Divine Providence

A minor victory for the Schulze family as the decision was made to have Elizabeth return to school for a full day.  She began attending school for 1/2 days a couple of weeks ago.  Her pain levels have come down and she has more endurance and has stopped falling.  It will be a great way to end the school year that has been very difficult for her.  Elizabeth had to be taught at home at the end of September because she tore her hip tendon sitting in science class.  She worked hard and was even hospitalized for a week to get her up and moving again.

She was scheduled to return after Christmas break but she fell down the stairs on January 1.  This re injured her hip and hurt her neck.  She was in the neck collar until late April.  There was questions about the severity of the injury and the pain and if it had to do with possible instability of the C1-C2 tendon like Erica and me.   One CT scan showed a very scary picture of her neck.  It showed that has she turned her neck, her head was coming off her spine.  This image was very disturbing and so was the message that she would need surgery.  If you have read any of my entries about the C1-C2 fusion, you will know that this was the worst news.

Other doctors were not convinced that this instability was leading to any real problems.  Then she began to fall and not use her arms to stop her.  She sustained a spinal chord concussion and a head concussion.  No one, even the doctor that suspected the instability could explain the falling.

We struggled to get answers and figure out what to do. What do you do when doctors do not agree? Who do you ask? Where do you go to get a second opinion if you are already seeing the best doctors? How could we get the images and suggestion that a simple fall could permanently damage her spinal chord?

Most did not want to give us advice that could lead to any question of malpractice.  Their advice was simply no advice.  Some doctors would vacillate opinions from one appointment to another, some during one appointment and others during a single sentence!

Ultimately the decision was left up to us.  Gradually the fear of what if has to pass it to what will be.  We pray that we make the right choice.  We pray for guidance.  What we get is what we are willing to put in trust of divine providence.