Update on Dakota

Jake took the little guy to Shriner's last week for an evaluation. They did x-rays and he is looking good on the bone part. His muscles are extremely tight though in his legs especially in his hamstrings. As most of you know Dakota was diagnosed with a mild for of cerebral palsy with most of it being in his legs. Which explains why he is still having problems walking. He has what is called Spastic cerebral palsy. [ It results is a condition in which a person has muscle tightness and problems with moving the body. People with spastic cerebral palsy have poor balance and poor coordination, especially in the arms and legs.]

So we are getting him a new pair of leg braces to wear that hopefully will help with this and fit his legs better then the last ones.

And he is going to get Botox injections to relax the muscles in his legs. Yes Botox the stuff you put in your face to get rid of wrinkles. [Botulinum toxin (Botox) has been shown to improve the two main factors of leg spasticity: walking foot pattern and ankle position. 1 But more research is needed on its short-term and long-term effects on leg spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. 2

In most cases, an injectable treatment relaxes tight muscles for a limited time. Alcohol and phenol start to work right away and last about 3 to 6 months. Botox usually begins to take effect within 3 days after injection, although the full effects are often not evident for 1 to 2 weeks. The effects of Botox last for about 4 to 8 months.]

And also at night we are going to put a brace on his knees while he sleeps so they he has to keep them straight and not go into fetal position. This will help keep his muscles stretched out and not relaxed all of the time.

We are hoping that all this will help him. He is doing really well at trying to walk. He loves his walker. He has mastered that and loves that he can get up and go with it. He is going to be starting special Ed preschool at the elementary school in May which will give him lots of time to run around and play with his friends which will be good because mom get boring.

I love him so much and am so proud of him for all of his hard work. I am glad that he came to us. He has taught me so much. I am excited to see where his life takes us. I already know it is going to be quite the adventure with his willingness to try everything and his love of motorcycles. I think it is a clue that it is going to be a wild ride.

Love you Kota!!


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