Normally when I lug a kid to the doctor I'm lucky enough to have the other hang out with Grandma or Daddy. Not today. Grandma was slated to take big brother to his art class while Megs and I went to the specialist for her latest check-up for the wry neck. But Grandma is also wrapped up with all that is my uncle right now and today she had to take care of business for him. Logan went with us instead.
Based on our last two appointments this shouldn't have been a big deal. Check-in. Be seen. Talk for 5 minutes if that. Leave. In and out in less than 15 minutes. Figures that today's appointment would be different.
In terms of the Torticollis itself, Megan has progressed enough that her condition is noticeable only to someone studying her movements very carefully. She doesn't tip her head to the left full-time any longer. She can turn it any which way she pleases - but the doctor did feel that she had a preference to turn her upper body to the left instead of just her head.
The doctor, honestly, infuriates me at times and if he wasn't the only pediatric specialist within an hour of us and IF I didn't expect any other to be similar, I might just ask for a new referral elsewhere.
"How is PT going?" he asked me.
"You never prescribed PT for her," I said.
"OH yes, that's right. Minor changes and some simple stretches at home. Ok, how about the harness to keep her from moving her body instead of just her head?" he asked.
"You told me we didn't need to go that route," I reminded him.
"Oh, well. I. Well, I just mean, like when you put her in the high chair the sort of 5-point harness you use in carseats so she has to turn her head to the side for you to feed her," he mumbled and then went off on explaining how as an older infant she would be harder to manipulate without a fight.
He then wanted to rule out bone damage. She's come a long way, he felt, but wasn't 100% and so now its time to check her bones. X-Ray. Baby had to be x-rayed. Have you ever taken your infant to be x-rayed? Its horrible.
Babies, you see, don't like to be posed and held down. Babies, at least mine, hate that. They hate it so much they squirm and scream bloody murder. As Mom, your job is to don the heavy apron and hold down the screamer as some cranked up tech snaps at you to keep the screamer's head still. Yeah, ok lady.
An X-ray also meant that Logan couldn't stand with me. He came in the room with us but he had to stand behind the little wall with the techs and just listen to his sister cry. It scared him. When he hears me tell people that now he denies it. "I wasn't scared!" he snaps at me, "I just wanted to be with you." But his face told me the truth. He emerged from behind the wall scanning the room for Megan and biting his lip. His eyes were red rimmed and brimming with tears that he was fighting back. He reached up a hand to Meg's foot as he wrapped his other arm around my leg. "She ok?" he whispered. And with that little scared face and tiny question I wanted to cry. My poor kids.
The xray showed no bone damage - so we're just dealing with soft tissue. And then the doctor, who was setting us in panic mode earlier, said with a simple smile, "Well it really takes a good 15-18 months to fully heal. Looking at her pictures from just 4 months ago its clear how far she's come. She's almost there."
See, I don't like the guy. Another appointment with very little outcome. More of the same - feed her, play with her, lay her to sleep in ways that force her head to the spots it doesn't want to go on its own often. Stretch her. And then come back in 3 months. A lot of tears for what feels like nothing.
And this was our 2nd doctor visit in as many days. The day prior we, Logan-less this time, headed out to Meg's 8 month Well-baby visit. By the numbers, she's now 20 pounds even and 27 1/4 inches tall. The doctor declared her perfect in every way and was most pleased to see a great big smile and a full arm wave as she bid Megan "bye-bye." She encouraged us to start introducing 'real' food to Miss Thing now, which is good, because we have. Megan, if you're keeping track for some odd reason, loves butchering real bananas and she makes this awesome old lady face when she gets those Gerber Veggie puffs in her mouth. The appointment was your typically mundane well visit - which is the kind we like the best.
1 comment:
Yes, I have had to hold my baby down for x-rays and yes it is HORRIBLE. It sounds like you had a doozy of a day yesterday. Here is a hug for you. The good thing about her condition improving as it is is that you are that much closer to not having to deal with the specialist. UGH.
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