So Long Mr Joey

We got some upsetting news this week related to Charlotta's upcoming back surgery. While it's not medical bad news, per se, it upsetting because it reminds us of some of the restrictions she'll face after surgery.

For the last seven years or so, Charlotta has been taking weekly therapeutic horse-back riding lessons at a wonderful facility called the Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities (PRDA). These lessons have not only helped her develop her core strength, balance and stretching, they have also fostered in her a great love of horses and a personal connection to the horse she is riding. For the last year she's been riding a big grey horse named Joey which, somehow, Charlotta has taken to calling Mr Joey. (picture a Brooklyn accent: "Dat's Mista Joey ta you"!)

Anyhow, at her lesson last week, I was asking the head riding instructor if we could skip the next term (April to June) because of Charlotta's surgery and then resume her lessons again in September. She asked if Charlotta would be getting a rod in her back as part of the surgery. I said "yes." It was then that she broke the bad news to me that once Charlotta had a rod in her back she was no longer allowed to ride horses. She said that if Charlotta were to fall from a horse, the rod could damage her spinal cord. So, unfortunately it looks like this will be the end of her riding career.

It was quite upsetting to hear this news because these riding lessons have been part of her life for so long, and they were so beneficial in many ways. I'm sure we'll find other activities for her post-surgery, but it will be sad to say goodbye to Mr Joey and all his buddies.

Charlotta on the right, Summer 2010. (Ashley, on the left, also got to ride in this summer camp for siblings.)


Charlotta at the beginning of her riding career in 2005.

The Backstory

Today we had our semi-annual (that's once every six months, I think -- I always get confused between bi- and semi-annual...) appointment with Charlotta's orthopedic specialist BC Children's Hospital for her scoliosis. As usual, we have an x-ray of her back taken at the hospital before her appointment which allows the Dr to measure the curve in her spine.

At our appointment about a year ago, her curve measured 56%, last October it was 72% and today it was 82%. Quite a dramatic progression, which the Dr explained by saying that Charlotta's body is growing overall, and that means that the more she should be growing up, the more she's growing sideways into a curve.

The Dr had said to us all along that she would probably end up needing surgery to correct her back, and today he gave us a date: April. Both Steve and I are glad that we will be getting it done sooner rather than later before the curve gets even worse and impedes her lungs and heart. A practical side of us is also glad it will be done in Spring so that she will be recovered for summer, as we usually have quite a few plans with camping, holidays, etc.

To straighten her spine, the surgery involves fusing together her vertebrae and then inserting a rod to keep them straight. One of the repercussions of fusing her spine together is that her back won't grow any more in the area that has been fused. She's only 4'8" now and having tall parents, I don't know how tall she was destined to be. But even though her spine won't grow anymore, the rest of her still will -- maybe she'll be all legs, not a bad thing for a girl :-). The Dr also said that immediately after surgery she should gain a few inches in height, simply by having her spine straightened out.

At today's appointment, I finally remembered to bring my camera because I wanted to show Steve (who wasn't there) how shocking the curve in her spine really is.

Charlotta's spinal curve over the period of a year (l-r):
March 2010, October 2010, February 2011.