Two days, two therapies per day, the results are the same.
Annie
Wednesday.
Thursday.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Week 8
Until 7-27-07
Two days, two therapies per day, the results are the same.
Annie
Wednesday.
Thursday.
Two days, two therapies per day, the results are the same.
Annie
Wednesday. Thursday.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Week 7
Through 7-22-07
Miles went back to physical therapy this week and he had TWO visits. He did pretty well with the stretching which has never been his favorite activity. It helped that his first visit included Milan the therapy dog. His trunk strength and head control are better than we expected, and his physical therapist was pleasantly surprised. The second PT visit was out at the barn and he was able to get back on his therapy horse, Buddy, though only on his belly. He REALLY enjoyed that (especially after stretching) even more than visiting with Thunder, one of the mini horses. The only thing we need to do is convince his orthopedist to give hippotherapy a try!
The BIG DEAL this past week was Miles' visit from his cousins. They brought their new puppy Chloe who is only seven weeks old. Miles got lots of kisses (from cousins and Chloe), and was pretty tolerant of a nippy puppy, although he did knock her down a couple of times when he was trying to pet her. Miles also enjoyed getting back to the pool with his cousins. Maddie and Emily really enjoyed the trip to the water park. All in all it was a fantastic visit and it helped Miles' rehabilitation quite a bit to have his cousins around.
With the resumption of PT, we've been adding some pain meds back into his schedule. Rather than being in pain, it seems like he's uncomfortable. However, after a day of heavy activity (PT, pool, etc.), we do give him pain meds at night. We think that his little muscles may be cramping a bit as they come back into use!
One more big item of news, Maddie helped Miles lose his second tooth! Her little fingers were much better at grabbing hold of the tooth than Mommy's. So, now he's getting a big gap in the front of his mouth. Thanks Maddie, you are very bold.
Annie
Miles with his cousins Maddie and Emily, their new puppy Chloe, and Daddy.
Puppy time!
Miles, Maddie and Chloe.
Miles with Thunder at physical therapy. Looking good!
Miles gets some horse time on his belly - doctor approved!
Miles went back to physical therapy this week and he had TWO visits. He did pretty well with the stretching which has never been his favorite activity. It helped that his first visit included Milan the therapy dog. His trunk strength and head control are better than we expected, and his physical therapist was pleasantly surprised. The second PT visit was out at the barn and he was able to get back on his therapy horse, Buddy, though only on his belly. He REALLY enjoyed that (especially after stretching) even more than visiting with Thunder, one of the mini horses. The only thing we need to do is convince his orthopedist to give hippotherapy a try!
The BIG DEAL this past week was Miles' visit from his cousins. They brought their new puppy Chloe who is only seven weeks old. Miles got lots of kisses (from cousins and Chloe), and was pretty tolerant of a nippy puppy, although he did knock her down a couple of times when he was trying to pet her. Miles also enjoyed getting back to the pool with his cousins. Maddie and Emily really enjoyed the trip to the water park. All in all it was a fantastic visit and it helped Miles' rehabilitation quite a bit to have his cousins around.
With the resumption of PT, we've been adding some pain meds back into his schedule. Rather than being in pain, it seems like he's uncomfortable. However, after a day of heavy activity (PT, pool, etc.), we do give him pain meds at night. We think that his little muscles may be cramping a bit as they come back into use!
One more big item of news, Maddie helped Miles lose his second tooth! Her little fingers were much better at grabbing hold of the tooth than Mommy's. So, now he's getting a big gap in the front of his mouth. Thanks Maddie, you are very bold.
Annie
Miles with his cousins Maddie and Emily, their new puppy Chloe, and Daddy.
Puppy time!
Miles, Maddie and Chloe.
Miles with Thunder at physical therapy. Looking good!
