February 29, 2008 - Good News on the Brianna front

Okay, so we got some good news yesterday! Brianna isn't going to need a new fundoplication! At least, not yet. They're going to put her back on reflux meds, in addition to the reglan, and see if that helps with the vomitting. So, back on Prilosec we go. I'm really hoping this will help. I don't want my baby to have to go through surgery again. She was just so miserable before, I don't think I could stand to see her like that again. I don't think I could handle the stress, the crying, the pain she was always in. I know it sounds selfish, but it's not. Because it's a given that, if she were to have surgery again, she would be in pain. It's also a given that any parent worth his or her salt would want to spare their child that pain. Heck, if she could have the surgery and have me feel everything, rather than her, then I'd do that. I'd rather take the pain myself. But that isn't possible. So I'm just glad we're not going to have to do surgery right now.

Yesterday, after the feeding clinic, we had therapy at Shriner's. Brianna got to play in her walkabout first, since someone else was using the wheelchair. She was taking some wonderful steps. She still has difficulty stepping with her right leg, and it frustrates her so much! She gets so angry when that right leg won't do what she wants it to. She starts arching and fussing and gritting her teeth, and generally making terrible faces, trying so hard. Sometimes she gets it, sometimes she doesn't. But she steps with her left leg just fine.

After the walkabout, Brianna got to play in the wheelchair, and I have to say, I have never seen such smooth, deliberate driving from her. I don't know if it was because she watched the other little girl in it, or if it is because she was tired, so she was more mellow, but she followed me up and down the halls several times, making awesome turns and keeping straight on the straight parts. Usually she is wanting to touch the walls and the pictures, or anything else she sees. She is so alert, when she hears someone coming, she wants to see who it is. If she hears the elevator coming, she wants to go on the elevator. But yesterday, she only tried going on the elevators once, and she only tried touching the walls a few times. She did still drive to wear people were, but she wasn't mowing people down in the halls, she just went into the rooms they were in. Which was also a big deal for us. She is doing so amazingly well with her driving, I am so proud of her! By this time next year, she'll be driving like a pro!