Intensive Therapy Has Begun.... :-)

Today Dan went to a new intensive therapy program called 'Now I Can". At first he joked that it looked like a day care center as the walls are brightly colored and they do cater to a lot of children, especially those with cerebral palsy. But after his first fours hours of intensive therapy, I think he was convinced that they really challenge you there. He said the therapy was harder there than in China - which says quite a lot, because they really did work him out hard in China! I will take pictures on Thursday and post them so you can see him in his suit!

They use a therapy developed in Russia that utilizes a NeuroSuit, which basically looks like a straight jacket with a bunch of bungee cords attached. The purpose of the suit is to provide the correct alignment for the body so that therapy can practice movements and prevent compensation (otherwise known as cheating...) This is when you use some of your good muscles to do a movement rather than forcing the muscles that should be doing it to do it (like bending your head over to reach your hand rather than raising your hand to reach your head...)
Now I Can Therapy

So -- today we are very pleased. Tomorrow we try another therapist that will supplement the Tues/ Thursday intensive therapy sessions. So far it looks like his schedule will be as follows:
Mon - Wed - Fri
Traditional physical therapy 1 hour
Supplement with in home therapy 3 hours
Speech therapy 1 hour
Walking 30 min to 1 hour

Tues - Thursday
Intensive physical therapy 4 hours
Supplement with in home therapy 2 hours
Walking 30 min to 1 hour

In home therapy will consist of the exercise list that we received from our therapists in China and working out on some equipment that will provide range of motion and walking pattern development. The walking will be done over at our church in the gym where he can use the walker that has partial weight bearing capability. He will need someone to go with him to do that. This is a proposed schedule - we are still waiting to get some of the equipment we need to round this out, but in a couple of weeks we should be down to a good routine.

Things are on the up and up -- I usually only get down when we aren't doing all we can to help Dan recover and I start having guilt complexes. The week of Thanksgiving was not a good therapy week due to the traveling, eating, jet lag and then subsequent sickness. Dan did do some therapy on Thanksgiving Day - as well as in the car traveling to Idaho. I am feeling much better today as he had a great therapy day!