New to group-7 month old girl : Update: casting scheduled with Dr.Khoury

[Guest guest]

As i mentioned in a recent post, my 7 month old daughter was

diagnosed last week with scoliosis (a 36 degree curve to the right).

Thanks to all of the helpful information i have received from this

group, we are already scheduled for casting on Jan 31st with Dr.

Khoury.

I made contact with who suggested that I email Holly Jean's

xrays to her so she could have Dr. Khoury look at them. He said that

her curve is definately progressive (although he couldn't determine

an exact RVAD score due to the poor quality of the xrays). He

suggested she get casting done as soon as possible and said that she

would be difficult to treat due to the location of her curve (in a

place where there is not much rib structure). said that they

prefer xrays in the lying down position and Holly Jean's were taken

while i was holding her up by her hands against the xray film).

Nevertheless, Dr. Khoury feels that there is enough information to

determine that she needs early treatment. We are going to wait to

have the MRI done immediately before the casting so she doesn't have

to have anesthesia two times. So we are heading to Birmingham (from

Northern Virginia) in a couple of weeks. In the meantime i will be

dealing with my insurance company ( said she can help with

letters, etc.). and figuring out a way to miss so much work (I

teach), and having family come to take care of my 2 year old. It is

amazing how life can change so fast.

One thing i haven't heard about at all are potential risks of

casting. I would be interested in knowing some of the risks of

casting (e.g., can it make things worse, cause problems?). Although

it seems like whatever they are, the risks of doing nothing are far

worse.

The recent posts on what to expect and prepare for are very helpful.

However, i have one additional question. Both of my daughters are in

full time daycare because i work full-time. The daycare provider

lives 3 houses away and is wonderful. She is actually the one who

noticed something wrong with Holly Jean's back. She watches about 4

children max including my 2. Will Holly be able to return to

daycare or will she require more intensive one on one care? i want

to be able to make arrangements to be home with her as much as

possible if that is what i need to do.

sorry for the long post

thank you!

(mom to Holly 7 mo)

[Guest guest]

I think that probably depends on how she reacts to the anesthesia.

Also, she'll have to be diligent about keeping the kids away from

water and sand (and banishing little toys) - all of which are very bad

for casted babies.

But, she shouldn't need one on one care once she has time to adjust to

the cast. Some kids are back on their feet in just a day or two.

Jack took over a week the first time, and now DH stays home the day of

the cast and the day after just to help, but he's usually very well by

that second day.

Sandi

[Guest guest]

,

When will you be going to Birmingham? We will be there Feb 14-15. Haley was in

a traditional type of cast before we learned of Mehta casting. With that type

of cast, you run the risk of chest deformities and there is no window cut out of

the back to help the ribs form as they should. Mehta casting has been great for

us. She was constantly progressing with the traditional cast and is now showing

improvement! Good Luck to you and Holly Jean. The daycare worker should be

fine, but it will be an adjustment for her as well as Holly Jean. She will now

have to watch the other kids around her closely due to snacks (getting down in

the cast), water and anything else that could interfere w/the cast. All will

adjust with time (even you :) It is always harder on us than the kiddos!!!

Misty and Haley

greatbooks_123 wrote:

As i mentioned in a recent post, my 7 month old daughter was

diagnosed last week with scoliosis (a 36 degree curve to the right).

Thanks to all of the helpful information i have received from this

group, we are already scheduled for casting on Jan 31st with Dr.

Khoury.

I made contact with who suggested that I email Holly Jean's

xrays to her so she could have Dr. Khoury look at them. He said that

her curve is definately progressive (although he couldn't determine

an exact RVAD score due to the poor quality of the xrays). He

suggested she get casting done as soon as possible and said that she

would be difficult to treat due to the location of her curve (in a

place where there is not much rib structure). said that they

prefer xrays in the lying down position and Holly Jean's were taken

while i was holding her up by her hands against the xray film).

