Update on Andrew
January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month
Jan 2003
Jan 8th we went all the way up to Children's Hospital to the brace shop in Boston to get his new knee and the darn brace and when I got there it was made of LATEX! I lost my cool after I said that it smelled like rubber and he said "yeah so?" I must have looked like a mad women when I replied "SO? He is allergic to latex that's SO! AND it's right there that he is allergic to natural rubber latex (as I pointed to the front of his chart)!" He didn't have much to say after that other then "I guess you could come back to be re-casted for a new one" but by then I lost control LOL and said "NO! You will re-cast him today since it was YOUR mistake, thank you" So Andrew was re-casted again :) and we will go up Jan 24th to get the new-new brace GRRR
Jan 28, We got the knee immobilizer FINALLY and it's been 4 days since he started to wear it. Andrew is doing better then I though he would, he only wears it at night while sleeping but it does not bother him! Picture here!!
Feb 2003
Nothing much happening, all is well :)
March 03
March 15, Andrew was playing with his belt buckle and hit himself in the eye with it. We had to take him to the ER (Mass eye and ear), his eye will need to be patched for a few days now. He scratched his cornea but they say it will heal fine the bad part is he has to have these eye drops for 10 days and he HATES having eye drops put in. Oh and he was seeing 20/50 so he might need eye glasses too. So I will make an eye apt for him this week.
March 30, his eye is all healed, eye apt went well, but will be seen June 4th to check if he does need glasses. Andrew is doing well with the knee brace. It's at the maximum setting now and we are anxiously awaiting for him to get the Botox injections that is set for next month on April 15th.April 03 ((BOTOX))
April 15th, Andrew had his Botox surgery today. It went well! He was so good about being put to sleep. He really liked getting a freeze pop after surgery in the recovery room lol. We are waiting for Andrew to be casted in the next week or so.
May 03May 7th, Andrew got his first cast put on (1 of 3) it's white with soccer balls on it, he was very happy to pick out the design.
May 14th, Second cast was put on this time he picked his favorite color... RED, heehee.
May 21 third cast, and I hope the last one. This time he picked purple-blue lol. Foot looked good! Straight and flexible.***Someone e-mailed me asking why he needed casting. This doctor always casts after Botox injections to the legs, to get a good stretch to the leg muscles. His foot looked pretty straight from just 1 week in a cast too!! But he will be weak once the cast is off (after 3 weeks in casts) and he will need PT for a few months out side of school PT. He starts private PT May 28th when the LAST cast is taken off and made into a night splint to wear for 8 months.
May 28th, Last cast was taken off. It was turned into night splint that he will wear for 8 months. They had to use latex free tape to attach the straps on the cast but the latex free tape isn't holding up too well with Andrew wearing it to bed, so I had to duct-tape it myself. Got to love duct tape heehee.
See pictures of Andrew's foot in all the casts here scroll to bottom of page. AND see before and after pictures of how well botox worked on his foot!!
updated (2/11/04) MORE BOTOX done click above link to read about it.
June 03
Nothing much, end of school for Andrew and he didn't get summer school so he will be home with me ALL summer OH boy! Wonder if I can keep him from being BORED! Lets hope so!
July 03
4th- Andrew had a great time 4th of July, we spent it with my family back home in Plymouth, Ma. Everyone seemed to notice how well he was walking and how straight his foot looked, YAY!!
16th- Took Andrew to Mylo clinic, he had ultra sound on his kidneys they looked great NO sign of hydro there anymore. And ortho was pleased to see his walking since his Botox.Aug 03
Aug 25th took Andrew to Boston to be fitted for his first wheelchair. It will only be for long trips or school field trips, but will be nice to have for after surgeries as well.
Have a nice summer, nothing really new here but school starts soon. YAY
Sept 03
Sept 2nd school started. New pictures too
Oct 03
Alert.....more BOTOX
Oct 22nd Andrew when to Boston to seen the Dr that did the Botox in April 03 and she wants to try it again some time Feb or March 04 this time to his hamstrings b/c he has grown so fast that they are tight again from growth. But his foot is nice and flat on the ground now!!! A must see.... pictures are here scroll to bottom.
Oct 30th, was Andrew's birthday he turned 8, WOW and then the 31 was Halloween, he was the Hulk and Shane was a pumpkin :) pictures here.
Nov 03
Went to Boston pick up Andrew's first ever wheelchair, it will be used for long trips like at school and for after surgeries (like Botox :) hee-hee). Picture here
Dec 03
Andrew had a great Christmas and a great 2 weeks off for Christmas break but he missed his school friends though.
