The Twins Appointment at St Peters
Aug. 20th, 2002 09:17 amYesterday was probably my worst day since the twins first came home.
We took them both to the special neurodevelopmental clinic for a complete set of tests (as I mentioned on 27th May). Ryan was there for comparison purposes; Beatrice was the baby they were concerned about.
Ryan, obviously, passed everything very easily; Beatrice did not.
The doctors are worried about her movement mostly - she can do some of the same things as Ryan (eg. roll over) but she does them in a very different way. Also she has a number of other quirks - such as always wanting to look right and consequently always sleeping with her head turned that way.
Therefore, they agreed, she needs to go to a special clinic for treatment with a physiotherapist. I need to take her, so I can continue with the treatments at home.
Unfortunately, it is likely to be twice a week at a place which is 15 minutes drive away. This is going to cause real problems as I do not have a car (although I can drive - theoretically, anyway; it has been a while since I last did so). Public transport is a possibility, but raises the "what do I do with Ryan ?" problem. Also, anyone suggesting I use buses when transporting twins, does not know what they are talking about.
How bad is the problem ? They do not know. After all, her range of movements is supposed to be limited at her age anyway - it will be a long time before it becomes apparent whether she can walk, run, jump, etc. without problems.
How long will the treatment take ? Again, they can not say. Until they understand the extent of the problem (which, may take months or years) and how well she responds to treatment; they can not say when she will be cured. If ever.
My parents, being the wonderful people they are, have offered to come and help with the weekly transport. But they live in Cambridge - so this is expensive and, frankly, too much to ask for. Ringing them to tell them that there may be permanent problems with their only granddaughter was not a barrel of laughs either. Martin has also offered to help - mainly with a bit of babysitting; particularly on any Open University days.
I am just grateful that Dom will be the one to tell his mother about the problems - Jo will be more upset than my parents.
There is very little else to say.
We took them both to the special neurodevelopmental clinic for a complete set of tests (as I mentioned on 27th May). Ryan was there for comparison purposes; Beatrice was the baby they were concerned about.
Ryan, obviously, passed everything very easily; Beatrice did not.
The doctors are worried about her movement mostly - she can do some of the same things as Ryan (eg. roll over) but she does them in a very different way. Also she has a number of other quirks - such as always wanting to look right and consequently always sleeping with her head turned that way.
Therefore, they agreed, she needs to go to a special clinic for treatment with a physiotherapist. I need to take her, so I can continue with the treatments at home.
Unfortunately, it is likely to be twice a week at a place which is 15 minutes drive away. This is going to cause real problems as I do not have a car (although I can drive - theoretically, anyway; it has been a while since I last did so). Public transport is a possibility, but raises the "what do I do with Ryan ?" problem. Also, anyone suggesting I use buses when transporting twins, does not know what they are talking about.
How bad is the problem ? They do not know. After all, her range of movements is supposed to be limited at her age anyway - it will be a long time before it becomes apparent whether she can walk, run, jump, etc. without problems.
How long will the treatment take ? Again, they can not say. Until they understand the extent of the problem (which, may take months or years) and how well she responds to treatment; they can not say when she will be cured. If ever.
My parents, being the wonderful people they are, have offered to come and help with the weekly transport. But they live in Cambridge - so this is expensive and, frankly, too much to ask for. Ringing them to tell them that there may be permanent problems with their only granddaughter was not a barrel of laughs either. Martin has also offered to help - mainly with a bit of babysitting; particularly on any Open University days.
I am just grateful that Dom will be the one to tell his mother about the problems - Jo will be more upset than my parents.
There is very little else to say.