March Update, Getting Ready for Vacation

Geez, I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted! Things have been pretty status quo around here the past several weeks. Jake has been going to PT the past month to help maximize his botox and seems to be doing pretty well. He also got braces on his teeth about a week ago which he wasn't thrilled about (he had them once already in 4th grade). After a few days of Tylenol and some soft food, he seems to be doing better. As he said to me, it feels like I'm eating with a mouth full of loose teeth. Poor kid.

We are getting really excited to go to Mexico soon for vacation. If you've been reading the blog awhile, you may remember that the first time we went post-stroke, Todd and I were really struggling with the decision to go or not to go (here is that post if you're interested). Jake was only about 10 months past his incident and had not progressed nearly as much as we had thought he would when we booked the trip. After a lot of consideration we ended up going and it was a different but good trip.

Planning for this trip, things are so different. It's now been almost three years since his stroke and while there will still be similar issues as before, they are just more a daily part of our life now. He's done swim therapy the past few summers, so he is much more comfortable in the water. He can wear his old leg brace when he goes in the pool if he wants the support. The beach will probably still be a bit of an issue, but he can handle it if he chooses. We have an added issue with the beach this year since Luke broke a bone in his foot and will be in a walking cast when we go, so beach time may be limited anyway! We've been back and forth on whether or not to take his wheelchair. He hasn't used it at all since we got back from Yellowstone last July, but there is a lot of walking at the resort. Between Jake and Luke's broken foot, we'll probably end up taking it just to have it with us.

One of the things I am really anxious to see is how his walking is while we are there. Two years ago, his walking really improved while on vacation. We never figured out why, could have been just being relaxed, no school/therapy, lower elevation - who knows. We haven't been back to sea level since so I'm really curious.

I'll be sure and post how things go!