Back to the Back

So, I'm playing a bit of catch up again as life at our house can be pretty busy!  Last month, I took a photograph of Ethan's back pre-casting.  His scoliosis is another one of those elephant in the room diagnoses, which we had hoped would correct itself with seating and bracing.  I have not taken any pictures of his bare back, I guess it is our way of not really acknowledging it.  The 'if we don't see it, it isn't really there' kind of thing.  Alas, it is there and I am posting his before picture in great hopes that we will have surprising after photos.

April 29, 2011 the morning of his casting, I took a few more photographs as we anticipate it might be some time before we see him without a cast...for all we know he may outgrow his clothes during his time with a cast.

Waking up my handsome little man was playing in his crib before we got him out.  We had to be at the hospital for 6 AM and he woke up early for it.  At least we did not have to deal with a grumpy little boy who was ripped from his sleep.

Above, you can see in his lounged position how bad his posture is.  Although his eyes look closed, he was quite awake at 5:30 AM.

This picture is a true depiction of how bad his scoliosis has gotten.  Despite our best efforts, he has been leaning to the right more and more.  We have been trying to prop him from the left (apparently if you prop that side it should force him more straight), but as you can see it is without great effect.  He is also leaning a lot in his custom seat.

Just before his OR time, Ethan started to get really sleepy.  And he came out of the OR rather cranky.  This crankiness lasted a few days until he resigned himself to being in the cast.  He still cries out at night and needs to be repositioned frequently but otherwise is handling it well.  We did have to bring him back to the hospital Monday following his casting to have them cut it a bit to allow his legs to move better.  As you can see below, it is quite long.  Positioning, seating, playing and diapering have become interesting challenges.

The cast is about an inch or more in spots and is mostly plaster of Paris with a coating of fibreglass.  Which is to say, it is HEAVY!!!  We saw the surgeon yesterday and he plans to make the next one a bit more form fitted with less plaster of Paris.  It is a process of figuring out the kinks.  Ethan has a lot more gas issues and is experiencing increased reflux since he has been casted.  Ethan will go into the next two casts one right after the other before he and his skin might get a break from casting.  The surgeon told us after he casted Ethan that his curvature was about 75-80 degrees.  Which is a significant curvature.  Surgery is usually suggested at 45-50 degrees.  We are very hopeful that the casting will improve his back.