New specialist, new brace

A few months ago we had an assessment with a new specialist. We discovered a spinal surgeon in Sydney that has hands on training in Mehta casting and wanted his option on Evelyne's spine and the possibility of casting in order to postpone surgery.

He informed us that bracing is not very effective in controlling the curve once it's over 40 degrees (as we knew). When he examined her the curve was over 50 degrees in the brace, and so he suggested the best way forward was to try Mehta casting to attempt to get the curve under control.  We decided that over the summer before using Mehta casting that we would have one more attempt at bracing with a new design methodology. 

The new brace has been more uncomfortable and restrictive with numerous complaints from Evelyne when putting it on and more when traveling in the car. It also has a tendency to put holes in her clothing. However after 4 weeks in this new brace, today we had an x-ray. The x-ray showed a curve of only 41 degrees! It is encouraging to see that the brace has reduced the curve, however we will still have to monitor how well she is tolerating the discomfort and watch for any pressure areas. The next few years will be a juggle between wanting treatment to be effective, but making sure it is able to be tolerated by Evelyne.