Three Month Checkup

So today we went in to the orthopedic specialist to check on the progress we have made these last 3 months.
The meeting was short, with few promises "I don't have a crystal ball" was all the doctor could do for us as far as how much longer he would suspect she would need them. The X-rays taken have shown us a marked improvement over those taken 3 months ago. This is the good news. The doctor was still concerned that her right tibia is turned inward 5 degrees and her left tibia is turned inward 15 degrees. Hopefully the additional pressure of the brace will correct the left tibia growth plate. She will still need to wear the braces on both legs for an additional 3 months (23 hours a day) until the doctor can reassess. So bottom line is that there has been some progress made, just not as much as we would want. The doctor didn't want to speculate too far into the future so he couldn't give us much of an outlook at this time. We would appreciate your continued support and prayers as we go through the next 3 months (and hopefully get the news we want and need to hear!)

As you can see, Hannah is making some progress. I took this picture so that we can note the progress that is being made. Her left interior tibia still bows in a bit, but her foot is now pointing forward. I wanted her to stand up as straight as she could for the pictures, and this was the best I could get. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Our next appointment with the orthopedic specialist is this coming Thursday. Hopefully they can give us a better timeline in which to work towards. We will just have to wait and see....

Hannah has been making progress....and appears to be learning how to get around well even with the braces. She has mastered potty training, somersaults, climbing up stairs and now can TAKE HER BRACES OFF! Yep. She managed (the other day when she was supposed to be napping) to get her entire brace and shoe off! I found her in bed with one brace and socks lying next to her bed. Crazy. I had even double knotted the shoelace. She is so smart and watched us so carefully that she mastered this as well. Now we have to keep a closer eye that the braces actually stay on.

I know I have mentioned my frustrations with Hanger (the orthopedic equipment supplier) in the past, and I would just like to say they have once again managed to fall short of expectation. I received a notification in the mail the other day asking me to back date a form stating that I had received another piece of equipment from them in order to allow us to switch shoes for her braces. We had never received this piece of equipment so I was not going to back date any forms! I called them and was told "oh, yeah, just disregard the form." Then the following day I received a voice mail that stated that they needed this form signed! ARGH! I wish they would communicate in that office better. I so wanted to tell them so, but didn't get the chance. When I called them back to follow-up, the guy didn't give me the opportunity to yell at them...he had realized his mistake.

Even though Hannah is doing better with her braces, I can't wait to be done with them! I know that sounds bad, but I want my little girl to have more freedom, I want her to be able to crawl around on the floor like the other kids, etc. I look forward to the one hour a day when she can be free and I can pick her up and she can wrap her little bare legs around me as I hold her (she is lighter and less of a strain on my back). I know this sounds selfish, but I am hoping that progress will continue and we can start counting down the days towards the end.