It started when she was born prematurely. She was quite healthy for an early birth minus some jaundice but otherwise she was complication free. To see her as a newborn you wouldn't have a clue that anything was wrong. None of her physician's picked up on anything. As a newborn she was diagnosed that she had acid reflux, easy no big deal and it resolved when she could sit up on her own. She was diagnosed with Torticollis, again, easy no big deal some adjustments here and there and she was fine after a couple of months. Other than those 2 little bumps in the road, the first year of her life was pretty uneventful. She was speaking early and very well at that. Her Fine Motor skills were impeccable. She could pincher grasp grains of rice at 9 months old. However, her gross motor skills were quite lacking. Her pediatricians brushed it off saying that not all children excel at all areas and she may just be slower on her mobility than she was with everything else. Just give it time.
That was not a reasonable answer for me. I knew in my gut something was not right. I had written previously in October 2011 how we finally had a diagnosis. Well I was wrong. Apparently, so were they. Here is that previous post that fills you in a bit more on what has been going on. go ahead. click it and read it. I'll wait....
A Diagnosis and Lesson in Bravery from a 2 year old.
well that is where we were as of October. I wasn't prepared for this next whirlwind but deep down inside, I knew something far greater was going on. I just didn't really prepare myself or at least admit to myself that something was wrong.
We got the new AFO's which opened up a whole host of new issues. She started walking with her feet turned in, her hips started clicking terribly when you held her. You could feel all of her joints when you touch them click and rub and make actual sounds. It was frightening. I honestly was constantly saying to myself Oh My God what is happening. F started complaining about having boo boo knees and asking for someone to rub her legs or her back. She started getting horrendous nose bleeds at night and bruising on her legs very easily and deeply.
We took her back to the Doctor's office and they cauterized her nose for bleeding, referred us back to the Orthopedic Surgeon at Children's Hospital where we learned that we needed to see a Genetic Specialist. Something greater was going on here than just loose joints. Through a gamet of testing all of which my brave little girl, never cried or showed fear. At the most she would quietly say, OUCH. With Xrays and blood work, echocardiograms and all the things that run in between, we had an answer. Not one that we were prepared for in the slightest. We waited, held our breath and hoped to god everything was going to be ok..............It's not.
My beautiful, perfect little princess was diagnosed with a Rare Genetic Disorder. She has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. It's a rare connective tissue disorder that affects your joints and blood vessels. There are defects in the genes responsible for the production of collagen. It can be fatal in some cases due to the hugely increased risk for Artery rupture, intestinal rupture, heart abnormalities etc. The list goes on an on. However, for F. It looks like only her small blood vessels are involved. Meaning little ones in the nose, on the skin surface that is responsible for bruising. Her heart is in perfect condition so at least that is HOPEFULLY one less worry we will have.
Another issue with EDS, is that children and adults alike with this syndrome can develop a whole host of MAST Cell syndromes. One specifically POTS which can cause increased pressure on the brain as one of the side effects of this condition. We will monitor her closely for head growth and vision issues but again, right now she is ok in this area.
Our main point of contention with this disorder is her joints. She has Hypotonia (very low muscle tone) and Severe Hypermobility and flexibility of the joints. If you take her little wrist, you can actually twist it almost completly in 360 degrees, sort of like you were wringing out a wet towel. Her hips click and are floppy, her knees and elbows bend in the opposite direction at times and her ankles buckle under the weight of her little body. All of these issues cause her to have a lot of mobility delays. She walks, unsteadily. Better with her braces but still falls. She can not run, jump, skip, hop or stand or flex on her toes. She most likely won't. She won't play any sports that require any sort of contact with other people or running. She will have to have a lot of assistance in school physically because simply holding a pencil for an 8 hour school day will be too much for her muscles and joints in her hands. It's a lot to think of, it's a lot to plan.
Cognitively there are zero issues or delays. Her IQ/Intelligence is uneffected and she will progress in areas academically as any other child without this syndrome will. It doesn't affect your mental capacity. In fact, she has exceled above her peers in many areas of language, memory and recognition.
