her spine and he was able to address the rotation

much

> better this time. She is currently 20 degrees in cast (38 degrees

> out of cast). He said he was still hopeful that this cast would

show

> some improvement (he's hoping for 5 degrees), but that it was

going

> to be a long road. She was in the previous cast 8 weeks and he

wants

> to shoot for 10 weeks in this cast. He said the longer the better

> b/c towards the end of the cast is when it fits the tightest and

does

> the most work.?.?.?. What do you all think of that? It is already

> VERY fitting :)She was very bruised aroud her belly when the cast

was

> taken off.

> This visit was not quite as smooth as last time. She has an

allery

> to egg and was not able to have some of the meds that go along

with

> anesthesia (because there is egg protein in the meds) Sooooo, she

> reacted quite differently to the anesthesia. She was very

nauseated

> after waking up and coughed up blood (I guess b/c of the tube

down

> her throat) the nurse acted as if this was no big deal, but it

was

> very SCARY for me! Haley is very scared of doctors and gets very

> upset even walking into the hospital. I was wondering if any of

you

> had suggestions on how I might could help her cope better. The

nurse

> wanted to give her some " happy juice " but explained that usually

they

> only give it to kids 3 yrs and older. I am NOT a big medicine

person

> anyway, so when she told me that, I said no thanks! If this would

> help her I would be willing to do it, but I want to know if any

of

> your little ones have ever had it and how it affected them.

THANKS

>

> Misty and Haley

>

> ---------------------------------

> Check out the hottest 2008 models today at Yahoo! Autos.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Aekta,

Thanks so much for your thoughts. It puts things into perspective when you

realize there are innocent children out there who do not have that support

system or reassurance. Our children are so blessed to have that support and

parents who strive to give them the best. Next time we are in those situations

I might try singing in her ear (even though everyone else around will laugh b/c

i can't carry a tune in a bucket!) But I know Haley will appreciate it. thanks

so much!

Misty

babymaxpd wrote: Misty,

I always 2nd guess myself and always wondering if something better

is out there.

Max ends up screaming also while they peddle him, last time was an

hour. I know the best the thing you can you is be there for your

child for reassurance that they are not being harmed and you as

their safety net is here to protect them. It's hard to say this if

they are in pain, but I know Max is uncomfortable, but not in pain.

Working in child psychiatry, my heart breaks for the children that

don't have the support system and reassurance.

When Max screams whether peddling or gettignhis cast trimmed/cut

off, I put my face near his and sing in his ear and talk to him

calmly directly in his ear. When chldren scream so loud, they tune

everything out except their voice, so talking directly to them may

help them focus on your voice and positiveness. It helps Max most

of the time.

Haley will be more scared if you weren't around during these hard

times for her. She needs your support and by seeing you, she is

comforted by your presence, even though she may not show it.

Aekta

> >

> > Hi everyone,

> >

> > We are home from Birmingham and Haley is now in her fourth cast

> (her

> > second Mehta cast. We really had our hopes up that we would

see

> > dramatic results. She even looked much better to us after the

> cast

> > was removed Thursday! So we were shocked when Dr. Khoury said

even

> he

> > was dissapointed with the results. Last time he told us her

spine

> > was rigid and hard to manipulate, but he managed to get her

curve

> to

> > 18 degrees in cast (she was 38 degrees out of cast.)

> > He said at best there was maybe 2 degrees of improvement from

this

> > cast, depending on where he measured the curve. He said the

1st

> cast

> > did " loosen " her spine and he was able to address the rotation

> much

> > better this time. She is currently 20 degrees in cast (38

degrees

> > out of cast). He said he was still hopeful that this cast

would

> show

> > some improvement (he's hoping for 5 degrees), but that it was

> going

> > to be a long road. She was in the previous cast 8 weeks and he

> wants

> > to shoot for 10 weeks in this cast. He said the longer the

better

> > b/c towards the end of the cast is when it fits the tightest

and

> does

> > the most work.?.?.?. What do you all think of that? It is

already

> > VERY fitting :)She was very bruised aroud her belly when the

cast

> was

> > taken off.

> > This visit was not quite as smooth as last time. She has an

> allery

> > to egg and was not able to have some of the meds that go along

> with

> > anesthesia (because there is egg protein in the meds) Sooooo,

she

> > reacted quite differently to the anesthesia. She was very

> nauseated

> > after waking up and coughed up blood (I guess b/c of the tube

down

> > her throat) the nurse acted as if this was no big deal, but it

was

> > very SCARY for me! Haley is very scared of doctors and gets

very

> > upset even walking into the hospital. I was wondering if any

of

> you

> > had suggestions on how I might could help her cope better. The

> nurse

> > wanted to give her some " happy juice " but explained that

usually

> they

> > only give it to kids 3 yrs and older. I am NOT a big medicine

> person

> > anyway, so when she told me that, I said no thanks! If this

would

> > help her I would be willing to do it, but I want to know if any

of

> > your little ones have ever had it and how it affected them.

