Session Twenty-Five: Making the Crooked Places Straight, Part Six

Session Twenty-Five: Making the Crooked Places Straight, Part Six

We were about to have a very difficult conversation with the orthopedic surgeon…

We cut our daughter’s cast off a little early so she could fully enjoy our summer vacation. My heart sank when I saw how curved her spine obviously was, especially after eight straight months in a cast.

Our suspicions were confirmed when x-rays were taken, though the numbers weren’t as bad as I had prepared myself. There is some solace in being forced to watch your child in a body cast when you know it's for her benefit, but when it looks worse than when she started. . . Oh, my heart was broken.

It was our orthopedic surgeon’s opinion that the other casting method wasn’t appropriate for our daughter’s situation. So, our annual 1100-mile roundtrip to Wilmington was turning into a quarterly trip. Mommy was feeling all sorts of emotions. We were back to no baths and a very restrictive cast for the foreseeable future. I truly can’t articulate how much that stung my heart.

As if all that news wasn’t enough, we were also informed that she would definitely need titanium growing rods, likely the following year. The surgeon further explained that our daughter’s muscles and ligaments along her spine were too weak and constant intervention through casting or rods would be necessary throughout her growing years and ultimately her spine would be permanently fused after the growing rods maxed out. We knew it was a possibility, but having it confirmed was another gut-wrenching moment. It was so much to process.

Having her continually wear a body cast for the foreseeable future was not appealing. But neither was the prospect of rods, or spinal fusing. Scoliosis is a difficult journey.

The following day, our girl had the casting procedure under sedation to place her fifth cast. The surgeon did assure us that our daughter’s spine was still flexible, and he was able to manipulate it from a 75-degree curve to 25°. We were also pleased to learn that she grew two inches from the previous year. Vertical growth has definitely been slow over the years.

Yet seeing our daughter back in that cast which stretched from her armpits to her hipbones was really difficult. It was so tight across her pelvis! I had forgotten just how restrictive this type of cast was.

My momma heart was in a really tender place. Our daughter had just spent most of the previous twelve months in a cast across her torso, yet her curve had worsened. It was certainly two steps backward on our journey. When we left the hospital that beautiful August day, the plan was to return in November and every three months after until the following August when we would decide on the timing of the growing rods surgery. We would be racking up a lot of miles Traveling with Our Trachie!

As we paused to reflect on the journey, we acknowledge what science says about our daughter, and we're grateful for knowledgeable doctors. However, we would continue to pray for supernatural intervention. Our Lord is mighty and the Creator of our amazing bodies. We trust our daughter in His care and ask for His wisdom.