Thursday, August 28, 2008

Charting the Course

If you look up physicians in the phonebook, none of them advertise themselves as brain injury life coaches, and I'm thinking that's what we need right now. Annie is stable for the time being--we're not in any kind of crisis mode--so we have the luxury of wondering what the heck we should do next to facilitate her physical/neuro recovery.

She continues to make gains in her speech-sound acquisition--this past Tuesday when we were in the church foyer Pastor Dale said "Hi, Annie," and she said "Hi" back, much to his surprise! She is also more expressive in her eyes--lots of the "old Annie" is coming back to her face.

We're scheduling another assessment to see how much more OT/PT/Speech she should be getting. And after talking to my friend, Carol, who made an amazing recovery from polio with swim therapy, I also am thinking that I'd like to get her into an aqua-therapy class--but where and with whom?

It's like getting orders to navigate through my computer without Bill. Or learning to text without David. I need to pray more.

Jean

Though the Lord gave you adversity for food
and suffering for drink,
he will still be with you to teach you.
You will see your teacher with your own eyes.
Your own ears will hear him.
Right behind you a voice will say,
“This is the way you should go,”
whether to the right or to the left. Isaiah 30:20-21

18 comments:

Gretchen said...

I'll email you some names, Jean. I totally get the "life coach" need. Meanwhile, you need to know that you are doing an incredible job. I.N.C.R.E.D.I.B.L.E.

xxxooogretchen

Anonymous said...

Jean-
I know there's a swim therapy place in Bothell-I'll look through my files and send on the link
Teena

Jean Sullivan said...

Thanks, Gretchen--coming from a speech therapist, your post is very encouraging! And, Teena--let me know about that swim therapy--I tried my neighborhood pool, but it was freezing cold. Annie didn't like it much. Or maybe it was my suit, I don't know.

Jean

Anonymous said...

YAY ANNIE!!!!! Keep on going. I can't wait to hear her talk like the old annie. I will keep on praying for her and the family. That is what i wanted to hear and read. GOD IS AWESOME!!!!!

xoxoxo Lynn

Anonymous said...

Argh I typed a whole message and it went poof! Oh well...

Woohooooo Go Annie Girl! Ha, I can just picture Dale's beaming face when Annie said "hi" back to him! :)

I don't have a clue about water therapy but do have confidence it is effective for a lot of things. In fact I am doing it now myself (just on my own) for physical problems. Anyway, I am so glad others here know of places and I will do my part by praying you find the right place and that Annie is helped by it.

Jean, it must be SO hard to be patient and wait on God to do His work in Annie! Wow she has come SO far and I look forward to seeing what He is going to do in her next!!!

Hugs
Sue Powell

Gretchen said...

BTW our pool (where D and J had lessons) is very warm. Hope you got my email. It's also salt water, so a)we float, and b) the hair, she keeps her color.

Anonymous said...

This comes with no real knowledge but it makes sense that the swimming, or just moving around in the water, would help muscle tone and exertion makes us breathe in more oxygen and oxygen feeds the brain. I am sure that indoor pool water is warmer and you look great in your suit!
Nan. (I really don't know what to do with the buttons at the bottom except click 'anonymous'!

Anonymous said...

Nan, FWIW I have the same problem with the buttons. I WAS logged in but it kept saying I wasn't so I just gave up and am now anonymous too. :) Popped in to say I am praying for Annie.

Anonymous said...

Oops this is me... Sue Powell... forgot to sign my name, ha

Anonymous said...

Jean, I fired off an email today to the Therapy Pool manager at work....asking her for advice on where/when/how....to get Annie into water. Will let you know when I get a response!

pam

Jean Sullivan said...

Thanks everyone for your posts & prayers--and thanks, Pam, for investigating the pool thing. Maybe Annie could car-POOL with you to work?

:)Jean

Anonymous said...

Right....! Cute.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Jeannie-kins - remember the discussion about horseriding therapy? The thing I SO recall about the folks who worked/walked with the kids in the walking ring was that in some mystery of the universe connection, they would TALK when they had not done so before.

Didn't you say there was such a place nearby?

hmmmm?????

Here is the button info:
1. Type your message
2. Scroll down to the bottom and click the button labeled "Name/URL"
(ignore the Google/Blogger and OpenID buttons)
***Funny thing...two fields will appear...one labeled "Name" and one labeled "URL"...****
3. Type your NAME in the NAME field.
4. Click "Publish"

No more anonymity :-)

Anonymous said...

Thanks... but when I first started here I DID all that and was signed in... but then it stopped letting me in and I never bothered to try to fix the silly thing, ha.

Sue Powell

Anonymous said...

Okay here goes again...

Anonymous said...

Well whadda ya know!!! Thanks Rebecca... you are SOOOO smart!! :) Oh I know... before I was using a log-in name that stopped working. Ha did not know you could do it manually every time. :)

Anonymous said...

jean, i agree with rebecca, about horses and riding, and there is a place in Woodinville, isn't there? ANd I love horses, I'd be happy to go ride WITH her!!

Jean Sullivan said...

I'm glad my sister is technologically astute, unlike me. I missed that GENE, so had to hook up with someone who knew how to 1. create a blog and 2. sign in to one. Anyway--I've been debating the whole hippotherapy thing...that's horse-therapy, so maybe this is my cue to act on it.

Jean