A little anxious...Surgery is THURSDAY

Elena is having a tendon lengthening procedure in three days.

We knew this was coming-- I guess with kids with SDCP, it's more of a "when" than an "if" type of situation. I understand parents' and therapists' opinions about not wanting invasive procedures done...but I feel incredibly strong that her quality of movement cannot be addressed with different types of "stretching" therapy.

SDR was a great choice for us. I still feel that way--E's spasticity has decreased tremendously. That has been a life-changer. But living with spasticity like she did for the first four years of her life made its mark--her calf muscles/achilles tendon are short, and her hamstrings as well. She has femoral and tibial inversion (CONFIRM THIS IS THE RIGHT NAME), where her bones have twisted--it's not bad enough to warrant a surgery for this right away (hopefully ever), but more proper weight-bearing will only help her structure--and should be done before age 9. She also has almost a "rocker foot", where the bones in the arch of her feet have broken down due to improper weight bearing (on the midfoot, as opposed to the heel), and this will eventually cause pain.

Elena will have percutaneous lengthening of the hamstrings (both sides, more on the right) and standard lengthening of the calf (exact location HERE) consisting of approx. 2 cm incision on each leg. She'll be casted below the knee ("walking" casts) for three weeks.

My expectations are that Elena will be able to stand up tall (after regaining her strength), hopefully with her weight evenly distributed on her feet (as opposed to her toes) and have a better foundation for balance.

We have several Feldenkrais sessions booked, to ease E into a new movement pattern during and after casting; we'll also continue her "normal" schedule as best we can (school, PT, scouts, Jimmy Time--unfortunately hippotherapy and yoga classes end this month) with a lot of holiday activity in the mix. An added PT session/week (CME) will hopefully happen early 2011.