First Week of Middle School

All in all, Jake did pretty well this week. From an emotional perspective, he handled things better than I expected. He doesn't know anyone in two of his classes and seems ok with it. I remember back in 4th grade when he found out his best friend wasn't in his class...he was so upset. He ended up making new friends, but it was a really rough start. This year, he is taking it in stride. He hasn't been upset or worried about it, and if he is, he isn't saying anything. He did tell me later in the week some kids asked why he has to wear the leg brace. He asked if they knew what an aneurysm was (they didn't) and then told them about his brain bleed, how it affected his left side and how he needs it to walk. Pretty proud of the way he handled it.

Physically, things aren't going as well for him. All the walking combined with the exertion of just being in school has really taken a toll. Jake's walking regressed as the week went on and his left arm has gotten really tight and is pulling up towards his chest. I talked to several friends this week who's kids were wiped out by the middle the week, and these are healthy 11 year old boys. New school, new teachers, lockers, different kids in their classes, taking notes, all the emphasis on organization....it's exhausting. Add to that a brain that is taking a lot of its resources healing, and it's a double whammy. We were hoping that having a pretty chill weekend would help, but two days just isn't enough time to recoup. We have been doing his stretches twice a day and have started massaging the muscles trying to keep them loose, but it's just not enough.

We are now struggling what to do moving forward. We realize it's just the first week, but we can't let him keep pushing himself to the point it may affect his long-term healing. School is going to get more rigorous as the weeks pass, which will only add to the overall fatigue. We don't want him undoing all the hard work he put in this summer with his walking. He also needs some balance in his life, it can't be all school, homework and rest. He wants to be able to do some things he wants like go to scouts and see his friends outside of school once in awhile. We are confident his stamina will improve, but it's a matter of figuring out to help that happen incrementally. I'm going to talk to his case manager tomorrow to see what we can figure out.

Speaking of scouts, we did have a bit of a celebration this evening. We attended the troop's Court of Honor tonight where Jake was presented with his new rank of Tenderfoot. He was so proud that he was able to earn this at the same time as many of his friends. Going to scouts every week this summer has been something he really looked forward to doing. Overall the troop has been great about adapting activities so he can participate. There are a few boys in particular who go out of their way when they are playing a game to make sure Jake has an advantage so  he is on a more even playing field. I haven't been around too many teenage boys, but I've been pretty impressed with their thoughtfulness and consideration for Jake. Todd and I were really proud of him and the initiative he took to complete the requirements. It was a good way to end the weekend.