Catching up on Little Dyl

Dylan, my 4yrd, has had many visits to the doctor as of late. The journey began almost a year ago with her complaining of leg pain after walking or sitting for periods of time. Her legs would ache and then 'fall asleep' making them uncomfortable to move and use to walk. Around this time she also developed her first out break of hives. With no cause for the hives or the leg pains we headed to the doctor again to seek out an explanation or diagnosis. For the hives, she had her thyroid tested, and we ruled out most food and environmental allergens. For her legs, she had xrays, and tests to rule out arthritis. Many unanswered questions remained so we were sent to specialist.....An Allergist and Orthopedic to be exact.!

Early this morning Chris took Dyl to the Orthopedic. He said that her issues were not joint or ligament related...but thought she may need to see a neurologist for an MRI and other testing. He then told Chris that he had seen this before. Asked a few questions about her muscles, pains, and if she walked on her toes (yes, sometimes). He said if it was up to him to make a diagnosis today he would say she had mild cerebral palsy.

Sounds scary I know.... But here is what I found out .......

The term cerebral palsy refers to any one of a number of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement and muscle coordination but don’t worsen over time. Even though cerebral palsy affects muscle movement, it isn’t caused by problems in the muscles or nerves. It is caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that control muscle movements. The majority of children with cerebral palsy are born with it, although it may not be detected until months or years later. The early signs of cerebral palsy usually appear before a child reaches 3 years of age. The most common are a lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary movements (ataxia); stiff or tight muscles and exaggerated reflexes (spasticity); walking with one foot or leg dragging; walking on the toes, a crouched gait, or a “scissored” gait; and muscle tone that is either too stiff or too floppy.

Of course nothing is confirmed and we will have to wait to hear it from a neurologist.... we plan to keep moving forward. Just like her sister, Dylan will be headed towards many road trips and tests. .....But we have learned that persistance wins when it comes to your child!

After Ortho she headed to the allergist and received the best and most shocking news. The prick test she had done on her back showed absolutely no positive result. She isn't allergic to any of the common known allergens. They believe it may be red and yellow dyes in food so that is our new plan... watch and see !

Til Then....