> THANKS

> >

> > Misty and Haley

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Tonight's top picks. What will you watch tonight? Preview the

hottest shows on Yahoo! TV.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Just to add my 2 cents worth. Those cast saws don't help much either. As a

kid I was petrified of those things. And to this day if I had to get a cast

cut off, I get all anxious. When I was a kid I had many surgeries on my

legs and feet and they always put casts on, they always told me " it's not

going to cut you, " I told them " It's the noise I don't like. " They always

told me to plug my ears. Kinda hard to do if your in a body cast and they

need to cut the shoulders. When I became an adult thought my cast days were

over, nope, broke my leg and man did that feeling come back when it was time

to cut the cast off.

Just my 2 cents.

Betty

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Checked by AVG Free Edition.

Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.39/1044 - Release Date: 10/2/2007

11:10 AM

[Guest guest]

Hi Shellie,

Thank you for the good wishes! Thank you for your prayers! Prayers are the

greatest gift anybody could give us!

Gabby is at 140 degrees at the moment, despite being in a body brace for the

last 10 years of her life and following all the instructions, surgery and

everything Doctors told us to do. Only God knows why things are the way the are

right now, however are willing to trust God 100%.

We drive from Navarre, FL to Dallas, TX now. We are stationed at a base near our

house and we have moved a few times, due to my husband being in the military.

We have been seeing Dr. ston since last July. We are truly grateful for

everything they are doing for Gabby. The Halo Traction is expected to help her

curvature to regress at least 20 degrees. I don't know how much we will achieve

by doing this, but this is all new to us and we are willing to do whatever it

takes for our child. After the Halo treatment, then they will be able to go into

her spine and fuse it and repair everything that needs repair. Gabby's right

lung is very compromised by the lack of space in her right side and it's only

working at 15% capacity at the moment. Her single kidney will have to handle all

the work and that's another thing to watch.

I tell you, this is harder than I could ever imagine. Watching your child cry

because she is in a lot of pain and the meds are not working as they used to,

it's truly hard.

Another thing is, the fact that we are a hard working family with little money,

like many other families. If Gabby's situation gets worse,I think I will need to

quit my job to take care of her around the clock and that's going to be very,

very hard for us. We need both incomes to support our triplets and to pay bills.

I know that most of us in this group go through the same situation. How have you

parents handle the money side of the situation? It's very hard. I know that all

of us put our children's health above everything, but really, how are we

supposed to handle all the bills we already have and the daily home needs? If

anybody has any ideas, short of budgeting...We have always been in a very tight

budget, do you know what I mean? Really. I am sure this is a difficult topic to

talk about, but we all face little money and too many responsibilities. If

anybody would like to share how they have faced their experience, please share

with me. I need ideas,

please. This money thing adds stress to an already stressful situation.

How is your little girls doing?

Take care and may God bless you!

Esther

If anyone speaks ill of you, Praise them always. If anyone injures you, Serve

them nicely. If anyone persecutes you, Help them in all possible ways. You will

attain immense strength. You will control anger and pride. You will enjoy peace,

poise, and serenity. (Unknown)

Re: [infantile_scoliosi s] Home from Birmingahm/new cast

Hi Misty,

We go to Texas ish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas.

His doctor is Dr. Karl Rathjen.

The cast worked very well for about the first 3 casts. had a total of 6.

After his 4th cast his curve stayed the same. Never improved, but never got

worse. His last cast he improved 5 degrees.

The plan is to continue in the brace. If need be we will go back to the cast and

alternate back and forth. I don't even want to think about it right now.

We go in January for an xray to see how he is doing.

I had another thought about Haley being afraid of the medical staff.

Does your hospital have Child Life Specialist? Maybe you could ask them to come

help. I use to volunteer at a Children's hospital with Child Life. They are

wonderful! Just a thought.

Take care,

Tasha

Misty Dennis <mistyhldyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Hi Tasha,

Who is 's doctor? Did they decide to brace b/c the cast wasn't helping

anymore, or do they think the brace will do the job? I know exactly what you

mean about feeling your emotions. Haley does the same, but I get tense b/c

I know how she is going to act, so in turn, she also gets upset...Vicious cycle

huh?!?!? Thanks for your prayers...please continue

Misty and Haley

Tasha Fontenot <ryanswalkyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Misty,

I can totally understand your disappointment.

This is a long road, but one well worth it and you all will get through it just

fine.

It has its ups and downs and I am sure you are well aware of that by now.

Well I can tell you that had the " happy juice " for every cast change. He

would have been a complete monster without it.

He is VERY leery of all medical staff. Anyone that is not in street clothes.

We were in Fedex the other day and a nurse was a few people behind us. She had

on scrubs. He saw her and immediately hid in front of me. He would peek around

to find her, but knew she was someone that he did not want to have ANYTHING to

do with.

Sad that our babies make that connection, but I guess I would too.

I always made sure I had ALL of 's favorites the day of the cast change.

Toys and snacks. I usually had a new toy as well. Anything to distract him from

what was about to go on.

