Latest orthopaedic appointment!

I'm going to have to type this super quick as I have Caitlin beside me quietly playing and as most of you know, this does not last very long with toddlers lol.

I haven't even got posting about Christmas but I will add pics at a later date!  Caitlin was sick with a virus so didn't touch her Christmas dinner and didn't feel very well all day bless her.  She still had the energy to open all her presents though and is playing with her new zoo as I type!

Today we had Caitlin's orthopaedic appointment.  I have been stressing about this appointment for ages now because of Caitlin regressing with her walking.  She's not bearing weight as well, tripping up, her feet are turning in when she walks, and her knees are really bent.  We had hoped that with new Afo's this would help but she's had them 6 weeks now and there's been no change.  So today I was pretty much certain we would be referred for an MRI to see if the cysts on Caitlin's spine were getting bigger and causing these changes.

Caitlin had to go for an X - ray first, much to her displeasure.  Cue alot of screaming and "All Done!!!" from the little lady.  It took 3 times longer than it should have to take one photo because of the fuss she was making.  But I totally get it.  She remembers all the time's she's had to have x-rays for her shunt and she remembers what followed those x-rays so she's scared.  Luckily when it was done she was back to herself in no time.

We waited an hour and a half to be called but Caitlin didn't mind, she played with the toys in the clinic and did lots of drawings.  She was fine until we did get called and went into the room.  Of course as soon as the doc appeared she starts eyeing him up suspiciously and yelled at him when he asked her to walk.  I had to bribe her with a packet of milky buttons to get her to walk around the room with her walker lol.  Naturally, she walks perfectly for him, making a complete liar out of her Mummy but I figured this would happen (sod's law!) so I had recorded video's to show him what way she was and what way she is now.  He said he could see what I meant - in the video's she's dragging her feet and even in standing infront of him her knees were very bent.  But he felt that it wasn't the cysts causing this, but in fact the new Afo's!  I told him she was the same with the old Afo's and he thinks the old one's were too short, and the new ones are too wide which means she's not getting the support she needs - hence the knee bending and tripping.  I don't really know what is has to do with dragging her feet but he's the expert - he knows what he's  talking about!  So, her current Afo's are off to be adjusted and Caitlin has to wear her old one's that are too short and the straps don't stick anymore.  But they'll have to do until her new Afo's are returned.  Caitlin's face was a picture when we left with no Afo's on her feet but just shoes, she kept walking and stopping to gaze at her feet lol.

I really do hope that it is just the Afo's but I dunno, it's that gut feeling I have that it's something else - but then Caitlin has had such bad luck with shunts that maybe I'm incapable of thinking that this is a simple problem that can be fixed easily.  If there's no change when she gets her new Afo's then Mr Cosgrove (the orthopaedic doc) says she'll need an MRI to see what's going on.  Lets hope it doesn't come to that.  We shall see!