Adaptive Bike for Avery

Today was a good day. Avery was happy all day, which is something we haven't seen for a good month. Her constant, beautiful smile puts the hub and I in such a good mood. So much is lifted off of our shoulders when we know she is happy. Today was made even more especially fun because we were able to pick up an adaptive bike that we had applied for two and a half years ago! A non-profit organization makes them for kids with special needs, so they are gifts. It was a wonderful surprise to receive the bike after all of this time, and even more wonderful to see how Avery responded.

Getting the hang of it...

Concentrating...

A little adjusting!

Pure joy :)

We think this bike is going to be so good for her. She has to work pretty hard to push the pedals, but we can also give her a break and push her from behind, and she will still get the movement in both legs and arms. And it has lots of room to grow with her! Yay for a new toy for Avery, she deserves it.

I really appreciate everyone who emailed or called and asked how Avery has been doing. It feels a lot easier to talk about now that she seems to be {close to} back to normal. During our hospital stay, Avery was treated for abdominal pain, but ended up being over treated. As in, I requested to speak with a doctor for 4 hours (starting at 10pm, when the new shift started rounds) and did not get one until I had an all out nuclear mom meltdown at around 2am. For four hours, she had a tube down her nose, dripping meds that she no longer needed. In those four hours, the sleep deprivation that had started showing earlier in the day resulted in crazy long, terrible seizures that I have never seen before. Avery losing seizure control is worst case scenario, so yea, I was freaking out. We had to get the nose tube out and the I.V. out and get her home to sleep as soon as possible, and pray that the horrible seizures stopped. 

There was a question about whether Avery would have been treated the same in any hospital, and I would say that we have been in other hospitals, and while none are any fun, it is normal for doctors to check in on their patients at beginning of shift. And especially if they have a parent specifically asking for them. I think even more so in pediatric units where there are patients who cannot communicate in a typical way. So yes, the situation could have been different if treatment had ended earlier and we focused on getting Avery more comfortable so she could actually get some sleep. Once we got Avery home and she did get deep sleep, I am happy to report that the crazy seizures stopped. I can't say the same for other crazy behavior, but at least we got our smiles back today!!!!