Constraint Camp Is Underway

The big news from last week is that the constraint camp is underway.  It has been a lot of fun and Lizzy feels that it is already making a big difference.  In fact, after the first night, she told Julie she could already see a difference.  Yeah!

Being in camp, though, means that her other therapies-- speech and physical-- have been cut to once a day.  The timing has worked out well.  Lizzy is really just focusing on strengthening things in PT, which means some exercises and then lots of walking and stuff.  So, she is kind of doing PT all the time.  Also, the speech theraptist had actually approached Julie about reducing the number of sessions each week.  That was a few weeks back and the decision was made to stick with the old schedule until camp began.  Lizzy has really worked hard to get where she is now, and we are mighty proud of her.

As for camp, she really likes it.  It goes everyday from 12-4 and the first thing they do is put on her cast.  The way it works is they made put a cast on Lizzy's left arm, but instead of going all the way around her arm, there is an opening of a couple inches on the inside part of her arm.  That way they can simply slip it off and on as needed.  Anyway, it goes on at noon each day then, if she wants to eat, Lizzy has to make lunch.  They made chicken strips and carrots her first day.  This is challenging but enjoyable for Lizzy.  She has always liked to make stuff in the kitchen so it is really good for her to realize all that she can still do in the kitchen.  After lunch, they do electronic stimulation a couple of days a week on her shoulder and wrist.  She is definitely not a fan of the e-stim.  It feels weird she says.  Still, it really helped with her arm while she was in Children's so she's doing it some more.  Also, they spend a lot of time doing crafts and playing games.  About mid-week, they painted some flower pots and then planted seeds.  While everyone else planted flowers, Lizzy planted watermelon so she could put it outside when she came home in hopes of Ben not ruining it like he did with her other flower seeds.  We keep trying to explain that he is helping, but I don't think she is buying it.  LOL. 

We know that planting seeds and playing games may seem like pretty easy activities, but for our Lizzy right now they are not.  She is so courageous and diligent.  She sticks with her treatments even when they get tough (which is just about all of the time).  We cannot imagine not having your body doing something as simply as pointing a finger to make a hole in potting soil, so we know it has to be tough.  It would be so easy to quit.  Yet, Lizzy never gives up and is making a ton of progress.  We are so grateful to be her parents.  We love her and continue to be amazed by her. 

In light of some things we have heard, we are pursuing some more medical advice about Lizzy's future.  We feel that what we have learned is good, but we are simply exploring the field to make sure that we are doing all we can to make sure that this never happens to her again.  So, please keep those prayers and well wishes coming.  We are hoping to find out everything we need in the next couple of weeks.  We are talking to a couple of specialists-- one at the Cleveland Clinic and one in Philadelphia.  So, here's hoping for more great news.

As always we appreciate your thoughts, prayers, and loving concern.  We don't feel like we can ever say thank you enough.  So, please know that those two words carry a lot more meaning then they appear to on the surface.

Thank you,
Tom and Julie and Lizzy Smith