A glimpse into Euro-Peds!

So we are through with our second week of Euro-peds and even though the first week was rough, a couple blue spells due to the stretching we are gaining so much more head control and range of motion with Jonathans legs!

So like I said the first week was rough! Just a different therapist and environment was a lot. Then add intense stretching some lady massaging arms and legs while laying on warm body packs for 45 minutes. Then its exercise time! So the first day was arm splints on, in crawling position, sand bag on legs to keep tone down(excellent idea) and lift, lift, lift your head! Then he did some chin tucks on a giant ball then he sat up while keeping his head up, this is all very difficult for Jon and sometimes he uses his tone to keep his head up but hey whatever works! So the stretching and massage is at every visit but the exercises will change from day to day. The second visit was that Jonathan got to ride a bike, this bike was very cool!
SO the therapist and Jon's aide helped get him in strap him up and as I am watching I say please watch his g-tube area and they already had a custom pad around it then I say are you sure he can do this he has very little head control the response I get, he will be o.k mom we've seen kids like him before and they do fine. And that's it he did just fine nothing around his head to keep it up he did it all by himself!!! It was so cool I was really trying to hide my tears as my little boy cruised with help up and down the hallway and he was keeping his head up by himself the whole way.
He lasted about 10 minutes then he was exhausted they got him out but he still had to do some sitting exercises for the last 15 minutes by the time we left and got into the car he was out and snoring! I love this bike and if he continues to love it as much as he did I think we will have to invest in one for Christmas!
I do have to say that some of the exercises that he does we have done before however their techniques like the sandbag on his legs to keep his tone down is fantastic or using the arm wraps for his head control brilliant. I really think he has already gained a lot from here in the short 2 weeks and there is so much more they have to offer ideas, equipment, techniques it's great not only for Jon but for me to use these techniques and to help other parents try these ideas they may have not known about.
I think we will be doing another round of HBOT in September in conjunction with Euro-peds and see if that does anything!