EMG

Not really sure what it stands for but that is what we traveled up to PMC for yesterday. My mom and sister were saints to help with the girls. I am so grateful because it would have been impossible to take them.

As we got up there we did the usual routine of weight and length check and then off to the room to wait. We were then transferred to another room where the test would take place. I sat on the patient bed with Eli on a pillow on my lap and they placed little white sticky sensors on his hand in various nerve locations and then they would take a two pronged shocking device and press a button to send the electrical pulse. Then they would measure the how long it took for it reach one point to the nerve. (Don't worry when I say shock. They showed me what it felt like and I could hardly feel it.) Then they placed a needle that was hooked up to a microphone in different nerve sites, and were watching for p waves, amplitudes and bunch of other things that went over my head. Eli did really well for most of the test, but they put the needle in right behind his elbow and make him furious. Can't say that I blame him. As soon as I was able to put him back up to my shoulder to comfort him and talk quietly in his ear he would be calm immediately.

Basically the run down on the test is this. They verified that it is indeed a brachial plexus nerve injury. So on our end we have been working on getting him bilateral wrist splints (Which has been more difficult than I thought because he is so small. But the company we are working with is very helpful and looking into what options we have, or possibly custom making him a pair.) We have also been in touch with Early Childhood Intervention to get an appointment set up, so he can be evaluated for physical therapy. We have an appointment set up June 17th with his neurologist to see if he has made progress. He also has an MRI set up on the 25th so that they can have a visual of the extent of the damage. They will have to sedate him for the procedure and I am hoping Jed can get the day off so that he can come with me.

At the end of his appointment yesterday they said that if they don't see improvement by 6 months of age we will probably want to look into surgery to improve the movement in his hands. If this was the route we were to go, we would be going out of state to either Oregon or Texas since those are the two closest locations that preform the surgery. I am hoping that it doesn't come to that.

I was a wreck on the way home from the hospital. As I was talking with Brent we figured in the state that I was in I probably shouldn't have been driving. Thankfully I made it back to my mom's unscathed. I am feeling better and hopeful that taking these measures will bring improvement. I found so much comfort and support in talking with family about what has been going on. I always feel so loved and find so much assurance that all will be well with our little guy.