Nevertheless, Dr. Khoury feels that there is enough information to

determine that she needs early treatment. We are going to wait to

have the MRI done immediately before the casting so she doesn't have

to have anesthesia two times. So we are heading to Birmingham (from

Northern Virginia) in a couple of weeks. In the meantime i will be

dealing with my insurance company ( said she can help with

letters, etc.). and figuring out a way to miss so much work (I

teach), and having family come to take care of my 2 year old. It is

amazing how life can change so fast.

One thing i haven't heard about at all are potential risks of

casting. I would be interested in knowing some of the risks of

casting (e.g., can it make things worse, cause problems?). Although

it seems like whatever they are, the risks of doing nothing are far

worse.

The recent posts on what to expect and prepare for are very helpful.

However, i have one additional question. Both of my daughters are in

full time daycare because i work full-time. The daycare provider

lives 3 houses away and is wonderful. She is actually the one who

noticed something wrong with Holly Jean's back. She watches about 4

children max including my 2. Will Holly be able to return to

daycare or will she require more intensive one on one care? i want

to be able to make arrangements to be home with her as much as

possible if that is what i need to do.

sorry for the long post

thank you!

(mom to Holly 7 mo)

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

Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.

[Guest guest]

Ditto about the sand. Ian had a little friend dump an entire bucket of sand

down his cast, so we had to have it removed on an emergency basis. Ian was

always up and running later in the day of the casting. The first one takes a

bit longer to adjust to though.

Noelle (12-2-01)

Ian (8-15-04)

Re: New to group-7 month old girl : Update:

casting scheduled with Dr.Khoury

I think that probably depends on how she reacts to the anesthesia.

Also, she'll have to be diligent about keeping the kids away from

water and sand (and banishing little toys) - all of which are very bad

for casted babies.

But, she shouldn't need one on one care once she has time to adjust to

the cast. Some kids are back on their feet in just a day or two.

Jack took over a week the first time, and now DH stays home the day of

the cast and the day after just to help, but he's usually very well by

that second day.

Sandi

[Guest guest]

We have had the occasional cheerio get down the back of the cast. I have no

idea how he manages to throw cheerios down his back, but he does. I have been

able to get my hand down there to get them out, but I'm worried there could be

one or two down there we can't see!

Re: [infantile_scoliosi s] New to group-7 month old girl : Update:

casting scheduled with Dr.Khoury

I think that probably depends on how she reacts to the anesthesia.

Also, she'll have to be diligent about keeping the kids away from

water and sand (and banishing little toys) - all of which are very bad

for casted babies.

But, she shouldn't need one on one care once she has time to adjust to

the cast. Some kids are back on their feet in just a day or two.

Jack took over a week the first time, and now DH stays home the day of

the cast and the day after just to help, but he's usually very well by

that second day.

Sandi

[Guest guest]

You are lucky to have a trusted in-home daycare with great adult:child ratio.

My daughter was in a large daycare center and we ended up having to move her and

her 3 yr old brother to another center because the first one was not working

with us on Sophia. As some of the other folks have said- the biggest thing is to

keep the daycare provider informed of your daughter's condition and needs and

work together to find solutions. The biggest issues are keeping the cast clean

and dry (no water or sand play). Tiny mulch on some playground is another

problem we've found. Also, food and small toys ending up down the cast.

After Sophia's first cast, I stayed home with her for two days to make sure she

was OK before going back to daycare. Now we just do one day and she is usually

just fine. I think it is more for my piece of mind than anything.

Risk of casting really are the risks associated with the anesthesia (which you

would have with surgical treatment if not more). As you said, the benefits far

outweigh the risks and you really are doing what is best. Good luck with your

casting!

Tina (Mom to Sophia)

-------------- Original message --------------

As i mentioned in a recent post, my 7 month old daughter was

diagnosed last week with scoliosis (a 36 degree curve to the right).

