New Opportunities.....

This is a picture from last year on Myah's first 4th of July. My little firecracker!

So it has been another rough week for me. Lets just say I am definitely looking forward to the 3 day weekend! Work has been busy this week and it seems like we have had things to do after work every night this week.

This week I was assigned additional responsibilities at work. It will bring great learning opportunities for me for which I am very thankful. But as a co-worker said, "the words more experience and great opportunities is code for more work". The additional workload I'm taking on will require several business trips in the next few months. This means time away from my sweet Myah and Willie which I'm not going to enjoy. However, I am grateful for the opportunity to travel, and I plan to make the best of it.

We are going to Weatherford for the weekend to spend time with family. I'm looking forward to lounging in the pool and just relaxing with those that I love. I only dread packing for the trip. I swear since Myah has come along I feel like I have to pack everything we own when we go out of town. It takes me at least an hour just to get all of her stuff gathered up. We usually wind up with three or four different bags for only a weekend visit. CRAZY!

Well....I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July. I am grateful I get to live in this great country and enjoy the many freedoms that come with that. Thank you to those that serve or have served our country for we owe our freedom to you.

Myah's New "Necklace"....

Myah has a new "necklace", at least that is what we call it. It is really a TOT Collar to help treat her Torticollis. Myah will wear this collar as much as possible for the next month and attend Physical Therapy once a week. Our Therapist said that just wearing the collar can be more beneficial than the actual stretches we do each session. We are still planning on meeting with a doctor regarding Botox injections within the next month.

See Myah wear this contraption really bothers me. It just makes me sad that she has to go through this. Don't get me wrong, I know we are very blessed that we only have this to deal with, but it is still hard. The first night Myah wore the collar I was a complete wreck. I questioned whether we put it on her properly, was it to tight, was it hurting, I could go on and on. I kept running to the other room to cry so she wouldn't see me upset. Of course the next day my eyes were so swollen, and I was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. I am feeling better now since I've had a few days to get used to seeing her in it, and we have gotten better and faster at putting it on her.

I know the collar will help which is wonderful. For now, we just keep telling Myah how cool her new necklace is.I tell her that Momma wishes she had a necklace to wear that was as cool as hers. Myah will sometimes point at her "necklace" and says "so cool Momma"! It is ADORABLE!

Torticollis

So as many know Myah was diagnosed with Torticollis when she was around 15 months old. Torticollis is the shortening or excessive contraction of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, often causing limited range of motion in both rotation and lateral bending. The head is typically tilted in lateral bending toward the affected muscle and rotated toward the opposite side. The reported incidence of congenital torticollis is 0.3-2.0 %. Basically Myah’s head is tilted to the left side.

When Myah was around 6 months old our Pediatrician noticed that her head was flat on one side, which is fairly common in infants. However, she noticed that one of Myah’s eyes appeared to be smaller than the other. Her face was not completely symmetrical. So we went to see an Ophthalmologist to have her vision checked. Her vision was fine. We went back to the pediatrician for another wellness check and it appeared that Myah’s head was starting to round out. The flatness of her head was improving, most likely due to her becoming more mobile. So, we assumed that everything was well.

When Myah started walking we noticed that her head would tilt slightly to the left. We also noticed it in some of her pictures, but we thought it was a cutesy thing. Our Pediatrician noticed it as well and thought it warranted a visit to an Orthopedic Specialist. We went to OU Children’s Hospital where she was examined and X-Rays were taken. The Specialist advised that Myah’s bone structure looked normal, however, he determined that she has a muscular issue which is diagnosed as Torticollis.

He ordered 2-3 months of Physical Therapy, at home therapy, and a return visit in 6 months. We started PT immediately. Myah completely and totally hates it. She pretty much screams and cries the entire 30-45 minute session. It is so hard to sit with your child and listen to them scream for 45 minutes straight knowing there is nothing that you can do. I take comfort in knowing that we are doing the therapy to help her, but some days even knowing that doesn’t make it any easier. I just want to scoop her up, give her hugs and kisses, run out of that place, and comfort her. God Bless our Physical Therapist, she is amazing.

We have been doing the therapy for 2 months now. Next week, Myah will start wearing a collar that has a stint on one side. Hopefully this will help her posture by keeping her from leaning to one side. We are also going to have a consult with a Specialist about Botox treatments in the next few weeks. Apparently Botox injections into the muscle can help tremendously. It is the next treatment option before surgery is recommended. First, the specialist will have to determine if Myah is a good candidate for the procedure. If she is, we will have to weigh the risks and benefits of the procedure before deciding how to proceed. Physical therapy would be continued after the Botox treatment for another 3-4 months. If the Botox procedure doesn’t help or isn’t an option I believe that surgery will be recommended.

We will do whatever we can to help our little sweetheart. Please keep Myah in your prayers. Momma and Daddy need prayers as well. I will keep everyone updated.

My Life in a Nutshell

So this will be my first blog post….Woot Woot! So I guess I should start by giving everyone a brief synopsis of my life, in case you don’t know me all that well. So this is my life story in a nutshell.

I was born in Arkansas and lived there until I was 16. We relocated to Weatherford, Oklahoma where I graduated from High School and then started college at SWOSU. I started working at Sonic when I was 16 and worked there off and on through college. This is where I met Willie, my husband. We met in August of 2000 during my first semester of college. We have been together ever since. We both graduated college in 2004 moved to Oklahoma City. Willie started with Hertz where he still currently works and I began work at Farmers Insurance. We moved to Tulsa a few years later for my job, and then we moved back to Oklahoma City when I decided I didn’t like Tulsa or my job.

So here we are in Oklahoma City, still working and still living. Willie and I have been married for 8 years. We welcomed our first child, Myah Anne Swain, into the world on January 11, 2010. So in the last few years I have finished grad school, had a baby, and started a new job. There have been lots of changes for us, but all very good and exciting changes. I couldn’t be more blessed.