February 27 Update

I love lists. I have a list right now for things to do before we leave for PA. I often have a list of things to accomplish in a day. When I was pregnant with my sons, I longed for a checklist for God. Audacious, I was. But it would have been titled, “Things I Don’t Want Passed Down to My Son.”

I don’t like my nose but that wouldn’t have been on the list. I always wished my hair was thick like my sister’s, but hair wouldn’t have been on the list either. Scoliosis would have been at the top of that list. It has caused me a lot of frustration over the years. The doctors attempted to brace my back with a rigid plastic brace but I was non-compliant. Being compliant meant being excused permanently from recess and PE. But most of all, in those elementary years, being compliant equaled being teased by other students. And kids are so cruel. My non-compliance (although I didn’t realize it at age 10) was my ticket to a spinal fusion at age 15 and body cast for 6 weeks after that. And another spinal fusion 15 years later…

So imagine my dismay when I discovered that Zachary’s hip looked a little high to me this past August soon after our move to Georgia. A check-up at the doctor disclosed that he did have a 12-degree curve (curvature of the spine is considered within normal limits until 10 degrees).

Zachary is a very active boy who loves all kinds of sports (except soccer!). To take him out of PE and sports would have been very difficult, especially since a brace is sometimes used until growth is complete (which is estimated to be age 18 in Zach).

I began researching and discovered a “new” brace. “New” because most medical advances take years to become available to the general public. The SpineCor brace is completely flexible and exercise is encouraged in an effort to make the back stronger! It looks like elastic bands around the torso and is undetectable by touch and under clothing. The studies looked great but it took many days on the phone to find a provider and have insurance cover the expense. My tenacity paid off and in late summer Zachary began wearing the SpineCor brace.

Yesterday when Zach went for his check-up, the doctor didn’t even have to measure the curve. Zip! Zero! Nada! ZERO degrees! Zachary will wear the brace for another 3 months and be evaluated again. If his spine remains at zero, he will be allowed out of the brace. I couldn't receive a better Christmas present!