more info...

I have had several people ask about the incision.... I know a couple of my adoptive mom friends are in the process of adopting CP kids and they may or may not have this same surgery in their future so I thought I would post this info for them. If you are squeamish ~ this is your warning to SKIP this post!

I had originally thought that I would take Jon to Dr Parks in St. Louis because he is suppose to be the BEST and if I remember correctly he is also the one that pioneered this procedure. But because of several situations I decided to stay in Atlanta and allow Dr Boydston to preform the SDR. In all of my conversations with Boydston I was also told to expect a small incision, but they found many more abnormalities than they had expected so they had to make a much larger incision. This means that most children will NOT have a 5 - 6 inch incision. Dr Parks is usually able to make a 1 -2 inch incision for all children. He says that he has perfected the procedure, so if you are close to St Louis, and your insurance is accepted by his office, I think that is the place to go!

I struggled with wether or not I should post a picture of it here on the blog, but I think I have decided that the best thing to do is ask that those of you who want to see it to send me an email and I will share a pic. ( hollynht@gmail.com ) I think it would have helped me if I had seen what it was going to look like before Jon's surgery.

To answer questions regarding his ability to stand/walk....
Yes his feet are now flat! :) He use to draw his left leg up when he walked. Now his foot is flat on the floor! WHOO HOO! Can you believe it? God is so Good!
He even stands straighter! I thought with the pain he would be more stooped over, but he's not! His back and legs are so much straighter. Even his arms have more range of motion! I am so impressed with the gains he has already made. Once he starts physical therapy I am sure we will see even more improvement.

Feel free to ask any questions. Especially those of you that are thinking of adopting a child with CP or in the process of adopting a child with CP.