Update #37

Ryan had the opportunity to lay in bed a little longer this morning since his PT session was rescheduled for 1 p.m. But, in typical Ryan fashion, he requested to get out of bed anyway.  :)

Ryan went to OT and KT at his usual 10 a.m. time slot. The worked with him for a little while, but his session was interrupted by a tornado drill that lasted for about 15 minutes. After the drill, Ryan's therapist worked with him on using his electric shaver to shave his face. He made a good attempt, but most of the shaving was done by the therapist. She returned Ryan to me looking a bit spotty. So, I finished up the shave before his next therapy session.

In ST, they worked with Ryan using a different (newer) electronic speaking machine. This machine had a "clicker" available that selects something when Ryan squeezes it in his hand. So, the machine will scroll through a series of images. Then, when Ryan squeezes, the machine will say the object he has selected. They worked with him for about 30 minutes and he seemed to be getting the idea by the end of the session. 

The didn't leave the machine with him. But, as he gets more comfortable with it, they will. Their primary goal is to get Ryan to talk. If he relies on a machine to tell people what he needs, he may not work as hard to talk. But, they still want to give him the option if it helps. It must be a really hard job being a therapist. You want to help the patient reach their goals for recovery, but you also want to make life easy on them. I'm glad Ryan is in such capable hands. 

Ryan's vision therapist came to see him again. She did some more assessment tests. She was really impressed by his reaction to color. She used a test that I've seen used to test people for being color blind. She didn't expect him to be able to see the differences between colors yet.

Ryan still has double vision. She is going to suggest to the ophthalmologist that they use special glasses that will restrict Ryan's field of vision causing both eyes to work in unison. We talked about patching one eye to build strength in the other, but she is worried that it may delay the recovery in both eyes. But, the bottom line is Ryan's vision is getting better daily. She feels it will recover more over time. 

Keep the prayers, positive thoughts, and words of encouragement coming. Without everyone's support and kindness, we would be lost. Thank you again! :)