More Doctor's Appointments

This past Friday we had a round of doctor's appointments at Duke. The day started with a PT appointment. They checked the flexibility/range of motion of his legs, and they made casts/molds of his feet and calves. Those molds will be used to make is night braces, which will help keep his heel cord and connecting muscles from contracting at night. Josiah was able to pick out his design and colors; no surprise that he chose Spiderman. The therapist recommended that his PT work with him in a pool. If that isn't an option, they said we should take him to the pool twice a week.

Next it was on to pulmonolgy and cardiology. This was our first round of appointments with these specialist at Duke. Josiah had a pulmunary function test that, in general, was fine. He had some difficulty with the mechanics of blowing out forcefully. It was similar to how you might blow on a kazoo; he just couldn't quite get it which caused his numbers for that part to skew lower. For cardiology he had an EKG and a heart echo (both normal).

It was a long day. About 5.5 hours from the first appointment to the last, but he was a trooper. All of the doctors were so nice and really good with Josiah. We are thankful to have these resources not too far away. We will go back every year for our MDA clinic day and have the same tests run each time. His braces should be in within about 5 weeks.

He has been on prednisone for about 5 weeks now. We have noticed a slight increase in agitation, but so far, very manageable. Within the past few weeks, you can see the puffiness creeping into his face. I know it isn't the worst thing ever, but it is a reminder...

All in all, life continues on fairly normally. Bennett and I have our moments, but we are managing. Thank you all so much for your messages and kind words. We are so grateful for the support and prayers.