Ethan is doing Great!

I am so happy to share Ethan's progress since his neurosurgery 10-30-08. He is doing so well. We are thrilled with his progress. He has not had any seizures! We are weaning him off the phenobarb. He has been experiencing some withdrawl symptoms that make him irritable. He is almost completely off the phenobarb now and it has made a huge difference. He has made some remarkable changes in the last 2 months:

1. He has gained the ability to smell and taste. We now believe that he could not taste or smell before surgery. We did not know this, but he never asked for food or candy. I could take a sucker away from him without any protest. When we would tell him to smell something he had no idea what to do. Ever since the surgery he is smelling everything like crazy. He rushes over to smell an orange being peeled, he loves to smell all my lotions and cleaning supplies. When he finds some of my lotion he smells it and says "mama" with a smile. He now has a much greater interest in food. He asks me for candy all the time.

2. He has an increased attention span and seems to be thinking more clearly. He will sit while you read him a book (something he would never do before). He watches TV. He looks out the window in the car and points to things. Last time he rode in the Tahoe he actually asked to watch a movie. He can learn a skill by watching someone demonstrate it. It is truly amazing.

3. He is increasing his vocabulary. He has learned many new words and understands almost everything we say. He has just started putting 2 words together like: "my ball" and "hot mama" (my kids taught him to say that, they think it's hillarious).

4. His temperament is much more calm and sweet. He is more agreeable and obedient. He doesn't try to retaliate when he doesn't get his way. He used to be aggressive and hit or bite. He almost never does that anymore. He shows sympathy for others. That's new too!

5. He has regained some of his visual field. This is the most remarkable thing to us. Before the surgery Ethan never advanced his eyes right of center. He held his head in a position towards the right to maximize his visual field. Now he can definitely see to the right and holds his head straight forward. He doesn't have his full peripheral vision but it is hugely improved.

The only deficit that Ethan has is in the use of his right hand. It is definitely weaker and has less dexterity than before. We are working on getting therapy for his hand. We consider that deficit a small inconvienence when compared with what he has gained. We think this is the start of a great new life for Ethan. I just wanted to share the good news!