Miles gets some horse time on his belly - doctor approved!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Week 6
Through 7-14-07
Miles seems to be making progress. However, pain management has been tricky. Miles has very few ways of indicating pain, and most of the time it's more that we can recognize the signs rather than him directing the information to us. In some ways, he is suffering more than when he had the cast. His therapists have warned us to make sure that he doesn't associate pain with movement. Fortunately, we don't believe he has, so it shouldn't impede his physical therapy (which we'll resume next week). He is now off the valium, which is good. Miles does not wean well off of valium—we'd rather not go into the details, but it's not pretty. Unlike other children, Miles seems to have more pain in the morning rather than the evening, so, we've been giving him half doses of the Tylenol-3 in the mornings. He does not seem to need more than one or two doses per day. This does not mean that he his pain free. He still does not like being moved from one position to another, but gets comfortable quickly once placed.
We have also found that his new pelvis is far more stable than before. He sits up really well (no falling over to the left side any more!) and looks really good sitting. It is clear now that his left leg is still about an inch to an inch and half shorter than the right leg. His orthopedist warned us about this after the surgery. They had to remove some bone from his leg which wasn't originally anticipated. We hope this doesn't cause problems later.
His infection also seems to be clearing up. Hopefully this means he'll be able to go to the pool this week. With the dry, hot weather we have been having, it would be nice for all of us to take a dip!
Annie
Miles sitting up really nicely in his bath seat. He was not able to sit up this well independently before the surgery.
Miles seems to be making progress. However, pain management has been tricky. Miles has very few ways of indicating pain, and most of the time it's more that we can recognize the signs rather than him directing the information to us. In some ways, he is suffering more than when he had the cast. His therapists have warned us to make sure that he doesn't associate pain with movement. Fortunately, we don't believe he has, so it shouldn't impede his physical therapy (which we'll resume next week). He is now off the valium, which is good. Miles does not wean well off of valium—we'd rather not go into the details, but it's not pretty. Unlike other children, Miles seems to have more pain in the morning rather than the evening, so, we've been giving him half doses of the Tylenol-3 in the mornings. He does not seem to need more than one or two doses per day. This does not mean that he his pain free. He still does not like being moved from one position to another, but gets comfortable quickly once placed.
We have also found that his new pelvis is far more stable than before. He sits up really well (no falling over to the left side any more!) and looks really good sitting. It is clear now that his left leg is still about an inch to an inch and half shorter than the right leg. His orthopedist warned us about this after the surgery. They had to remove some bone from his leg which wasn't originally anticipated. We hope this doesn't cause problems later.
His infection also seems to be clearing up. Hopefully this means he'll be able to go to the pool this week. With the dry, hot weather we have been having, it would be nice for all of us to take a dip!
Annie
Miles sitting up really nicely in his bath seat. He was not able to sit up this well independently before the surgery.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Week 5
Through 7-10-07
Yesterday and today have been lessons in pain management. We only medicated Miles twice yesterday and he seemed alright except when he was being moved. He also slept ALL DAY. Today, we went down to half doses of his medications, and that might have been a little too soon. He still was very sleepy, especially after being moved. He acted like he was in more pain today, but that may have been partly because we lowered the doses. He did okay at speech therapy, but it was not his most alert session.
The big event today was the long soak in the tub. Miles smells a lot better and this is almost as nice as having the cast off in the first place. It took both mom and dad to get the job done (sorry, no pictures!), and it was pretty gross removing all that dead skin. One more good bath, and we should be back to normal. All the steri-strips are off and we got a good look at his scars. They look good, for scars. He's going to have to come up with some really cool story about having a bionic pelvis!
Annie
Yesterday and today have been lessons in pain management. We only medicated Miles twice yesterday and he seemed alright except when he was being moved. He also slept ALL DAY. Today, we went down to half doses of his medications, and that might have been a little too soon. He still was very sleepy, especially after being moved. He acted like he was in more pain today, but that may have been partly because we lowered the doses. He did okay at speech therapy, but it was not his most alert session.
