I thought I would begin on a high note. Mason has really started to master his wheelchair. He is not only going forward and backward but turning and cruising along wherever he wants to go. Like any 21 month old Mason uses his newfound independence to get into things like Mommy’s filing cabinet. I LOVE IT! I took this short video so you can see him turning and enjoying his wheels. Enjoy!
Mason has healed well from the shunt revision last month. No infection, no problems with stitches, just a nice healing incision. Unfortunately it does not seem to have helped his right leg and hip contractures at all. They are still tightened at angles that mean he cannot wear any of his leg bracing or use his dynamic stander.
Even worse, the left foot is beginning to contract and tighten. We’ve got multiple specialists trying to decide who needs to do what. Boo!
We are also counting down to surgery #10 where the plastic surgeon will debride and close the wound on Mason’s bottom. I’ve mentioned that already on the blog but we did find out it will be an inpatient surgery. Mason and Mommy will be staying at least one night at Childrens Hospital. They’re great at the hospital but we have done a little bit of special purchasing this time to keep Mason happily busy.
You see, I realized that it is likely that Mason will feel 100% normal right after surgery. He doesn’t really seem to feel anything from about lower abdomen down. Where his wound is on his bottom is in that no-sensation zone. However, we know it is possible to have no sensation on the skin and to have some sensation in deeper tissue so we’ll just have to see.
What did we buy to keep a not yet 2 year old still and busy?
- Color Wonder Bright Markers
- A Color Wonder coloring book.
- Bengal Cat to snuggle.
- A Kindle Fire. We caught a sale yesterday and bought one to with the plan to use it for appointments and hospital stays as a Netflix streaming device.
- The I-Blason ArmorBox Kido to keep the Kindle Fire safe in little hands. Yes, we got orange to go with Mason’s wheelchair!
In case you didn’t know, those links will take you directly to Amazon. I’m an affiliate so if you make ANY purchase after clicking through my link I get a small credit. You can click on the link to the markers and end up buying shoes, electronics, or even diapers. It doesn’t matter. And it doesn’t increase your prices at all. We use the money we make through our Amazon affiliate account to purchase medical supplies for Mason and other things like the Kindle Fire or homeschooling materials. Thanks for using our link! There’s even a button in the sidebar to make it easy to click on our link any time you have shopping on Amazon to do – like Christmas shopping!
Its so cool to see Mason develope his independence!
ReplyDeleteYay! Love the video! Makes me wonder how he's doing on the talking thing. Is he much of a talker? I can't remember if the Spina Bifada can cause any delays in that area.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great question Diana! Spina Bifida can cause delays in just about every area, especially as it is accompanied by Hydrocephalus, the extra fluid building up in the brain. Mason has had frequent issues with his hydro as all the shunt failure show. At this point cognitively Mason seems on track for his age. He's a bit delayed in talking but is ahead of where several of our boys were at this age. His delays stem from a houseful of children who will meet his every need the moment he gestures, so he doesn't need to talk much. ;) We are beginning to hear more interactive speech from him lately.
ReplyDeleteHe will most likely face some learning disabilities down the road, we'll just have to see.
The video is so cute! I quite envy all the children that can use wheelchair even when they are so young. I had my first when I was almost four. Also, I have a tip about those sores from sitting all the time. I've never had any even though I sit all day. I think it's because I have a small pillow filled with feathers on the wheelchair seat. It might be worth trying :)
ReplyDelete