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Showing posts from September, 2013

Appointments and More Appointments

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One of the unfortunate things about cerebral palsy (CP) are the many co-occurring health issues that go along with it. Because of this, those with CP have more doctors, specialists, and other kinds of providers they see on a regular basis. While the CP itself mainly affects the muscles, other areas of the body are affected as well, which results in more medical challenges.  For instance, besides CP, some of other Faith’s health issues include: ·          Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and other digestive issues ·          Scoliosis ·          Bowel and bladder incontinence ·          General anxiety Because of these co-occurring conditions, we have more appointments than the average person. At times, it can all be a bit overwhelming. Faith enjoying a nice fall day On September 23 rd , we ended up in the E...

How Chiropractic Care has Benefited Faith

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One of the main reasons we sought chiropractic care for Faith was to help her with her startle reflex. Most people startle when they hear a loud, sudden noise but for Faith her startle can be debilitating. When she was younger, if she startled often in a short amount of time, she would break down in tears. Her startle made it difficult to do things like being in a school program or going to the movies. It was hard to watch her startling constantly during a church service when someone spoke into a microphone. Her whole body would tense up making it impossible for her muscles to relax. Besides her startle, we were also having a tough time dealing with her emotions and behavior. She would have screaming fits that left me and Rob feeling helpless, not knowing what to do to help her. We thought as she got older, things would get better. But last year during school, her tantrums escalated, and we chalked it up to pure exhaustion. Her pediatrician even agreed she was just too fatigued a...

Our First United Tribes International Powwow

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We did something new as a family this weekend - we went to the United Tribes International Powwow . This year marks 44 years that the United Tribes Technical College here in Bismarck has hosted the huge event.  Seventy tribes are represented at the event with over 1,500 dancers and drummers coming from all over the world to participate. The event draws over 20,000 spectators from Thursday through Sunday and our family was part of the crowd this year. Over 1,500 dancers participate in the Powwow It all started when Faith's class went to the event on a field trip. Unfortunately, it is hard to get a wheelchair to the arena where all the action takes place. That's because there are no sidewalks and someone has to push a chair through the grass which can be hard, especially when it is hot and humid outside with bees swarming everywhere.  Her aide ended up not being able to get Faith to join her classmates at the arena. Faith was pretty upset about this and about her dad takin...