Monday

Posted on August 1, 2005

Tagged brad : Update

Brad had a rotten morning, but seemed a lot better after lunch. He walked quite a bit and wasn't hitting the pain medicine (for better or worse) much at all.

Dr. Koury gave me a pep talk at lunch about remaining positive. He said that he's never taken a bar back out because of pain and he's not starting now. We need to be upbeat and positive around Brad as it's partly mental now. He acknowledged that the kyphosis (curved spine) may be causing more pain, but going backwards isn't much of an option either.

Here's where we are: Dr. Barrett can't treat Brad's back until his chest is fixed. If we take the bar out, his bones will continue to crowd his heart and lungs. With the kyphosis (curved spine) and now the more pronounced scoliosis (crooked spine), the problem is worse. If we don't press forward, he wouldn't have much of a life as his lung and heart capacity would decrease as he continues growing in the wrong direction. It seems apparent that the surgery was a correct decision, but recovery is a bigger challenge than any of us expected. Pressing forward is the only option.