Hi Everyone,

Its Tuesday, team report day!

PT/OT and Speech all have seen an increased awareness in Corey. She has begun to show signs of “guarding”. If you remember from earlier posts, the team deliberately moves Corey to affect a defensive response. An example would be to roll her and watch for the instinctual motion to put her arm out to protect her self from falling. Corey hasn’t reached out but she has begun to turn her eyes in the direction of the roll. This is a great sign. She is aware of the motion and reacts; she wants to protect herself.

The team has also noticed her eyes cross midline consistently. They are also moving to midline at a more natural speed rather than the delayed response she’s had.

PT/OT have been working on developing her trunk muscles. Corey will sit upright for 3-5 minutes with a dependent hold. (The therapists don’t let go) This week, they have begun to loosen their hold and can feel Corey’s abdominal muscles contract to hold the pose independently for approximately 1 minute. She has also shown the initial motion to lift her head and shoulders from her pillow. This is a very big improvement.

Corey is tolerating her casts. Her skin looks good. She has a cast change every 3-5 days. The last change, she moved her right foot and ankle spontaneously in a circular motion as if to stretch the muscles her self! I bet she’s been stiff and couldn’t wait to move that foot and ankle. I wonder if she needs a hanger to scratch an itch? There was another patient in PT that had casts and wanted to know when he could get a mural on his casts? Maybe I should start a cartoon casting business? On second thought, I’d better keep my day job…

We did have an unexpected situation. Last night Corey’s eyes were pivoting like pendulums four separate times. This is actually a concern because it could be reflecting seizure activity. This Thursday she will have an EEG and MRI to see if in fact she’s developed seizures. If the results are positive, it’s not uncommon; however, it’s also not a good trend. She’s on anti seizure medication as a precaution. The meds make her very tired and she was asleep for most of the night. The doctors are also going to schedule another CT to look at her neck fracture. We hope that will be scheduled Thursday, too. If she’s healing well, the cervical collar can come off. No new update on the trach removal yet.

Overall, it was a good report. Please keep those prayers coming. We know they are helping Corey and continue to give us the strength we need to be part of her support team.

Corey, keep your focus baby girl! You’re doing so well. We are very proud of you! Happy dreams honey, we love you. xoxo