KK Update

I took Miss K back to doctor this week. We went to go see a different specialist, Dr. Osguthorpe. After listening to the whole story, asking lots of questions, and examining Katelyn, he confirmed that her original diagnosis of Cerebellar Ataxia is correct. Her ataxia (wobbliness) has improved to me over 50% since she was first seen. It is definitely not gone, but is improving. I notice it more when she is tired. It is basically going to just take more time for her brain to completely recover. This was reassuring to me. I had been worried about just waiting things out. What if there was something else wrong that we could fix- to help her get better faster? It make take several more months, but at least I know that we are on the right track. When I asked him about her starting kindergarten in the fall, he told me that he expected her to make a full recovery and she should be fine in school this fall. What a relief! I seriously feel like a huge burden has been lifted and that makes all the waiting a little easier to take.

A really good thing that came out of the visit- the doctor told Katelyn that she is BETTER. Even though she is still recovering, it is important for her to know she can do all the things that she used to do. She can make her bed, clear her dinner dishes, play with friends, go to preschool, etc. She has regressed emotionally and socially to where she was at 2 1/2 to 3 years old. She has been having lots of temper tantrums and being really moody and defiant. The doctor said this is really common for kids who are sick for a long time. The best thing to fix this is to get her back into her old routines. Thankfully, now that she believes she is BETTER, she has been acting a lot better. Amazing. She still know that she is wobbly sometimes, but she told me that "it is not attacking my brain anymore."

When she was sick she never wanted to go to bed, but rather would stay up later with Jeff and I. Now that she is better she told me, "Mom, I am better now so I can't stay up late anymore." Yep, that's right. This has applied to lots of things, but has made my life a lot better too. It is amazing what the mind can do. We still have moments, but I'll take moments over all day, every day. I am so excited to be finally getting my Miss K back!