Side By Side Comparison-Week 3 to Week 13

They say a picture says a 1,000 words. That must mean that a video says 1,000,000. I couldn't help but notice that I have similar pictures and videos of Andrew that I took at 2-3 weeks post-SDR and 12-13 weeks post-SDR. What a difference 10 weeks makes! Plus, I can't believe how much bigger and stronger he has gotten in the last couple of months.

Standing and reaching at 3 weeks.

Standing and reaching at 13 weeks.

He obviously needs a lot less support in the second picture than in the first. Plus, his reach is so much higher and he is soooo much taller. I know the perspective of the picture is different in each, but look at where the bar of the walker hits him on his body. 

Then, there is his walking. We often use going to the mall or the toy section at the store as a way to encourage walking. It's motivating to him. Watch the video of him walking at the mall 2 weeks after his SDR surgery. 

Now, watch him RUNNING through Target on the second video at 13 weeks post-SDR. He is far less wobbly in the second picture. He is also far faster and has to take a lot less walking breaks. We still have a way to go, but progress is definitely being made!

And, finally, the part of this recovery process that I find to be the most frustrating. Before SDR, Andrew had begun to take a few independent steps and was able to stand independently for a short time. He used his spasticity to achieve this, which limited his ability to gain actual muscle strength. I knew that once the spasticity was gone, he would likely lose that ability temporarily while he was gaining strength. The strength in the long term is far better for him and his body than the spasticity was, but it is a slow process that takes a lot of work. It is still difficult, however, for me to see him have an ability and then lose it. However, it is slowly coming back and with better form. These last two videos are extremely important for the impatient me to see so that I can realize that he is making tremendous progress very quickly. Here is him attempting to stand and take a step 2 weeks after his surgery.

And now, here is Andrew attempting to stand and take a couple of steps 12 weeks post-SDR.

Really... WHAT a difference 10 weeks makes. I love having visual evidence that he is progressing and doing so very quickly. I am really curious to see where he will be in another 3 months.