Appointment Rounds

Shelby just turned 2, so that means we have had check-ups with her various doctors in the past few weeks and there will be a couple more this summer. Here's a quick run-down of the one's we have had so far:

Orthopedist:
Asheville finally got a pediatric orthopedist at the children's hospital, so we decided to try her out (versus traveling to Shelby's previous doctor in Charlotte)--especially since Shelby's hip dysplasia is a minor concern. We liked Dr. Hooker and will continue to see her. They did x-rays and one side of Shelby's hip still shows borderline dysplasia so we are to continue with the hip abducation brace at night. Dr. Hooker also wrote a prescription for A.F.O. braces for Shelby's feet and she was fitted for them last Friday. They should come in in a couple of weeks.

Ophthalmologist:
Shelby did the visual accuity test and scored really low: 20/2700. Trip and I know she sees better than that. The doctor assured us that these tests are not accurate, especially when they are done on two year olds. Shelby was just fussy and not the least bit interested in looking at the black and white cards. Once Shelby is cognitively able to identify pictures, we'll get a much better idea what and how much she sees. It is obvious she is seeing a lot though, which is amazing to behold! Dr. Bachinsky said eventually Shelby will get glasses to protect her eyes and magnify things, but not yet. We also may look at doing surgery to correct her strabismus (eye crossing) at some point, but not yet since both eyes cross at times but not consistently. Dr. Bachinsky feels that Shelby's right eye is stronger than her left one (no surprise there), so we are going to start patching the right eye a couple hours a day in order to strengthen the left one (this is the same concept as contraint induced therapy for her right arm).

New Occupational Therapist:
We met Shelby's new OT on Monday for an initial evaluation. I am optimistic about working with him. He is a recent graduate, has many new ideas, and seems very enthusiastic. He also has experience working with people who are visually impaired. I liked how he came right in and instead of chatting with me, crawled under the table to greet Shelby and get to know her. She immediately called him "Matt" even though his name is Adam which is a good sign because Uncle Matt is one of Shelby's all-time favorite people. Some of our goals for OT include using her hands for bilateral play, learning to use a spoon for self-feeding, opening up the fist on her left hand, and increasing the use of that left hand. Adam has his work cut out for him because Shelby has her own ideas about what she wants to do during therapy.

We head to Duke on Monday for a CT scan and an appointment with Dr. Grant (the neurosurgeon). We'll see the pediatrician and neurologist in July.