Justin’s mom just sent me this blog entry to tell their story.
My summary of Justin’s surgery is found on previous blog.
Dr. Lloyd Hey – Hey Clinic for Scoliosis and Spine Surgery
https://www.heyclinic.com
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In January of 2010 our son Justin was diagnosed with a grade 3 Spondylolisthesis. He underwent spinal fusion surgery at L-4 to S-1 on June 9, 2010. Although the doctor proclaimed the surgery a success our son’s recovery was plagued with complication. During a routine follow up exam in June of 2011 it was discovered he had a cracked screw and on April of 2013 the surgeon stated a second surgery was required to remove the cracked screw and a loss screw. The surgeon recommended an anterior and posterior approach to correct a now grade 4 Spondylolisthesis.
We didn’t want our son to have a second surgery but God opened our eyes to his daily struggles and limitations. He was experiencing limited movement, walking bent forward and his low self-esteem. Our son has not played sports for 3 ½ years.
Our Journey was not an easy one, who could we find and trust to care for our child as if he was their own? Our searches lead us to Dr. Hey at The Hey Clinic. When we met with Dr. Hey his confidence and expertise was evident and we agreed upon a surgery date at that very first visit. Dr. Hey also suggested that we feel confident with him by getting a second or third opinion.
A wise man seeks councils from others and that is what Dr. Hey did he consulted with doctors from around the world and determined that the anterior approach was not required.
Our Son’s second surgery was performed at Duke Raleigh Hospital on September 26, 2013 his surgery consisted of removal of the Legacy hardware inputting of new hardware, posterior exploration of fusion mass, lumbar 4 to iliac wing. The surgery lasted 9 ½ hours. Before surgery Dr. Hey prayed a prayer of thanksgiving.
We were able to leave the hospital on September 29, 2013 and our son is walking upright with minimal assistance; he is almost three inches taller and will be returning to school in a few weeks.
Dr. Hey was a God sent to us; we pursued a third opinion and were given no hope of our son walking normally with a 25% percent chance of foot drop. If you are faced with decisions such as ours please contact The Hey Clinic, his staff is top notch and can answer any question you may have. When our son had surgery the operating room nurse Kelly came in on her day off. I pray you get a second opinion from Dr. Hey it can change your life, it did for our family and now our son has hope for a brighter future.
