Yesterday we took Aimee in to consult, in a joint appointment, with the Orthopedic surgeon and the Pulmonologist. We had new x-rays and a different type of lung examination.
Seated X-ray:
Traction x-Ray:
The good news is that there has not been a significant change in the traction x-ray (when they try to pull her straight) over the past few months. Other than that, it was mostly not great news.
My expectation going into this appointment was for them to see no change in her x-ray and for the pulmonologist to listen to her lungs/check her o2 sat and tell us she sounded clear and her sat number is great. Instead, this doctor did an indepth questioning of Aimee's history and a much more thourough pulmonary exam. He listened to both her lungs together, measured different distortions in her chest, and gaged the effort it is taking her to breath.
I don't know all the terminology for these things yet, but the short of it is that her lung function is being impaired by the curving and twisting of her spine, as well as, the distortion and flatness of her ribs. Her left lung is particularly impaired. The doctor said that there is a delay in her exhale on that side, meaning smaller openings. There is a significant handle on that left side back of her ribs. He showed me to watch for breathing effort on the base of her throat. She works hard to breath.
We will go back in after this flu season to remeet with these same 2 doctors. Together they will decide when it is time to intervene, which they anticipate will be in the next year or so. This intervention will be a spine surgery to add magnetic growth rods, something that we had hoped was much further away.
