Torticollis Update

Friday, I had to take Eliza back to the Neurologist's office for a MRI of her brain and spine. I have been dreading this day all month, but finally we can move forward with treatment. On Thursday night, I had to sleep deprive Eliza- I put her down at 11:00 pm and woke her up at 3:30 am to give her a bottle because she could not eat or drink for 4 hours before the MRI. She would only drink a little of the bottle and wanted to go back to sleep. I gave in and let her sleep until about 5:30. We had to be at the office at 7:30 Friday morning and I had to give her chloral hydrate to sedate her. This was probably the hardest part- giving my baby medicine to "knock her out." It took her about 10 minutes or so to fall asleep. The actual MRI went fine- it took about an hour and I was able to stay and hold her hand the whole time. I didn't realize how loud those machines are, but thankfully, she could not hear it. After the test, she woke up as the nurse was getting her unstrapped from the table. Surprisingly, she woke up in a good mood. We met with the neurologist after the MRI and he said that her brain and spine are normal. It is definitely a muscle problem. He gave us 3 months of physical therapy and I have to meet with the surgeon just in case. If the torticollis is not gone by her first birthday, they will do surgery to lengthen the muscle on the right side of her neck. Please pray that the PT works, Steve and I do not want to have the surgery. Other than that, Eliza is a happy healthy child. Some children with torticollis have developmental delays, but Eliza has hit each one of her milestones on time or either early! She is such a blessing and I am thankful to God for her everyday.

Eliza at the Doctor's office after the MRI- waiting for the results