I didn’t do my Simple Woman’s Daybook this week because Monday was a crazy day. Jonalyn had an appointment at a special therapy clinic about 40 minutes from our home to address the way her toes turn in. This is a problem we noticed more than a year ago, but our CP doctor assured us that a lot of kids intoe and they grow out of it. The trouble is that Jonalyn’s intoeing has gotten worse to the point where she now trips over her own feet and falls frequently. One of these times she’s really going to hurt herself. The therapist was great and recognized right away that Jonalyn couldn’t do the tests designed for kids her age. She related well to Jonalyn on Jonalyn’s cognitive level. She took quite a few measurements and found that Jonalyn’s hip muscles are very weak. So, as soon as our insurance approves the visits, we will have therapy twice a week for a month to learn about the strapping and taping. The straps are long, stretch velcro strips that wrap around her legs. The therapist talked about taping her feet, though the doctor spoke about taping her butt cheeks together to turn those bones out. The therapist also mentioned that Jonalyn might need orthodics in her shoes. All of that to be determined.

I LOVED the clinic. It is devoted just to therapy and looks like they specialize in kids. There are a ton of therapy rooms. We were in the small gym, with lots of gait trainers and even a treadmill in front of a mirror. Jonalyn wanted to climb on that. They also have a big gym with steps and slides and a ball pit. The neatest thing, though, was the trampoline. Jonalyn and the therapist walked across the floor. I noticed the color changed from green to gray but didn’t think anything of it until the therapist told Jonalyn to jump. It was a tramp. Right in the floor! I want one of those in our house!!

Our lives are about to get much busier, but Jonalyn needs to be able to walk without falling, so this is important. And if the strapping and taping don’t work, she’ll need some pretty major surgery and we’d like to avoid that if at all possible. Pray with us that she’ll soon but walking better and safer.