No Surprises

Nate had a follow-up appointment with his pediatric orthopedic specialist in Duluth today.

Of course we first had to visit the book store, and have lunch together. Nate wanted Old Chicago, and the thing about Canal Park on a cold, windy, weekday is that (unlike a warm, sunny, weekend) parking is not an issue. We got a spot on the street right in front of Old Chicago, about 5 feet from the door. After stuffing ourselves full of pizza and root beer, and taking advantage of other premium parking spots in Canal Park to do some Christmas shopping we drove over to Essentia.

6 months ago at his last follow-up with Dr. T, she had decided to do some xrays of his back/hips as the type of arthritis that they are leaning towards with Nate has a high correlation of arthritis in these ares. No arthritis in these areas were noted, however the surprise to both Dr. T and myself was the obvious curve in his back. It wasn't a huge curve, but it was obviously there. Typically they wouldn't treat a curve that small, however they do if it is changing in an individual who is still growing. So we planned on following up again in 6 months instead of a year. If it had changed 5 degrees or more, then it needed to be treated.

We had imaging done today, and the scoliosis looks stable (if slightly improved even). He doesn't have back pain, and other than the already known muscle imbalances we are good to monitor and follow up again in a year. No need to think about bracing or surgery at this point to manage the scoliosis.

In a year full of unexpected surprises and what feels like a never ending spiral of additional discoveries about Nate, this was very welcome news. Dr. T is encouraging ongoing visits with GI and rheumatology, but does feel more of this could be coordinated through Nate's primary doctor. She also agrees that since he turns 17 in February, we can look into rheumatology and GI in Duluth rather than the pediatric specialists in the cities. Although I love the reason to visit Mike and Sara, this is a welcome change.