Featured Ava-Rose back operation

My granddaughter 6 y-o Ava-Rose suffers from spine curvature with an increasing degree, up to 86°. Today she will have an op to insert magnetic rods into her back to try to correct this.
Little treasure also suffers from epilepsy & has 3 powerful drugs as well as a ketogenic diet to control the fits. The drugs affect her behaviour & appetite, & she has a permanent nose tube into the stomach for drugs, food & drink.
Please include parents Jonathan & Zoe in your prayer.

 

From Mum Zoe -
Quick update......Ava-Rose's surgeons have just come into the ward, Ava-Rose has good bones and has very good fixture on her bones, they are very pleased all went well, she is just starting to wake up so we haven't seen her yet...she has a special jacket encase she has siezures to protect her bones and any chance of ripping apart the work they have done.....xx

 

Still dozy & puzzled - this isn't like the previous hospital visits where she enjoyed the play areas. There's a lot of future living to be worked out with the rods in her back. How active can she be?
The jacket doesn't look too restricting but she's still in bed of course.

 

Making progress - sitting out & walking - cooperating with physiotherapy.
But she has had a fit, & been sick on the jacket - which is a plaster cast.
They hope to be home next week.
THanks for prayers.

 

On a lighter note -
Two of Ava-Rose's cousins, Michael (6, same age) and Alexandra 3 1/2, came to play with Ava & sister Jessica (4.) They get on extremely well.

Alexandra enjoyed pushing the older children on the swings - no problem as it swung back. A day or 2 later she phoned us (with Daddy's help) & kept us entertained for about 20 minutes - "I'm a chatterbox." She sang us 2 nursery rhymes.
This morning Daddy said she'd been naughty - she was sitting under the table eating a Cornetto she'd taken out of the freezer

It's wonderful to have family support in this situation. Zoe & Jessica are staying with Jon's brother Jeff a few miles from the hospital.

 

Cornetto is a icecream cone lined with chocolate & filled with icecream.

Jon has seen the post-op x-rays. Ava has 10 bolts holding two metal rods to her spine. It looks much straighter.

 

She's coming home today, praise our Lord.
Still a long healing process - and growing which will mean lengthening the rods magnetically.

 

With her this morning - her cheerful self but she needs watching & can't be allowed to walk alone - though she can. Making good progress though still under pain killers. And, of course, the epilepsy drugs. We enjoyed a cuddle.

 

The ward had eggs to incubate so they could introduce them to the patients.

 

Thanks for continuing prayer. Sorry to be a long time updating. Ava is making progress but it will be a long time - years - before it all works out. She's still wearing the plaster jacket, still having a few fits daily, still not eating properly - and losing weight.

Also because of the epilepsy drugs, her sleeping is very erratic, which is exhausting for parents Jon & Zoe.

 

I've now got some photos - please don't share them publicly apart from this forum.


Ava-Rose with hat to protect her from Seizure falling

X-ray before operation - note green lines showing extent of curvature

Scar from operation to insert 2 metal rods - that must have been a very bendy cut.

These are from a special facebook album visible to FB friends - why won't they show ????

I'm on FB as Ian Day so you can makes friends & visit.