Surgery Follow-up

 Hello friends! Ava has been doing great. She said she feels better than she did before surgery. That is huge to us. We are so thankful that she feels this way. Today was her follow-up appointment with her surgeon Dr. Shilyanky. He said it was not uncommon for her to have a bowel obstruction after surgery. (If we had a chance for a redo I wouldn't have let her eat solid foods right away. I think that was the cause... but only God knows for sure.) He was happy to see she was feeling and looking.

I better warn you we colored her hair a medium brown. She has been begging me for weeks now. She likes this color much better. I felt a bit sad as I lost my twin?!

She weighs 113 pounds and is 5'7 and a half. So far she's stayed this height so we'll see if she grows anymore.

Covid-19 will you ever leave? These masks are not fun to wear at all. I feel for the people that have to wear them all day long. 

Her x ray looked good too. I am so relieved that things are going well. We have really been blessed.

Here is what her incision looked like on a few days ago laying down. There are a few spots where the stitches are trying to break through her skin. He said if she wanted to pull them and cut them off she could. Also he wanted her to really clean that area. It will make it look better.

Here is her incision today while she was standing up. 54 days after surgery. She's one tough cookie!

Here is her x ray of today. It's great to see when organs are in their proper places!! Diaphragm looks great! So happy to see this... the down side is we too can see her scoliosis as well. She has an orthopedic appointment September 23rd to see Dr. Weinstein. We are praying her curve is holding steady. She had an appointment with him in July that we had to cancel due to her hospital stay.

I asked her doctor what will happen if she needs another operation when she is an adult. He said that he sees/can do surgery up to age 21 and then he would refer her to a Thoraracic surgeon. He also said he could possibly look in or help the surgeon if more needed to be done. Her and him have been in this so long together! I asked this question because several people have come to our page as adult survivors asking where are they to go for help or if they need a surgery. I honestly didn't know. Thoracic surgeon is the answer. We pray that this will be her last repair but nothing is for certain. It's the most asked question she gets... is this the final surgery? We just do not know but are so blessed to be in this place now. Her journey has been a roller coaster ride.

So yea... all good news! 

Ava will begin online classes soon. Our county is really being careful as the percentage rate is at 15.4% today. They postponed school this last week due to the virus. They have the option to go two times a week or do all online. It was an easy decision for us. She must still be careful and we will do our best to keep her well. Our hearts go out to so many that have contracted the virus. I know I'm not in control so if she gets it... well we will go from there. We are just so happy she is eating well, going to the bathroom and feeling no pain. 

Thanks for your support, love and prayers. We know that with God ALL things are possible. I can honestly look back and say I can't even begin to tell you how 14 years ago at this time we didn't know if she would survive and now for her to be a teenager and healthy?! God is so good. She turns 14 on Monday. How can this be? I'm so thankful that God exceeds my expectations ALL the time with this young lady. He still has so much more for her to do with her precious life! I can't wait to see what that turn out to be!

-Terri