Out and about

Last week (before all the ice) we went out snowshoeing! It was super hard for Matt - especially since he used to spend all day on snowshoes in the woods and now he could only handle about 30 minutes. He came back completely wiped out and sore, but it was fantastic.

More evaluations

Matt's had a busy couple of weeks since the new year - mostly good, with a little frustrating mixed in. His last PT evaluation didn't go as well as we hoped. He's doing great, but his muscles aren't testing any stronger and his range of motion hasn't increased at all with his hamstrings or his ankle. He'll have one therapy a week for the next month and then another evaluation and if nothing increases again, we'll be on our own for PT. It seems especially weird since over the last month he's been feeling stronger and has even given up the cane completely (except for nighttime excursions.) He does know that his progress isn't going to stop entirely, but he is worried that he could be stuck with the brace on his leg forever.

OT, on the other hand, is going great - his arm tested stronger than ever and with more range of motion in almost every muscle group. He's working really hard with his new glove to increase use of his fingers, which isn't there yet, but it seems more hopeful. He was also able to slightly lift his wrist against gravity which he's never been able to do before.

Matt also went for a driving evaluation last week and it went pretty well. They did lots of visual tests and cognitive function tests (which, of course, he was better at than I was). Then they took him out in their car with all the right adaptive equipment and they said he did a great job. He has to go back for 10-12 more hours of training with them & the new equipment before he'll be on his own, but it looks promising for him to be back on the road by spring. He's so excited to finally be able to go places without me again!