Second Opinions

We wanted to give a quick Natalie update. Last time I posted I wrote about the need for second opinions. We hoped Dr. Stone's plan was wrong and we really needed some folks to dream with us a little bit before we took any next steps for Natalie. During this time of "dreaming" we've gathered opinions and have presented her case to many other specialists. We've taken trips to Florida and to the Chief-of-Staff (Dr. Wattenbarger) at Shriner's in Columbia, South Carolina. Dr. Wattenbarger also presented her case to several other kypho-scoliosis specialists at their weekly meeting. She's been reviewed by doctors at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, folks at Duke University, and is currently under review with a specialist in Philadelphia that focuses on high-kyphotic curvature correction. We're also hopefully meeting with some local folks this week that are going to take a look at her from a few different holistic angles. We want to cover all the bases.

The consensus the doctors have come to so far is: Dr. Stone was right. Some of the doctors had technical differences on how they might perform the surgery, a few others had opinions that seemed a bit far off, but ultimately the opinion so far is that fusion is the most appropriate option. We're still not at peace with this outcome but we feel much better knowing that many other people that specialize in this area agree with Dr. Stone.

We've also met with Dr. Stone again at UNC for a more in-depth discussion on the specifics of the procedure. He walked us through what would specifically happen and why he thinks it's the best option. He understood our initial apprehension and was confident in his decision even though we wanted second opinions. Seeing his confidence in the procedure helps us begin to find some peace. He said no parent will ever be 100% on board with surgery but finds that most folks land around 80%. We're getting there. We are now beginning to accept that Natalie needs this fusion.

So for now, Natalie's procedure is scheduled for January 7, 2020. She'll remain in her halo until then so she'll not collapse. Unless there is a last minute hail mary from somewhere out of the blue this will be the plan. In the meantime we'll be trying to get back to living our version of normal until the surgery. Although Joanna and I are burned out we're hoping to snap out of it soon and get rolling again. We appreciate all of your kind words over this last little bit and we also appreciated everyone's comments and opinions on the upcoming procedure. Thanks for getting riled up with us :-)     

I'll give any updates as they come. We love you all.