Health Update - May '07

Kasey has been making remarkable progress over the past few months. She is getting good at walking although she is still a bit slow some days. Although she is now 2 years old, she has only about 3 good months of walking under her belt. Her balance is not quite there and she is tentative about falling. She does bounce around and tries to jump, but it is obvious that she has only been walking for 3-4 months.

The chronic inflammation in her right knee has increased growth in that leg by ½ inch greater than the left leg – This is causing her to be a bit off balance. In the next few weeks she will be getting a little lift that fits into her shoe that should help. There is talk that she may get another steroid injection in her right knee sometime in the future if therapy alone does not relieve the contracture in her knee.

She continues to have weekly physical therapy and occupational therapy and is now in warm water pool therapy to help with the contracture in her knee. Her rheumatologist at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee (Dr. Judyann Olson) is very pleased with her progress.

Kasey is still down in weight (not even on the growth charts). Some days she just refuses to eat all day. It’s frustrating as you want you child to eat and she pushes it away.

She will continue to get her weekly injection of Methotrexate as well as her 3 other daily meds for now. That seems to be working well as she doesn’t seem to experience much pain and is acting like a two year old should.