MEDICAL EQUIPMENT

I had no idea how much equipment was going to be needed for Jasmine. In the beginning I needed her kiddie wheel chair, a high chair, and a crib. I had to get a shower stretcher for her because I couldn't submerge her in the bathtub. I needed two hands to bathe her as you would a newborn. She couldn't hold herself up at all, so I had to strap her in to bathe her. I also had to get an IV pole to hang her bag with her pediasure in it so I could tube feed her.This made it easier because I could take it from room to room.  I needed a nebulizer  because she needed breathing treatments three times a day. We had to get a stander for her because she needed to stand everyday so her legs could get stronger. It was a very big piece of equipment, and hard to get her in it. You had to lay it down, put her on it, strap her chest, hips, knees, and feet, and then pull it up so she was standing. There was a tray attached to it so she could look at toys to distract her while she was standing. It was alot of work for her to stand, even though she wasn't  standing on her own. We had to put her in it everyday. Then she had a Dynasplint for her hips. After Jasmine would fall asleep, I had to put this on her to keep her hips rotated. It was extremely uncomfortable but was necessary to keep her hips from coming out of the hip joint. We had to get a special car seat which had extra support for her head and on the sides so she wouldn't fall over. We also had a portable stroller, which was adapted to her needs.  Later on we got her a chair called "The Special Tomato", which was a very foamy comfy chair she could sit in to do some of her activities. One day when I talked to her teacher they told me that they had her in a "pony" which was a little gait trainer, and Jasmine was actually taking some steps in it. So that was next on my list of things to get for her. The procedure to get durable medical equipment is a very long process. I took her to Children's to order the pony. She had to be measured and to see what extra attachments she needed,like a head rest and extra neck and back support. Then we had to get a prescription from her pediatrician, along with a letter of medical necessity. Then it was submitted to the insurance company, which goes through different departments there. By the time some of her equipment is approved, she needs to be remeasured for the next size up. On an average, it can take six months to a year to finally get the equipment. I am not complaining because our insurance has covered just about everything , but it is frustrating when I am anxious for Jasmine to get what she needs. Our house was getting smaller and smaller with all of Jasmine's equipment lined up, but she was slowly getting stronger.