E-Stim

We recently heard about a product for children with nerve damage from another mom of a spina-bifida baby. It's called E-Stim and works much like an EKG except the electrodes are hooked up to the legs instead of the chest. The E-Stim then sends electrical currents down the legs to stimulate damaged nerves which in turn stimulate muscles with poor tone. We can put our hands on Abby's legs and feel the muscles contracting. This week Abby was hooked up to E-Stim for the third time during her physical therapy and so far is making drastic improvements in her muscle tone as well as movement in her left leg. Abby has been walking using only the bottom part of her braces and walker and we are thrilled! But using this device can be quite tricky since the therapist has to determine the degree of current to use without causing too much discomfort. Abby does cry and fret most of her appointment and we're not sure if it's because she is in a little bit of pain or if she is just fussing about yet another new procedure. It's the most heart-wrenching part of being the parent and making the hard calls....do you let your child be uncomfortable for the present time so she has the best quality of life later, or do you give her the highest level of comfort and hope she isn't disappointed later that you didn't do more? Last week her appointment was so emotional that I felt drained for several days after it was over. Of course the instant her E-Stim was unhooked, she was all smiles like nothing had happened...the little stinker! She always manages to bounce back from whatever she faces with a smile, so we are very thankful to have a beautiful daughter with an excellent spirit. She makes it all worthwhile!



Abby was so happy her Daddy was able to come to her appointment yesterday

Here is a close-up of what her legs look like when hooked up to the E-Stim

And of course Mama was here to cheer Abby on too

Last week Abby visited her Paw-Paw and Maw-Maw and managed to wrangle a tractor ride out of her Paw-Paw. You should hear Abby's southern drawl when she says "Paw"...so cute!

Giving my "Paw" some much-deserved sugar for my tractor ride

Abby is eating up all this attention on her off day

Lookin' pretty for the camera

It's about time to go home for my nap, everybody!