The big event today was the long soak in the tub. Miles smells a lot better and this is almost as nice as having the cast off in the first place. It took both mom and dad to get the job done (sorry, no pictures!), and it was pretty gross removing all that dead skin. One more good bath, and we should be back to normal. All the steri-strips are off and we got a good look at his scars. They look good, for scars. He's going to have to come up with some really cool story about having a bionic pelvis!
Annie
Monday, July 9, 2007
Cast Off Day
7-9-07
Today was the big day, the cast is off! The great face-off with THE SAW went much better than expected even generating smiles from Miles. Granted, he had taken full doses of Tylenol-3 and valium before the appointment, but we didn't see tears until the cast was off and Miles was able to move those stiff legs.
He's been outfitted in a brace. He'll be spending less and less time in the brace until he just sleeps in it at night. It is far more comfortable than the cast and the purpose is to keep him from crossing his legs and to help him transition from the cast. He's able to bend at the hips and knees and has been moving quite a bit. Most of this movement is due to muscle spasms as his freed muscles adjust, and it doesn't seem to be causing him a great deal of pain. We're going to keep him on a regular schedule of painkillers and valium for a couple of days, then wean him back off by the weekend.
He does have a minor infection at one of his three incision sites (the other two look good). It didn't quite close right in the middle. It should clear up pretty quickly now that we can get to it and treat it. We are hoping to get Miles into the pool as soon as next week!
He will resume physical therapy next week, starting gently with range of motion exercises and gradually progressing until he can resume normal activities. He should be able to go to speech and occupational therapy this week as usual. Hopefully he won't be too spacey!
The highlight of our day was the the first of many baths to come. Hopefully, the next bath will be a regular bath, but we didn't want to push it today. Miles was a bit "earthy" smelling, and getting him nice and clean was a big relief for all of us.
Annie
THE SAW
"This isn't as bad as last time..."
The "crab cracker."
Goodbye to the front of the cast.
The calm after the fury.
What was done. If you look carefully on his left hip, you can see where bone was inserted (it's the whiter part). There are clear signs of healing.
The new brace. Bionic boy!
Free at last.
Today was the big day, the cast is off! The great face-off with THE SAW went much better than expected even generating smiles from Miles. Granted, he had taken full doses of Tylenol-3 and valium before the appointment, but we didn't see tears until the cast was off and Miles was able to move those stiff legs.
He's been outfitted in a brace. He'll be spending less and less time in the brace until he just sleeps in it at night. It is far more comfortable than the cast and the purpose is to keep him from crossing his legs and to help him transition from the cast. He's able to bend at the hips and knees and has been moving quite a bit. Most of this movement is due to muscle spasms as his freed muscles adjust, and it doesn't seem to be causing him a great deal of pain. We're going to keep him on a regular schedule of painkillers and valium for a couple of days, then wean him back off by the weekend.
He does have a minor infection at one of his three incision sites (the other two look good). It didn't quite close right in the middle. It should clear up pretty quickly now that we can get to it and treat it. We are hoping to get Miles into the pool as soon as next week!
He will resume physical therapy next week, starting gently with range of motion exercises and gradually progressing until he can resume normal activities. He should be able to go to speech and occupational therapy this week as usual. Hopefully he won't be too spacey!
The highlight of our day was the the first of many baths to come. Hopefully, the next bath will be a regular bath, but we didn't want to push it today. Miles was a bit "earthy" smelling, and getting him nice and clean was a big relief for all of us.
Annie
THE SAW
"This isn't as bad as last time..."
The "crab cracker."
Goodbye to the front of the cast.
The calm after the fury.
What was done. If you look carefully on his left hip, you can see where bone was inserted (it's the whiter part). There are clear signs of healing.
The new brace. Bionic boy!
Free at last.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
End of Week 4
Through 7-8-07
We are down to the last 24 hours with the cast! Recent visits from Patrick and Kay (with their parents) and Lisa have helped pass the time in the past couple of days. It has been helpful to have a great deal of car racing on this weekend, but it has become very clear that Miles is quite done with the cast. We hope getting out of the cast is enough incentive for Miles to survive another encounter with THE SAW. Monday afternoon at 2:00pm is the critical hour. Updates to follow.
