Update on cast life

On October 24, Kiya got cast #5. We have been casting for over a year now. It has taken me a little while to figure out what to write about this topic.

Kiya as always is amazing and bounces back to her self very quickly. It didn't seem to be as quick this time but she was at preschool the next day.

Cast life is what it is. I hate it and yet there is a peace about it. For the most part I don't have to worry about her back when in cast. Cast free weeks are a tad stressful. Her back always looks so great when we first cut her out of her cast and then we spend the week watching and just waiting for it to be curvy again. I hate that part.

Going into cast day, I didn't need an x-ray to tell me what I already knew. We hadn't gotten any correction or if by some miracle we did it was minimal at best. The x-ray did nothing but to confirm that and as if scoliosis was trying to rub it in, the doctor said as much. He said, "well we really aren't getting a change here. Still about 60 out of cast and basically straight in cast." He was frustrated. I was frustrated. Her spine is just so flexible which is good but we really need it to hold. Some, any correction even just a little.

The doctor always told us that it could take 3 or 4 or more casts in a row to really start seeing some change. While this was cast number 5 it is really only cast number 4 in a row. She seemed to stay straighter out of cast for longer this last time so maybe when we take this green cast off she will stay straighter for even longer. Maybe.

So what do we do now? The same thing we have been doing. We know deep down that surgery may be in Kiya's future. We will cross that bridge when we get there. We aren't there yet. We know kids that have had 15 or more casts so we aren't ready to give up. We refuse to.

Cast life is doable. Kiya does great. She understands her cast life. She knows that she takes bubble baths in the laundry room sink. She knows she has to wear pull ups at nap time just in case as her cast can't get wet. She knows that she has to wear a bib while eating meals just to make sure food doesn't fall down her cast.

We left the hospital with a grumpy toddler sporting a green cast. We also left with a new issue. One of the doctor's heard a heart murmur. This has come up exactly twice in Kiya's life. The same doctor heard the murmur two casts ago. Nothing was said last cast and then this cast she heard it and it was confirmed by another doctor. My father in law took a listen and he didn't hear it. It is a bit of a mystery at this point but one we are taking seriously. Kiya has her 3 year check up in a few weeks in which we will address the issue with her primary doctor and ask for a referral to a pediatric cardiologist for an EKG and echocardiogram which may need to wait until cast off week but we shall see.

Kiya is asymptomatic for anything seriously being wrong so there isn't an urgency but regardless we will have in looked into.

That is where we are, in a cast, frustrated but dealing with it. I hate scoliosis but will not stop fighting it.