And the Verdict is...

...no surgery.  At least not yet.  We're going to try casting him first.  To cast him, they will put him in traction (kind of with fabric to straighten him) and cast his chest.  The cast will be on for a couple months at a time.  So he will not be able to get wet, and will be back to sponge baths.  The hope is that at the very least the cast will stop his spine from getting worse.  At best, it might help straighten him a bit.  It is kind of our last option before surgery.  His spine seems to have gotten worse again, and it not only has the classic 's' shape but is also twisting as well.  We should see within the first two months if it is having any effect.  It seems our surgical option is to have him roded.  To do such, they would anchor to his ribs and just above his hips and try to straighten him with rods.  They would have to be extendable and would require surgery every 6 months to extend and force him straighter.  Although the extensions are minor, the major problem with this option is that each time they go in it opens him up to the risk of infection.  They just need to order in the supplies for the casting and book a date.  They figure he should be casted within about 4 weeks.