Pre-op Visit

We left for St. Louis on Wednesday, December 11th after school (a 5 1/2 hour drive from our home) because our first appointment on the 12th was set at 8 am.  We had a productive, long,  and busy day on December 12th.  At 8 am Danielle had blood drawn. We then walked to another part of the hospital for pre-op x-rays and what is called a Dier scan.  At 10 am she went for a Pulmonary Function Test to check the function of her lungs.

PFT testing

At 12 pm she had a CPAP appointment at another part of the hospital.  Here we met with the anesthesiologist. They told us many things to expect.. Here are 2 of the many important points to remember:   1. Danielle will be VERY emotional after surgery from the anesthetics. She may be giddy with laughter at one moment then upset and teary the next.  2. DO NOT look in the mirror for 2 days after surgery.  She will be laying on her tummy with her head slightly tilted down and her face will be very swollen and puffy.  The anesthesiologist said that girls always want to see and then always end up bawling.  So STAY AWAY from the mirror for a couple of days. They also told us that this is a major surgery and that we really have an amazing doctor!

We then went for an MRI at 2 pm, and thank goodness Danielle asked how long it would take because I really had no idea.  The technician told her 45 minutes to an hour.  I was given earplugs and sat in the corner. Good thing Danielle is not claustrophobic - she did a great job. After the MRI, we were scheduled to see Dr. Lenke at 4:30.  

At our visit with Dr. Lenke we once again discussed the kyphosis. He was a bit confused because in the x-ray Danielle had taken that morning, it showed her kyphosis had gone down 20 degrees and was now around 45 degrees. He said he had never seen it decrease that much in a matter of one month. He then asked Danielle what she had been doing or if something happened to cause it to straighten up. She didn't remember anything. Then he said, "The only thing I can think of is if she might have been leaning back when taking the x-ray." Then Danielle giggled and said, "Well I did stand up really straight when taking the x-ray which I didn't do last time. I didn't even think about it!" Then by just looking at her posture and remembering the x-rays from November, he knew it would be best to fix it but it was up to us. We all agreed that it would be best to address everything right now.  Dr. Lenke said that her incision would be longer and that surgery would take a bit longer, 5-6 hours. Dr. Lenke will be operating on Danielle's back from T4 to L2. We left the hospital that evening around 6:30pm. What a long day!

I would like to say that each and every person we talked to at St. Louis Children's hospital were kind, caring, informative, and helpful.  When we were trying to get from place to place on December 12th, if we looked the least bit lost someone would ask if we needed help getting somewhere. Dr. Lenke's team have all been kind, caring and helpful as well.  Talking with us patiently and addressing our questions when we visited and when I have called.  Dr. Lenke has a group of doctors following him most of the time.  These are not interns but doctors that have come to observe his techniques.  He has also developed some of the tools he uses in surgery.  He is so compassionate and caring.  I hate that Danielle's scoliosis has come to this point but I am so pleased that we found Dr. Lenke.  He is amazing.  We were told that many times throughout the day in different areas of the hospital. It has made things so much easier on us and even Danielle. 

Please keep Danielle in your prayers.  We pray that surgery is a success and her recovery goes well.  Also, please pray for Dr. Lenke and his team of doctors and nurses during her surgery and time in the hospital. Also, so they can continue to heal and help so many people.