02/10/2022
Welles received some not-so-great news at his orthopedic appointment last week. His curve has regressed from 21 degrees just 10 months ago, to 38 degrees as of last week.
His doctors believe the great increase in his curve could be the result of a growth spurt. This tells us that several things: that his spine is unable to grow straight on its own, that this will be a lifelong condition for him, and that spine surgery is likely in the long-term future.
As of now, we are consulting with his doctors to see what can be done to keep his curve from regressing further. He is in a “gray area” in terms of his age for doing more Mehta Cast surgeries. He’s not young enough anymore for it to be an absolutely recommended path for treatment, but he’s still young enough that it could be done if necessary.
Our current path forward will most likely be to try 24/7 bracing. Since bracing will not do much to correct the curve, we are hopeful that it will at least help to stop it from getting worse. This will allow us to buy more time (hopefully years) until he needs spine surgery. The older the better in terms of lowered complications and increased surgery options.
As always, we are incredibly grateful for the fantastic, comprehensive care that Welles receives at Seattle Children's. It is clear to us why they are ranked top in the nation for many of their pediatric programs, including orthopedic surgery. Our whole family is well taken care of there, and there is no where else we could ever imagine trusting with Welles’ physical, mental and emotional future 🤍
[First picture below shows Welles’ spine X-ray 10 months ago, and the second picture shows his X-ray from last week].