I made sure I was very positive and upbeat throughout the whole day.

totally feeds off my actions.

I would suggest trying the happy juice(can't remember what it is called). It has

always worked for him and he has had it since he was 13 mths old for the MRI. He

gets really silly and then he just chills out. I think someone else mentioned

this........ ....if you find someone she does well with it is worth asking for

that same person if they are available. Help her make/find a good connection

with the hospital. I know easier said then done. It took a long time not to

be upset everytime we walked through the doors.

had the best correction of course in the first cast. From there it was very

minimal and basically stayed the same. That is why he is in a brace now. Prior

to his first cast his curve was 34 and after this last one he was down to 15.

Hopefully the brace will hold his curve at 15 and over a LONG period of time

help to bring it down some more.

We know we still have a good bit of this road to travel.

Most of 's casts were on for 12 weeks. One was even on for 3 months and 8

long days.

Anyway I pray that Haley does get better correction in this cast.

Good luck and hang in there.

Take care and keep us posted,

Tasha

Mommy of twins boys- and 30 mths

Fort Worth, Texas

mistyhld <mistyhldyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Hi everyone,

We are home from Birmingham and Haley is now in her fourth cast (her

second Mehta cast. We really had our hopes up that we would see

dramatic results. She even looked much better to us after the cast

was removed Thursday! So we were shocked when Dr. Khoury said even he

was dissapointed with the results. Last time he told us her spine

was rigid and hard to manipulate, but he managed to get her curve to

18 degrees in cast (she was 38 degrees out of cast.)

He said at best there was maybe 2 degrees of improvement from this

cast, depending on where he measured the curve. He said the 1st cast

did " loosen " her spine and he was able to address the rotation much

better this time. She is currently 20 degrees in cast (38 degrees

out of cast). He said he was still hopeful that this cast would show

some improvement (he's hoping for 5 degrees), but that it was going

to be a long road. She was in the previous cast 8 weeks and he wants

to shoot for 10 weeks in this cast. He said the longer the better

b/c towards the end of the cast is when it fits the tightest and does

the most work.?.?.?. What do you all think of that? It is already

VERY fitting :)She was very bruised aroud her belly when the cast was

taken off.

This visit was not quite as smooth as last time. She has an allery

to egg and was not able to have some of the meds that go along with

anesthesia (because there is egg protein in the meds) Sooooo, she

reacted quite differently to the anesthesia. She was very nauseated

after waking up and coughed up blood (I guess b/c of the tube down

her throat) the nurse acted as if this was no big deal, but it was

very SCARY for me! Haley is very scared of doctors and gets very

upset even walking into the hospital. I was wondering if any of you

had suggestions on how I might could help her cope better. The nurse

wanted to give her some " happy juice " but explained that usually they

only give it to kids 3 yrs and older. I am NOT a big medicine person

anyway, so when she told me that, I said no thanks! If this would

help her I would be willing to do it, but I want to know if any of

your little ones have ever had it and how it affected them. THANKS

Misty and Haley

------------ --------- --------- ---

Take the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news,

photos & more.

[Guest guest]

Hi Shellie,

Thank you for the good wishes! Thank you for your prayers! Prayers are the

greatest gift anybody could give us!

Gabby is at 140 degrees at the moment, despite being in a body brace for the

last 10 years of her life and following all the instructions, surgery and

everything Doctors told us to do. Only God knows why things are the way the are

right now, however are willing to trust God 100%.

We drive from Navarre, FL to Dallas, TX now. We are stationed at a base near our

house and we have moved a few times, due to my husband being in the military.

We have been seeing Dr. ston since last July. We are truly grateful for

everything they are doing for Gabby. The Halo Traction is expected to help her

curvature to regress at least 20 degrees. I don't know how much we will achieve

by doing this, but this is all new to us and we are willing to do whatever it

takes for our child. After the Halo treatment, then they will be able to go into

her spine and fuse it and repair everything that needs repair. Gabby's right

lung is very compromised by the lack of space in her right side and it's only

working at 15% capacity at the moment. Her single kidney will have to handle all

the work and that's another thing to watch.

I tell you, this is harder than I could ever imagine. Watching your child cry

because she is in a lot of pain and the meds are not working as they used to,

it's truly hard.

Another thing is, the fact that we are a hard working family with little money,

like many other families. If Gabby's situation gets worse,I think I will need to

quit my job to take care of her around the clock and that's going to be very,

very hard for us. We need both incomes to support our triplets and to pay bills.

I know that most of us in this group go through the same situation. How have you

parents handle the money side of the situation? It's very hard. I know that all

of us put our children's health above everything, but really, how are we

supposed to handle all the bills we already have and the daily home needs? If

anybody has any ideas, short of budgeting...We have always been in a very tight

budget, do you know what I mean? Really. I am sure this is a difficult topic to

talk about, but we all face little money and too many responsibilities. If

anybody would like to share how they have faced their experience, please share

with me. I need ideas,

please. This money thing adds stress to an already stressful situation.

How is your little girls doing?

Take care and may God bless you!

