The Medical Update

I've been procrastinating because I don't really feel like talking about it. This is the best way to update all our friends and family, though, so here it goes.

This past Thursday, we went to Seattle Childrens Hospital to see two orthopedic surgeons. The first was Dr. Theodore Wagner, who specializes in the spine. He went through Evan's MRI that was done a year ago. Since Evan is doing so well and the piece of vertebrae (hemivertebrae) that could one day make his spine grow crooked isn't currently a big problem, we will wait and have a CT scan in January. The CT will allow him to rotate Evan and see if the hemivertabrae is attached to another vertebrae. If it isn't, at some point it will just be taken out. If it is connected, then it would be a different procedure. What I don't know right now. The thing that I can't get out of my head is that something else was found in his neck. There is a disc missing in one of the neck vertebrae. The Dr. wasn't as concerned about it, but now of course I'm freaking out about it. I have many questions after the fact. Is this part of the problem with his torticollis? Good thing I'm seeing another back surgeon at Madigan Army Medical Center, which is a whole other thing to be talked about later. I'm also going to talk to his past physical therapists and on May 6th we are going back to Children's to see the physiatrist. And maybe I will call Dr. Wagner. Guaranteed I will get me some answers!!

Second appointment was with Dr. Hanel, the hand surgeon. He once again reiterated that nothing is to be done on the left. Agreed. The right? Well, it's complicated. Evan is always complicated. There are 5 levels of hypoplastic thumbs. Levels 4 and 5 do not have much bone at all and it is a clear cut decision. The thumb is removed and the forefinger is turned into a thumb. Levels 1 and 2 have enough bone to work with and a surgery is done to rearrange tendons and strengthen the base of the thumb. So what level do you think Evan's thumb is? Why level 3 of course!! There is bone there, but not enough to successfully do the strengthening surgery. Our options are to either leave the thumb the way it is or cut it off. What a horrible decision. I say that, but it really isn't hard. He clearly doesn't use the thumb. He uses his forefinger as support under objects that he's holding. The doc said that his brain has already programmed that finger to be his thumb. So a decision is made. And then I put my thumb on his little thumb and he pushes back. Not a lot of pressure, but still pressure is felt on my thumb. Enough to make you second guess. A decision must be made soon. An appointment for surgery to follow. It must be done by age 3. A small child's brain reroutes the finger to be a thumb. Any older and it would just be a forefinger turned in weird. John will be gone, so I will report the decision on my own...

There's more medical bullcrap coming soon, such as next weeks kidney ultrasound, a trip to Madigan for a Developmental Clinic involving all kinds of specialists (not needed in my opinion cause I've got it all covered, but who am I to deny second and third opinions), and the limb difference clinic with the physiatrist at Children's. So stay tuned I guess. Now you know why I want to put a bucket on my head and hide in the closet!