Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Braces & Standers

We spent the morning at Rehab Center for Children. Our physiotherapist has been trying to get us in there for a while, and there happened to be a cancellation today. Noah saw the new orthopedic doctor to assess his weight bearing issues. His left hip and knee are very, very tight, which is what is keeping Noah from progressing to fully standing on his own. The xrays showed that his hip is slightly out of place, but not enough to do anything about it...the good new is that it's more of a muscle issue. Because it is only on one side, it is very difficult for him to even try and compensate. So the best thing we can do is to work on stretching and positioning. They decided to fit him for a stander...a device in which Noah will be forced to stand and weight bear. Ok, that sounds a bit barbaric...actually, they do look a bit like some barbaric torturing device, but it's really not that bad. It will have a nice tray in front, so basically like a high chair, only he will have to stand rather than sit. I'm thinking this will probably be a challenge to confine him. We will have to think of some fun activities to do when he is in it.

He was also fitted for AFOs (ankle foot orthotics, or braces) to help position his ankles better. This involved casting both of Noah's feet up to his knees to make molds. This was NOT fun. Noah was VERY mad about this procedure and it was quite the wrestling match trying to get these casts on. Wish I'd had my camera...we were quite the sight, with Noah kicking and screaming...plaster EVERYWHERE! So in about 4-6 weeks, we should get the stander and braces. The stander he will spend short periods each day in, and the braces he will wear as much as possible, even for sleeping if he will tolerate them. Just another thing to add to the mix! We did get to pick a custom design for them which was fun...Noah's will be blue with cars, trucks and airplanes on them.

CPAP is going much better. At our appointment last week, we got a different mask to try, which has different pressure points. It fits him so much better and his nose is healing, with no further skin breakdown. We are now getting very little leak in the mask, which means much fewer alarms during the night. The way things were going when we first came home, I did not know how we could do this long term. But things are so much better and Noah is getting used to his nightly ritual.

9 comments:

Maroo said...

Yeah! Thank u for the update. Sounds like Noah is in for some awesome treats and entertainment if he uses his stander! And that is great about the CPAP.

Jolene said...

Hope you enjoyed your time at RCC. It's our favorite place to go for appointments (Brodie loves the 'Pirates of the Carribean' pinball machine). We're going next week to get Ashley's stander refitted. It will be interesting to see what Noah thinks of his stander.

Cathy said...

oh man, would have loved a pic of everyone covered in plaster and Noah sitting pretty! haha! Maybe he will like being upright in his stander? Does Noah like playing games? Can he color or do stickers? I'd like to send him a special fun gift...please let me know!

Kathy's corner said...

Wow!! it sounds like you had a very productive day. I am excited to see how he does woith all this new paraphenalia.

Kim said...

Glad to hear that your appointment went well. I'm sure, given time, that Noah will enjoy his stander. And if all else fails, he can stand while he watches his Baby Einstein! I'm also sure that you'll find some fun things for him to do...I'll think about some ideas for you too!

Jules and Danny said...

Oh, everything sounds so good right now. I'm so glad to hear that many positives are happening for him right now. What a wonderful update!
j

The Keowns said...

wow, what a day!! I am surprised he hasn't worn out those baby einstein movies yet!!
have you registered the kids yet for camp?

The Keowns said...

and did you buy your camera???

Nichole said...

Cathy, Noah loves scribbling and stickers. How nice of you to think of sending him something.

Erin, yes, the kids are registered for camp. And after your advice, I took the plunge and ordered the Canon Powershot SX10. Can't wait to play with my new toy!