12.11.2004

Wry no more

Two months ago Megan was diagnosed with Muscular Torcollis, also known as Wry Neck. Its more or less just a cosmetic condition that is correctable if caught early enough. Basically the muscles on one side of the neck are shorter and tighter causing the head to lean to that side or be turned primarly to that direction. Being in this one position most of time means a flat spot often forms. In Meg's case it was the left side and her left jaw line (chins included...yes chins) are not nearly as round as the right side. She tended to look left more often than not. If she looked in another direction it was often with her left ear down close to her left shoulder.

We were sent to a specialist for evaulation and treatment. That appointment was last week - at which time Megan had given up on the left view and had focused squarely on the right side of herself. Of course she did so with her ear pressed to her shoulder. We were sent home with a few very basic instructions - hold her, play with her, position her in ways that make her pull her right ear closer to her right shoulder and her chin to her left shoulder. Most imporantly though - get her out of her car seat for night sleeping and into the crib.

We did all of that and here we sit - just a week later - and the girl has no left lean left in her. We noticed it yesterday. She went the entire day sitting up on a lap or holding her body up away from my shoulder as I carried her - head set perfectly centered upon her neck. She even tends to nap in her assorted list of "acceptable places to sleep during the day without screaming bloody murder" without the head tilt sneaking in. Days leading up to this major shift, Megan would go for a spell with a staight neck/head only to start to lean over as she tired. No more though. Now she's all sorts of upright and happy.

The 'slimer' side of her face is a bit more apparent now - now that you can see her face. It does seem to already have rounded a bit more than what it had been. . . leading us to believe it won't be long before the only tell tale signs of her once 'wry neck' are the photos I've yet to get into a scrapbook.

In other Megan news, the child is now a whopping 3 months old and roughly 2 feet tall. She's a talker, a squirmer and a lively soul. She is dying to sit on her own - straining against the restraints of her car seat whenever she's in it trying to sit up for a better view. She gets her head and shoulders up those times. She even tries to sit up in her bouncey seat - again head and shoulders lifted. She's been known to end up slightly more to one side in that seat than she started as a result of her desire to sit upright. She loves her big brother and studies his every move either out of that adoration or fear for her life. We're not sure which sometimes. He's equally smitten with her - he just shows it a bit smotheringly sometimes. :)

1 comment:

Mandy said...

That is great, Sandy. All of it. did they think that spending so much time in the carseat was a factor? Either way she is now okay and sleeping in her crib! YAY!

She sounds like a big girl as well!