Visit to Shriner's

We've known for quite a while that Makayla has scoliosis. After regularly visiting one orthopedist who just kept telling us we would follow it and monitor it, we had to go to another doctor. He was local, but not a peds specialist. He scared me to death. He referred us to Shriner's and we went last week.

We found out Makayla's back has gone from 80 degrees in August to 105 now.  It began to drastically increase after open heart surgery in August 2010.

The option is to put an extension rod in her back. She will have to have outpatient surgery every 6 months to extend it for the next 10 years or so, until she stops growing. The doctor also wants her to wear a halo for a month or two prior to the surgery. He would like her to be hospitalized the entire time:/

It can't be done at that Shriner's because she needs a Cardiologist and Pulminologist available, which they do not have at that facility. We would have to go to Shriner's in St. Louis or we can go to Vanderbilt since it is in our state. Still yet, that is 4 hours away. We are hoping the doctor will approve Home Health to monitor her at home instead. If not, we hope she can be transferred to the local Children's hospital until time for the procedure. Our last option, but not last resort is to move to the Nashville area (something we had already been considering before learning all of this information).

For now, we will wait to return to Shriner's next month. I will be working on getting the house market ready, "just in case." Some things on my to do list is:

•  Repaint every room except the girls room and the laundry room.
• Back splash in kitchen
• Handles on cabinets
• Finish roof (not me of course;)
• Clear out large lot behind the house (currently in progress by someone we hired)
• Paint the deck
• Paint iron screen doors
• Putting cabinets up in laundry room
• Put up door up in laundry room

I'm hoping these changes will help sell the house quickly and for a great price if we put it on the market. 

**Update-I might have the hubs convinced to stay, but we will still prepare just in case.