Dr. Kerwyn Jones is another doctor who is so calm and gentle with his presentation. He explained the x-rays and ultrasound results we had during our stay in the NICU.
Jordan’s hips are strong in the hip socket, which will allow him to move them without coming out of place. I thought they were, but we’ve had others who have been a little unsure due to his muscles not being as strong. We will work on this area during his physical therapy appointments and at home.
Jordan’s muscles are stronger in the front of his lower right leg than the back, causing his foot to pull toward his body. This will cause difficulty as he grows if nothing is done to help pull the foot down. The plan is to continue stretching to see if it will resolve on its own, or we’ll revisit in a year to discuss surgery.
Over the last week we have seen more movement in Jordan’s left ankle. It’s so encouraging to be sitting together as a family and say “Did you see that? Do it again!” We will talk about ankle foot orthosis (AFO) braces when Jordan begins to think about walking.
We have been so blessed as a family to have Akron Children’s in our lives. Randy and I are both from Seville and have known Akron Children’s existed, but haven’t fully appreciated who they are. The doctors, nurses, public relations professionals, counselors and volunteers have proven to outshine Hollywood stars.
That being said we have been blessed with an another amazing doctor. Going into Friday’s orthopedic appointment brought a gamut of emotions.
Randy and I had some conversations about our feelings over the past couple of weeks leading up to the appointment with Dr. Jones. This one seemed different than the others. It would give us an idea of what Jordan would look like to the outside world. It would also give us a plan on what we can be doing for our little man.
We can’t change how well his shunt drains or how well he is able to drain his bladder or empty his bowels, or how well his muscles are able to move.
We can contribute to is exercising his muscles, talking to him, smiling at his sweet face, involving him in our family activities, and most importantly, loving the child our loving, heavenly Father has entrusted to our care.
Read more about Megs and Randy’s journey of raising a child with spina bifida through her blog, Labor of Love.
