betsy
Hi, I am the mother of a 13 year old girl who was braced for 6 months prior to her spinal fusion surgery on 6/22/01. I can identify with you about the struggle you and your daughter are going through.... My daughter had access to care in Boston, Massachusetts, so I felt fairly sure of the quality of the information we received surrounding scoliosis, and what to do about it. We actually consulted with two doctors regarding the courses of action to take, and got very different opinions. My daughter actually had 2 curves in her spine, both about 32 degrees, one in the thoracic region which was congenital in nature, and one in the lumbar region which was ideopathic in nature (they didn't know what caused it). She was braced for the lower curve, since she still has some bone growth to do (they did a bone scan to determine her bone age...very important). The surgery was recommended for the upper curve (the congenital one). I am a person who believes in exploring health care issues in both traditional and alternative ways; I worked with several physical therapists who knew of some pracitioners in the area who did myofascial release to treat some forms of scoliosis. This was explored for my daughter's lower (ideopathic) curve....the spinal fusion was done for the upper curve which would just progress to greater and greater degrees if not fused. The surgery was successful, the recovery difficult for everyone. My daughter had a lousy summer, but is back in school with very few limitations. The good news for us (and a surprise to her doctors!) was that her lower curve straightened on its own by 20 degrees, just because of the upper curve fusion. So she doesn't have to wear her brace! I think the most important considerations are how much you trust your doctors....get a second opinion, if you can, and also ask to be in touch with parents of children who have gone through the surgery...it is obviously critical to trust the level of care and expertise at the hospital too. I did not explore chiropractic alternatives, I myself have not been to a chiropractor although many of my friends and acquaintances have...I'm sure your instincts as a parent are to make the most informed, best decisions on behalf of your daughter; the spine is such a scary place to think about operating on....my daughter's surgery took 8 hours, and believe me, they were VERY LONG HOURS to endure. Please write back if I can be of more assistance...I empathize with you at this difficult time in your daughter's life.... Betsy