Update: EEGs, Therapy and Sign Language

Photo by Alison Power

It's hard to believe that two months have passed since we last checked in with Charlie Greenman.  Charlie's life has changed quite a bit since his most recent MRI report on January 28th. The biggest change is his therapy schedule.  In two short months Charlie has shifted from two weekly physical therapy appointments to five weekly appointments that include occupational therapy, speech therapy and time with a private service coordinator who is helping the Greenman Family navigate everything from adaptive equipment options to health care applications.

After the MRI in January, Charlie's neurologist ordered an EEG looking for seizure activity.  In November of 2011, Charlie began presenting small physical ticks and autonomic twitches.  His doctors wanted to see if the physical ticks were related to possible seizure activity.  It was a difficult day and Charlie was very unhappy during the EEG.  However, his doctors were able to say conclusively that Charlie is not currently having seizures.  Unfortunately, Charlie presented signs during the EEG (little spikes that we don't pretend to understand), that indicate he is at high risk for future seizures or seizure disorders.   Here are some photos of Charlie being prepped for the EEG.

Charlie's last EEG was in the NICU.  Here he is below - 3 days old.

Charlie continues to grow in leaps and bounds unaffected by his inability to chew or swallow textured foods.  He is still eating most foods in a pureed form and is recently tolerating some soft fruits and soft scrambled eggs. Now that Charlie is growing out of his baby chairs, the Greenman Family is starting to introduce some adaptive equipment into their home.  The goal is to help Charlie find some new positions in which to play, eat, bathe and interact with his world.  He is still not sitting up on his own, so he'll need lots of help supporting his weight in the months to come as he continues to strengthen his muscles and improve his balance. 

Charlie is pictured below with his occupational therapist at Our Children's House.

Thank you to everyone who has signed up for the upcoming Kenna's Kids Golf Tournament in support of Charlie.  Kenna's Kids has chosen Charlie to be one of their three 2012 beneficiaries and your support is vital to making this year's golf tournament a success!  To learn more about getting involved, please click HERE.

Charlie pictured with the other Kenna's Kids beneficiaries, Makenna and Grayson.

We'll finish this update with some very exciting news:  Charlie has just begun successfully using hand signs to communicate with his family.  His first "word"?  MORE!  Charlie uses this sign whenever he wants to do more, have more or hear more.  He signs for more food, more singing, more playing and more time on the swings.  Now that he has mastered one clear sign, his therapists and family are implementing even more sign language.  As you can imagine, this is thrilling for Charlie and the Greenman Family.  "More" to come!

Thank you for your continued support of Charlie and his family.

Your good thoughts, prayers and contributions make all the difference!