Esther

If anyone speaks ill of you, Praise them always. If anyone injures you, Serve

them nicely. If anyone persecutes you, Help them in all possible ways. You will

attain immense strength. You will control anger and pride. You will enjoy peace,

poise, and serenity. (Unknown)

Re: [infantile_scoliosi s] Home from Birmingahm/new cast

Hi Misty,

We go to Texas ish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas.

His doctor is Dr. Karl Rathjen.

The cast worked very well for about the first 3 casts. had a total of 6.

After his 4th cast his curve stayed the same. Never improved, but never got

worse. His last cast he improved 5 degrees.

The plan is to continue in the brace. If need be we will go back to the cast and

alternate back and forth. I don't even want to think about it right now.

We go in January for an xray to see how he is doing.

I had another thought about Haley being afraid of the medical staff.

Does your hospital have Child Life Specialist? Maybe you could ask them to come

help. I use to volunteer at a Children's hospital with Child Life. They are

wonderful! Just a thought.

Take care,

Tasha

Misty Dennis <mistyhldyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Hi Tasha,

Who is 's doctor? Did they decide to brace b/c the cast wasn't helping

anymore, or do they think the brace will do the job? I know exactly what you

mean about feeling your emotions. Haley does the same, but I get tense b/c

I know how she is going to act, so in turn, she also gets upset...Vicious cycle

huh?!?!? Thanks for your prayers...please continue

Misty and Haley

Tasha Fontenot <ryanswalkyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Misty,

I can totally understand your disappointment.

This is a long road, but one well worth it and you all will get through it just

fine.

It has its ups and downs and I am sure you are well aware of that by now.

Well I can tell you that had the " happy juice " for every cast change. He

would have been a complete monster without it.

He is VERY leery of all medical staff. Anyone that is not in street clothes.

We were in Fedex the other day and a nurse was a few people behind us. She had

on scrubs. He saw her and immediately hid in front of me. He would peek around

to find her, but knew she was someone that he did not want to have ANYTHING to

do with.

Sad that our babies make that connection, but I guess I would too.

I always made sure I had ALL of 's favorites the day of the cast change.

Toys and snacks. I usually had a new toy as well. Anything to distract him from

what was about to go on.

I made sure I was very positive and upbeat throughout the whole day.

totally feeds off my actions.

I would suggest trying the happy juice(can't remember what it is called). It has

always worked for him and he has had it since he was 13 mths old for the MRI. He

gets really silly and then he just chills out. I think someone else mentioned

this........ ....if you find someone she does well with it is worth asking for

that same person if they are available. Help her make/find a good connection

with the hospital. I know easier said then done. It took a long time not to

be upset everytime we walked through the doors.

had the best correction of course in the first cast. From there it was very

minimal and basically stayed the same. That is why he is in a brace now. Prior

to his first cast his curve was 34 and after this last one he was down to 15.

Hopefully the brace will hold his curve at 15 and over a LONG period of time

help to bring it down some more.

We know we still have a good bit of this road to travel.

Most of 's casts were on for 12 weeks. One was even on for 3 months and 8

long days.

Anyway I pray that Haley does get better correction in this cast.

Good luck and hang in there.

Take care and keep us posted,

Tasha

Mommy of twins boys- and 30 mths

Fort Worth, Texas

mistyhld <mistyhldyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Hi everyone,

We are home from Birmingham and Haley is now in her fourth cast (her

second Mehta cast. We really had our hopes up that we would see

dramatic results. She even looked much better to us after the cast

was removed Thursday! So we were shocked when Dr. Khoury said even he

was dissapointed with the results. Last time he told us her spine

was rigid and hard to manipulate, but he managed to get her curve to

18 degrees in cast (she was 38 degrees out of cast.)

He said at best there was maybe 2 degrees of improvement from this

cast, depending on where he measured the curve. He said the 1st cast

did " loosen " her spine and he was able to address the rotation much

better this time. She is currently 20 degrees in cast (38 degrees

out of cast). He said he was still hopeful that this cast would show

some improvement (he's hoping for 5 degrees), but that it was going

to be a long road. She was in the previous cast 8 weeks and he wants

to shoot for 10 weeks in this cast. He said the longer the better

b/c towards the end of the cast is when it fits the tightest and does

the most work.?.?.?. What do you all think of that? It is already

VERY fitting :)She was very bruised aroud her belly when the cast was

taken off.

This visit was not quite as smooth as last time. She has an allery

to egg and was not able to have some of the meds that go along with

anesthesia (because there is egg protein in the meds) Sooooo, she

reacted quite differently to the anesthesia. She was very nauseated

after waking up and coughed up blood (I guess b/c of the tube down

her throat) the nurse acted as if this was no big deal, but it was

very SCARY for me! Haley is very scared of doctors and gets very

upset even walking into the hospital. I was wondering if any of you

had suggestions on how I might could help her cope better. The nurse

wanted to give her some " happy juice " but explained that usually they

only give it to kids 3 yrs and older. I am NOT a big medicine person

anyway, so when she told me that, I said no thanks! If this would

help her I would be willing to do it, but I want to know if any of

your little ones have ever had it and how it affected them. THANKS

Misty and Haley

------------ --------- --------- ---

Take the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news,

photos & more.

