Straight Ahead!

Allie is doing fantastic! Last Monday, less than a week after surgery, she took herself off the prescription pain meds. Thursday seemed to be a turning point. She started eating better. Friday night she started getting better sleep. She went to LifeGroup Friday night and got to spend time with her friends. She went to church Sunday morning.

Yesterday was her first post-op visit with Dr. Beebe and his nurse practitioner, Jill. The bandages came off and the wound looks fairly good. There is a collection of fluid (seroma) in the soft tissue. This is slowly draining. Dr. Beebe said that if it does not improve by next Monday she may have to have a drain placed. We are praying that the fluid will either spontaneously drained or be reabsorbed by her body.

She also had another x-ray taken. Pre-surgery her curves measured 50 degrees on the thoracic/upper curve and 60 degrees on the thoracolumbar/lower curve. We were told to expect no more than 50% reduction--so after surgery we might see 25 and 30 degrees respectively. Here is what she looks like now.

The thoracic/upper curve measures about 20 degrees and the thoracolumbar/lower curve is now around 13 degrees.