Thursday, September 23, 2010

Thursday, September 23, 2010

It is sooo great to be in rehab! They really work you! The morning started out kind of rough when occupational therapy had Sydney reach above her head to the back of the bed to try to pull herself higher on the bed. She had some pretty severe back pain and spasms which was no fun. But the rest of the day made up for it with some exciting events.

Sydney's Physical Therapist, Lance, pulled Sydney into a sitting position and had her practice putting her fists down on the bed to push her torso up so she could slowly shift her torso off the bed and across a short board into a wheelchair. Lance helped her a lot, but it was pretty thrilling to anticipate the independence she will have when she has the strength to do this! She then rolled herself around in the wheelchair. We are all going to be jealous of her buff arms!

After the wheelchair, Lance put her on a mat, and had her practice the log roll. While lying on her back, she stretches our her arms, bends her elbows, clasps her hands together, and rocks her arms back and forth to build momentum, digs one elbow in the bed and swings the other arm over to roll her body over. This is how she will roll out of bed. Lance helps her with it now, but she is determined to get better.

The highlight of the day is when he put a walker next to the bed and had her hold onto it with her arms to hold her body up. With her legs down, she could feel her left foot, but could not feel her right foot. (Stubborn foot!)

Josh, her recreational therapist, took her outside for a spin in the wheelchair. After you have been stuck in a hospital bed for 6 days, this was a really nice change!

Shannon, a fellow Lone Peak High student, visited Sydney today. Shannon sustained a severe head injury earlier in the year in a motorcycle accident. She was in Primary Children's Hospital for 7 weeks, and had to relearn her cognitive functions, speech and motor functions. She was there to tell Sydney that it was hard work, but she was able to miraculously regain function. This was very inspirational to Sydney.

Thank you to the drama department for all the notes of encouragement on a giant poster! Thank you to Brother Graff's seminary class for their kind notes as well! The young men and young women have also written Sydney wonderful notes of encouragement, as well as friends, family and neighbors. I read your uplifting comments on the blog to Sydney every day. Thank you to the young women for picking our fruit, and for the nice ladies who taught the young women how to bottle fruit! It was a combo service and learning opportunity! Thank you to all the kind neighbors who brought meals in this week – my kids all thought I was a great cook until they tasted your cooking – now the truth is out! Your food is delicious!

We look forward to tomorrow.