March 2005
We have gotten a few weeks behind in updates but let's try to catch up. Chad's new 'custom' wheelchair arrived, and with a few minor adjustments and one new set of footrests, Chad has been more mobile than ever before. He has been out in the yard several times enjoying the early March sunshine and he has even had the opportunity for some strolls through the neighborhood. The chair fits him well, as we suspected it would, and supports him quite nicely. We didn't realize there would be such a drastic difference between this and a standard off-the-shelf wheelchair, but it is night and day, and the full support of his trunk, legs, upper extremities and head are vastly noticeable in the new chair. On another positive note, thanks to Uncle Chris and Aunt Diane, Chad is now resting on a 'proper size' Hill Rom hospital bed, four motors and a pressure relieving mattress with upper and lower side rails. Another night and day difference between the too-short bed he has been on since coming home in December and the Hill Rom bed that arrived last week. Both Chad's physical and speech therapy have been going well. Michelle, her intern Eric, and Cathy continue to work with Chad two times a week noting his improvement and response. We are still in search of a standing frame (see the home page) so Michelle can work with him in an upright position focusing weight on his legs. Chad's days are still mostly filled with periods of laughter and moans. No consistant sleep patterns are present and unfortunately most of the moaning is done during the night. The framing and support work for the exterior ramp from Chad's new room has been completed for the past month. A few friends are still searching for someone to donate the approximate eight yards of concrete to finish the project which will allow us to get Chad in and out of the house more easily.Another special thanks to Jane Dougherty who donated a portable ramp to Chad. The portable has enabled us to get him outside on a regular basis and helps overcome some of the smaller obstacles in our.
travels.
March 21 - March 30
Chad's big adventure this past week was a trip via ambulance to see a Kaiser physiatrists (Dr. Benton Giap) at a medical rehab center in Redwood City. Dr. Giap is going to check into the possibility of a series of castings to lessen Chad's foot drop (contractures) with the end result being a representative mold that would yield a corrective device that Chad could wear on a daily basis to maintain any improvemnet that resulted from the casting series. Although Chad handles the roundtrip to Redwood City quite well, Dr. Giap agrred to look into the possibility of a 'more local' doctor to actively follow Chad's case. We have not had any luck trying to find somebody to either donate or discount the cement needed for Chad's ramp. If anyone has any contacts that could be called upon for consideration please let us know asap. The weather is better, the forms are in and we are ready for the ramp. Watching the EMTs maneuver Chad in an out of the house without a ramp this past week for the Redwood City trip was a bit nerveracking. On the homefront, Chad has been quite comfortable and a bit more quiet than usual. He seems to have fully settled into the routine of being back at home. Many of you have asked what a good time to visit would be given the routine and some of the family space that is needed. The answer is simple, any day from noon to approx 6pm seems to work out well for now. Thanks for asking and your consideration. And congrats to Chad's cousin Trevor who is finally home again and beginning his road to recovery from his recent brain tumor removal surgeries. If you missed the link on the homepage under current events, go back and check it out as we all support our friends Karen and Kelly in Oregon for getting their opinion on the Terri Schiavo case out in the media.
