One Week Down...One to Go!

We are halfway through the 2-week intensive treatment program. Natalia had x-rays today to see how things are looking. At this point, she has a 22.8% curve reduction! Dr. Dorovany anticipates more curve reduction next week, with additional reduction over the next 90 days as we continue the exercises at home. We are thrilled with the early results, and are hopeful that they can be maintained! We have exercises to do over the weekend and this is what we'll be bringing home to do as well!

We enjoyed our afternoon at Heritage Hill State Park - a living museum spread over 50+ acres. Reminds me of Pioneer Park in Ferndale, on a much bigger scale. Would be awesome in the summer when they have all the buildings open and people dressed for the period and performing period activities.We are looking forward to doing a little sight seeing tomorrow with my boss' sister who lives nearby. We've also been invited to dinner at the home where Maja B and Sharon A are staying. They have 8 and 9 year old girls, so that will be fun! Have a great weekend!

Greetings from Green Bay

Treatment continues for Natalia similar to the schedule I described earlier. She is doing well. Tomorrow (Friday) Natalia has just the morning session and she will have x-rays and I will meet with Dr. Dovorany to get an update from his perspective. Looking forward to that!

Dr. Dovorany did adjust the weighted balancing exercises today. This is also the exercise equipment that we will be bringing home - although it may be adjusted again before we leave.


Yesterday, I discovered Kaaps Old World Chocolates - just 1/2 block from the spine clinic! What fun. And tasty!!! Reminded me of a shop in Leavenworth. They have been making chocolates for 100 years here in Green Bay.

Last evening we went to Bible Study here which was absolutely wonderful. Loved meeting the folks here, and making connections with them to people we both know.

This afternoon I took a walk on the Fox River State Recreational Trail, a 25 mile public trail. It is just one block down from our hotel and a great place for recreation. Wow, what a community treasure! Here are some scenes from my walk!

Tomorrow, since Natalia has the afternoon free, we are going to meet the workers, Maja B and Sharon A, and tour the Heritage Hill State Historical Park. It is just about a mile from where we are staying and looks to be a wealth of history. Natalia will love it!!

Will post an update tomorrow with a progress report! Thanks for all your care.

Tuesday

Today was our second full day of treatment. Natalia knows better what to expect now, and spoke up better today when something was uncomfortable so that adjustments could be made. X-rays taken today indicate that Natalia's back is starting to respond to the treatments, which is really encouraging! I got pictures of the other machine to post. It is the most comfortable one, and is almost good enough for a snooze!

The hotel and staff are great - they provide a VERY nice full breakfast, as well as a nice snack and beverages in the evening. We feel well taken care of...thanks for all your thoughts and words of encouragement sent various ways! We feel them!

The first day

We have successfully completed the first day of the Scoliosis Boot Camp! The day is broken into three rotations of 5 machines, plus chiropractic manipulation. Natalia does two full rotations in the morning between 8 am and 1 pm, and then has a lunch break. Following lunch break, she does one more full rotation. She's laying in bed now, settling in and says it doesn't hurt to lay on her back like it did before. I'll take that for a good sign. Some of the machines were a bit boring, others felt good, and some were a bit claustrophobic. But all in all, a good first day. Here are some pics of Natalia on four of the machines. I'll try to get a pic of the fifth one tomorrow.

Monday Morning Update

We had a wonderfully uneventful day of traveling on New Year's Day - both flights were early and we collected our bags and made it to our hotel. We have a small studio setup so we have a kitchen which is great, being here for two weeks. Found out our hotel will do my grocery shopping with my list, for no charge - think I might get used to this!

We checked in to the Spine Clinic at 8:15 this morning. Natalia has had her initial x-rays and now is back to begin her treatment. Will be anxious to get her report.

It is about 18 degrees here, and clear, with some northeast wind. A little snow. So cold, but bearable. Our hotel is only about 1/4 mile from the clinic, so a quick walk.

Off to Green Bay

In my last post, I mentioned that Natalia was diagnosed with moderate to severe scoliosis in September. She has been being treated at Children's Hospital in Seattle. We have received excellent care there, however, Natalia's scoliosis has continued to progress rather rapidly. At our last visit in early December, we met with the head orthopedic/scoliosis doctor. From a medical standpoint, Natalia is a candidate for spinal fusion surgery to straighten her spine and stop the progression. While we believe that the doctors at Children's are among the best in the world, and trust that she would receive excellent care there, we also know that spinal fusion is a major surgery that would impact Natalia for the rest of her life. We want to make sure that we explore all other viable options before proceeding with spinal fusion surgery. After research, we have decided to go through the "Scoliosis Boot Camp" program in Green Bay, Wisconsin. This is an intensive 2-week treatment program developed by a group of chiropractors called the Clear Scoliosis Institute. We feel like this is our best chance at avoiding spinal fusion surgery.

