News from Seattle

We went to Seattle Children's Hospital in mid April and met with several specialists on Arthrogryposis. We got new splints made for her hands that work great! The first specialist we saw said that she had seen approximately 2,000 kids with the type of Arthro that Victoria has (elbows stuck straight, not bent). She said that for her age, Victoria is one of the kids that has come the farthest and is doing the best with her arms and hands. The orthopedic specialist said that he wants to see Victoria every six months for awile. He says that she is doing great as well. He wants to see her be able to feed herself and get at least one arm to a 90 degree bend all by herself. If she has not accomplished this "after awhile" (who knows how long that is), then he would recommend a surgery on her elbow to release the tendons. He would not do a muscle transfer though, as that is what causes the problems with most kids. So, we will be going back to Seattle in August for another clinic and checkup. We were so happy with the docor's comments. It really made us feel like we are doing a good job and that she is doing as great as we thought she was. Cross your fingers for us, because our new goal is to have her feeding herself by the next appointment. I know she can do it!