James is going to physio once a week and excersise therapy twice a week. He has been going to a computer course at the college once a week. Tristan has been going to his course with him to help him if he needs it. James has been going to theraputic riding once a week too. He is very nervous on the horse, but it seems to be helping his balance a bit, and the staff and volunteers there are amazing.
James purchased himself a little power scooter chair. He loves it. He seems to be feeling a bit more confident in his walking since he got it. I figure that it is because it gives him a bit more independence since he doesn't have to rely on someone to push him up hills. It can come apart to put in the vehicle, and only weighs about 60 lbs. I have been using a piece of plywood for a ramp and putting it into the van in one piece though. He also got a new walker that is also a wheelchair. The wheelchair part is not very comfortable, but at least he can be pushed if he is walking and gets tired. It makes it a little easier to take him out with just the walker. It is lightweight and folds nicely in half, so it is easy to take in the vehicle. It is also a bit wider and longer than his first walker so it is more stable.
James had an appointment with the ear, nose and throat doctor on Saltspring Island last week. It was a beautiful trip and there are some amazing places to get food on Saltspring! We usually see that doctor in Vancouver, but he was doing a clinic on Saltspring. It was a much more pleasant trip than Vancouver! He feels that there is a surgery that will help James' speech clarity a lot! We are waiting for a referral to the surgeon now. The plan is to take part of his soft palate and attach it to the back of his throat. This will make it so that it takes a lot less effort to close the area between his mouth and nose for speech. The muscles in his throat that close that valve are weak, so instead of having to close a large hole, He will be closing two small holes, on either side of the flap of soft palate that they attach to back of his throat. The doctor feels very confident that this will make a huge difference this speech clarity.
It is so nice to be home and back together as a family! Even though it has been a struggle to get supports back in place for James since we got back, at least I have my family! The weather hasn't been that rough to deal with either! Vancouver island is definitely paradise!
