BIG Changes for our Big Guy

(Before)
Today was a big day for Nathan. After some deliberation about his teeth and how to make them all fit in his mouth without major consequences later--it was determined that he needed some orthodontic intervention. His eye teeth were set to sit behind his bottom teeth and grow towards his tongue. In layman's terms--NOT so good in the handsome smile department. The long-term results would mean major gum recession and costly grafts later if we didn't stop the abnormal positioning. Nathan wasn't exactly thrilled with the diagnosis, but he's pretty easy going about the challenges that come his way.

(After)
The big day arrived today when he got the top braces put on at Ellingsen, Paxton and Johnson Orthodontics. They are going to have to adjust the torque in his top teeth first to make room for the braces on the bottom. To put it bluntly--they just would not fit on the bottom right now because his bite is so tight. So the bottom braces won't be going on for 3-4 months yet.

Nathan wanted his braces to be as subtle as possible, so he chose clear brackets and gold wires. Very chic...considering his twin always chose bold and bright colors--usually themed around the holiday of the season. He was warned to keep the Advil handy on the first day, but he doesn't seem to have any discomfort. But one thing that we know about Nathan is--he has a very high pain tolerance. Braces should be a piece of cake compared to the five surgeries he's had in the last 3 years.

Cameron had a tune-up appointment with the orthodontist today as well. He provided his expert opinion about the whole experience as it was unfolding. Cameron is waiting for stage 2 of his orthodontia plan until all of his permanent teeth are in. He lost a tooth last week and then had the orthodontist wiggle out another tooth today. With three kids in braces right now--we are personally funding the beautiful brand new office on the South Hill. [Kidding! NOT!! Irony and comedy sometimes have a way of lightening the truth ...or we would all sink into deep depressions of reality!] Thank goodness we finished paying off Ashley's braces in July. We had a blissful break in August, and the payments on Nate start in September. Teeth...our new retirement plan. At least it's better then watching the 401K gradually decline into oblivion.

We went from the Orthodontist to the Orthotist right after. It was determined at the last appointment with Dr. Tompkins, the surgeon, that Nathan had lost 1" of bone on his left side and that was causing the pronounced limp in his walk. Nathan has at least a decade of corrective work to do ahead of him with his hips. The doctor was actually surprised that he wasn't in pain with the discrepancy between the sides. He said that a shoe lift would be the best approach right now to help Nathan with the limp until he can determine where the blood supply is going in his left hip.

Our insurance will not cover shoe lifts (go figure) and Shriner's only covers one lift per pair of shoes a year. So with it being back to school time--I got him a new pair of Skechers that Shriners' paid the lift for and we paid the difference for a lift to be added to a new pair of church shoes. Hopefully, his feet will grow slowly...and they will last him till next summer. [Irony--the lift on one shoe cost as much as the brand new pair of Skechers.... Good thing I'm a coupon shopper, right?]

It's funny that you gradually get used to limping...and then you gradually have to get used to NOT limping. Nathan's got some work ahead of him to improve his walking. And hopefully by the time that school starts, Nate will have a more even gait and he'll lose the self-consciousness about one of his shoes being different. Different is GREAT if it means that he can just forget his health problems for awhile and be a kid!

I can't say enough about how blessed we are to have a Shriner's Hospital in Spokane that specializes in orthopedics. They have been the driving force behind correcting what could have been a total catastrophe if we had stayed the course we started 3 years ago with the original femoral fracture. We have never been asked for co-pays, premium differences, undercharges, etc. They have been a miracle in our lives. The prognosis is not great for him right now--but they will continue to provide care and services for him for the years to come, regardless of our ability to pay or not. They are truly AmaZinG!!