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What is a Physiatrist?
Physiatrists, or rehabilitation physicians, are nerve, muscle, and bone experts who treat injuries or illnesses that affect how you move
Rehabilitation physicians are medical doctors who have completed training in the medical specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). Specifically, rehabilitation physicians:
Diagnose and treat pain
Restore maximum function lost through injury, illness or disabling conditions
Treat the whole person, not just the problem area
Lead a team of medical professionals
Provide non-surgical treatments
Explain your medical problems and treatment/prevention plan
We first started a treatment plan for Tessa with Dr. Wright in January 2013. It's hard to believe she wasn't even 3 years old yet! At that time we chose to try Baclofen to help Tessa achieve more function movement with her tone. Here is my update from back then. We had just recently gotten her KidWalk walker and were so ready for her to be physically able to start using it.
Well in June of 2013, we were very sad to hear that Dr. Wright was taking a position in Austin TX. Until a couple of weeks ago, we hadn't see him since then. It was sooooooo great to see him again!
Dr. Wright is currently holding monthly clinics at the JD McCarty center down in Norman. We had our first appointment with him on Thursday November 6th.
He came in talking about how great Tessa looked...and as her parents, that was lovely to hear :)
Our latest challenges, other than her high tone and rigidity, have been repeated movement with her right hand. The movement has seemed to be tied to the epileptic spasms that she started having within the last year. The repeated movement isn't what causes concern...it's the fact that Tessa will pull her hand to her mouth and bite down...h.a.r.d! So hard we're afraid that she'll break skin one day :/ Tessa has always had very intense oral tone and has always needed some kind of oral therapy chew toy (aka - primarily a pacifier) to help her get relief from all the tension that the excess tone in her mouth causes her. Between that, her spastic cp, and her seizures...it can be challenging to determine what exactly is happening during those movements.
Tessa was ridiculously cute waiting to see the doctor :)
And sweet Parker was quietly playing on the iPad while we waited
And sweet Parker was quietly playing on the iPad while we waited
Here is one of our solutions to help spare Tessa's little hand!
It's amazing the kinds of things you dream up when you're left feeling desperately creative ;)
No need to wrap it around a carseat...just wrap it around Tessa's right hand ;)
And voila!!
(this thing has been a huge hit...so probably gunna need to get a few back-ups)
Memory Lane: 10/4/2012
When her KidWalk first got delivered!
Cutie-Patootie!
and now, 2 years later....
she's so big!
I was so proud of her! She was on a bit of an incline here and she showed me!
(I did move her to a more level spot after this)
That walking stuff is hard work!
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