History Repeated

Fair warning: This is a long post. I apologize. I type like I talk - in large amounts. But writing this is more for my own journaling & posterity than anything else.

Many moons ago at the lovely age of 11 I was diagnosed with scoliosis. The curve of my spine measured at 22 degrees, which, we learned was high enough to warrant some kind of treatment. By the time my curve reached 25 degrees, the doctor decided it was time for bracing. I was *blessed* to wear a Milwaukee brace during the already-awkward age of 12/13, in my 7th grade year. It. Sucked. My brace was a hard plastic body-jacket that wrapped around my entire torso, closing with straps on the back. It had a metal bar that went up the front up to my chin, and 2 bars that went up the back to the back of my head. Then the bars were all connected at the top, around my neck. I wore it 23 hours a day, only taking it off to shower. It had so many screws & buckles & hardware on it, it chewed up the back of my hair causing me to have to chop my hair super short (combine that with my huge glasses...nice, eh?). All the hardware on the back also put a million holes in my clothes. Constantly. The clothes that were about 4 sizes bigger than what size I really was so they would fit over my brace. It was incredibly hot. Kids at school (and church) called me names like Robocop & Iron Maiden. It was lovely.
Unfortunately, because I was a cranky and moody gal, I have discovered we have very few pictures that show my brace. And I hate that we threw it away without taking a picture of the full thing. Here are a couple of what we do have, that only show the top:

Here is a picture of one similar to what mine looked like (mine went up much higher on my back & stomach & cut just under my armpits):


I wore this one for a year. After a year, my brace had mostly kept my curve from getting worse, and the curve measured at only 28 degrees. We switched doctors to a spine specialist, and he allowed me to try out a different brace, which only required me to sleep in it at night. I was over the moon. I still remember leaving the doctor's office that day with my parents & going to Carl's Jr for lunch to celebrate. I wore that one for about 6 months, and then went back for a checkup for the doctor to check & see if it was doing the job... the curve had increased to 36 degrees. I was still only 13, and the doctor announced it was time for surgery. It was a rough day. I cried and cried. No Carl's Jr celebratory lunch that day. I had just tried out & made the dance team, and now would not be able to be a part of it. I would not be able to go up to Idaho with Sarah - our summer trip where we were going to get to go all by ourselves. I was just about to enter high school, and was convinced that my freshman year would be another awkward school experience riddled with being different and weird because, again, I would be wearing a brace (for 4 months after the surgery). Try school shopping for the first day of high school, having to look for only elastic-waist shorts. It doesn't get much better than that. So cool. So trendy.

My back surgery was July 13, 1992 - my parents' 16th wedding anniversary. After a long 10-day hospital stay, spinal fusion from T11-L3, and a titanium rod & 5 screws, I came home with my new brace and zero energy to do anything but lay down. I remember school shopping for shoes that summer, and laying on the floor of Mervyn's shoe department because it was taking so long for everyone to pick out their shoes, and I couldn't stand any longer (and I was wearing my sister's navy shorts overalls from Miller's Outpost because those were the only thing we had that could fit over my brace). And I also remember laying on my bed, watching hours and hours of the Barcelona Olympics on our little black and white TV. School started, and after 4 months I was able to shed the brace, and a year later I was finally able to resume all physical activity (except skiing, horseback riding, or running). As it turns out, my doctor's theory that the top curve on my spine would straighten out once the bottom curve was corrected didn't exactly hold true. It was corrected down to 12 degrees right after my surgery, but here are the most recent x-rays I have of my back (taken nearly 6 years ago):

Fast forward 19 years. Since scoliosis is hereditary, and much more prevalent in girls than boys, I have always expected that my girls would have it to some degree. Kevin's sister also has it, and hers was also severe enough to warrant surgery in her teens. So my girls are fortunate enough to get a double dose of the scoliosis genes. About 18 months ago the pediatrician took a look at Syd's back and noted a small 'rib hump'. He gave us a referral to an orthopedic surgeon as a precautionary measure so that she could be monitored. We saw him in February, and her curve measured at 10-11 degrees. No biggie. Whew. 2 months later, it measured 13 degrees. An increase, but still...not that big of a deal. Another checkup 3 months later (July 2010) showed an increase to 17 degrees. Definitely higher than normal, but still not quite high enough to warrant treatment. We went back 6 months later, and the curve had shifted a little bit higher on her spine, but had held at 17-ish degrees. Last week was Sydney's next checkup, and in 4 months her curve had increased from 17 to 30 degrees. Yikes. The moment he pulled her x-rays up on the monitor, I knew instantly it was not good. So did the doctor. The change was obvious before he even measured. I knew it was higher...I wasn't exactly expecting THAT much higher. 13 degrees in 4 months is quite a bit. Here's the ironic bit: Syd's curve is T11-L3...the exact same spot mine was. Weird, huh? He then dropped the bomb that brought back a flood of emotions for me from 21 years ago: "It's time to start wearing a brace."

(current xray on the left, xray from 4 months ago on the right)

There are a handful of times I can recall really having to try hard to put on a brave face for my kiddos... when they are facing something that is so nerve-racking for themselves, and you know it will be just fine, and a good thing in the end, yet they are so anxious and nervous and bordering on tears - you moms know what I mean. Things like the first day of middle school, or the time Sydney flew alone on an airplane a couple years ago - so many anxious butterflies. Even though you know it'll be great, it's so freakin hard to not get the lump in your throat or hold the tears in yourself to be reassuring and brave when you see your baby so nervous. This was, most definitely, one of those times for this momma.

I was pleasantly surprised when the doctor gave us information on the type of brace he thinks Sydney would be a good candidate for. It is the only CORRECTIVE brace on the market right now (most bracing options only keep the curve from worsening - this one has actually show improvement). Although the doctor was somewhat concerned with how much the curve has increased in such a short period of time, considering Sydney has not quite hit her major growth spurt, we are cautiously optimistic that this will help improve the crooked situation, and ultimately improve it enough to not end up in the operating room. We will see. Here is the brace we are hoping Sydney will get:

She will only have to wear this one about 20 hours per day, which would allow her to take it off for things like dance team or swimming or other activities she is involved in if she needs to. Oh - and Madonna's daughter has this same type of brace...not bad, eh?:

She will likely wear it for about 2 years, assuming her curve does not continue to increase. I am leery, and know that there are no guarantees. Those bones can be stubborn, and she is currently only 6 degrees away from where I was when the doc decided it was surgery time. I'm preparing for the worst, praying for the best you could say. We have an appointment with another doctor this week for a 2nd opinion, just to be sure that this is the route we should be heading down. Dr. Camp specializes in pediatric scoliosis, so I am eager to see what he has to say. And then she goes to be fitted next week for her brace (if Dr. Camp concurs with Dr. Thomas' recommendations)

Sydney has been so brave through all of this news, and we are so proud of her. She is such a good girl, and I sometimes wonder how on earth I was blessed to have such a mild-mannered (albeit SO incredibly stubborn) child to balance out my crazy-lady-ness.

I know we've got a long road ahead of us...but I also know (from MANY an argument) that ma girl has will & determination like nobody has ever seen before!

To be continued...