Selah's Equipment
Wheelchair
In March, Selah got her 3 Wheeled Cheetah, with custom seating to position her correctly.

Standing Dani Mobile Stander This is like a wheelchair, but she is in a standing position and benefits her joints, muscles, bladder and bowel function, etc.



THKAFOs Thorasic, Hip, Knee, Ankle, Foot Orthotics. Braces that go up to her ribs. She wears these to stand and someday, hopefully work on taking steps with a walker

AFOs (Ankle Foot Orthotics) She wears these all day so that her feet are kept stable and she can wear shoes.

Knee Immobilizers She wears these braces when she sleeps to keep her knee muscles from getting too tight.

Dennis Browne Braces She wears these braces on her feet as part of her non-surgical club foot treatment, which included several rounds of serial casting when she was young.

Standing Frame A non-mobile frame for bearing weight.

Scooter Her dad built this for her to get around the house, it's much smaller than her wheelchair and can fit in the doorways and in her bedroom. However, she won't fit in when she gets bigger.


Selah's Links
Selah's YouTube Debut!
Selah's Medical Updates Website
Contact Us
Selah's Medical Overview


Diagnosis and descriptions and specialists

Spina Bifida. Myelomeningocele (open spine) from the 12th Thorasic Vertebrae, causing paralysis from the waist down. (Paraplegia) Orthopedic Surgeon– Dr. Shoenecker - Shriner's Hosptial

Hydrocephalus. Excess fluid on her brain. Maintained with a VP Shunt, continually removing the excess fluid away from her brain and down a tube where it empties into her abdomen.

Chiari II Malformation. Her cerebellum hangs out of the base of her skull. At this time, it is “non-symptomatic.”Neurosurgeon – Dr. Leonard @ St. Louis Children's Hospital

Kyphosis. Severe (127 degree) mid-lumbar kyphotic spinal curvature. Spinal Orthopedic Surgeon – Dr. Lenke – St. Louis Children's Hosptial

Scoliosis. Spinal curavture. (The kyphosis causes her spine to curve outward, scoliosis to the side.)

Bilateral Clubbed Foot. Both feet were severely clubbed at birth. Orthopedic Surgeon - Dr. Dobbs - Shriner's Hosptial for Children

Neurogenic Bowel and Bladder. She cannot effectively elimate on her own. She is catherized four times a day and gets a cone water enema nightly in an attempt to maintain bowel and bladder health. Urologist – Dr. Coplan - St. Louis Children's Hosptial; Gastrointestinal – Dr. Shephard - Shriner's Hosptial for Children

Strabismus. Her eye muscles do not work together. Right now, she is wearing glasses in an attempt to fix the problem. If they are not sucessful, yet another surgery will be the only option. Opthamologist – Dr. Culican – St. Louis Children's Hospital



Selah's surgeries thus far & known future surgeries

3-15-05 Myelomeningocele repair (closed the opening in her spine)

3-18-05 VP shunt placed

5-3-05 Percutaneus Tenotomy Bilateral (Partial “release” of her clubbed feet. She's also had several rounds of serial casting and nightly bracing for over 2 years.)

11-30-06 Shunt Revision

1-25-07 Shunt Revision

9-25-07 Ear tubes placed in both ears

Sometime in 2009, she will have a kyphectomy with spinal fusion. The surgery will entail removing the effected vertebrae, fusing her spine, placing rods to hold her back straight and severing her spinal cord from the defect down to prevent her spinal cord attaching (tethering) to the scar tissue.

Around August of 2009, she will have a total Club Foot release surgery.

There are possible bowel and bladder surgeries in the next 3-5 years.

Selah's Neruosurgeon told us that, typically, a baby who has a shunt placed at birth will have about 6 revisions. So, Selah will likely have multiple shunt revision surgeries sometime in her future.