Savanna

Savanna

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Best X-Ray Ever!

I can't believe it's been 6 months since my last post, and since Savanna's last visit to Shriners!  My, how time flies!  A lot has happened since May.  Savanna graduated from Kindergarten, and we had a summer full of trips, camping, summer camps, swimming, and other fun stuff.  Plus, First Grade started in August!  Savanna is loving First Grade, and in general, just rockin' it, like she does!

As stated in the title, Savanna had her BEST X-RAY EVER today!  First, I'll hit the highlights of the last 6 months, and then I will get into her doctor's appointment.

Recent Adventures

Ballet Recital in May

Kindergarten Graduation


Someone Turned the Big SIX!  (Yes, it was Pony Mayhem then, and still is now!)





Family Trip to the Beach






Trip to Ohio




Summer Camp Festivities




Camping with Lots of Buddies





Starting First Grade


Apple Picking




Fun Run Day





More Apple Picking Fun





Family Hike


Rainbow Baby




Halloween - We were ponies from My Little Pony.  Did you even have to guess?  We were Scootaloo (Savanna), Rainbow Dash (Emerson), Big Mac (Brent), and Fluttershy (Me).






Family Photos - Our friend's awesome husband took these for us!









Trip to Shriners

Savanna and I traveled to Shriners for her appointment on November 28, 2018.  In preparation for her x-ray, she did not wear her Providence brace for about 48 hours prior to the appointment.  We do this so that her spine will have time to relax into more of its "natural state" for a more accurate look at her curve(s), if any are present.

First, we met with Dr. Pete's folks in the clinic, and then we were taken to x-ray.  Next, we met with Dr. Pete to discuss the findings.  Her spine has improved!!!  This is her BEST x-ray to date!  She is down to between 10 and 14 degrees.  The physician's assistant (PA) measured 13.9 degrees, but she said she was being "generous" and looking for the worst curve possible.  Dr. Pete said he measured about 10 degrees.  Very, very cool stuff!  She has continued to get correction in this night brace!  The PA was amazed that Savanna had not worn the brace in 48 hours and she got this x-ray.  What awesome news!

This photo is from today at between 10-14 degrees (Left) and around 16 degrees (Right).


From today with measurement (Left) and February 2018 (Right).

This is where she started with casting at 52 degrees in January 2014.  


What a long journey it has been so far, and continues to be to an extent, but as Dr. Pete said, "We have won the war.  We may have some more small battles along the way, but we have won the war."  :-)  Slow and steady wins the race!!

The amazing Dr. Pete


We also got to hang out with Savanna's scoli buddy Lyla, which is always fun!




Finally, we met with the POPS (Pediatric Orthotic and Prosthetic Services) to have her brace looked at and to have any needed adjustments made.  She got some new cool blue straps!




What's next?

Because we are continuing to see improvement, we will continue along the same path of wearing the Providence brace every night.  Savanna is scheduled to see Dr. Pete again in 6 months, sometime in May 2019.  We don't know what the future holds, but likely night brace wearing for a long time yet to come.  However, we will take today as a 'win,' and will take it day by day otherwise.

Thank Goodness for Skilled and Caring Nurses and Doctors

As mentioned previously, Savanna started her casting journey at the age of 19 months with a curve of 52 degrees.  Thank goodness we were able to get help for her early on!  We are very lucky/blessed that we have a top-notch hospital skilled in scoliosis care, only about 1.5 hours away from us.  Some people wonder, how bad could it have been if we had not had access to early intervention and Mehta casting?  Why would it have been a problem?  Below is a scary, yet eventually heart-warming story of a boy with severe scoliosis that had a limited life expectancy due to his scoliosis, until he was able to find the right doctor who could help him.  This is certainly an extreme case, but it scares me to think about how severe Savanna's curve would have been without proper care.

https://www.facebook.com/NowThisNews/videos/283468862274573/


Thanks for reading and for keeping Savanna in your thoughts!  Thanks also to all of our friends and family that remember Savanna's doctors appointments and check in with us!

Here's to a continuing-to-straighten spine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Holidays!

Friday, June 15, 2018

It's Pony Mayhem!

It's safe to say that Savanna is pretty obsessed with My Little Pony now.  It has taken over her life quite a bit.  She reads about the Ponies, watches their show, draws and colors them, sleeps with them, wears socks with Ponies, and now has a new poster above her bed!  It's nuts.  She swears she still loves Paw Patrol too, but I'm not so sure...   None of the pups have been kicked out of her bed yet, but I think it's only a matter of time.  :-)   More on the Ponies later...

It's been a busy May and first part of June!  First, I'll start with some of Savanna's latest adventures, then we'll get into her latest Shriner's visit.

Latest Adventures:

Pretty Butterfly Ballet Recital




Hanging with her "bro"

Kindergarten Graduation.  Look who's a rising first-grader now!



Birthday Party for the Big 6-Year-Old


Ponies

More Ponies



More Ponies

Not to worry, the kids still like Paw Patrol a bit too.  Here they are tailgating before Paw Patrol Live.  (It was a great show!!)




Visit to Shriner's: 

We went back to Shriner's at the end of May to pick up Savanna's 4th new brace.  However, this one does the job we need it to do!  Of course, it needed to be decorated.  What else would it be decorated with??  More Ponies! While wearing a Pony hoodie and watching My Little Pony on the iPad, of course.


Front view of the new Providence-style night-time brace


Back view of the brace


 Beautiful in-brace x-ray!


Twilight Sparkle's x-ray looks pretty good too!


We had a little bit of a learning curve the first day or so with this brace, but that's it.  Savanna can get it off by herself in the morning if needed, so that is a relief.  She cannot walk with it on though, because it digs into her side a bit and is painful when she stands.  We learned that the hard way.  Of course, she is doing really well with it, and she wears it all night, every night, without complaint.  What a trooper!

Her next check up will not be until 6 months from her last visit, so around the end of November.  Until then, please have a great summer and fall, and keep sending Savanna your love for continued success with her spine straightening!  I will do a new post after her next check up.  Thanks for reading!