Monday, November 28, 2011

Evan's Newest Adventure

After my 31 Days for Evan adventure in May, Evan started an adventure of his own this morning. For the next two weeks, he will be going through the CIMT (Constraint Induced Movement Therapy) program at the University of Alabama. This is his second time in the program, so we are hoping for some really great results. In simple terms, CIMT is a very specialized type of therapy for people who have suffered a stroke or brain injury that teaches the brain to rewire itself. During the therapy, the patient's stonger arm is restrained using a cast, and the weaker arm is trained to do certain activites.

Day one of therapy started with testing to see what Evan can do with his right hand. Although he has been through the program before, and I know what to expect, it is so difficult to watch him try to use his "Righty" for activities most people do effortlessly every day - picking up objects, eating, and getting dressed. Truth be told, since his first session of CIMT in July of 2010, we haven't worked with him or made him use his right hand as much as we should have. So, while watching him complete the testing was difficult, I was also encouraged about how much he could do.

Once the testing was over, it was time to make the casts that will serve an important purpose for the next two weeks. Children going through the CIMT program get two casts - one to wear everyday and one to wear while bathing. Evan chose a red cast (for Lightning McQueen) and a green cast, which we nicknamed "Grinch."


After the casts were made, it was "interview" time for Marvin and me. Each day during the program, Evan's Occupational Therapists goes through a series of questions about how often Evan uses his right hand and how well he uses it. Today we did the benchmark interview, so we'll be able to track his improvements and progress. Then, Evan had one more test that measured his range of motion. Again, I was surprised at how well  and how far he could move his right hand and arm. During the final minutes of today's session, Evan's arm was strapped into his red cast, and with that we officially began CIMT.

I always say that Evan is my hero, and he was truly heroic today. He was quiet and sat still while he was being casted. (It doesn't hurt that he was watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.) He had fun eating lunch at a BBQ restaurant in Birmingham, and he endured shopping for a new coat when he really wanted to be napping. He was such a trooper for most of the day, with the exception of about 20 minutes of crying and begging us to take off his cast. But, I think he is beginning to like his red, Lightning McQueen cast. It matches his brand-new pajamas!