So We Meet Again!

Wow--long time no blog. And I mean long, long, time! I've decided to reinstate my blog as we embark on a new adventure with Abby. One that I by no means ever figured that we would go down. One that no parent wants to go down.

Abby will have an MRI on Friday. It's a rather long story that I've typed out too many times, so I just decided to write my thoughts down, save them onto my hard drive so that they are always there. Please excuse me for copying and pasting it, but it is just that much easier.

I vow to be a better blogger to keep everyone more up to date in a more concise way. Now, onto our story.

Abby was born with a closed dimple above the base of her spine. Within hours of delivery she was taken for an x-ray to make sure that the hole was completely closed. They told me it was and I was so relieved. However I remember holding her on my shoulder, patting her little bum and realizing that there was a big knot under/just to the side of the hole. At her newborn appointments I questioned the pediatrician about it who reassured me that it was closed and its only implications would likely be that she couldn’t be a butt model. We never really thought any more of it.

Fast forward to January when she started to walk—we immediately noticed that she kept her right leg straight and hyperextended her knee , almost like one leg was longer than the other. We also noticed that she falls—a lot. Certainly a lot more than other toddlers we’ve seen. We made an appointment with the pediatrician and he sent us right then and there for x-rays to rule out hip dysplasia. After those coming back negative, he referred us to a pediatric physical therapist. She told us that she couldn’t pinpoint anything other than low muscle tone in Abby’s legs and to work on her squatting. By this time her walking was beginning to improve. She did tell us that if it were her daughter, she would request an MRI.

The pediatrician also felt that an MRI was the next step. We were originally scheduled for March 2^nd. Our hospital on does anesthetic MRI’s on Mondays. Last week I noticed hair around the dimple and that Abby had been falling even more. Her feet are now also turning in when she walks. She often cry like she is in pain and points to her legs. Because she is only 13 months, it isn’t like she can tell me what hurts or doesn’t, ya know? So last week I called the doctor back and he was able to get it moved up to this Friday, February 20^th. We also have a pediatric neurosurgeon appointment with Dr. Jane Jr. at the University of Virginia on February 24^th. We are assuming from her symptoms that the results will be a tethered cord.