[Guest guest]

I forgot to add that the Nurses and all the staff at ish, are the best and

the most amazing, loving,kind people you can ever find! What a place! It doesn't

even seem real!

Thank God for ish Rite and its people!

Esther

If anyone speaks ill of you, Praise them always. If anyone injures you, Serve

them nicely. If anyone persecutes you, Help them in all possible ways. You will

attain immense strength. You will control anger and pride. You will enjoy peace,

poise, and serenity. (Unknown)

Re: [infantile_scoliosi s] Home from Birmingahm/new cast

Hi Misty,

We go to Texas ish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas.

His doctor is Dr. Karl Rathjen.

The cast worked very well for about the first 3 casts. had a total of 6.

After his 4th cast his curve stayed the same. Never improved, but never got

worse. His last cast he improved 5 degrees.

The plan is to continue in the brace. If need be we will go back to the cast and

alternate back and forth. I don't even want to think about it right now.

We go in January for an xray to see how he is doing.

I had another thought about Haley being afraid of the medical staff.

Does your hospital have Child Life Specialist? Maybe you could ask them to come

help. I use to volunteer at a Children's hospital with Child Life. They are

wonderful! Just a thought.

Take care,

Tasha

Misty Dennis <mistyhldyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Hi Tasha,

Who is 's doctor? Did they decide to brace b/c the cast wasn't helping

anymore, or do they think the brace will do the job? I know exactly what you

mean about feeling your emotions. Haley does the same, but I get tense b/c

I know how she is going to act, so in turn, she also gets upset...Vicious cycle

huh?!?!? Thanks for your prayers...please continue

Misty and Haley

Tasha Fontenot <ryanswalkyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Misty,

I can totally understand your disappointment.

This is a long road, but one well worth it and you all will get through it just

fine.

It has its ups and downs and I am sure you are well aware of that by now.

Well I can tell you that had the " happy juice " for every cast change. He

would have been a complete monster without it.

He is VERY leery of all medical staff. Anyone that is not in street clothes.

We were in Fedex the other day and a nurse was a few people behind us. She had

on scrubs. He saw her and immediately hid in front of me. He would peek around

to find her, but knew she was someone that he did not want to have ANYTHING to

do with.

Sad that our babies make that connection, but I guess I would too.

I always made sure I had ALL of 's favorites the day of the cast change.

Toys and snacks. I usually had a new toy as well. Anything to distract him from

what was about to go on.

I made sure I was very positive and upbeat throughout the whole day.

totally feeds off my actions.

I would suggest trying the happy juice(can't remember what it is called). It has

always worked for him and he has had it since he was 13 mths old for the MRI. He

gets really silly and then he just chills out. I think someone else mentioned

this........ ....if you find someone she does well with it is worth asking for

that same person if they are available. Help her make/find a good connection

with the hospital. I know easier said then done. It took a long time not to

be upset everytime we walked through the doors.

had the best correction of course in the first cast. From there it was very

minimal and basically stayed the same. That is why he is in a brace now. Prior

to his first cast his curve was 34 and after this last one he was down to 15.

Hopefully the brace will hold his curve at 15 and over a LONG period of time

help to bring it down some more.

We know we still have a good bit of this road to travel.

Most of 's casts were on for 12 weeks. One was even on for 3 months and 8

long days.

Anyway I pray that Haley does get better correction in this cast.

Good luck and hang in there.

Take care and keep us posted,

Tasha

Mommy of twins boys- and 30 mths

Fort Worth, Texas

mistyhld <mistyhldyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Hi everyone,

We are home from Birmingham and Haley is now in her fourth cast (her

second Mehta cast. We really had our hopes up that we would see

dramatic results. She even looked much better to us after the cast

was removed Thursday! So we were shocked when Dr. Khoury said even he

was dissapointed with the results. Last time he told us her spine

was rigid and hard to manipulate, but he managed to get her curve to

18 degrees in cast (she was 38 degrees out of cast.)

He said at best there was maybe 2 degrees of improvement from this

cast, depending on where he measured the curve. He said the 1st cast

did " loosen " her spine and he was able to address the rotation much

better this time. She is currently 20 degrees in cast (38 degrees

out of cast). He said he was still hopeful that this cast would show

some improvement (he's hoping for 5 degrees), but that it was going

to be a long road. She was in the previous cast 8 weeks and he wants

to shoot for 10 weeks in this cast. He said the longer the better

b/c towards the end of the cast is when it fits the tightest and does

the most work.?.?.?. What do you all think of that? It is already

VERY fitting :)She was very bruised aroud her belly when the cast was

taken off.