Annie
Entertaining himself with his gears.
Just to prove that not every moment is a happy moment...Miles is ready to have his cast off!
24 more hours in this cast!
A closeup of the Penguin from Patrick. The foot fell off so a "replacement" was found...
We are down to the last 24 hours with the cast! Recent visits from Patrick and Kay (with their parents) and Lisa have helped pass the time in the past couple of days. It has been helpful to have a great deal of car racing on this weekend, but it has become very clear that Miles is quite done with the cast. We hope getting out of the cast is enough incentive for Miles to survive another encounter with THE SAW. Monday afternoon at 2:00pm is the critical hour. Updates to follow.
Annie
Entertaining himself with his gears.
Just to prove that not every moment is a happy moment...Miles is ready to have his cast off!
24 more hours in this cast!
A closeup of the Penguin from Patrick. The foot fell off so a "replacement" was found...Thursday, July 5, 2007
Week 4
Through 7-5-07
We missed the 4th of July parade in our neighborhood, so we made our own. It wasn't too hot to stay out for a few minutes, and there was a nice breeze.
We missed the 4th of July parade in our neighborhood, so we made our own. It wasn't too hot to stay out for a few minutes, and there was a nice breeze.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Week 3
Through 7-2-07
Miles is doing remarkably well. He's really gotten into a routine, and is mostly smiles and very talkative. He's figured out how to move quite a bit despite the cast.
Therapy last week went very well, and he worked hard for his therapists. Granted, the first ten minutes of therapy, we think he was just enjoying not being at home! Both his speech therapist and occupational therapist adapted to his position. Everyone at the therapy center was impressed with his wagon!
On Saturday, Lolo and Lola left to return to Ohio. Miles was a bit out of sorts and did have some moments... Clearly, he was used to having his grandparents around!
Sunday, Rachel and Ellie stopped by with their parents to pick up their wagon and a visit. Miles LOVED seeing the girls and had a fabulous visit. He was very talkative and quite impressed with their tumbling! After the visit, Miles took a nice, long nap.
Miles and I have been doing just fine on our own for this week. Daddy comes home for lunch, and he is five minutes away if there is an emergency. We have confidence that there will be no issues for the next week.
July 9 is cast off day. We can't wait. Any of you who have had a cast understand that after time, it builds up kind of a funk all its own. His cast is well decorated by stickers (we'll post a final photo before the cast comes off!). We hope that there is not a second cast. Depending on how Miles is healing, he may get a brace or a wedge for sleeping rather than a second cast. If we do need another cast, we'll have to decide on a color, or should Miles go with red again?
Annie
Miles is doing remarkably well. He's really gotten into a routine, and is mostly smiles and very talkative. He's figured out how to move quite a bit despite the cast.
Therapy last week went very well, and he worked hard for his therapists. Granted, the first ten minutes of therapy, we think he was just enjoying not being at home! Both his speech therapist and occupational therapist adapted to his position. Everyone at the therapy center was impressed with his wagon!
On Saturday, Lolo and Lola left to return to Ohio. Miles was a bit out of sorts and did have some moments... Clearly, he was used to having his grandparents around!
Sunday, Rachel and Ellie stopped by with their parents to pick up their wagon and a visit. Miles LOVED seeing the girls and had a fabulous visit. He was very talkative and quite impressed with their tumbling! After the visit, Miles took a nice, long nap.
Miles and I have been doing just fine on our own for this week. Daddy comes home for lunch, and he is five minutes away if there is an emergency. We have confidence that there will be no issues for the next week.
July 9 is cast off day. We can't wait. Any of you who have had a cast understand that after time, it builds up kind of a funk all its own. His cast is well decorated by stickers (we'll post a final photo before the cast comes off!). We hope that there is not a second cast. Depending on how Miles is healing, he may get a brace or a wedge for sleeping rather than a second cast. If we do need another cast, we'll have to decide on a color, or should Miles go with red again?
Annie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)