Update #44

Another crazy scheduling day. Those therapists just love to keep Ryan and I on our toes. :)

Ryan went to OT/KT first today. The worked with his leg and hip strength and trunk (stomach and back) control. They had him lay on the bed with a wedge under his knees and calves. First they asked him to lift his butt of the mat. He was able to do that for two sets of ten repetitions. They also had him kick his right and left leg up. They put some heavy weight around his right ankle. He did great. He was kicking his right and left leg up in unison.

They worked with Ryan on taking an object from one side of his body to the other using his right hand. He did pretty well. They also worked with the clothes-pins again. I can tell his hand control is improving.

KT wants to add an additional therapy session to Ryan's schedule in the afternoons. These sessions will help build strength in Ryan's muscles.

Ryan had another EEG today. The EEG he had a little over a week ago was a "drug free" test. Since he took that test, they put Ryan back on the brain activity stimulation drug. They also increased his dose last week. I think the medication is really helping his progress.

The doctor that performed the EEG said that the tests looked better and that he was impressed by Ryan's improvement since he last saw him.

Ryan's PT session went well today. He walked the length of the parallel bars three times again today. The therapist spent a good amount of time putting a brace around his leg, but decided not to use it after the first run down the bars. The brace helps to keep Ryan's leg straight. But, the real problem is the strength in Ryan's hip. So, he decided not to use the brace on the second two passes.

Speech therapy did a swallow test with Ryan today using ice chips. They asked Ryan to crunch the chip and swallow. The therapist listened to his throat with a stethoscope to determine if he was swallowing correctly. Apparently a "clicking" sound is supposed to be heard when someone swallows. The therapist said that his clicking sound is a little faint, but will get stronger over time. But, he didn't aspirate (meaning the fluid didn't go to his lungs).

They are going to continue with the ice chips for a while. Eventually, she will take him down to do a barium swallow test in the radiology department. He will be asked to swallow four different consistencies of food. (A liquid, a syrup, a pudding, and a solid.) All items will contain barium which will show up on the x-ray. This way the therapists and doctors can see if the food and liquid is going to the right place.