This visit was not quite as smooth as last time. She has an allery

to egg and was not able to have some of the meds that go along with

anesthesia (because there is egg protein in the meds) Sooooo, she

reacted quite differently to the anesthesia. She was very nauseated

after waking up and coughed up blood (I guess b/c of the tube down

her throat) the nurse acted as if this was no big deal, but it was

very SCARY for me! Haley is very scared of doctors and gets very

upset even walking into the hospital. I was wondering if any of you

had suggestions on how I might could help her cope better. The nurse

wanted to give her some " happy juice " but explained that usually they

only give it to kids 3 yrs and older. I am NOT a big medicine person

anyway, so when she told me that, I said no thanks! If this would

help her I would be willing to do it, but I want to know if any of

your little ones have ever had it and how it affected them. THANKS

Misty and Haley

------------ --------- --------- ---

Take the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news,

photos & more.

[Guest guest]

Esther,

How old is Gabby? Moriah was 130 scoliosis and 130 kyphosis when she had her

halo. Her's went down to the 80's. Then we went to San for the VEPTR.

I would hope the halo traction gives her better than 20 degrees improvement.

ISOP has a booklet in the information section of halo traction. It was written

by the Shriners hosp. in Utah where and Olivia go. and I

updated it a year or so ago to reflect some things from our personal

experiences. Maybe this will give you an idea what to expect. Moriah's lung

function was also compromised. They haven't measured it since the VEPTR. Pre

Veptr she was 75% on her good side and 27% on her bad side. She has since

improved enough to wean off the ventilator and have her trach taken out. We

also were on a tight budget until Moriah qualified for state assistance through

the Technology Assisted program. Now we're back to paying for everything which

includes VEPTR expansions twice a year. It is very tough.

I also stay at home, but do some daycare to help out. I can't imagine

TRIPLETS! Wow you are a super momma!!

Moriah's long story is posted on the ISOP website www.infantilescoliosis.org.

When do you guys go in for the Halo? Let me know if you ever want to talk. Are

you staying in the hospital with her, or how do they go about it?

Prayers will definitely be yours. Never hesitate to ask.

Gotta get my kids to bed.

Shellie

" A. E. R. " wrote:

Hi Shellie,

Thank you for the good wishes! Thank you for your prayers! Prayers are the

greatest gift anybody could give us!

Gabby is at 140 degrees at the moment, despite being in a body brace for the

last 10 years of her life and following all the instructions, surgery and

everything Doctors told us to do. Only God knows why things are the way the are

right now, however are willing to trust God 100%.

We drive from Navarre, FL to Dallas, TX now. We are stationed at a base near our

house and we have moved a few times, due to my husband being in the military.

We have been seeing Dr. ston since last July. We are truly grateful for

everything they are doing for Gabby. The Halo Traction is expected to help her

curvature to regress at least 20 degrees. I don't know how much we will achieve

by doing this, but this is all new to us and we are willing to do whatever it

takes for our child. After the Halo treatment, then they will be able to go into

her spine and fuse it and repair everything that needs repair. Gabby's right

lung is very compromised by the lack of space in her right side and it's only

working at 15% capacity at the moment. Her single kidney will have to handle all

the work and that's another thing to watch.

I tell you, this is harder than I could ever imagine. Watching your child cry

because she is in a lot of pain and the meds are not working as they used to,

it's truly hard.

Another thing is, the fact that we are a hard working family with little money,

like many other families. If Gabby's situation gets worse,I think I will need to

quit my job to take care of her around the clock and that's going to be very,

very hard for us. We need both incomes to support our triplets and to pay bills.

I know that most of us in this group go through the same situation. How have you

parents handle the money side of the situation? It's very hard. I know that all

of us put our children's health above everything, but really, how are we

supposed to handle all the bills we already have and the daily home needs? If

anybody has any ideas, short of budgeting...We have always been in a very tight

budget, do you know what I mean? Really. I am sure this is a difficult topic to

talk about, but we all face little money and too many responsibilities. If

anybody would like to share how they have faced their experience, please share

with me. I need ideas,

please. This money thing adds stress to an already stressful situation.

How is your little girls doing?

Take care and may God bless you!

Esther

If anyone speaks ill of you, Praise them always. If anyone injures you, Serve

them nicely. If anyone persecutes you, Help them in all possible ways. You will

attain immense strength. You will control anger and pride. You will enjoy peace,

poise, and serenity. (Unknown)

Re: [infantile_scoliosi s] Home from Birmingahm/new cast

Hi Misty,

We go to Texas ish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas.

His doctor is Dr. Karl Rathjen.

The cast worked very well for about the first 3 casts. had a total of 6.

After his 4th cast his curve stayed the same. Never improved, but never got

worse. His last cast he improved 5 degrees.

The plan is to continue in the brace. If need be we will go back to the cast and

alternate back and forth. I don't even want to think about it right now.

We go in January for an xray to see how he is doing.

I had another thought about Haley being afraid of the medical staff.

Does your hospital have Child Life Specialist? Maybe you could ask them to come

help. I use to volunteer at a Children's hospital with Child Life. They are

wonderful! Just a thought.

