It’s Mostly About Buddy

Well, for once a blog entry is not primarily about my medical ailments.

As some of you might have heard, my son, Buddy (Brian Jr.), has been plagued with horrible back pain. At first thought to be “growing pains” (he grew from being one of the shortest to being one of the taller kids in school), he was later found through an x-ray to have BOTH Scoliosis and Spina Bifida Occulta. The former was slight, and not something to be overly concerned about. The latter, although usually an incidental diagnosis, seemed to be the culprit over what was causing him the pain. So, on came the pediatric orthopedic doctors. At first, he was sent to physical therapy. But, like me, it just made the issue worse. So, he has been seeing them well over a year now. Finally, an MRI showed something disturbing: the gap in his spine from the Spina Bifida actually caused him to get arthritis…at 16!!! Tomorrow brings a consult with another specialist, who plans to at some point inject something near his spine to hopefully soothe the pain. If this does not work, surgery looks to be on the horizon. My son is definitely not happy about this latest turn. Add that to major dental issues (try forcing a teenager to do anything, much less brush his teeth), and he is not a happy camper. However, on a better note, he passed his “written” test, and now has his driving permit!

Sierra needs to go back to her doctor for further instruction as to her ongoing pain issues (now thought to be juv. Fibromyalgia.)

As for me, just the normal stuff: endless appointments, still waiting on wounds to heal, etc.

Hopefully I will be able to report soon on Buddy. For now, though, we are praying his pain will not prevent him from performing this weekend. Little Shop of Horrors starts its open dress rehearsal tomorrow, and first official performance on Thursday. Sierra is on the stage crew!