update on Todd -- mixed feelings

[Guest guest]

We got home from Birmingham this afternoon, having expected Todd to

be in his 8th cast. The 7th (last) cast was so good Todd's spine was

almost perfectly straight in it.

The out of cast xrays, however, were the same as the previous two

times, despite the casts having been quite good. So casting was not

Todd's cure.

His curves are 29 (upper) and 22 (lower), give or take a few degrees.

Because Todd's upper curve, at T5, is so high up, the doctor said

there are no braces that will work. He says we are in uncharted

waters now.

He applied a cast today, immediately removed it, and sent it to the

brace shop to be molded. They will make a brace that basically is a

removable EDF (Mehta) cast. In a couple of weeks we will have a

brace fitting and will find out if this will work for Todd. If it is

working, Todd will wear it 23 hours per day and return in a few

months for follow up, with the expectation that he'll wear it for a

year and then see what happens.

Because the casts have been holding Todd's curves steady, there is no

reason to expect this brace will not work, but there is a chance. If

that were to occur, we'd be looking at something like a Milwaukee

brace (goes up to the chin) or possibly surgery, depending on how

things go several months from now.

We have the utmost respect and appreciation for our doctor and his

team--they are talented, dedicated, and caring. Although casting was

not Todd's cure, it has given him a chance to avoid surgery in

childhood, and for that we are grateful beyond words.

Thanks for being here for us.

, Mommy to Todd