Tanner's worthwhile dr. appointment

We made a quick trip to Seattle for Tanner's doctor appointment at the Children's Hospital there.  It was a really nice experience.  It was the exact opposite of what we experienced with the specialist here.  Going to a place specifically for children made a world of difference.  We learned a lot and know what is going on now so I feel a lot better about the entire situation.  The cause of Perthes Disease is unknown.  There are four stages of this disease.  Tanner is either in stage 2 or 3, time will tell with that.  Basically the bone in the hip weakens and dies because it is not getting the proper blood supply.  The thing that is amazing to me is after this happens the bone rebuilds itself, which is about where Tanner is at now in the process.  This process however can take 2-3 years.  In some cases surgery is needed, thankfully this is not the case for Tanner.  In fact there is very little for us to do, but let the body heal itself.  They did studies using braces on kids with Perthes and some kids without and there was no difference.  They all healed the same.  We are lucky because the kids with Perthes that are younger tend to have less severe cases and heal easier.  We get to check in with the dr. and have him x-rayed every six months as well as restrict him from rough sports or things like jumping on a trampoline and give him medicine if needed, but that's it.  Mainly we are just letting the dr. keep an eye on things to make sure his body does what it needs to in order to heal itself.  The body really is an amazing thing isn't it?  I am so glad we went over there.  I am feeling so much better about everything.  Tanner did awesome too!  He's a trooper.