First appointment soon...

Just wanted to put the word out that I will be having my first appointment with a surgeon this coming Tuesday, the 14th.

After much research, I determined that the Swedish Orthopedic Institute in Seattle would be the best place to start looking for surgeons. They have 3 spinal specialists that we looked into. After reading through their websites, watching some interview videos of them, and getting a recommendation from a family friend for one specific doctor, I determined that Dr. David Hanscom would be the first surgeon I would like to meet with.

A friend of my grandparent's recently had a procedure done by Dr. Hanscom, and spoke quite highly of his friendly manner, professionalism, and commitment to take the time to really get to know his patients, while providing very clear information. He sounds like a good communicator, which is important to me! Obviously, my foremost concern is finding a surgeon who knows what he's doing in the operating room... but if I'm not comfortable interacting with someone outside of the O.R. then I don't want that person as my doctor.

There are links to Dr. Hanscom's info below. The first is a link to Swedish Medical Center's biography for him, and the second is to a website about his pain management program. Pain management is obviously an area that he is very passionate about and one in which he has invested a great deal of work. It's interesting to see his compassion for his patients show through his writing on that site.

http://www.swedish.org/Physicians/David-Hanscom

AND

http://www.doccproject.com

So far as Tuesday's appointment goes, I don't really know what to expect. I had to fill out a ridiculous amount of paperwork in preparation for it. Most likely, we will be going over my past history, and having some x-rays taken which he will then be able to evaluate before giving us an official opinion.

Essentially, I don't expect to have him tell me exactly what approach he would take in surgery, how many vertebrae would be fused etc. at Tuesday's appointment. I think there will be a follow-up appointment scheduled for all of that.

My mom and I will be compiling my past scoliosis treatment records this weekend, and I'm really curious to see it all come together. Also, we will be hand carrying a copy of my latest x-rays to the appointment.

My orthotist emailed a copy of these to me, as you can see below. My curves were approximately 68 degrees thoracic (upper back) and 64 degrees lumbar (lower back) when these were taken. What I find most interesting is how you can clearly see my ribs smashed together on my front left side (right side of the image.) Sometimes, if I'm really lucky, I can feel them rub against each other!

This shot was taken in brace - you can kind of see the bands and straps.

This shot was taken out of brace.

While I'm at it, I'll share one of my favorite self-depricating jokes from middle school, made complete with visual aids right above:
"I always like to say that my weird back is just God's way of making up for the other curves that He didn't give me."
HAHAHAAHAhhaaaaa. That's a knee-slapper! It would have been genuinely funny, too, if it weren't so true :P But the rest of me caught up a bit, so all's well that ends well :)

Aside from gathering my records, my mom and I will be working on a list of questions to bring with us, just so we can keep track of things and be sure that we've covered all our bases.

Right now, I'm feeling pretty good about the appointment. Honestly, I haven't had time to think about it, too much. Definitely not enough time to be anxious. At least, not until I go to bed at night.

Being in dead week, heading into finals week, keeps me busy enough during the daytime that I just can't dwell on much outside of school. However, I'm sure this weekend will provide enough downtime to find me stressing out a bit. Having this appointment fall in finals week wouldn't have been my first choice, I can say that much.

At the moment, I'm really looking forward to the appointment. Yes, all of this is nerve wracking, but it feels really great to be getting the process started. Knowing that I will soon have someone who is an expert sitting in front of me, ready to answer some of the questions that I have been carrying around for anywhere from a few weeks, to many years, is exciting!

All of your prayers are so appreciated, and if I can please ask for you to pray specifically for peace of mind for my parents, and for me to be able to focus on finals, this week - that would be extra amazing!

I'll post again before the week is out :)