That Overwhelming Feeling

You know the feeling… when you start to realize all the things you need to get done and all the things your kids need… and it starts piling up and all you want to do is crawl into bed and take a nap because that just seems much easier?

I had one of those moments while we were exploring how Jordan’s new helper arm works… and how the HECK am I going to make sure she uses it well?

Here’s the deal. Her new arm has a lot more potential.

Jordan has the potential to learn how to manage bending the elbow and locking it with different movements of her shoulder. But first she will use the little blue wire in the front of the upper arm to lock the elbow in place. She can bend it with her harness, lock it with her hand and then she can open and close the hand when the elbow is locked. When her prosthetist, David Rotter, was fitting her for the harness, he started encouraging Jordan to work on different upper arm rotations. And I had no idea what he was talking about. There are functions of an arm that I never really understood or knew and I realized at that moment that I need to know more. I need to make sure she’s getting the right occupational therapy services. I want to help her succeed and use this tool in the best way possible.

I mentioned my concerns to David… He seems to be so knowledgeable about the motions and mastery needed with prosthetics, but I worry my OT doesn’t have enough experience. He mentioned there aren’t many experienced OTs anywhere when it comes to kids using upper limb prosthetics.

That didn’t really make me feel much better.

So… We’re going to start working with our OT after the holidays. David plans to Skype with her to talk about the prosthetic and how it works. We’ll work on things for the next six months or so. We’re going to return to Chicago after I speak at a blogger conference in July. Before we head home, we’ll drop by to see David and see what his thinks about Jordan’s skill level. If he’s concerned in any way, I’ll see if I can get a consultation at our St. Louis Shriners. Jordan and I haven’t been back there since she was a baby. We might benefit from some knowledge over there.

I think it’s a plan that helps calm my worrying mind. I just want to make sure Jordan is safe, growing, happy, and healthy. I get worked up about the same stuff when it comes to her brother. I’m totally in worry mode this week for some reason. I guess it just comes with the mom territory some days.