Update #64

Ryan was in demand today! He had the usual group therapy this morning. Daily orientation followed by discussion of current events and a game to get his brain going.

After group, Ryan saw a shoulder specialist to determine if his left shoulder has any lasting issues. After a full assessment of abilities and range of motion, the therapist told Ryan that he will be able to rehabilitate his left shoulder. He gave me a couple exercises to practice with Ryan to break up the "synergy" in his left arm movement. Ryan was relieved to know that his "dominant" arm is going to come back.

At the end of the shoulder exam, a GI (Gastrointestinal) doctor showed up to take a look at Ryan's stomach tube. After looking at it, he informed Ryan and I that it would be removed tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. Woo Hoo!

Ryan attended a KT session that included more arm exercises. Ryan did some chest-press-type exercises. The therapist had Ryan hold a weight ball in his right arm to build strength. He then worked with Ryan doing some bicep curls with weight on both arms.

Ryan had a short speech therapy session today. The therapist worked with his visual memory. She showed him about 10 different cards with 6 pictures on each card. She had him remember one picture on each card. He did perfect! (I was following along and don't think I would have been able to remember all the right images.)

The therapist also began working with Ryan on a reading and memory exercise. He had to read a short paragraph then answer some questions about the details contained in that paragraph. He was doing pretty well before the nurse interrupted the session. Ryan was called out to see an ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist about the fractured orbital bone and his vision. 

The doctor examined Ryan and looked over the CT scan of Ryan's eyes. He determined that the fractured orbital bone isn't affecting the muscle or nerves in the eye. He feels that the injury isn't causing his double vision. This means that the double vision is a neurological problem due to his head injury. So, an operation will NOT be needed to correct this issue. :)

Ryan attended PT and did some exercises to strengthen his buns. (It's almost time to break out the good old "Buns of Steel" video.) The therapist also did some hamstring curls and leg kicks to strengthen his quadriceps. 

To help strengthen his core muscles, Ryan sat on the edge of the mat. The therapist had me toss a balloon to Ryan. He would then have to tap it back to me without losing his balance. I was a really bad assistant. I kept hitting Ryan in the face and head with the balloon. (Not on purpose--I swear!) ;)

The therapist said Ryan was doing much better at stabilizing himself and finding his balance. (Pretty impressive to do for anyone being repeatedly beat in the head with a balloon. haha!)