March 16, 2011

Bertrand's Right Hip - The Remix

Bertrand wearing his St. Patty's day best.

At Bertrand's most recent physical therapy session, I brought up my concerns about his right hip with his therapist. She has been working with Bertrand since he was a little more than a year-old. She was shocked that doctors considered him a candidate for phenol injections.

His therapist works with many children who receive the injections, thinks the injections work great when indicated, and agreed that for the right adductor muscle phenol would be the correct choice because botox really works best for smaller muscles.

However, Bertrand's subluxation has not changed in years (she thinks it may simply be the way his hip formed), he has full range of motion in that hip, negligible spasticity (it's only an issue during an exam when he starts to fight rather than during normal use), and he is in no pain.

I felt a huge sense of relief because it seems that canceling Bertrand's injection appointment was the right choice. Doctors can only go by what they see in a 30 minute appointment, every 6 months. Bertrand's therapist has seen him for an hour, twice a month for 2 years! I trust her take on his hip's functionality more than the MD's.

Going forward, the plan doesn't change. It's all about standing, standing, standing! We've already made small, but not insignificant, progress in both Bertrand's standing and weight-loss. Bertrand never ceases to inspire and amaze me. :)

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