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Please help us to have Michelle's back

  • Michelle - 3 weeks post op

      30 July 2018
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    Hi everyone,

    Michelle, James and I would like to thank each and everyone for your love, support, prayers and well wishes.

    This has been quite a journey and with your help and support it has been made a bit easier.

    We are very pleased with the outcome and progress so far. The curve correction is over 50%. I have attached the latest X-Ray. We were super stoked with the results. She has 8 screws and the nylon tether which should keep the spine in place and prevent further progression. In fact it should over time straighten a bit more. It will also leave her with flexibility and the ability to do almost anything that she could do before surgery.

    This is opposed to traditional fusion that would have left her with 16 screws and two steel rods with all the bones that would over time fuse together - leaving her less flexible, but also in risk of second surgery.

    Michelle is recovering very well and is getting stronger everyday.

    She still can't sit, stand or walk for too long and is taking it slow. She is obviously still uncomfortable and sore, but she is off all the pain medications. It was making her sick and we stopped the strong pain medication 1 week post op. She started feeling so much better after that.

    We are seeing the surgeon again next week and hopefully he will be as pleased with the progress as we are.

    We will keep you posted.

    All our love,

    Michelle, James and René

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  • 4 June 2018 update

      4 June 2018

    A big thank you for all the well wishes and donations. We have no words to express our gratitude but hope you know that the Thank You is from the bottom of our hearts.

    It has been a bit of an emotional week. We had new X-rays done and Michelle's curves progressed further to Thoracic 59/60 and Lumbar 48.

    The surgery date is drawing closer and we will be flying out in less than a month.

    Preparations are in full swing.

    We are praying and trusting that she will be ok when we fly out.

    What many people don't know is that Michelle had a tailbone injury at the end of February which caused a pilonidal abscess that had to be surgically drained. The wound didn't heal as it should have and her surgeon wanted to do a second surgery two weeks ago. There won't be enough time for it to heal before we fly out and he agreed to re-asses when we are back from Germany. His advice to us was to postpone the surgery in Germany. We are reluctant to do that due to the fast progression of her curves.....Phew....the past few weeks has been trying. Michelle did not enjoy the daily wound packing and dressing etc. we hope and pray that she won't get an infection in the area again as that would cause major issues. She has been on three courses of antibiotics in the last 3 months and will have another course when she has the spine surgery.

    We will keep you posted with progress.

    Once again....Thank You for your love, prayers and support!!!

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