Remember the "on again/off again" thing? It has arrived again :) We still have a surgery date but not Aug. 29th...it's now Aug. 30th. And now instead of doing the two surgeries together, only the spinal cord surgery will happen that day. The spinal fusion is now scheduled for Sept. 26th. The three docs got together and decided that research shows doing the two surgeries together increases the chances of complications. They were trying to lessen the amount of times Kasey had to go under the knife but in this case, it's not in his best interest due to the increased risk of complications.
The tethered cord release surgery will be around 90 minutes long and will only require 1-2 days in the hospital. Then the 4 week recovery before the fusion surgery. I have really, really just surrendered myself to the future knowing that God is in full control so my weepiness is subsiding and I am feeling hopeful and faith-filled. Every surgery Kasey has had, every time it seemed the odds were against him, this is the point I have gotten to and honestly, for me, a control freak, it's really nice to rest in the shadow of His wings and live in His strength. I was really drained!
Kasey, on the other hand, has had nothing but excitement for his surgery. He says he is tired of having back pain and ready to feel better. He keeps asking people to come for his surgery and if they are excited for it! Great-grandpa and grandma will be here Saturday for the first surgery and are coming back for the second also -- we are all excited for that! We are blessed with all the support we have as a family and also the amount of families from around the world that have reached out to us to share their children's journey down the same road. There is so much comfort in hearing similar stories and what it looks like from the other side of surgery.
Also, in my last post I forgot to mention our curvature degrees. This won't mean much to most of you but I am also using this blog as a way of organizing most pertinent info to keep in his medical records book (1 of 3 -- 3 ring binders full of med records). His thoracic curve is now at 78.9 degrees and his lumbar curve measures 43 degrees. I will post pics as we get closer to his big day to show the progression of his curve and for comparison after surgery. Another thing I forgot to mention in the last post was that he also has some kyphosis -- which is why he is hunched forward. The surgery should also fix that. He will be learning to walk all over again after surgery because the way he walks is compensatory for his curvature and what works best for him. With rods that attach to his pelvis, he will need to learn a whole new way to balance and manage himself. I expect that he will back up and dancing to the Michael Jackson experience (his fav!!) video game in no time!
Thanks for continuing to pray for him, our family, and our surgeons -- we really do feel the peace of prayers around here :)
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