Julie and her family first met Mr Lucas at Evelina London Children's Hospital. “We really liked Mr Lucas, and he had an excellent reputation as a surgeon,” says Julie’s mum, Nicola. “He monitored Julie’s spine with a bracing program for a number of years, before deciding the time was right for surgery. Although we were apprehensive, we were also relieved. It was clear the brace wasn’t able to control the progression of her scoliosis, and we couldn’t allow Julie’s spine to deteriorate any further.”
Julie’s parents decided to proceed with surgery at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital where Mr Lucas’ NHS practice is based. Unfortunately, the surgery was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with access to private healthcare cover in place, the couple contacted Mr Lucas, who was able to do the surgery that summer at The Portland Hospital, where he runs The Portland Hospital Scoliosis and Spinal Surgery Centre, part of HCA Healthcare UK.
With Julie’s surgery date confirmed, Mr Lucas’ secretary arranged for the family to visit for a pre-operative assessment.
“We met the nursing team and physios who were very friendly and told us about what would happen before, during and after surgery,” Nicola remembers. “The dietitian also discussed what equipment and meals The Portland could provide for Julie and what we should bring with us to hospital. The whole experience was very reassuring.”
As soon as Julie’s operation had finished, Mr Lucas went straight to Nicola to explain the next steps. “He was brilliant and very reassuring,” she remembers. “He explained that Julie would be intubated for 24 hours to ensure she remained still, and he visited Julie every day she was in the hospital, morning and most evenings.”
Julie experienced a partial collapse of one of her lungs – a common complication after major corrective scoliosis surgery for young patients with cerebral palsy. She stayed in The Portland’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for five days to recover, where she was continuously monitored and cared for by the physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Julie made a very quick recovery and was able to be discharged four days later.
Despite this period of uncertainty, Nicola knew Julie was in the best hands. “The PICU team were brilliant,” she says, “and the level of care Julie received from everyone was amazing.”
Before the family went home, The Portland physios and nurses provided Julie’s private physio with in-depth handover notes and a full exercise plan. The Clinical Nurse Specialist also showed Nicola and her husband how to apply Julie’s dressings.
The ongoing support left Nicola feeling very thankful. “They were in touch throughout and often checked in on us after we’d left to make sure everything was okay,” she remembers. “We really felt we’d got to know the team well during those few days in hospital.”
Julie came back to The Portland for a follow-up appointment six weeks after the surgery, and again in early December for X-rays to confirm everything was as it should be.
Julie’s surgery was very complex, especially given her additional disability and concurrent medical problems. Despite this, she’s made an excellent recovery, and both her parents are incredibly happy with the results – not least the fact she’s now walking better than she could prior to surgery, due to her much straighter spine.
“Julie’s doing really well,” Nicola says. “The scar’s healed nicely, and her recovery’s been really good since she came out of hospital.”
