Update #57

This morning Ryan attended group therapy. They did the usual orientation (reviewed day, date, and location). They also reviewed current events and, for fun, read everyone’s horoscopes.

For PT, Ryan had to propel himself downstairs in his wheelchair. He practiced standing at the parallel bars. He is getting better at finding his balance. They also practiced self-transfers with Ryan. They want him to be able to transfer himself from the bed to the wheelchair, and vice versa, on his own. Being able to do that is going to take a little while. His strength is there, he just needs to work on his coordination.

PT also had him sit on an exercise ball. This helps him strengthen his core muscles and find his balance. The therapist said that he got the hang of it really quick.

In OT/KT, they worked with Ryan on taking off his shirt and putting on his shirt. He is getting better each time he does it. They also practiced sitting and stretched for a bit. His morning session was cut short because the therapists had to attend a meeting.

In speech therapy, the therapist came to watch Ryan eat. She was very confident that he could move up a level in his diet (meaning he can eat more challenging food). She asked if Ryan wanted that, but he said “no.” He said that he wanted to “master his technique” for chewing/swallowing first. 

Ryan attended Recreational Therapy today. We went to the leisure room and played Clue. It was really fun. Ryan told me later that he really enjoyed playing the game because it gave him something to figure out.

Ryan had a second OT/KT session this afternoon. They practiced sitting on the mat again. Then, they had Ryan lay on his stomach and push up to all fours. They had him crawl up the mat, then crawl back. He still required a bit of assistance, but his arms are getting stronger every day.
After his session was over, I took Ryan outside to sit in the sun for a bit. 

Today was the first day of Ryan’s “calorie count.” The doctors and nutritionist want to make sure Ryan is getting enough calories in his diet to sustain being off the feeding tube. If he isn’t eating enough calories, they will compensate by pouring some nutritional shakes into his tube. 

But, I don’t think Ryan is going to have a problem with the calorie count. He ate everything on his tray for all three meals today. He also had a couple of my mom’s home-made lemon cookies and two cups of vanilla ice cream after his dinner tray tonight.