Reagan hits the slopes and tests e-stim!

What an exciting way to start 2013!  We were able to schedule Reagan for an adaptive ski lesson at Wintergreen Adapative Sports.  They were nothing short of amazing. She had four instructors who were very knowledgeable about high tone and how to accomodate the support during Reagan's lesson.  She was very shy at the beginning, but quickly realized how fun skiing can be when you really get moving fast.  From the moment she saw the chair lift she was determined to go for a ride!  After 2 hours of practice she finally convinced the team to let her give it a try.  She did really well and has been talking about it all week.

We also had a busy day today.  Reagan had her regular physical therapy session with Jill this morning and an evaluation with a specialist, from Bioness, an electrical stimulation foot drop system.  The specialist put a small electrode inside Reagan's shoe with a chip that clipped on the edge of the shoe.  She then velcro'd a band (we called it a bracelet) right below Reagan's knee.  Every time Reagan picked up her foot the system sent an electrical impule to the brain tell her toe to lift.  It took a while to get the impulse strength high enough.  She decribed the feeling as "tingling" and after it came off Reagan said she would be willing to try it again.  Unfortunately Reagan's therapy was not able to be at the appointment so she would like to see how it changes her gait before we invest in the solution ($7,900 only partially paid by insurance).  She is still very young and it's important that she wears the device if we choose to try it.  The theory is that over time, the brain develops new pathways to raise the toe and she wouldn't need the device long term.  We've decided to do a little research on "e-stim" (electrical stimulation) and see what outcomes can be expected.  Additionally, we need to consult with Reagan's neurologist.  Since the device sends an electrical impulse to the brain...and a seizure is an electrical impulse being sent to the brain...we need to talk through the potential concern that this could "excite" certain areas of the brain that we don't really want to "wake up".  Timing is perfect - we meet with him in two weeks!