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Ortho Meeting

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We saw Dr. Campbell this morning.  He took one look at Abby and said, "Well, we've gotta get that VEPTR back in!"  We wholeheartedly agreed!  When we asked about the opposing opinion we had before, he noted that in this case, being old equals having more experience in these situations.  He will talk to the other surgeon to let him know the plan.

So what is the plan?  Well first, we have to get this wound healed up.  Nothing surgical can be done until it's closed.  When it is closed, we can schedule surgery.  The good news is that the wound shrunk a centimeter in both length and width in the last week!!!!  This is fantastic news!  

The kyphosis still needs to be dealt with, but the ribs (well, the lungs) are the primary concern right now.  We may still go to Boston for the kyphosis, but we are going to take care of this first.  

He also LOVED her shirt and took a picture of her to use in a slide for a presentation he is doing for the FDA next week!  😍

We are so, so thankful for Dr. Campbell.  He is a wonderful man who will never give up on a kid.  Abby is complicated and this surgery is even more challenging than the others due to scarring, but he said he wouldn't suggest it if he didn't think it would work.  We have hope, and that's the best possible outcome of this meeting!

We are now waiting for a CT so that he can get a little additional information about her lungs.  It won't change his approach, but does give him more information before he goes in.  She will also have a full spine MRI when we come back in September.  Dr. Campbell really likes to have as much information as possible.

Thank you all for your prayers!!  We would ask that you pray that Abby stays healthy and that her wound heals quickly and without further complications.  Then we can get that VEPTR back in as soon as possible.

For those interested: (X-rays below)



The picture on the right is when she got both VEOTRS in.  Note how open her ribs are and how relatively full her lungs are.  (40% lung capacity is awesome compared to what she's getting by on right now!). The picture on the left side is her most recent X-ray.  If you zoom in, you can see that her ribs have collapsed.  The loops were anchors for the VEPTR that stayed in and have drastically moved position.  Her shoulder blade has become tucked under her spine, so he will have to pull that back out as well.  It will be a bigger, more painful surgery, but it will be worth it to help her breathe better.


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