Finally. An update!

It looks as though I have not posted since September of last year, so I will do my best to catch you up!

*Our first visit to Shriners was just really an evaluation. They wanted to see where Ben was developmentally and orthopedically. He was measured for casts and braces to help straighten his feet (pictures to be added later), we were given temporary braces for his feet/ankles along with several other things to help his hips and hands. An appointment was then scheduled for the following month to put the casts on his feet.

*In between the first and second visit, we saw a neurologist in Oklahoma City. This was also an evaluation type appointment to give the doctor an idea of where Ben is at developmentally and what our next step needs to be. He suggested an MRI to see where the damage to his brain is, but we couldn't afford it at the time so it is to be rescheduled when we can actually pay for the procedure. We also talked about a muscle relaxer for him, but the improvement rates were so low that we decided it would not be worth it since he is only mild - moderately affected.

*The second visit didn't go quite as planned. He was supposed to have casts put on that I could remove myself 6 weeks later, but the braces he was fitted for did not fit due to the muscles in his ankles being too tight.  He needed to be put on a low dose muscle relaxer, which I had not done yet. So, he had regular casts put on and we scheduled an appointment to come in 6 weeks later to get the casts removed and the braces put on after he'd being on the muscle relaxer for a little bit.

*After a phone call to the nurse at his neurologist, Ben was put on Baclofen (the low dose muscle relaxer) to prepare him for his braces.

*Our third visit to Shriner's was our longest and most productive. His casts were removed and his braces actually fit this time (YAY!). He is to wear the braces 23 hours a day until we go back for our forth appointment in April of 2012 to upgrade his braces to a bigger size.

--Other exciting news--
A gait trainer, new stroller/wheelchair, and a bath chair have all been ordered and should be received within the next couple of weeks! We absolutely can't wait! Our insurance is a PPO and sometimes it's difficult to get a gait trainer approved if the child has not reached certain milestones. Luckily we were approved and the process was in fact long, but smooth! We can't wait for Ben to have his new equipment!