Update #52

Ryan attended group therapy this morning. He was updated on current events. The therapist played a quick word game with Ryan and the other patients. He was really involved and responsive.

After group therapy, Ryan went to PT. The therapist worked with me on transferring Ryan from a chair to his bed (or the mat). It was a little awkward, but I think after some practice I'll be able to really help him move around. 

The therapist had him lay on his stomach and do more hamstring curls. She also had him lay on his side and do some leg lifts for his hip muscles. 

The therapist also worked with his left arm a bit. He is able to produce a lot more movement from his left arm now. With a lot of concentration, he can curl it up, towards and away from his body. He also has quite a bit of response in his left shoulder. This is a huge improvement! I am so excited to see that he can move his left arm at will. 

OT brought Ryan outside and had him play with bubbles using one of those large bubble wands. This helped his coordination skills throughout his right arm. They also had him try doing it with his left arm. He was able to grasp the wand with his left hand and move his left arm slightly.

Ryan's barium swallow test went awesome! He is able to tolerate all liquids and most foods. The only thing he can't eat right now are bread-like substances that can get caught on the roof of his mouth and mixed textures like certain cereals, trail mixes and soft items with nuts mixed in. 

He is such a joker. The speech therapist suggested that he play a trick on me and tell me that he failed the test. He was so convincing with his sad face while telling me "I tried my best." I made sure I wasn't the only one he messed with. When we went back to the unit, I had Ryan play the same trick on the nurses and our Moms. (Both were currently visiting today.) He had everyone believing he had failed and kept the joke going for a painfully long time. Finally he told everyone he could eat. It was so cute. :)

The team of nurses, doctors and therapists are so thoughtful and sweet.  The OT girls dropped off a cake and a card for my birthday. And, since Ryan was cleared to eat cake, I gave him a few bites. But, he was more interested in the frosting than the cake. 

At 1:30, we loaded Ryan into the van and headed to the mall. I think all the day's activity, the car ride and the barium/sweets made Ryan feel queasy. We were only at the mall for about 30 minutes before we came back so that Ryan could lay down. I felt bad that his first outing was a flop, but I am sure there will be many more to come. 

I'm just excited that Ryan can eat nearly anything he wants (with some exceptions). Eating is still a lot of work for him. He has to really focus on chewing and swallowing. So, please don't overwhelm him with baked goods just yet. I would hate for them to go to waste. But, in a few weeks, I am sure he will be ready to chow down on whatever anyone wants to send his way.