So these consultations were a week ago Tuesday.

Nutrition consult- Basically Kendall was told that she is not going to be forced to start eating things that she doesn’t like. She doesn’t like milk, eggs and most vegetables and it is ok with them as long as she eats what she likes, maintains her weight and gets enough protein to help her with strength and energy for rehab and physical therapy. Of course she was more than happy to hear this. She doesn’t have to drink milk, eat yogurt or eat eggs…They told her if she wanted to eat chicken fingers, fries and corn and pancakes for every meal it was ok with them. Needless to say she is looking forward to this part of the process. lol
Social Work consult- We were given resources to look into as far as lodging, parking, food, vehicle rentals(parking), prescriptions, fundraising, dental, air travel expenses etc…
Child Life Specialist- I cannot say enough about Laura. She got to know us and Kendall so quickly and was able to intervene and build trust with Kendall so quickly. She was there with Kendall for all of the blood draws which is the area that she has the most anxiety, fears and tears. Laura helped her with coping skills, distractions and boosted her confidence in ways that only a professional could do. She even gave us a tour of the Ronald McDonald House and stopped by to see Kendall on a regular basis just to check in on her to see how she was doing. She even gave her a stress ball to squeeze that really helped her to keep calm during other visits. II am going to get one for myself. I am so serious. Can someone say Amazon!!!) lol
Physical Medicine and Rehab consult- Wow. This appointment was with the doctor, occupational and physical therapist. They were phenomenal!!! Kendall did a 6 minute walk as part of the evaluation of her endurance pre-surgery. The occupational therapist did exercises with her especially on her left hand/arm where there has been weakness from the stroke. We saw her do things with that hand that we have never seen her do before. At home we would typically not push her beyond her limits when she said her hand hurt while doing certain things. The therapist pushed her and had her stretch her arm and turn her entire hand palm side up even when she resisted. Eye opener. Kids play on their parents sympathy. We decided that it hurt and she couldn’t do it and we were not going to push her but actually she can do it and we have to consistently make her exercise that hand/arm so that she can eventually do things that we thought she would not be able to. The doctor gave us a prescription/recommendation to start occupational therapy now prior to surgery to get strengthening in her arms/hands. They were pretty confident that she is stronger than we thought. We have noticed that since talking to them she is opening and closing her left hand more and stretching which she never did before. She would always keep her left fist balled up and we would have to remind her to open her hand during the day. She just needed encouragement and praise from another source and I am so glad they encouraged her. She will be opening caps, jars, zipping zippers, and buttoning clothes very soon!!!!!!
Okay soooooo let’s add occupational therapy 2-3 times a week to our schedule
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Cewanda
#BeKendallStrong
#KendallsWholeHeart
#TeamKendallT