Saturday, September 12, 2009

We're Still Here and Still Working

It has been nearly two months since the blog was last updated, and I apologize. I am not sure how the time passed so quickly but I guess we've been really busy. Although the summer has gone well, it also has been hard. Paul still struggles with talking, walking, and use of his right arm. Not to mention that he is burnt out on being at Pate. Everyone is great there but the every-dayness of it has gotten to him, especially because he hasn't seen the progress that he had hoped for and expected. So, while he will continue there because they are good, he needs to keep working, and insurance continues to pay, I am always looking for alternative therapy options that will help him.

I recently applied for Paul to participate in an intensive aphasia therapy program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, which is the No. 1 rehabilitation hospital in the United States. In speaking with the director of the program though, we determined that the program is not appropriate for Paul's needs. The aphasia program focuses mainly on language comprehensive. Paul does not have a problem comprehending language or retrieving language, his speech deficit is apraxia, which means he has trouble coordinating his muscles to make purposeful movements - in this case it is saying the words. He has no trouble comprehending and his master of the English language shows when he is using the letterboard and the Dynavox. Although Paul will not be participating in the aphasia program in Chicago, the director of the aphasia program thought that Paul might be a likely candidate to participate in other therapies that RIC offers so we are looking into that. As well, she passed on some names of researchers and therapists here in the Dallas area that I have contacted. So, there are options and opportunities out there, we are working on finding some that fit Paul's needs. I have to say though, everyone that I have talked to has been very kind, interested, and generous in sharing any information that could help Paul.

Several months ago, an acquaintance of Paul's, Michael Langley, contacted us to suggest that we call a therapist that he knows named Lisa Ann McCall, who has more of body/balance philosophy than traditional physical therapies. I finally contacted her over the summer and she has been coming to the house to work with Paul a couple of days a week and she has been great. She is very optimistic, energetic, and upbeat and has been teaching us ways that Paul can easily do therapy at home and incorporate it into our everyday lives. For example, we now have Paul holding a ping-pong paddle with his right hand and hitting ping-pong balls. He can easily do this while he is sitting on the couch. It is often a family affair, with me tossing the ping-pong balls to Paul, who hits them and Buzz has his own paddle and tries to then hit Paul's ball, which can go anywhere in the living room. The ping-pong balls end up all over the place but it is fun and something we can do as a family. Lisa Ann also has us making sure that Paul always is doing something therapeutic, even if he is doing it while he is watching TV. When he watches golf, we try to make him hold a golf club, which can be difficult with his right hand, and practice putting from a sitting position. She just believes the motion of doing something, especially something his brain is so familiar with (golf) that it will trigger the neurons to create more pathways. She also has suggested some different leg exercises and stretches that will help the spasiticity. We always both feel very optimistic after sessions with Lisa Ann. (Michael, thank you for the suggestion.)


As for his talking, Paul can say words more spontaneously and can repeat phrases but we still rely primarily on the letterboard and Dynavox. In fact, we are pushing him to use the Dynavox more because 1) it has word prediction so the more he practices using that, the faster he will be able to communicate, 2) he can sometimes say a word more easily if he sees it written down first, and 3) if he can't say it by reading, it is always good for him to repeat it once he has heard the Dynavox say it. The Dynavox also gives him some independence in that he can spell out what he wants to communicate without having to have someone there to spell out each word with him, as he does on the letterboard. I am all for that, because it gives both of us more freedom.


Paul still is not walking on his own, although we continue to see progress, albeit small but still progress. It is very frustrating for him because that has been his main focus. His therapists have suggested that, while he should continue working on walking and always have that as one of his goals, in the meantime, he also needs to become more independent while he is in the wheelchair. We all set our sights on the walking so, in the meantime, I've been doing more for Paul than I should and now have to push him to do more everyday things on his own at the house.

Buzz is now back in school and I am working part-time at ClubCorp, where I used to work prior to Paul's accident. So far, it is working out great for me because I can work mostly from home. However, since ClubCorp is located right across LBJ from Pate, on the days that I do go to the office, I can easily go by Pate on the way home and get Paul.

Well, I think that is enough for now. Once again, I am making a commitment to update the blog more often so, as Willie says, it doesn't turn into me writing a book each time.

Thank you all for your support and for following Paul's recovery.