Baby steps...literally!

He no longer needs oxycodone and his pain is well-controlled on gabapentin & amitriptyline. We are so happy! 

Jayden has shown a lot of improvement in one week! He can crawl up and down the stairs, stand for 30 seconds holding on to the coffee table or wall, and is improving a lot in therapy. 

Back to PT!

David his amazing Therapist today is SO impressed with Jayden's drastic improvement over the week. Balance is improved. He's able to close his eyes and stand for at least 30 seconds. 

Jayden got a Christmas Bear today at Gillette! They are so amazing here! Santa is here greeting kids & talking with Jayden. 

He is even climbing stairs without assist! He went from walking on the 15th for short periods to walking everywhere! He even skipped the red wagon today which used to be his favorite part of therapy! 

Disney World

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We decided to keep our trip that we had planned to Florida to see family & go to Disney World. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it! Jayden was so excited to be here, he tried even harder to walk & see his favorite characters. 

With little sister by his side, he made his way around to park! 

He got to meet Elsa & Anna and walked to them (unsteadily) so he could get a picture. He fell a few times but got back up & kept going. It was worth all the work getting him here to see him improve so much

First pool therapy

Love to see that smile again! Jayden is doing so well! We are so thankful for all his therapy friends! 

Baby steps...literally!

He no longer needs oxycodone and his pain is well-controlled on gabapentin & amitriptyline. We are so happy! 

Jayden has shown a lot of improvement in one week! He can crawl up and down the stairs, stand for 30 seconds holding on to the coffee table or wall, and is improving a lot in therapy. 

A little pampering

Jayden got a nice hand & foot massage with his nail trim. We got a fresh haircut after that. He's able to sit for longer periods without pain which is nice to see.

Before...

It is hard to remember my sweet boy before "the badness" as he calls it, took over.  Two months before this started he was a smart, happy, sweet boy headed to his first day of Pre-K.  Now he can't do anything by himself.  He is frustrated, sad, mad, depressed, anxious, and confused.  Overall, he stays pretty positive and tells us he will be fine again soon.  He just doesn't like waiting, and neither do we.

First PT and OT visits

It has been a long week.  With daily doctor/therapy appointments, we are all tired and desperate for normalcy.  We headed to Gillette Children's in St. Paul on Dec. 3rd for his first OT visit.  He was so afraid.  He thought we would be sleeping over again like his admission to the hospital.  We arrived and he was in tears because he was anxious.  Still in pain, he had to ride in the red wagon to the appointment.

He loved it!  He smiled and asked if we could keep the wagon because it didn't make his legs hurt.  We had our hour long session and then headed to Target because he wanted to go so badly to get some ornaments for his tree.  Since he couldn't walk we had to get the double cart.  He and baby sister loved it.  It was a short run as Jayden did not tolerate sitting for a long time. 

Kids cookie in hand, we grabbed a few essentials and headed home.  PT was today, Dec. 4th.  It was almost 2 hours long and Jayden stood alone unassisted for about 5 seconds for the first time!  He walked with the aid of a special walker and despite my enthusiasm and applause, he decided I was a bit too much.  "Mom, please don't smile or be proud of me.  It's annoying."  The therapists had a good laugh and he walked back to the room in the walker without our help.

He is so tired now.  Asleep on the couch with his new knee mobilizers on.  We meet with the Physical Medicine and Rehab Doctor next week to decide if he needs 2 weeks of inpatient therapy instead of outpatient.  

December 1, 2014 Discharge Day

Jayden is medically stable but his spirit is low.  He still cannot walk and complains of intermittent numbness/tingling in his hands and pain in his legs.  We are hoping we saw the worst of this and are ready to head home to be with family.  We miss baby sister, our dog Bailey, and normal family routines.
PT and OT came early this AM to see Jayden one last time.  He sat up for the first time in 10 days unassisted!  He was up without help for about 1 minute.

We returned home today and Jayden said he just wanted to go to Chili's for lunch and then decorate the tree at home.  We went to Chili's and he sat next to dad in the booth to help him sit up.  He did not last long even with assist so we ate quickly while he laid on our lap and then we headed home.

We got home and dad grabbed a tree and strung the lights on it as promised.  As happy as I am to have him home, my heart still hurts.  He is so sad and depressed while he lays on the couch watching us.  He just wants to get up and help.  It is heartbreaking.