Ellie's heel cord surgery was successful, and we got the casts off before our trip to Florida. It is so neat to see her foot in the correct position. The day she got the casts off she also was fitted for new AFOs (ankle foot orthotics). She will need to wear them around 20 hours per day to ensure that she maintains full range of her heel cord. Here is a picture of Ellie with her AFOs on:
The same day, Ellie was also fit for a TLSO brace (Thoracic Lumbar Sacral Orthotic). This brace will help support her spine since she does not have the muscle tone to hold herself up. Ellie is starting to get scoliosis because when she is sitting in her wheelchair or in any upright position, her body slouches and she is not able to maintain a straight upright position. This orthotic goes around her torso and holds her in an upright position without slouching. The first time we put it on her and set her in her wheelchair, she was a full two inches taller and her shoulders were up around her headrest! That showed us how much she was slumping in her chair.
In other news, we received the official word that Ellie has been approved for a type of Medicaid for children with special needs. This will pay for the in-home nursing and also a few other medical things that were not covered before. This is a huge blessing and a happy ending to the six months that I have been working on it. We have started with some daytime shifts of nursing, and it is going well so far. I am able to concentrate on schooling the boys and not worry about Ellie's needs being met. I am also able to enjoy Ellie while the nurse works on her equipment and other tasks. We have had a few evening shifts and spent some focused time on the boys at Frederick Meijer Gardens, as well as a had a date night! I think this will really help me juggle the needs of all the people in our family.
So that is what is going on right now. We praise God for seeing Ellie through another long winter and for his mercies new every morning!
What a wonderful update! I am glad you got a date night as well as some time with the boys--and wonderful to finally have a good outcome to all that work for nursing help! Continuing to pray for all of you and hope you enjoy your summer! :-)
ReplyDeletethanks for the update....Ellie is a real trooper..having to go through all these changes...blessing to you and your whole family
ReplyDeleteCec and Barb
I really enjoyed reading your update. So glad to hear about the MCD approval and the time you can enjoy with your family as a result!
ReplyDelete