Thanks to all of the helpful information i have received from this

group, we are already scheduled for casting on Jan 31st with Dr.

Khoury.

I made contact with who suggested that I email Holly Jean's

xrays to her so she could have Dr. Khoury look at them. He said that

her curve is definately progressive (although he couldn't determine

an exact RVAD score due to the poor quality of the xrays). He

suggested she get casting done as soon as possible and said that she

would be difficult to treat due to the location of her curve (in a

place where there is not much rib structure). said that they

prefer xrays in the lying down position and Holly Jean's were taken

while i was holding her up by her hands against the xray film).

Nevertheless, Dr. Khoury feels that there is enough information to

determine that she needs early treatment. We are going to wait to

have the MRI done immediately before the casting so she doesn't have

to have anesthesia two times. So we are heading to Birmingham (from

Northern Virginia) in a couple of weeks. In the meantime i will be

dealing with my insurance company ( said she can help with

letters, etc.). and figuring out a way to miss so much work (I

teach), and having family come to take care of my 2 year old. It is

amazing how life can change so fast.

One thing i haven't heard about at all are potential risks of

casting. I would be interested in knowing some of the risks of

casting (e.g., can it make things worse, cause problems?). Although

it seems like whatever they are, the risks of doing nothing are far

worse.

The recent posts on what to expect and prepare for are very helpful.

However, i have one additional question. Both of my daughters are in

full time daycare because i work full-time. The daycare provider

lives 3 houses away and is wonderful. She is actually the one who

noticed something wrong with Holly Jean's back. She watches about 4

children max including my 2. Will Holly be able to return to

daycare or will she require more intensive one on one care? i want

to be able to make arrangements to be home with her as much as

possible if that is what i need to do.

sorry for the long post

thank you!

(mom to Holly 7 mo)

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Where is your daughter's cyrve on her back?

With work and since you teach, do you get Family Medical Leave?

It seems you have a great daycare. Here is Wisconsin the state

license requirement is 4 infants to 1 adult. Your ratio seems very

good especially with your older daughter being one of the four. Keep

communication clear for your daycare provider. You'll have to go

over diapering with her and I recommend to wrtie things down for her

in case she forgets.

Many parents suggested watching out got water and sand, my son has

managed to get many other items down his cast such as Cherrios,

pebbles, glitter, Connect 4 game chip, peas, crumbs, etc.....This is

all within 9 casts. I have come to buy him over the head bibs so he

couldn't pull off the bib.

You are in great hands with Dr. Khoury. The major risk is

anesthesia. She'll adjust to the cast. The first cast is the hardest

for her and you to get use to, but it does get a little easier after

the first 2 casts. My son was 6 months when he got his first brace

and 13 months when he got his first cast. He adjusted very well. I

think the older the child the more challening it is for them to

adjust.

Yes, life can change so fast. This is a hard to go thru, but as I

suggetsed to another parent...please stay positive for your

daughter. It is amazing how children can sense their parent's

emotions especially the day of casting.

Good Luck to you and we'll be thinking of you daughter.

Aekta

>

> As i mentioned in a recent post, my 7 month old daughter was

> diagnosed last week with scoliosis (a 36 degree curve to the

right).

> Thanks to all of the helpful information i have received from this

> group, we are already scheduled for casting on Jan 31st with Dr.

> Khoury.

>

> I made contact with who suggested that I email Holly Jean's

> xrays to her so she could have Dr. Khoury look at them. He said

that

> her curve is definately progressive (although he couldn't

determine

> an exact RVAD score due to the poor quality of the xrays). He

> suggested she get casting done as soon as possible and said that

she

> would be difficult to treat due to the location of her curve (in a

> place where there is not much rib structure). said that

they

> prefer xrays in the lying down position and Holly Jean's were

taken

> while i was holding her up by her hands against the xray film).

