We saw the first of 2 doctors today after an hour and a half wait! Yes, I said 1 and 1/2 hours and no I had zero patience for it. One of the docs we've seen before and her first reaction was, "Boy, he looks better." Nice start. She noticed 100% improvement in his neck control and saw that his weight bearing had also made some progress. She was concerned about his hips and back, wondering if his rib flare is turning more toward true scoliosis, and referred us to get an updated set of x-rays.
Also of concern to them, as it is to us, is that Mitchell's social skills are not very evident. We repeatedly say that Mitchell seems often unaware of the world around him. He doesn't reach for things or hold something in hand for more than a few seconds. No one's quite sure what he's able to see, so it's hard to tell whether how he is relates to vision impairment or something else. (How I love to say vision impairment instead of blind!) That said, although he is nonverbal he does love attention and music and finds ways to tell us that he's hungry, tired or wants to be held. He will also do some reflective voice sounds with us.
Therefore, we were encouraged to keep up and even increase the therapy we are doing, focusing not only on motor development, but also engaging Mitchell more socially. This would entail more games, use of switches and cause and effect play. Just when I was feeling like I'm not doing enough for my son, I'm told I'm not doing enough for my son!
We also will be getting a referral to see the Pearlman Center which is a program at Children's that focuses on children over 18 months with CP or other related disabilities.
Oh yeah, the 2nd doctor meeting Mitchell for the first time really only said 2 things...first that Mitchell is an incredibly handsome kid with amazing eyelashes (we know!) and second, as far as outlook, the only thing for sure is that we will be engaging in therapy for at least as long as he's in school. Duh, but we left actually encouraged because it was some of the most positively positioned expectation-setting we've been given.
Overall, Chris and I agreed this appointment refocused us on what we need to do for our son and encouraged our hope. Candidly, we have been a bit fatigued from all the disappointments, therapies and the demands of HBOT (which we decided not to mention to these traditional docs because they probably wouldn't have been on board.) My coping strategy for now is to keep putting one foot in front of the other until Mitchell's 2nd birthday around which I've given myself permission to have a big ol' cry! Only 2 months away ;-)
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