Surgery is successful "100% correction"

MJ's 7 hour surgery on 6/20 is successful with 100% correction. His thoracic curve was in the high 50s, progressing further with right shoulder higher than left and rib hump. The compensatory curve was in the 20s. The treatment plan originally was T4-L2. Dr. Roye said his thoracic curve was so flexible and easy to correct the compensatory curve straightened perfectly so decided to fuse at L1 vs. L2. The waiting was hard but not as bad as anticipated. MJ's self-portrait of him defeating scoliosis worked magic. On the way up to OR there was MJ holding his drawing and another surgical patient holding a cartoon both related to their surgeries. Just as they were about to go into OR the anesthesiologist and Dr. Roye had a brief discussion about giving Procrit immediately before surgery. In this case it was a good thing to do. MJ did not need any blood transfusions during or after surgery.

Thanks to you all, I was prepared! Unlike his dad and sister, I expected to see him with facial swelling. MJ went immediately from OR to PICU. When we arrived he was whispering to himself about his predicament, knocking himself on the head. And he was so glad to see us. Especially when he learned he had indeed defeated scoliosis. Pain management is going much better than anticipated. Dr. Roye told us he shot a big dose of medicine directly into his spinal cord so MJ wouldn't wake up in pain. Once in PICU the doctor there did not place him on a morphine Patient Controlled Analgesic pump because it would be too much medicine too soon. He decided to watch and see if PCA was needed. As it turned out there were times the night of surgery and yesterday, where MJ said he felt no pain at all. At other times he would ask for medicine. He threw up a couple of times the first night, but no itching. He was very much awake afterwards, getting 2mg morphine injections about every 3 1/2 hours or so. He'd ask everyone's name and what they were doing to him. Yesterday and today is more difficult for him. MJ is understandably quite irritable. PT came to get him up on day 2. He was not happy, saying 'I'm going to make a complaint against this hospital!' And, later... 'this hospital is a death trap -- with nurses!' We're so proud of his emerging self-advocacy skills. LOL Our picky eater hadn't eaten in 2 days. He let us know 'I'm in pain and I'm hungry!' By dinner time on day 2 he had worked his way up from liquids to being able to eat some of everything on the tray.

MJ was discharged out of PICU and ready to go up to the Pediatric floor yesterday but no beds are available. We're still waiting. Hopefully today. PICU is very intense, putting the average person into sensory overload. He developed a low grade fever at 100.9 on day 2, which broke last night. Dad and PICU nurse discovered his drain had fallen out sometime yesterday. Probably when he'd first gotten out of bed for physical therapy. The catheter was removed this morning. He'll start oral meds, Percocet and valium this afternoon. Once he's been on them for 12-24 hours we're told we can go home. PT will come again before we leave to get him to walk and go up and down stairs. MJ sat up for 40 minutes yesterday and again today. He needed a lot of help due to weakness. I'll write again soon. I only leave him for short breaks and meals. We're feeling so good to be on the 'other side' of surgery.