I thought I would include pictures because as I re-read all the information, it sounds so bleak. But to look at her each day, and listen to her play and laugh...it's just not affecting her. She is just as vibrant and full of life and energy as ever. It's good for everyone to see that, and it's good for me to remind myself too :).
Makenna being Makenna....
The Curve and the Brace
I thought I would add some pictures of Makenna's back. We took them to include them in packets we are sending to hospitals. The one with her arms by her side is a pretty "square" stance. The one that looks far worse is her adding some lean to it. I threw in some of her in her brace. People have been curious what it looks like and I thought it was important to illustrate that it's not holding her back at all!!! That is a hole you see in the brace on her left side. The brace pushes her right ribcage in (toward center), so the opening on the opposite side is to receive her left ribcage. I know many of you are also curious about what the cast will look like. There are photos out there, but without direct permission, I feel funny posting a picture of someone else's child. If you do a google image search of "mehta cast" several pictures come up. Also, the ISOP website (located in links), has pictures of kids in their casts.
Makenna's cast
Here are pictures of the cast. The hole in the front is to allow for rib growth and chest wall expansion. The hole in the back is designed to 'receive the curve'. The doctor was able to correct her curve to zero in the cast. I have also included some photos showing Makenna in action - jumping on the couch and climbing up the slide outside- to show that it's not slowing her down one bit!
The picture of her in the trash bag is just to illustrate how neurotic I am being about not getting the cast wet...that didn't stop a fruti snack from getting stuck in the back of her cast! That was a mess to clean out (plus it cost her some hair). We are all learning...
The picture of her in the trash bag is just to illustrate how neurotic I am being about not getting the cast wet...that didn't stop a fruti snack from getting stuck in the back of her cast! That was a mess to clean out (plus it cost her some hair). We are all learning...