>

> Nevertheless, Dr. Khoury feels that there is enough information to

> determine that she needs early treatment. We are going to wait to

> have the MRI done immediately before the casting so she doesn't

have

> to have anesthesia two times. So we are heading to Birmingham

(from

> Northern Virginia) in a couple of weeks. In the meantime i will

be

> dealing with my insurance company ( said she can help with

> letters, etc.). and figuring out a way to miss so much work (I

> teach), and having family come to take care of my 2 year old. It

is

> amazing how life can change so fast.

>

> One thing i haven't heard about at all are potential risks of

> casting. I would be interested in knowing some of the risks of

> casting (e.g., can it make things worse, cause problems?).

Although

> it seems like whatever they are, the risks of doing nothing are

far

> worse.

>

> The recent posts on what to expect and prepare for are very

helpful.

> However, i have one additional question. Both of my daughters are

in

> full time daycare because i work full-time. The daycare provider

> lives 3 houses away and is wonderful. She is actually the one who

> noticed something wrong with Holly Jean's back. She watches about

4

> children max including my 2. Will Holly be able to return to

> daycare or will she require more intensive one on one care? i

want

> to be able to make arrangements to be home with her as much as

> possible if that is what i need to do.

>

> sorry for the long post

>

> thank you!

>

> (mom to Holly 7 mo)

>

[Guest guest]

Aekta-

Thanks for your note. My dd curve is between T7 and L2, currently

measuring 36 degrees curve to the right. I am going to post some

pictures today. Yes, I do have FMLA if needed. We will definately

keep an close eye on small objects. We are trying to stay positive,

and your words of encouragement help.

(mom to Holly 7 mo and Rose, 2 years)

> >

> > As i mentioned in a recent post, my 7 month old daughter was

> > diagnosed last week with scoliosis (a 36 degree curve to the

> right).

> > Thanks to all of the helpful information i have received from

this

> > group, we are already scheduled for casting on Jan 31st with Dr.

> > Khoury.

> >

> > I made contact with who suggested that I email Holly

Jean's

> > xrays to her so she could have Dr. Khoury look at them. He said

> that

> > her curve is definately progressive (although he couldn't

> determine

> > an exact RVAD score due to the poor quality of the xrays). He

> > suggested she get casting done as soon as possible and said that

> she

> > would be difficult to treat due to the location of her curve (in

a

> > place where there is not much rib structure). said that

> they

> > prefer xrays in the lying down position and Holly Jean's were

> taken

> > while i was holding her up by her hands against the xray film).

> >

> > Nevertheless, Dr. Khoury feels that there is enough information

to

> > determine that she needs early treatment. We are going to wait

to

> > have the MRI done immediately before the casting so she doesn't

> have

> > to have anesthesia two times. So we are heading to Birmingham

> (from

> > Northern Virginia) in a couple of weeks. In the meantime i will

> be

> > dealing with my insurance company ( said she can help with

> > letters, etc.). and figuring out a way to miss so much work (I

> > teach), and having family come to take care of my 2 year old. It

> is

> > amazing how life can change so fast.

> >

> > One thing i haven't heard about at all are potential risks of

> > casting. I would be interested in knowing some of the risks of

> > casting (e.g., can it make things worse, cause problems?).

> Although

> > it seems like whatever they are, the risks of doing nothing are

> far

> > worse.

> >

> > The recent posts on what to expect and prepare for are very

> helpful.

> > However, i have one additional question. Both of my daughters

are

> in

> > full time daycare because i work full-time. The daycare provider

> > lives 3 houses away and is wonderful. She is actually the one

who

> > noticed something wrong with Holly Jean's back. She watches

about

> 4

> > children max including my 2. Will Holly be able to return

to

> > daycare or will she require more intensive one on one care? i

> want

> > to be able to make arrangements to be home with her as much as

> > possible if that is what i need to do.

> >

> > sorry for the long post

> >

> > thank you!

> >

> > (mom to Holly 7 mo)

> >

>