Bridget's Surgery Updates: Rehab videos

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Rehab videos

Bridget requested that I take videos of her doing her rehab activities, for you guys to see what she's working on and so that she can look back at how much improvement she's made herself. So I took a couple of short videos of her doing stuff in her morning session of PT and her afternoon session of OT today. For some reason blogger isn't letting me post the PT video (maybe too long?), so that is lame.

But here is Bridget during OT, doing some pegboard work:

Today in PT she also took a couple of assisted steps on the parallel bars, and did much better with these than she did the previous day, and they tired her out considerably less. And both of her therapists independently commented on how much better her balance and sitting was today, and were very impressed with the difference between today and yesterday! Bridget chalks it up to a) having friends visit and b) Haribo Gummy Bears (thanks Stephan!). But we all know it is really her unrelenting determination to get better!

2 comments:

Alicia CravenJune 27, 2012 at 9:50 AM
Go Bridget go!!! Unrelenting indeed. She doesn't even need a sticker chart--it's intrinsic. Awesome progress!
ReplyDelete
Replies
Emily NeuhausJune 27, 2012 at 1:24 PM
What a great idea to take videos, both to share and to look back on! Keep up the hard work, Bridget!!
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

What is a cavernous malformation, and why does it need to be removed?

A cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM) is a vascular abnormality shaped like a raspberry, that sometimes can develop spontaneously in an otherwise healthy brain. Bridget has one in her brain stem, on the left side of her pons.

These CCMs will sometimes leak out blood, and when they do, they cause neurological problems, sort of like having a small stroke. Bridget's has bled twice now, and doctors suspect that it will continue to bleed. To try to prevent future neurological problems from developing, it makes sense for it to be surgically removed.

What will surgery and recovery be like?

Surgery will cause Bridget to have some neurological problems like facial numbness and vertigo. There is some chance that she will also have facial muscle weakness, double vision, weakness/numbness in one arm and leg, or hearing loss after surgery. Hopefully most or all of these problems will go away with time.

She will also have a lot of fatigue, and will have to heal from the incision and from the removal and replacement of a "bone flap" in her skull.

If everything goes well, she will be feeling good enough to be out and about after a month, and closer to normal after 3-6 months.