We have to constantly be on watch for joint dislocations. With this disorder, it is one of those things that happens to everyone with this diagnosis......A LOT. We will have to deal with chronic pain and arthritis even at this yound age. It just breaks my heart that my beautiful little princess is going to have deal with pain for the rest of her life. She is such a tough little girl. She has come so far already. She is so brilliantly happy and unaware that anything is different. We the adults just have to learn how to do things Her way. We need to slow down and take our time, be gentle and tender. This is F's world, we have to adapt to it for her.
Our next step, research. Research, research. I don't think I have slept since her diagnosis. Scouring websites and corresponding with Doctors in this field via Email. They all keep coming back to me saying that F is one of the youngest diagnosed children they have heard of. Most children aren't diagnosed until they have chronic dislocations. Usually, their mobility issues are written off as something else before a concrete diagnosis is made. If it wasn't for the support of my parents, my sister and my husband (though often I feel like he has blinders on. I mean it's his princess. She is perfect. He has taken it rough to say the least). Like, I was saying, If it wasn't for the support of my family, helping me with the stress and letting me vent and pushing, pushing, pushing doctors for answers when I was not satisfied, we would have not known so early. We wouldn't have been given the opportunity to make changes NOW before serious joint damage occured. The amazing love that my parents and sister have given F is immeasurable. When we discuss her prognosis, they say eh, we can beat that. Nope, we can work on that. She is going to kick some Major EDS Ass! My dad, ahh be still my heart. When we were first dealing with this as a possiblity his response was, well she has an advantage. She may be one amazing professional dancer some day. Seriously, how awesome is that for a Papa to say? She loves them so much. My mom encourages her to chase my mom every single day around the house, chase the dogs etc to work those legs. It's just the sweetest display of love. Anyway, I digress as usual.
So F will endure intensive physical therapy 3 times a week indefinately, continued leg braces indefinately and other joint braces as injuries present themself. We will set forth in activities that will give her a sense of confidence all while working on some core issues. Swim for leg strength. Gymnastics and dance for balance and muscle tone just to name a few things. We are going to seek out chiropractic care and acupuncture care that specialize in Connective Tissue Disorders to help get a head start on pain management. Nutritional experts to help with our need to really load up on Vit C to help strengthen the blood vessel walls to help prevent them from breaking/rupturing. Find a nutritionist who specifically deals with connective tissue disorders more so collagen production and metabolization. Building lean muscle is so important but at the same time it is so hard to do in a child with hypotonia and joint issues. You can only do so much and again she is only 2 years old.
There is zero medical treatment, zero cure, zero medications to help and very little research going on. All we were told that we can do as parents is to help prevent injury. Help strengthen her and then treat as ailments start to progress as she ages. Sadly, these doctors have ZERO idea who they are dealing with. It is now my lifes mission to help raise awareness for my daughter. Find someway, someone, somehow to increase research on abnormalities in the synthesis and metabolism of collagen (a component of the matrix) and other connective tissue proteins.
For more information on EDS you can refer to NORD (the National Organization for Rare Disorders) http://www.rarediseases.org/
Or Ehlers Danlos National Foundation
http://www.ednf.org/
With some help from some amazing friends, there is a charitable event in the works that will directly send donations to the Ehlers Danlos Research Fund. I will be sure to post that as soon as it is up and running.
I have had my cry, I have had my time of why my little girl. It just proves how amazing she is when just last night, I was lying in bed with her on my chest watching a movie. Ironically, It was a Dolphin Tale. It was all about overcoming disability and I started to cry. My little girl simply said, no crying mama and then proceeded to say tickle tickle tickle while her little hands ran all over my face to make me laugh. At her young age, she is so loving and tender. She is worth every ounce of fight I have in me. We have to be her voice, her advocate. That is our job as parents to do everything we have to do to give her the best childhood, the happiest childhood that is possible.
In the meantime, here are just a couple of recent pictures of our beautiful little girl.
She may not be an athlete but my little comedian and singer may rock a NY Stage someday!! The world is hers to do as she wishes. We just have to adjust the world for her.
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