UVA CIT - Week One!

And the Bischoff Adventures continue!  I firmly believe, life is about perspective.  You can be cranky, angry, and bitter, or you can roll with the punches and not let things get you down.  We've lived that mantra the last few years and this week's adventure was no different.  We made it through snowquestration and our first week in the UVA Kluge Children's Rehabilitation Center (KCRC) Constraint Induced Therapy (CIT) program!

Our trip to Charlottesville started at 8am with a drive to my friend Vicky's house to drop off Cooper (Johnny was in NY this week).  We then headed West to drop Cole off with Aunt Chantelle and rendezvous with my friend Deena and her son Tyler who are also participating in the UVA CIT program.  After smothering Cole with kisses and struggling to leave him behind, we only left 15 minutes late and still arrived in Charlottesville with enough time for the kids to have a quick bite to eat before their first session at 1pm. 

Day 1
Our activities on Day 1 were focused on the kids getting to know the team of therapists, getting comfortable with the surroundings and getting fitted with their new casts.  Reagan was easily motivated by the new purple cast (the one she has now is pink).  She had a fun time playing the piano and bowling.  After our session we were given the keys to the apartment that KCRC owns and rents to patients.  We were grateful to have somewhere to stay given 8 nights in a hotel would definitely add up!  Not to mention, it's in walking distance to the clinic so it's very convenient.  We just finished moving our things into the apartment when the KCRC therapy supervisor knocked on the door and told us he didn't think it was safe to stay in the apartment because he expected the snow would cause power outages.  He reserved a room at a hotel for us and said we should move to the hotel.  And so the adventure continues!  We packed up and moved to the Hampton Inn and let me tell you - we were definitely spoiled by the free breakfast and large comfy beds!
 

Day 2
We hoped to wake up Wednesday to nothing but a little wet pavement but we got 10" of snow overnight and the rehab clinic had no power. Our move to the hotel was definitely a smart decision!  We let the kids go outside in the morning to play before we put their casts back on (they can't get wet so they come off at bath time and to sleep).  Between the wind, the cold and the snow that was still coming down, we didn't stay out long.  Not to mention, we were told we would need to check out of the hotel because they had no available rooms!  The power company reserved all the rooms for their employees to take shifts sleeping.  So after a rather curt conversation with the manager on duty threatening we may sleep in our car, she said she'd let us know if anything changed.  Lucky for us, they had two cancellations and we were able to stay.

The therapists very generously offered to come to the hotel for therapy and we decided to meet over lunch time.  The hotel manager let us use a conference room for therapy....we figure they were protecting those people in the lobby enjoying quiet time to check email and read.  Day 2 was definitely a lot more difficult for Reagan than Day 1.  Eating is by FAR the most difficult part of this journey.  She had several meltdowns on Day 2 and we ended up stopping therapy and going back to our room for a nap.  The excitement from the night before kept her up well past her bedtime and between lack of sleep and the expended effort only using one hand, she was exhausted. 

Day 3
By the third day Reagan started getting a little more comfortable with the routine of putting the cast on in the morning and realizing that it would stay on all day even if she had a meltdown.  Although she went to bed late again on Wednesday night, she did very well at therapy Thursday.  She spent time drawing, moving hoops, taking off her boots, learning to move puzzle pieces to the edge of the table to pick them up (this trick works for food too), and playing t-ball.  The therapists also gave us special easy-eat spoons with almost a 90 degree turn making it easier for her to eat with her left hand.

 






By the end of Day 3 we were all exhausted and ready to head home.  There were numerous times that I questioned whether we were making the right decision to enroll Reagan in this camp.  I questioned my ability as a mom to be strong when I needed to be strong, and when to hug her through the tears when being strong was no longer possible.  By the end of the week, I became more determined to persevere through this journey and see what amazing progress we can make.  I will never forget our dinner at the Chinese restaurant Wednesday night.  Reagan was working very hard at eating her fried rice by herself and she got angry when I tried to help her.  "I CAN DO IT MOM." She had a soup spoon twice the size of her mouth and rice is no easy food for any 3 year old.  I encouraged her and helped when she let me but tried to let her do it herself and ignore the mess being made on the floor.  Halfway through dinner she looked up at me, leaned over and put her head on my shoulder and said, "you're the best mom ever."  As a tear came to my eye I thought, it is a moment like this as a mom that you reminds you it's ok not to be their friend, it's ok to be hard on them, it's ok to be strict, and they will still love you.

Today Reagan went to school with her cast on.  It was Munchkins with Moms day so Cole and I went with her and sat in the cafeteria before school started.  Many of her neighborhood friends asked her what happened to her arm.  She sheepishly said, "it's helping lefty get stronger."  My heart sunk as she realized her friends were confused, but I was so happy they all smiled and said, "oh." I was apprehensive about how hard it would be for her to eat lunch (the teachers push the kids to be independent but do help if asked).  I pack foods that would be easier for her to pick up like veggie straws instead of gold fish.  When I left I gave her a big kiss, told her how proud I was of her, and reminded her "you can do this!"  I waited with anticipation as she got off the bus wondering whether she was going to feel discouraged.  Silly me.  The first thing she said to me as she stepped down off the bus was, "mom, I did everything with lefty all day!"  The smile on her face said it all.  I have been worried that this experience would crush her fragile spirit and make her feel like she can't do things that other kids can do.  That it would bring awareness to the weakness that she so often ignores by creatively compensating.  She often gets frustrated and says, "mom, it's just too hard for left.  I need help."  Or she will say, "mom, when I get bigger will lefty be strong like righty?"  To see the pride on my baby girl's face when she got off the bus today was everything I needed to remind me - as hard as this is, stick with it because this too shall pass...