We have an appointment every Thursday with Dr. Sontora to get a new splint for Ava's leg. We were a little late for the appointment because I am still getting used to getting 2 kids ready to go. They took us straight to the casting room and the nurse unwrapped Ava's leg, then told us the Doctor would be just a moment. Well, Dr. Sontora was running a little late too apparently because we ended up waiting almost an hour before we got to see him. The nurse said he was working with a teen with a very bad back, and was taking extra time with him, so we forgave him. Our visits with him are very quick, they examine Ava's progress and then make her a new cast to stretch her out. This week we got a straight leg!! Hurray, she looks normal!!! We are supposed to take off her splint 4 to 5 times a day and stretch out her leg. This week we have been able to get a little bit of a bend out of her when we bend it! Double Hurray!!
We have been to Shriner's twice since last I wrote. Dr. Sontora has been on vacation, so we have seen Dr. Pond the last two weeks, he is really nice also. He went through all the muscles in her foot for me and explained what they do and showing me how she moved them all correctly. I told him I was concerned about her hip because of the weight of her splint she holds her leg off to the side and rest it on the ground when she is on her back. He explained to me that this position is actually a healthy position for the hip to be in, if she were holding it in that would be concerning. He said he would do an ultrasound of her hip the next week to make sure, but ended up going over the x-rays we had at our first visit and said everything looks normal there. We have now graduated from a straight leg to a slight bend last week, and a really good bend this week, which is so exciting! Ava is doing awesome! We still take off the wrap a few times a day and work with it, and by the recommendation of Dr. Pond I now give her little leg a nightly massage, to help loosen the muscles and make sure her other joints don't get sore. She was getting a pressure sore on her ankle from the splint and the massages have also helped clear this up, hurray! All and all we are making great progress with her, little by little she is getting a good bend out of the leg. She can no longer bend her knee up, but rather holds it out straight when she has it unwrapped. This makes me very hopeful that her leg will cooperate through the whole process.
