I can't believe it has been so long since I have updated Kate's blog. So here's the quick stuff. Kate's back has taken some time to heal, as you might imagine. Even now, almost 10 months later, she doesn't like full on hugs and says she is still numb down the full length of her scar.
Dealing with life unable to bend has it's challenges. Her neck gets quite sore at school looking down at books all day. Picking things up from the ground or from low shelves also requires a lot of knee bending. She can still swim but it's a whole different ballgame.
Over the last few months I have noticed that Kate keeps her shoes on right up until she goes to bed and they are the first thing to happen when she gets up in the morning. Of course when I ask if her feet are hurting she has a sarcastic response that I must be imagining things. She has also been expressing, non verbally naturally, that her hands hurt as well. I figured there was nothing to be done, but took her to the doctor anyway. It's all a lack of fat padding on both her feet and hands that causes pain. Mostly in her feet. While seeing that doctor it was determined that her legs and hips are very tight and he recommended physical therapy.
You can see her doing some exercises here. We are also working on regaining her arm muscle strength for archery. Her therapist mentioned that some kids who grow very quickly and who are tall often have some lack of flexibility in the legs and hips. She definitely grew quickly last fall. Overnight even.
Kate also had another set of x-rays on her back and everything looks good. She had her heart echo and it has remained mostly stable. She did have another breathing test and it was determined she isn't breathing much better than before her spinal fusion. She needs more exercise. It's a fine line, get exercise, but don't stress the heart and good luck finding something she can do that doesn't hurt her back or feet. So, there's that.
Kate has been asking to be home schooled for a couple of years now and she is finally getting her wish this year. She is doing an online school with live classes every day. So far, so good. They are really working with her for the PE portion of the credits. Physical therapy and archery count.
She's such a beautiful girl, inside and out. This picture is from the first day of school. She grew out of her chair just a little bit. Don't worry, I got her a new one. :)
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