Constraint Induced Movement Therapy

Aiden begins a new, very intensive journey with his Occupational Therapist on Tuesday. He is going to be casted, from above the elbow to past the fingertips of his "good" arm. This should force his brain to use his right arm, and hopefully start building the muscles up in his hand and fingers enough to gain strength. He's mad. He's furious. If he even hears the word "cast" right now, he runs into a corner, covers his ears and cries. It is the worst feeling in the world to know that you are going to take part in making your child unbelievably miserable! I have the power to tell his OT that he's not ready, that I want to wait, that there has to be a better way. I won't do it. I refuse to let my emotions at this moment overrule my brain. I KNOW that this is the best thing we can do for him. The progress that stroke survivors make with this therapy was unheard of until recently. The success stories I have been reading bring tears to my eyes! One little boy, at 4.5, had never been able to use his right arm in any way. 6 months after his casting, he was playing baseball and fishing, using his right arm!!! There are many more, but that is the one that really sticks. Mainly because Aiden wants to play baseball and go fishing so badly!
I am talking to Aiden all day, every day about his upcoming cast. I think the more I talk about it, the easier it will go. It seems to be working! He only has 2 or 3 meltdowns a day, versus more than I can count the first couple of days. He's actually talking about it on his own, to other people. We sat together and picked out "casttoos", which are actual tattoos designed for casts. He of course chose dinosaurs, so now he refers to it as his dinosaur cast. He also picked out a movie called Flight of the Dragons to watch during the casting. He is beyond obsessed with How to Train Your Dragon, which of course would be his first choice, but since it is still in theaters, he had to pick something else! During the actual casting, he will be able to watch a movie, plus his OT let him pick out a special treat. He chose ice cream! How could getting a cast be too bad if he gets to eat chocolate ice cream while watching a dragon movie!
I will try to actually update this regularly with his progress. Maybe this will finally be my reason to keep this blog alive!