Hi Everyone,
Natalie tested Corey on her timed long distance walk, her timed short distance walk, her timed sit/stands and her staircase test.
Good news/Bad news…
Bad news-Corey’s numbers dropped (we will confirm against the documented numbers from last month recorded before the medication changes)
Good news-she didn’t drag her toe/foot when she was walking
Bad news-she was exhausted and couldn’t complete her staircase test. She didn’t have the stamina to go past the fourth step
BEST news…At one point Corey snapped and wouldn’t participate. She got upset, shook her head ‘no’ and turned to face the wall refusing to look at us. Natalie knelt before her and quietly whispered, coaxing her; “hey…hello…Cor, look at me”.
Normally, Corey would kick, scream, hit and continue to refuse to look at Natalie. If Natalie tries to speak with Corey, she looks at me and ignores her. Today, Corey turned and looked right at her.
N-you have worked really hard today and it’s okay to say you need a break or
(simultaneously both Corey and Natalie spoke) say ‘I need a minute to rest’.
C-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell
N-it’s ok, we all get tired and it’s perfectly fine to tell me you need a minute
C-I need a minute but I will try again.
Corey gave Natalie eye contact, spoke in a calm tone and stayed engaged throughout this brief interaction. Natalie and I looked at each other completely blown away by Corey’s ability to regroup and cooperate. Honestly…I think my mouth dropped open!
THIS IS WHY WE NEEDED TO CHANGE MEDICATIONS!!
We have been coping with Corrine’s rage for 2 1/2 years. I must tell you, I was beginning to worry that I would be unable to continue to care for Corey at home because her behavior has been so difficult to manage.
Despite the concerning side affects (which I know the Doctors can tweak and work through) the benefit of her calming down is precisely why we never give up and never give in! I knew there had to be an answer. There had to be something we could do. Somehow, somewhere we could get help. We are nowhere near a balance but today’s response has been the first sign of HOPE I have felt in a very, very long time.
Natalie isn’t ready to write her letter to Insurance just yet, so Corey will have one more shot at her timed tests. As far as I am concerned, she may not have matched or increased her numbers but her ability to control her emotions today was beyond anything anyone could measure! xoxo