Hypoplastic Thumb...what does that mean??!!??!!

Today we went and saw Dr. Kuz at the Michigan Hand Center. Ever since Jordan was born I have been bothered by the fact that her hands seemed strange. I wasn't sure exactly what it was but last summer it was mentioned by Dr. Torielly that she had extra fat pads on the palm of her hand. It wasn't a big deal, but it still didn't explain why her thumbs looked strange. Then a few weeks ago I had someone at Ken-O-Sha look at them and she recommended we see a specialist. Last week Lynn Fagerman and Dr. Koetsier both recommended we see Dr. Kuz and he had an opening today so we got in right away.

He examined her hands and then we had some x-rays done. After reviewing them, he diagnosed her with a Hypoplastic Thumb (Type II Blauth). That basically means her thumb is small and there are minor abnormalities in the muscles within the thumb. The joint of the thumb (metacarpophalangeal joint) is unstable causing the thumb to wobble. And the web space between the thumb and index finger is narrow and tight and restricts movement.

Dr. Kuz recommended reconstructive surgery to stabilize the joint, lengthen the webbing between the index finger and thumb and transfer a muscle from the pinkie to the thumb to allow for more thumb use and to cosmetically fix the appearance of the thumb. He said that he didn't think we needed to do it now but recommended we wait until she is around 4.

He said that this condition is usually caused by a lack of cell development. It can often be associated with several syndromes, but Jordan doesn't seem to have any noticeable symptoms that would lead us to any diagnosis. This information will be useful when we meet with the geneticist, Dr. Toriello in June as an additional diagnosis that she might be able to link to something.

Although Jordan doesn't have extreme difficulties with the use of her thumb, she does favor her left hand. We don't know if she is left handed or just finds it easier to use her left hand for certain tasks due to the small thumb on her right. He recommended we continue to work with her in therapy, encouraging her to use her right thumb and continue to develop the communication between her brain and thumb.

I am glad to finally have some more answers. Although this has not been a major concern, it has bothered me since she was born and I am relieved to understand the construction of her hand and know that there is an answer and solution.

Please continue to pray for Jordan and her development. She has started entering into her toddler behavior and is having several temper tantrums a day. This morning during therapy she got frustrated and bit my collarbone and it HURT!!! I looked later and she actually broke the skin!! She is frequently throwing herself around when she doesn't get her way or what she wants. This is made more difficult by her lack of communication skills. I continue to work with her on verbal sounds and sign language, but I don't see much improvement/advancement in either. She also has a tendency to bite herself (hands) out of frustration and throw herself around when she gets mad. I try to soothe her when she gets frustrated, but it is sometimes frustrating for me as well and I need to keep my cool. I guess I am somewhat unsure if I treat her the same as a "normal" child having a temper tantrum or in a special way because of her situation. I feel like I still have sooooo much left to learn!!