...sorry. A lot has happened in the past week. Let me catch you up.
We went up to Albuquerque on December 3rd for Matthew's pre-op appointment. When we got there, we were taken to x-ray first to get an updated view of his hip. The doctor that came in first was a 3rd year resident and while looking at Matthew's x-rays from that day and prior, he made many "hmm" type of sounds. He asked us if they'd explained what the surgery entailed and what was involved. We said yes, and he then said, "Well, it's not my call; however, judging from this new x-ray, I don't think we are past the watching and waiting state yet. I am not convinced surgery is the only option at this point."
Craig and I breathed a slight sigh of relief and that doctor said he'd have that same dialogue with the Head of Pediatrics who is Matthew's doctor/surgeon. They both came back into the room and after looking at his new x-rays, she too said, "As much as I like doing surgery, it actually looks a better compared to last months surgery." She also explained again how there isn't much known about LCPD and how it's a waiting and watching game at every step. She asked us to take him back down the hall to x-ray and have his hand x-rayed so she could do a bone age test and make a better decision regarding surgery.
After looking at his hand x-ray, she told us that although Matthew is 6 years old, he has not yet experienced a major growth spurt. She said most kids have a bone age close to their age, but that it wasn't uncommon, especially with LCPD for a kid to have a delayed bone age. She said some kids at 6 years old have a bone age of 8 and are tall for their age because they have hit that growth spurt early. They just all grow on their own time. She reassured us that he would not stay little, he will catch up and perhaps surpass his peers in size. He just hasn't yet.
Matthew; however, has a bone age of 3 to 3 1/2 years. She said it's nothing to worry about, in fact, explained that in this case, it's a good thing. Matthew has not yet had a growth spurt which means his bones have 3 extra years of growing then other 6 year olds. For us, this means he has a HUGE extra window for his bones to heal during the disease process.
Typically, LCPD is found in boys ages 4-8. The earlier it's found, the better the prognosis. Matthew, being 6 and having a severe case of the disease, was on the bubble for needing surgery to try and insure a good prognosis. But since his bones are really about 3 1/2, it's like they are catching it really young.
Doctor Szalay then told us that while he doesn't need surgery right now, he may in the future depending on how things progress. He may also need a Perthes cast (pictured in a previous post). We will just have to wait and see.
So after Craig and I got done breathing a huge sign of relief and high fiving each other at the news, we turned to Matthew and said, "Buddy, woo-hoo, no surgery!"
Matthew had a sad look on his face and we asked why. His response..... "Does that mean I have to go to school tomorrow?"
Thank you everyone for your thoughts, well wishes and prayers! We feel truly fortunate and blessed to be surrounded by such amazing friends and family.
No comments:
Post a Comment