Things have been pretty chill the past few weeks other than a series of appointments for Jake, seems like they always run in spurts. He got botox again two weeks ago and is going to start another round of PT this week. Our original plan was to wait until summer for a 3-4 week PT intensive session. Unfortunately with the growing he's doing, we're finding the botox isn't lasting as long so we want to do all we can to give him the most benefit from the shots.
His growth spurt also caused the need for a new leg brace. We started that process back in November with his fitting, finally got it in early January but had to send it back because it wasn't made correctly. Now almost three months later, he's got the new one and it fits well. I was surprised to see the knee hinges were almost a full inch higher up than they were before. Looks like a lot of his growth is happening in his legs!
We're also exploring the idea of having Jake go through the Gait Lab at Children's Hospital. He had an evaluation last week with one of their PT's and she thought it would be worth considering, so now we'll consult with his rehab doctor. It's pretty amazing technology that could hopefully give some insight to what is happening inside his legs with his muscles that keeps him from being unable to get his foot completely flat. They hook him up to several electrodes, have him walk while gathering data and creating a 3D image. Afterwards, a team of experts from several different disciplines including physical therapists, kinesiologists and orthopedic surgeons do a comprehensive analysis and make a treatment recommendation. The prospect of having so many fresh eyes each with a different perspective review his case is pretty exciting. I've felt in my gut there is something else we could be doing to help his foot get flat to improve his walking. If we get approved for the gait lab, it won't be until May as insurance approval takes awhile and they want to do it when the botox has fully worn off. Stay tuned!