Take care,

Tasha

Misty Dennis <mistyhldyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Hi Tasha,

Who is 's doctor? Did they decide to brace b/c the cast wasn't helping

anymore, or do they think the brace will do the job? I know exactly what you

mean about feeling your emotions. Haley does the same, but I get tense b/c

I know how she is going to act, so in turn, she also gets upset...Vicious cycle

huh?!?!? Thanks for your prayers...please continue

Misty and Haley

Tasha Fontenot <ryanswalkyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Misty,

I can totally understand your disappointment.

This is a long road, but one well worth it and you all will get through it just

fine.

It has its ups and downs and I am sure you are well aware of that by now.

Well I can tell you that had the " happy juice " for every cast change. He

would have been a complete monster without it.

He is VERY leery of all medical staff. Anyone that is not in street clothes.

We were in Fedex the other day and a nurse was a few people behind us. She had

on scrubs. He saw her and immediately hid in front of me. He would peek around

to find her, but knew she was someone that he did not want to have ANYTHING to

do with.

Sad that our babies make that connection, but I guess I would too.

I always made sure I had ALL of 's favorites the day of the cast change.

Toys and snacks. I usually had a new toy as well. Anything to distract him from

what was about to go on.

I made sure I was very positive and upbeat throughout the whole day.

totally feeds off my actions.

I would suggest trying the happy juice(can't remember what it is called). It has

always worked for him and he has had it since he was 13 mths old for the MRI. He

gets really silly and then he just chills out. I think someone else mentioned

this........ ....if you find someone she does well with it is worth asking for

that same person if they are available. Help her make/find a good connection

with the hospital. I know easier said then done. It took a long time not to

be upset everytime we walked through the doors.

had the best correction of course in the first cast. From there it was very

minimal and basically stayed the same. That is why he is in a brace now. Prior

to his first cast his curve was 34 and after this last one he was down to 15.

Hopefully the brace will hold his curve at 15 and over a LONG period of time

help to bring it down some more.

We know we still have a good bit of this road to travel.

Most of 's casts were on for 12 weeks. One was even on for 3 months and 8

long days.

Anyway I pray that Haley does get better correction in this cast.

Good luck and hang in there.

Take care and keep us posted,

Tasha

Mommy of twins boys- and 30 mths

Fort Worth, Texas

mistyhld <mistyhldyahoo (DOT) com> wrote: Hi everyone,

We are home from Birmingham and Haley is now in her fourth cast (her

second Mehta cast. We really had our hopes up that we would see

dramatic results. She even looked much better to us after the cast

was removed Thursday! So we were shocked when Dr. Khoury said even he

was dissapointed with the results. Last time he told us her spine

was rigid and hard to manipulate, but he managed to get her curve to

18 degrees in cast (she was 38 degrees out of cast.)

He said at best there was maybe 2 degrees of improvement from this

cast, depending on where he measured the curve. He said the 1st cast

did " loosen " her spine and he was able to address the rotation much

better this time. She is currently 20 degrees in cast (38 degrees

out of cast). He said he was still hopeful that this cast would show

some improvement (he's hoping for 5 degrees), but that it was going

to be a long road. She was in the previous cast 8 weeks and he wants

to shoot for 10 weeks in this cast. He said the longer the better

b/c towards the end of the cast is when it fits the tightest and does

the most work.?.?.?. What do you all think of that? It is already

VERY fitting :)She was very bruised aroud her belly when the cast was

taken off.

This visit was not quite as smooth as last time. She has an allery

to egg and was not able to have some of the meds that go along with

anesthesia (because there is egg protein in the meds) Sooooo, she

reacted quite differently to the anesthesia. She was very nauseated

after waking up and coughed up blood (I guess b/c of the tube down

her throat) the nurse acted as if this was no big deal, but it was

very SCARY for me! Haley is very scared of doctors and gets very

upset even walking into the hospital. I was wondering if any of you

had suggestions on how I might could help her cope better. The nurse

wanted to give her some " happy juice " but explained that usually they

only give it to kids 3 yrs and older. I am NOT a big medicine person

anyway, so when she told me that, I said no thanks! If this would

help her I would be willing to do it, but I want to know if any of

your little ones have ever had it and how it affected them. THANKS

Misty and Haley

------------ --------- --------- ---

Take the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news,

photos & more.

[Guest guest]

Misty,

Don't worry about your tune...Max is the only one who appreciates my

voice, I'm sure he'll come to realize I'm no singer! But whatever

works...it even calms him at beth time. He hates bath time.

Aekta

> > >

> > > Hi everyone,

> > >

> > > We are home from Birmingham and Haley is now in her fourth

cast

> > (her

> > > second Mehta cast. We really had our hopes up that we would

> see

> > > dramatic results. She even looked much better to us after

the

> > cast

> > > was removed Thursday! So we were shocked when Dr. Khoury

said

> even

> > he

> > > was dissapointed with the results. Last time he told us her

> spine

> > > was rigid and hard to manipulate, but he managed to get her

> curve

> > to

> > > 18 degrees in cast (she was 38 degrees out of cast.)