Natalia and I fly out to Green Bay tomorrow - Sunday, January 1st, and will be there through Friday, January 13th. Natalia will be in about 7 hours of treatment per day, Monday through Thursday, and 4 hours on Fridays. We'll come home with a set of exercises, and probably a traction chair as well. We hope to be able to do follow-up treatment with a chiropractor in Bellevue that has been trained in the Clear methods.

I hope to update this blog during our trip to give updates on the treatment and how things are going. We are hoping it isn't too cold!

Happy Holidays 2011

May this season fill your home with joy, 


your heart with love and your life with laughter.

Another year is nearly done, and so I will attempt to reflect and share the highlights of our year and family.

Natalia is 12 ½ and in 7^th grade. She enjoys school and is a great student! She has continued to play the piano and participate in Girl Scouts. She got braces this spring and is growing like a weed – by this time next year (and probably much sooner) I am confident that she will be taller than her mom!

Johanna just turned 11 and is having a great year in 5^th grade. She gave up Girl Scouts this year so she could play volleyball and basketball. She is still playing the piano as well. She got braces this fall to keep up with her sister!

Rob’s mom, Cheryl, is fairly stable and continues to live at the Careage Care Home. She works hard to communicate and we do our best to understand! She has not regained much use of her right side since her stroke in 2010 but certainly has kept her spirit and determination, so we have hope that she will make further improvements over time.

We enjoyed a “road trip of a lifetime” down the Oregon and California coast this summer with our travel trailer. We loved the beautiful scenery and having precious time together as a family and the camping experience – even if it is camping in comfort! It was special to spend time with the LiaBraaten family while we were in California.

We had a short trip to the “happiest place on earth” in January – was so fun to experience Disneyland with the girls – their first time there (that they can remember)! Thanksgiving week was spent in the Phoenix area soaking up sunshine and time with dear friends.

Rob continues to work for Roland and Christina for the library. We are thankful for stable employment!

Natalia was diagnosed with moderate to severe scoliosis in September and has been wearing a brace, however it seems that the brace is not working to slow the progression of her curve. We are considering the options available and are hoping for the best possible outcome.

May the love of family and the joy of the holidays bring warmth and peace to your home. Seasons Greetings from our family to yours!

Love, Rob, Christina, Natalia & Johanna

The Best Thing...

Holidays Greetings from our House to Yours!

Don’t just go through life…grow through life! Some of the lessons we’ve learned (or relearned) this year…

Life can change in an instant. Our health is truly a gift. It’s important to tell our loved ones we love them every day. We cannot put off things for “later” because there may not be a “later.” Our 2010 year will be remembered as the year (Rob’s) Mom had her stroke. At the young age of 66, it was a huge shock. It’s been four months since Mom’s stroke. She spent three weeks in the hospital and has been at a skilled nursing facility since then. Her latest MRI shows there is still swelling and blood in the brain. Her right side is largely paralyzed and communicating effectively is difficult. We are thankful for each day we have with Mom and are optimistic that over time, progress will continue to be made.

Make time to visit aging family & friends while you can. We lost Rob’s grandma in March and are very glad that we visited frequently while we had the opportunity. Christina visited Grammy in Montana and will always treasure that visit.

Middle school can be a positive experience. Phew! Natalia is in 6^th grade and began middle school this year. Natalia has a great teacher, who is very interested in teaching technology alongside the traditional school subjects, so that has kept Natalia engaged. New responsibilities are balanced by new privileges.

Don’t take for granted the value of good, consistent teaching. Johanna is in 4^th grade this year. Unfortunately her teacher has had health problems this year, and has not been in the classroom much. We are hopeful that following Christmas break, she will be able to return full-time.

Camping close to home is fun…camping in the rain…not so much. We thoroughly enjoyed our second season with our travel trailer. We had a couple rainy trips in the spring, but our summer trips were dry! Birch Bay State Park and Lake Pearrigyn (near Winthrop) were a couple of our favorite destinations this year.

Don’t miss family reunions. In July three generations of the Carlson family made special memories at a reunion/camp in Curlew.

Spending time with special friends does the heart good. Sunshine doesn’t hurt either. We spent Thanksgiving week in Scottsdale, AZ again this year with the Hewitt family. There is something thoroughly pleasing about escaping the November gloom of Western Washington to sunshine and blue skies. Although it wasn’t as warm as last year, we didn’t enjoy it any less!

The best Christmas of all is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up with one another. We are looking forward to family time over the holidays, spending time both on Whidbey island with the Read family and in Oroville with the Harvey family.

May your holidays be filled with the love of family and friends and may 2011 be a wonderful year for you and your family. Love, Rob, Christina, Natalia & Johanna

A little photo fun with the girls