Emerson's Scoliosis Journey

One week of messy meals,  long baths, no under clothes bibs, and no awkward looks from strangers!  Somebody is excited!

I can not believe that it has been 3 weeks since Emmi came home with her first cast!  Tonight we are reflecting on the past 3 weeks and are so thankful.    Thankful that Emmi just went with it.  She struggled the first couple of days, but she never complained.  She amazed us everyday with the new things she adjusted to, like spreading her legs wide to stand up so the cast wouldn't pinch her tummy.  She even started using her cast to help hold toys under her chin, so she could gather and carry more.    We are thankful for the care that Emmi gets.  The doctors and staff at the hospital have been nothing but amazing.  We are thankful for a daycare that helps with Emerson's special needs.  We also found out recently that she qualified for First Steps, a program that will provide her with assistant, in our home.     Thankful for our friends and family who have supported us in so many ways: tak...

Emerson is doing well! She started the day pretty frustrated and confused but she is slowly figuring out new ways to do things.  Sitting is hard but she is starting to figure out her balance to walk. Thank you for all the phone calls,  messages and prayers.  We are very blessed to have such caring friends and family!

Emmi is a champ!  Her heart results were good.  No murmurs. Her lungs were fine.  Her cough is from junk stuck in her throat, so we proceeded with the casting. The casting was pretty quick.  The doctor was very happy that they had a 25 degree improvement in the curve's rotation. The xray below shows her original xray on the right and her xray in the cast on the left.  She was mad after the surgery, but they said she wasn't as mad as most kids are. Thank you for all the prayers and encouragement!

Here we are,  the night before the big day. The past week and a half has been simply crazy. We moved (thanks to some amazing help), our heater won't work,  hot water heater went out, our house contract fell apart,  Craig turned 33, Emmi developed a cough,  I have had the head cold junk,  Craig started a new route at work, we attended a beautiful wedding, celebrated a nephew's birthday,  and now we are here.  Things at the house aren't anywhere near where I wanted them to be,  but I just have to be realistic.  They will get there. I took Emmi to the doctor Friday for her cough.  Shriner's had said if they prescribed an antibiotic then the casting would be postponed.  Her cough wasn't bad enough to require an antibiotic but they would have given her one if we wanted.  Instead we spent the weekend pushing fluids and keeping her at home to rest.  She still has somewhat of a cough, but Shriner's says it should be okay. So we ...

Moving day is approaching!  We really wanted to be in the new house before M's first cast, and plan to move this weekend.  That didn't leave us much time to get settled and I think Craig and I were both stressing.  So I am looking at the past phone call from the Shriner's hospital as a blessing.  They have moved her first casting date to the following Tuesday because of some scheduling problems.  This means we will also wait until the 17th for her heart test and the first cast will only be on for 3 weeks.  This gives us some more time to get moved in, get some larger clothes ready, and use the bathtub as much as possible.  Also, three weeks for our first try at this new lifestyle might be helpful. Shriner's also helped me get in contact with another family that has gone through this process many times.  Congenital Scoliosis in infants is SO rare and each case is SO different.  It was really nice to ta...

We have decided to go with the casting option.  It seems better than bracing and waiting.  The first cast will be put on November 10th.  Before the cast they will check her heart to make sure everything is okay, since that was the only thing not checked in the prior tests.  Then we will wait around (with a  hungry baby) for the first cast.  She will be asleep for the procedure and they say we'll be able to go home afterwards.  We are praying that we have made the right decision.  So, our casting life begins...

After noticing a bump on our little Emerson's back at 5 months old, she had her first x-ray.  Since then we have done physical therapy, taken her to a chiropractor, had another x-ray, an MRI, CT scan, and ultrasound, and have visited with two separate doctors on what their plan for her would be.  The diagnosis is congenital scoliosis, which means her spine is curved because there is something that didn't form correctly as she developed.  She has two vertebrae that are partial, so instead of being a rectangle, they are wedges.  The measures of her curves are 58 and 72.  Option #1:  Put a brace on her and do a surgery after she is 2 years old (probably closer to 3).  During surgery the partial vertebrae would be taken out and they will fuse the spine together at those points.  Some small rods would be put in at that point to support the fuse.  After surgery she would be casted and then have a brace, but would ...