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I'm so sorry you're going through this!

A friend of mine had back surgery for scoliosis after years of wearing the braces -- I think that was sixth grade for her, and she spent the summer in a body cast, but it really helped and she was happy with the results despite the summer of discomfort. I hope you get what you're going for!

Lori,

I am also one who has followed your posts for several years. I'm very sorry to hear that your son's scoliosis has worsened. I don't know much about the surgery to correct it, but words like full body cast sound terrifying.

I quickly googled "surgery for scoliosis for teenagers" and found lots of support groups. Maybe if your son meets other teens online that are facing surgery or those who have already had it, then he won't imagine the worse case scenario and perhaps see some positive cases.

As all of us have found here, sometimes you just need to talk to someone who is going through the same experience.

Let us know how his is doing. We will keep him in our thoughts.

Hmmmm.... Guess I haven't logged in for a while. Time to update the ages on the kids.

Maybe he has already explored these support groups, but here is one link that I found for Teenages with Scoliosis.
Just for Teens: Adolescent Scoliosis Society of North America

I think this sounds tentatively like good news: no more time wasted, and what must be a good chance of a treatment that works. From your posts I've read over the last couple of years, your son sounds like a capable person who's coped with his scoliosis and hypotonia well, and continues to have a thirst and strong ability to learn despite them. I'm hoping that the surgery is not counterindicated, and goes very smoothly.

So sorry the treatment hasn't worked...how heartbreaking. I hope that the surgery may give your ds some relief. My brother had surgery for scoliosis in 1982 and had a rod placed against his spine. His scoliosis was starting to effect his breathing. At most major children's hospitals, there is a "child life" department with specialists who can help minimize the anxiety of hospital stays and difficult procedures. Maybe they can offer some support.