Cast away...

Sometimes I feel that I should be "cast out" of the blogging world. 

My daughter got her cast off today...!!!

She had it on for FOUR WEEKS.

I used to be good at this...

Frequent.

Blogging was my outlet, my journal, and my inspiration...

What has my life come to??!!!  AHHHH!!!

Well, here to make the best of my lameness, I thought I'd let you in on my little "fanCASTical" adventure...yes...I am totally witty...

Anyways, long story short, Romy had a stroke as a newborn.  Her right side nerve system is affected, making is hard for her to use it in a controlled manor...and sometimes at all. Our therapist of a year now suggested a treatment in which you cast her good arm to encourage....well, lets be honest...force her to use her "bad" arm.

IT HAS BEEN AMAZING!!!
Our journey to the cast was exactly that...or more an experiment.  We tried much less invasive attempts first.

Constraint Attempt #1: A molded half cast velcro-ed and ace wrapped. 

FAIL...it was so bulky, it was like a paddle, and she couldn't function, as a growing baby...

Constraint Attempt #2: Ace wrap.

FAIL...no matter how well we tried to wrap it...she would crawl out of it...

Constraint Attempt #3: Ace wrap with Coban over top.

FAIL...this worked great...only...the crawling caused serious blistering on her fingers, and lots of pain for the little sweetness.

Constraint Attempt #4: Cast of her lower arm.

FAIL...yep...you heard me...FAIL.  We tried doing a cast from just below her elbow through her hand.  She somehow wiggled out of it within 24 hours...

Constraint Attempt #5: Cast of her WHOLE ARM

SUCCESS...FINALLY!!!!

Before the cast, she couldn't pick up a fruitloop and get it to her mouth.  Before the cast, she could pick up certain objects if VERY PERSUADED to do so, and immediately her left hand would take it out.  She had a hard time extending her arm to reach for anything, because lets face it...why reach with Righty when the Left likes doing all the work??

WELLLLL...I am happy to report that the constraint therapy has done wonders.  She can now hold things intentionally, put food in her mouth, she can drop objects into a container at the right time, she can even stack a block on top of another block, which takes TONS of control.  She still struggles, and has difficulty turning her arm, and reaching all the way, but is not refusing to use the arm like she did before...

So pleased with the results...

She was so cute with her cast.  She crawled all funny, because her arm was bent at all times.  She sounded like she had a peg leg.  She also would bang on her crib in the morning to alert the family that she was ready to be up.  On a few occasions, she did realize that her cast was a total weapon...she may have injured few...but no permanent damage to report :)

The first thing she did once her cast was of was try smacking her arm on the wall.  She laughed when it didn't make a huge clunking sound.  I have to say that I am SUPER happy that I can put normal clothing on my daughter...and season appropriate!!!  It's getting cold, and the only thing I could put on was what was big enough to fit over the giant cast!!

NOW...if only she'd realize that her left arm still works...Here's to more therapy!!!!!