Another patient she has heard a lot about, returned on Monday as well. Baby Brahms made an appearance for his first tune-up. It was difficult to properly align an infant. His tentativeness, lack of balance, and weak leg muscles masked a few issues that would normally be spotted at first glance.
Last week, when Brahms would stand or walk, it was mostly in a half crouched over position. Today, he was standing up straight, a clear sign that he was becoming more comfortable with his new prosthesis. It also clearly demonstrated that the initial height setting of the prosthesis was too short. When mom tried to let go of his hand, he would have difficulty balancing and wouldn’t take a step without her. After we corrected the length issue, Brahms took off after the soccer ball like a horse from the starting gate. It was probably as close to running as you could get without officially running. We also made an adjustment to the suspension sleeve that holds the leg on securely. We made it tighter, because his Mom said he could kick it off when he would throw a temper tantrum. I think the adjustment help significantly, because Brahms’ self confidence seemed to elevate rather quickly. In fact, I would later catch the little boy that would barely let go of Mom’s hand, walk across the clinic, go outside, and walk the entire length of the front walkway without any help at all. Not only that, but he would do it while carrying a beach ball! A small beach ball, but a beach ball none the less.
So, two of my favorite patients made the day for me. And you better believe that I got my goodbye hug from Niekka this time. Brahms, however, would be staying with us for a few days.
I got a big surprise on Tuesday that kept me busy for the next few days. On March 18th, a cargo ship left Miami carrying some supplies that would help sustain the clinic into the future. It was thought that the shipment would not be received for several months, after I would have already returned home. But, Tuesday would bring box after box of supplies. We took the opportunity to rearrange a few things in the shop to help accommodate the additional stock and it seemed like my first week all over again… counting inventory! It seemed like every time we would finish sorting and counting our stock, a new wave of boxes would arrive. This would happen for the next two days, and a few boxes would linger in during the following week. This particular week would end quietly though. Thursday and Friday was HAS holidays in recognition of Easter. I found the timing perfect though, it allowed my wife and me to take a few days off and enjoy an overnight trip to the beach on those two days.
