The Pages

this is the "swash" hip/leg brace...
This is an example of the type of ankle and leg braces...he can pick a design.




So we got news about Ryder...first the results of blood work were great...his immune system apparently is kickin' major butt. He since that test has been sick with a cold...and as usual catches a nasty cough with the cold. The cough was getting pretty yucky, so we took him in to the doctor. The doctor gave us an answer...its asthma. He said that he def has asthma. Which explains why he always gets a cough w everything... So we have him on breathing treatments once a day to prevent illness.
Next news is we had a WONDERFUL appointment today with an orthopedic specialist. They gave us great hopes for Ryder. To sum up the long appt...Ryder is getting into leg braces and hip braces..
Ryder's body feels so unstable...when we sit him up (while holding him up) his legs stick straight out, and at time cross over each other ("scissoring")...his brain can only focus on one thing at a time, so all those issues work against each other. SO Barb, the orthotic specialist, is making him braces for his legs and hips. Ryder's "AFO's" (leg braces) will help hold his feet in the correct position...and not constantly pointed downward.
Barb showed us what these devises do in videos of other kiddos she has seen recently. They were JUST like Ryder... then w/in a year, they were walking with braces and a walker. AMAZING!
Children with Cerebral palsy tend to have low self esteems, because they are often looked at by their peers as "babies" or weird...because while other kids are walking running, here is little Ryder on the floor laying down...in one spot...which to a kid, thats a "baby"...eventhough he's older and bigger..and even smarter haha. Our goal is to quickly get him sitting standing, so he can feel more "normal"...and like other kids his age.
We look forward to him getting braces! it's so exciting! I'm sure I'll cry my eyes out to see him walking on his own for the first time! even though it'll be w a walker!