Dr. Hao Day 2

#2 here (posted by #1 because we're having technical difficulties).

I flew into Albuquerque this morning and walked into Dr. Hao’s office just as daddy was going in for his second appointment. The advances he made on Monday seemed to have slipped back and it took a little extra work to get him back to where he was yesterday. Eventually, he was able to count from 1-10 and then from 10-1 and say his full birth date. Today he received 7 needles in his head (these seem to hurt a bit), 1 in his ear (we call this the “mood” needle and makes daddy visibly relax the longer it stays in), 1 in the hand, 1 in the crook of the elbow and 1 quickly jabbed under his tongue. Dr. Hao told us that there is a nerve that runs from under the tongue to the brain that will help with speech. So we’re praying for continued improvement in that area. We ALL know that Rick Thayer is a talker. We’d love to see him be able to communicate easily again!

By this evening we decided that his two biggest wins for the day were his swallowing and more mobility in his right knee. First the swallowing, the verdict is still out on this, but mom says daddy would choke several times a day when drinking or eating. Since treatment started we have only heard him choke once (Note from #1: this was during the first day's treatment so arguably doesn't count). We’re waiting a couple more days to verify this improvement. Next, the mobility in his right knee. This evening we practiced marching. He has never been able to do high knees before so we are ecstatic to see this improvement and cannot wait to show Dr. Hao tomorrow!

Here are some of the other “wins” for the day:

• While the needles were inserted in his scalp he said he could "feel" something in his brain. We have no clue what that means, but it sounds promising!

• Dr. Hao said his hand was a little more relaxed. Mom and I agreed with that assessment as we worked with stretching and moving his hand tonight. As an added bonus we get to “beat” on daddy’s arm, shoulder and wrist to help loosen up the muscles. I think mom might like this a little to much - pay backs for all his sassiness.

• When asked if he feels the acupuncture is working he answers with a strong, “yes, sir” (this is one of his favorite phrases whether you are a ma’am or a sir).

• When asked what area he thinks is the most improved, he answers “words”.

• When asked what the second most improved area is he answers “leg”.

• A couple of the 2-4 word phrases we heard today were “I need more coffee” and “Yeah, wears you out” (statement made after mom commented on how exercising his leg can make him tired).

As we were winding down I read daddy all the comments of prayer and encouragement left by YOU on our Facebook feeds. He loved it! He is so encouraged by your prayers and supports! Keep the messages coming - they are being passed along!

Prayerful, excited and expectant for Day 3!