We're Back in PT Again

Last night we restarted PT again. This time they aren't just focusing on her calves, it's also about her balance. Funny some of the stuff she had her doing. Started with the tread mill like before, but then had her walk backwards. This was a little scary. The therapist kept a hand on her in case she fell. They also had her throwing a ball while standing on one foot. Not so easy at first, then she figured it out so the therapist changed it a bit and made it harder. By the end of the hour, Lauren was worn out. We go back again on Thursday. Then we will have to skip a week while she is away at camp.

More Dsypraxia Research

Yesterday I decided to re-read some research on dsypraxia. It's been a while. Most of what I read before had more to do with verbal dsypraxia then just plain dsypraxia. I started with the symptoms. Found it a little shocking. About half of the symptoms were problems that Lauren is dealing with. It really has me more convinced then ever that she does have it. Here are the 7 our of 14 symptoms from the list. Poor balance, clumsiness, short attention span, poor short-term memory, difficulty in reading and writing, easily distressed & emotional. You could also throw in the poor fine motor skills if you count things like tying your shoes. We pretty much give up and just buy the no tie laces. I remember from other research that it was one of the thing they look for. Anyway, the article says there are a few dozen known symptoms and this was just a list of the more common ones. I will keep researching, but everything I've read says there is no cure, only treatments to help with some of the issues. We still have to wait till the end of July to see the neurologist. Till then it's life as usual. Lauren starts her PT on Monday. then she goes to camp and summer school starts on July 5th. I am hoping by the end of summer, we have a program in place for her.

Long Day at the Hospital

Yesterday was Lauren's appointment with the Pediatric Orthopedist. We had to travel to one of the local children's hospitals. Not too bad a ride. Only 45 minutes. Our appointment was at 1:00 pm and we got there at 12:30 pm so we could do all the paperwork. At 1:00 pm they took us in and started the LONG process. First they had one guy do her vitals and place us in a room. Then a PA came in and examined Lauren and went over family history. Then she left to discuss and set up Lauren's X-Rays. I figured that was coming and had sort of warned Lauren. She thought they were fun. They took a full back and pelvis set. Then we got sent back to our room to wait. Then we met the Doctor. She seemed nice. We went out and she had Lauren walk up and down the hall and then run up and down the hall. By the time she let her stop, Lauren was really starting to get winded. Then we went back the the room and did some more tests. In the end . . . . she is just clumsy. OK, that was a no -brainer. The long and the short of it was that there is nothing physically wrong that would cause it. She has balance issues and is noticeably clumsy, but there is no reason on the orthopedic level. Yeah, so maybe I was right. They said they would send their findings to the Neurologist. It's all up to him now. She also wrote a prescription for Lauren to restart PT. They need to re-stretch her calf and work on balance and gait issues. Probably some endurance work too. Wanted me to put Lauren in a sport. Lauren gave me a look. They only one she might agree to is swimming. We don't see the Neurologist till late July. So now we wait and start PT. By the time we left it was 2:45 pm. I think we both were exhausted.