Andrew 4 weeks Post-Op SDR Outdoors Walking

4 Weeks Post Op...

I know it has been a few weeks since we've given an update, but things have been still hectic. Last week Andrew came down with Strep throat and had to be home from school. You would have never known he was sick if he didn't have the fever. It took him a while to get back into the routine of going back to preschool/daycare, but things seem to be going smoother. He has a new 1:1 aide now and a new OT. He has also been placed in another classroom with all new students and teachers, so it has been quite the transition back to school. We were not anticipating all of the changes and only found out about them when he returned. Although he truly misses his aide Megan, he seems to be adjusting nicely to his "girlfriend" as he calls her. We are finally able to start getting him to wear his shoe inserts to help his collapsing arch in his feet, so hopefully this will help with his feet turning in and prevent further surgery in the future.

He has been doing amazing with his walking and his PT commented how he is starting to use a nice heel strike when prompted. He seems to have most of his strength back and seems to have better balance while standing still. Before he would teeter totter to keep his balance by forward and back stepping to keep from falling. Now he can stand with both feet planted in one place! He does still need reminders to stand tall. He seems to forget that he can easily straighten his knees while standing and tends to do the same when walking. We're trying to teach him how to use his full leg extension while walking along with trying to remind him to walk heel to toe. He tends to be walking toe to heel but with reminders you can see him concentrate on placing his heel first with his toes raised. Sometimes he will over exagerate his step and concentrate so hard on doing it right that he will trip, but he is trying so hard. To the average person all of this comes naturally and now it has to be taught to him.

Otherwise he is doing GREAT. We feel that we made the right decision and that we have lost nothing from the surgery and have only gained some ground. Our biggest fear was that he would lose the ability to walk because of losing the high tone that he previously used to walk. But he seems to be adjusting well and we can only go forward from here. It is with much relief to see him doing so well and Matthew only adds to the joy with how helpful he is with motivating Andrew and helping him when he needs it.

Also, we are wondering if it is a coincidence that his language has picked up since the surgery?!? He seems so much more confident and sure of himself especially when speaking to you in conversation. He is using more "grown up" terms and phrases that he never used to. It is so enjoyable to talk about his day. He seems much less frustrated when talking to you and is even more able to pay attention and process what you are saying to him also. He seems to be much more calm than before and recovers more easily from his frustrations. Hopefully this continues, but in some ways it's not so good since he is much better at pleading his case to us... the lawyer/salesman/politician (no offense to anyone) kicks in and he starts to manipulate us into going "HIS way" in a more convincing way than before.... Makes it harder to make him see things OUR way.

So that is it for now... We've uploaded another more recent video and I will try to post it after this. Hopefully I can get some more up by the end of the week.

Enjoy!

4 Weeks Post-Op SDR Video

Andrew's First "New" steps!!! 2 Weeks Post Op SDR

Andrew's Videos

Photobucket Album

Guess Not...

Well lets try this then....
Here is the link to our Photobucket account.. Here you will find some videos. I have to do a clip of a "before SDR" video. I've go to get my old analog camcorder hooked up to the pc again to make some clips. Be on the lookout. It will be a nice comparison.

Just click on the link below and it should bring you to an album of videos and some old photos of the boys... To view a video, just click on the image and it will start to play.... Enjoy....



http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v653/thefavilles/

Happy 4th of July!!!

What a relaxing day we all had today... Andrew was walking all over the place today... indoors AND outdoors without ANY assistance! We are just ecstatic that he is doing so well... it's almost like he never had surgery and that he just decided to walk better. It's really strange... Like things are already back to normal only BETTER! It's unbelievable unless you see it. And if you knew how Andrew walked before surgery you would never know he was the same little boy that struggled just to stand in one place. He would wobble back and forth on his toes just to try to stand. Now he can stand flat footed without rocking back and forth to stay balanced. We've uploaded some videos to share FINALLY. It has taken quite a while to get them up, lets see if this will work.

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v653/thefavilles/?action=view&current=MOV00740.flv][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v653/thefavilles/th_MOV00740.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

So Andrew had his first day back to school yesterday!! He had a GREAT day. I was expecting him to fall apart when I picked him but surprisingly he was so chipper! No tears or whining at all last night... not your typical Andrew. With his sensory processing disorder he has trouble with transitions and chaotic situations and he has been handling himself so maturely. He started in a new preschool class yesterday with all new teachers, some different students, and even a new 1:1 aide and still had a great day. The teachers told us that he did very well getting around on his own be either sidestepping or holding someone's hand. He did well down the long hallway to the cafeteria and outdoors only to take a break here and there to rest along the wall.

He started back with his regular PT yesterday also. Meaghan said that he did wonderful with following directions and participating willfully in his PT. Of course, she brought Matthew along for some motivation. But otherwise she said they worked really well together and he had a great session! She was please with his progression and we only hope that he can be walking on his own very soon. We're so anxious now after seeing that he is progressing so quickly. We were not expecting him to be getting around on his own at all yet, so this comes with much relief!

When he got home yesterday he had a big package waiting for him that he could not wait to open. We told him who it was from and he literally tore the box apart. (you know who you are & Andrew Thanks you all so much!!!) He tore through the contents and didn't want to do anything but explore the gifts. He was so talkative and spoke so clearly and grown up... we almost hated to put him to bed since he was so enjoyable to be with. No whining or crying at all last night. We commented on how even though we only had little ceasars pizza bread for dinner, that we actually had one of the most enjoyable dinners we've had in.... we don't even know when! The boys were so polite and everyone sat throughout dinner. The boys didn't demand this and that and we were not jumping up every minute to get something for someone or chasing someone to sit back down. The boys told us about their day and took turns talking nicely. They didn't argue or fight once last night!

But anyway, we'll see how he does in therapy and school today. May be a whole nother story.

Happy July 4th Everyone!