Blindsided

I've been around a while and, through sheer volume of life experiences, have come to expect the unexpected and am usually prepared for most things. This past week, however, I was blindsided by some unforeseen news.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, our oldest daughter has epilepsy as well as a few other health concerns (by the way, the rash turned out to be nothing and she is still able to take her anti-seizure medication). Anyhow, about 2 years ago I noticed that when she bent over, one side of her back seemed uneven with the other side. I went to our family doctor about this, and asked if we could be referred an orthopedic specialist. A few months later (yes, months, this is the Canadian health care system after all), we got a call from the specialist asking that we get x-rays. We got the x-rays taken in February 2009, but they were sent to our doctor's office instead of to the specialist. I finally tracked them down and long story short, when I called the specialist's office later in the Spring, they informed me that they had had a look at the x-rays and would book us in for an appointment next year. I asked the receptionist,"Next year as in 2010?" "Yes, 2010." I took that to mean that our daughter's situation wasn't that dire and that we would be seen for a routine check up in due course.

Fast forward to March 2010. We finally saw the orthopedic specialist at the Children's Hospital this past Tuesday. Right after we got checked in with the orthopedic department, they sent us for another set of back x-rays. Then we were in the small examining room waiting for the doctor. The first six words out of his mouth were: "She's going to need back surgery." OK, I am exaggerating here. He talked for about 3-4 minutes about scoliosis and how physiotherapy and back braces didn't really work, but the only part I remember is : "She's going to need back surgery." Totally did not see that coming.

My jaw was probably still hanging open when he explained that the x-rays from last year showed a 41% curve in her spine, and the x-rays from that morning showed a 56% curvature, and at this rate we needed to do something fairly quickly. He also said that puberty tends to cause most cases of scoliosis to get worse, and since she was only 9 years old, the worst was yet to come. The titanium rod that they would insert in her back during the surgery would correct the current curve as best it could, and prevent any further curving.

The doctor put us on the waiting list for surgery, which was 1 1/2 years long, and we need to see him again in 6 months to get updated x-rays and check on her situation. So, I guess the good news is that we've got a year and a half to prepare ourselves for the surgery, and I'm sure I'll have a long list of questions for the doctor when we see him again in 6 months.

I was pretty bummed out about this news on the day that we had the appointment, but am getting used to it. As my husband said (looking on the bright side, as he often does), at least this is a defined problem with a straightforward solution. The treatment that has been proposed for so many of our daughter's other health issues are wait-and-see or let's-try-this, so at least this situation is a little more cut and dry. Still, it's one more thing on our plate and one more thing she has to go through. Compared to many kids her age, she's had a tough go of it. But to her credit, she is a real trouper and I'm sure she will take this all in stride, too. I just need to follow her example...