Post Surgery Update

 Hello to all who are still here! This is a basic update as to how Leo is recovering from spinal fusion surgery. And how it's been for Brad and me.

 At the end of May we got some x rays to check everything and the neurosurgeon said that the hardware and Leo's alignment looked great! Big praise there! We didn't have reason to be concerned from the outside. However, Leo's movements have been getting stronger and stronger which can cause a great deal of anxiety for me in regards to his neck healing properly. So it was just really nice to get confirmation that everything in there was doing well. 

 We ask for big prayers for the 3 of us tomorrow morning. We are going in to CHOP for an MRI to check on Leo's spinal cord. At the initial finding of the injury, Leo's spinal cord was inflamed. We are going to check the cord and the fluid around the cord. Again, looking at how Leo is living and moving and all of that, we are not worried. However, Brad and I are having a hard time mentally with this appointment specifically. This is the exact same place and procedure that found the neck injury in the first place. We will be sitting outside of the exact same door where the doctor came out and said, "Can I talk to you in a back room?" which lead to an unplanned 11 day hospital stay with spinal fusion surgery in the middle. There's just so much that your mind throws at you in this kind of situation. God is good no matter what happens. And it's also a choice of ours to meditate on what went wrong last time or to meditate on what went right and remember the 3 months of wonderful, vibrant life that Leo has had since surgery. It's just weighing on us mentally. 

 After the MRI, we have a CT scan scheduled for the end of August. This scan has the potential to be the "all clear" for Leo from surgery. They will be looking to see if/how his vertebrae have fused. We want the bone to hold his vertebrae in place long term, not the hardware they put in. Hopefully, after that appointment we can be given an official "all clear" from the surgery and press on to strengthening his neck more, more physical therapy, and Leo just living life. 

 Wow, that feels crazy to simply type. Leo just living life. I don't know if we can go back to that. Can we simply enjoy the day-to-day and not have to protect him from his own body? Can we ever escape the worry of missing a very important detail? I really don't know what it looks like to get beyond this surgery. But I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. And, let's not forget the current tunnel. Leo really is thriving. He's loving school, loving his new daytime nurse, interacting with people more, driving around more in our new van and car seat. It's just been really sweet. We are very grateful.