> > > He said at best there was maybe 2 degrees of improvement

from

> this

> > > cast, depending on where he measured the curve. He said the

> 1st

> > cast

> > > did " loosen " her spine and he was able to address the

rotation

> > much

> > > better this time. She is currently 20 degrees in cast (38

> degrees

> > > out of cast). He said he was still hopeful that this cast

> would

> > show

> > > some improvement (he's hoping for 5 degrees), but that it

was

> > going

> > > to be a long road. She was in the previous cast 8 weeks and

he

> > wants

> > > to shoot for 10 weeks in this cast. He said the longer the

> better

> > > b/c towards the end of the cast is when it fits the tightest

> and

> > does

> > > the most work.?.?.?. What do you all think of that? It is

> already

> > > VERY fitting :)She was very bruised aroud her belly when the

> cast

> > was

> > > taken off.

> > > This visit was not quite as smooth as last time. She has an

> > allery

> > > to egg and was not able to have some of the meds that go

along

> > with

> > > anesthesia (because there is egg protein in the meds)

Sooooo,

> she

> > > reacted quite differently to the anesthesia. She was very

> > nauseated

> > > after waking up and coughed up blood (I guess b/c of the

tube

> down

> > > her throat) the nurse acted as if this was no big deal, but

it

> was

> > > very SCARY for me! Haley is very scared of doctors and gets

> very

> > > upset even walking into the hospital. I was wondering if

any

> of

> > you

> > > had suggestions on how I might could help her cope better.

The

> > nurse

> > > wanted to give her some " happy juice " but explained that

> usually

> > they

> > > only give it to kids 3 yrs and older. I am NOT a big

medicine

> > person

> > > anyway, so when she told me that, I said no thanks! If this

> would

> > > help her I would be willing to do it, but I want to know if

any

> of

> > > your little ones have ever had it and how it affected them.

> > THANKS

> > >

> > > Misty and Haley

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > ---------------------------------

> > Tonight's top picks. What will you watch tonight? Preview the

> hottest shows on Yahoo! TV.

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

LOL, my kids actually tell me to stop singing! That's how bad I am!

Noelle (12-2-01)

Ian (8-15-04)

Re: Home from Birmingahm/new cast

Misty,

Don't worry about your tune...Max is the only one who appreciates my

voice, I'm sure he'll come to realize I'm no singer! But whatever

works...it even calms him at beth time. He hates bath time.

Aekta

> > >

> > > Hi everyone,

> > >

> > > We are home from Birmingham and Haley is now in her fourth

cast

> > (her

> > > second Mehta cast. We really had our hopes up that we would

> see

> > > dramatic results. She even looked much better to us after

the

> > cast

> > > was removed Thursday! So we were shocked when Dr. Khoury

said

> even

> > he

> > > was dissapointed with the results. Last time he told us her

> spine

> > > was rigid and hard to manipulate, but he managed to get her

> curve

> > to

> > > 18 degrees in cast (she was 38 degrees out of cast.)

> > > He said at best there was maybe 2 degrees of improvement

from

> this

> > > cast, depending on where he measured the curve. He said the

> 1st

> > cast

> > > did " loosen " her spine and he was able to address the

rotation

> > much

> > > better this time. She is currently 20 degrees in cast (38

> degrees

> > > out of cast). He said he was still hopeful that this cast

> would

> > show

> > > some improvement (he's hoping for 5 degrees), but that it

was

> > going

> > > to be a long road. She was in the previous cast 8 weeks and

he

> > wants

> > > to shoot for 10 weeks in this cast. He said the longer the

> better

> > > b/c towards the end of the cast is when it fits the tightest

> and

> > does

> > > the most work.?.?.?. What do you all think of that? It is

> already

> > > VERY fitting :)She was very bruised aroud her belly when the

> cast

> > was

> > > taken off.

> > > This visit was not quite as smooth as last time. She has an

> > allery

> > > to egg and was not able to have some of the meds that go

along

> > with

> > > anesthesia (because there is egg protein in the meds)

Sooooo,

> she

> > > reacted quite differently to the anesthesia. She was very

> > nauseated

> > > after waking up and coughed up blood (I guess b/c of the

tube

> down

> > > her throat) the nurse acted as if this was no big deal, but

it

> was

> > > very SCARY for me! Haley is very scared of doctors and gets

> very

> > > upset even walking into the hospital. I was wondering if

any

> of

> > you

> > > had suggestions on how I might could help her cope better.

The

> > nurse

> > > wanted to give her some " happy juice " but explained that

> usually

> > they

> > > only give it to kids 3 yrs and older. I am NOT a big

medicine

> > person

> > > anyway, so when she told me that, I said no thanks! If this

> would

> > > help her I would be willing to do it, but I want to know if

any

> of

> > > your little ones have ever had it and how it affected them.

> > THANKS

> > >

> > > Misty and Haley

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > ---------------------------------

> > Tonight's top picks. What will you watch tonight? Preview the

> hottest shows on Yahoo! TV.

> >

> >