Update #38

Another busy day in Ryan's world. His schedule was a little crazy today. The therapists have a fun way of keeping both of us on our toes. :)

Ryan went to OT and KT first this morning. They worked with him on sitting up on his own. After that, they used the three-pound bar to do some chest press exercises. His right arm was doing most of the work, but the left arm was definitely moving and putting in effort. They had Ryan push the bar up and then would hang on to it and have him try and pull it back down. They also worked with his legs some. He was really pushing himself. 

Physical therapy also worked with him on sitting upright on his own. They were able to get him to sit balanced for seven seconds! They put a five-pound ankle weight on his right leg and used the vibrating stimulus on his left leg. He did some leg kicks with both legs.

They also worked with just his left leg on a "platform" while lying on his side. (I'm sorry it's hard to visualize. Just imagine lying on your right side. You have a short table-like platform separating your legs. Your left leg is lying on top of this platform with a towel underneath to eliminate friction.) They did some leg kicks that simulate the way a leg swings when you walk. He did pretty good kicking his left leg forward and was putting in a good effort to get it to swing back. 

Speech therapy worked with Ryan in the afternoon today. They practiced some tongue exercises. They also worked with the original touch-screen computer they first introduced Ryan to. The one they used yesterday was a demo. They will order Ryan one if they think it will benefit him. But, they want to give him more time to see if he will try and talk. 

They tried to get him to verbalize (make a sound) today. He mouthed the word "no," but there was no sound behind it. When asked to put some sound behind it he made a distinct "uh-uh" sound (like kids do when they are trying to say "no"). They were unable to get him to duplicate it. But, they will continue to work with him on this.

Some of Ryan's friends from Virginia Beach came up to visit him today. I can tell Ryan really enjoyed the visit. But, he was tired and requested to lay down soon after they left. 

A friend of Ryan's generously and thoughtfully purchased him a Nintendo Wii. For those of you unfamiliar with this gaming system, the Wii is a highly interactive system that requires more than just thumb and finger movement. It really involves good hand/eye coordination. His friend read an article online about a doctor using the Wii in his therapy sessions and how beneficial it was. 

I had Ryan's friends hook the system up today since I wasn't tall enough or wire-savvy enough to do it myself. He even tried using a bit. But, he was really tired after all his therapy sessions and didn't seem to have enough energy. I'm going to help him use it on the weekends when he has more free time. As his vision and coordination get better, I know he will be completely addicted to the interactive games. :)

Again, I want to thank everyone for their kindness and generosity. I am blown away by the amount of support Ryan and I have received.