Wednesday, April 14, 2010

B is for Botox

Yes, we are going to try Botox. We met with a new physiatrist today who thinks Drake could benefit from it (as does his PT). We are going to do injections in his abductors (inner thighs). That muscle is definitely where he is the tightest and it causes him to scissor his legs when he takes steps. Her thought is if we can paralyze those muscles we can work on building strength in the outer thighs and other muscles for easier walking. She also thinks it will take some of the strain off his hips, which she is worried may become negatively impacted if he continues to pull in so hard with his abductors. He will have to be under a light general anesthesia for the injections. To be honest, I am most worried about that part. He has never been "under" before.

So, here we go. The first installment of the 'nip and tuck'. I am happy to be trying something though, I have to say. I didn't like his old physiatrist who was all about sugar coating things and waiting and seeing. I want action. I hope we are making the right choice for Drake, though it doesn't seem that hard to decide to do it, being temporary and relatively very risk-free. We have to get on the list to get the shots, so it will most likely not be for a few weeks.

Drake did not get accepted into the preschool I mentioned in my previous post. We brought him for an evaluation and he played with the kids in his potential class for about 20 minutes. They were all 3 + years old and so sweet. "Is he a baby?" they asked when he was crawling around amongst them. :) Anyway, the head teacher and director felt Drake would be in over his head in that class, which I agree. He would be the youngest of the group and with his mobility issues, seems even younger. They recommended the next year down class for him, in which he would be the oldest 3 year old. Unfortunately, no spots in that group now, but we are back on the waiting list.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Good things

I love the "Good Things' posts that Katy at Bird on the Street does sometimes. Here are a few good things happening in Oakland.

1) About a year and a half ago, when I went back to work, we looked into sending D & L to a daycare / preschool that is primarily typical kids but known for accepting some special needs kiddos. We toured the school, told them about Drake and were told they had a waiting list. We got on the list, paid some nominal fee, and proceeded to go the nanny route. I had pretty much forgotten about said school until Monday, when I got an email saying they had a space for Drake. We have pretty much committed to sending Drake to the state funded special needs preschool in September. But I was so warmed to know that when his name came up on the list, they emailed me. They didn't pass him over because they know he has CP. They emailed me and said they had a spot, and how was his development coming along, and would we like to meet the head teacher of his potential class and see if there could be a fit. We are going to meet her next week, and although I still think the special needs preschool will be a better fit for him right now, I was proud of the school for keeping an open mind and be willing to include Drake.

2) This article.

3) "Mama"? "Yes, Drake". "I wuv you".