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Spinal Casting

This time next week, Corban and I will be on a plane, headed for Philadelphia, to begin a new journey together. The journey? Spinal casting.

Background to the journey:

The last time we went to Philadelphia, I asked Corban's doctor about his spine. While he didn't think it looked too bad on the surface, he still wanted to get an x-ray just to be sure. Half of me really regrets asking him about it that day, as the x-ray revealed Corban's scoliosis was much worse than we originally thought. Lying down for the x-ray, the curvature of his spine was 31 degrees, which means... sitting up, it's much worse.  We're not exactly sure how much worse, but 31 degrees is bad enough to warrant intervention at this point.

So, like I said, this time next week we will be headed for Philly to begin the journey of spinal casting. 

Why spinal casting and not something else? Well, there's a chance the doctor can achieve some correction of his spine through casting - which would be amazing! Will the casting correct his spine for sure? No. There are no guarantees that it will work. But it might! And if it doesn't, at the very least, the casting will prevent his spine from getting worse (which will make for less invasive treatments down the road).

How long is this treatment?

We will be casting his trunk for about one year, traveling up to Philly and changing it out every 2-3 months. After that, Corban will wear a brace for about one year, and then at that point we'll decide what to do next, depending on how his spine looks. 

It would be absolutely LOVELY if I could tell you Corban won't ever need to have scoliosis surgery. And it would completely MAKE MY DAY if this spinal casting thing would correct his spine enough to avoid having to have rods put in his back one day. But the truth is, I really don't know what to expect. And neither does the doctor. It really just depends on how Corban responds to treatment and how his curve progresses, before anyone can say whether or not he'll need back surgery at some point. Like I said, I hope not!!

As far as what the spinal cast entails, I'm not 100% sure yet myself. I know it will take some getting used to, for all of us. I know it will make for a very hot summer for Corban. I know it will make for a very stinky baby who will no longer be getting baths (yuck, I know!). I know it will be a pain to travel up to Philly every few months to change it out. But there are still a lot of things I don't know about spinal casting, and won't know, until we cross that bridge.

As far as what it looks like, the best I can do is show you this picture I found on the internet (hoping it's ok that I swiped it). As the picture below shows, the spinal cast will end up covering his whole trunk area, from shoulders to hips, with a cut-out in the front for his belly and g-tube. It will probably be uncomfortable for a little while, until he gets used to it. But eventually, he will get used to it. And so will we.

Unfortunately, it is not a simple thing to put on, so Corban will need to be put under anesthesia in the OR, as it's technically considered "surgery." It will also mean an overnight stay in the hospital, which is just one of my very favorite things to do in life. NOT! :P

In addition to spinal casting, we might be looking at hardware removal next week. Much to our dismay, Corban has had repeated infections in his leg since his hip surgery last June. So the doctor is considering taking the plates out of his legs early to try to put a end to those pesky infections. Not sure what he'll decide once he sees him, but it is definitely a possibility for this trip.

This trip. This trip will be the longest trip I've ever had to make by myself - 5 days, instead of the usual overnight stay. This trip will be the first where I'll be spending the night in the hospital with Corban, alone. This trip will be the first where I face the dreaded OR alone (at least for anything major). So, needless to say, I'm startin' to get a little bit nervous about this trip.

So please, if you think about it, pray for me this time next week as Corban and I fly out. Pray that we would not be alone this trip, and that God would be to us a "very present help in time of need." Pray that Corban would do well under the anesthesia and recover quickly from all the drugs + trauma. Pray that he wouldn't have difficulty breathing as a result of the cast and that it would not cause him too much pain. Pray for strength - for little Corban, and for his momma, who's feeling pretty little herself right about now.