Conor Recovery ... For Dad ... Means Walking On The Trail Again

We have been very happy with the excellent care Conor received after his adverse drug reaction. Everyone involved, from our family doctor who saw us very quickly after our concerns arose, immediately advised cutting back on Conor's meds and was at the ICU and pediatric wards as part of his treatment team to the doctors, nurses, technicians, physiotherapists and all staff at the emergency, ICU and pediatric ward teams. All were terrific in ensuring Conor's recovery. Everybody was top notch and we are grateful for their service to our son. 

Each day of progress brought fresh signs and while some work remains overall his progress has been great. This afternoon he and I walked the trail to the Superstore for an OJ treat and return home. The Run Jump Fly boy has not returned ... yet ... but Conor kept a brisk walking pace and Dad was very hard pressed to keep up ... another great sign of Conor's recovery progress.

In the top picture below the white building with yellow trim in the center of the photo is the hospital, the DECH, where Conor was treated a few weeks ago. 

 A long time ago in a universe far, far away.

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Conor Goes For A Swim (and a Dive and a Slide) and Shows Terrific Progress In His Rhabdomyolysis Recovery

Conor home after a great swim adventure;

making terrific progress on his recovery

Conor's autism and profound developmental delay were supplemented by two grand mal seizures between November 2012 and April 2013.  The second seizure occurred two days after he began treatment with the anti seizure medication Lamotrogine.  During the second week of treatment when his dosage was increased from 1 to 2 25 mg tablets a day he began to sleep and medical advice was sought.  The specialists were not available quickly but our family doctor saw us early the next day and advised us to cut back on the dosage which we did.  Later that day though Conor still developed a rash and temperature and went to the emergency ward of the local hospital, the DECH.  He spent 6 days in the Intensive Care Unit and two weeks altogether in the hospital.  Conor's adverse reaction to his medication was diagnosed as Rhabdomyolysis a condition in which the muscles break down and release substances which pose great risk to the kidneys.  But Conor received excellent medical attention and was released to come home where he has continued to make made great progress.

We would like to take some credit for Conor's great recovery but the truth is he has led with his own initiative. Conor was jumping up off the couch even before he had his balance and we had to keep a close watch on him. This week Conor returned to school for part days.  His mobility and balance improved dramatically each day and this morning he went swimming at school for the first time since his hospital stay.  The plan was for Conor to go to the pool and sit in the hot tub.  Conor had none of that.  His aide informs us that instead  Conor walked down the accessibility ramp into the shallow end of the pool. He subsequently went to the  diving board where he jumped into the deep end and swam like a fish.  Conor also made for the giant slide where he climbed to the top and slid down.   

I couldn't have asked for a better present then to learn about Conor's swim adventure today.  6 days in the ICU with 5-6 tubes at a time sticking out of my buddy Conor seem  like a bad dream today.  Our Run Jump Fly Boy was flying today and we are happy, very happy.

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Conor's Physiotherapy With CBC's Terry Seguin

Conor is still recovering from Rhabdomyolysis, an adverse reaction to anti-seizure medication, Lamotrogine and needs phsyiotherapy to rebuild his damaged muscles, balance and co-ordination.  Just being home is a huge help for Conor, back home with Mom, Dad, his brother and his familiar routines.  One of those routines has been to get out of bed every morning at 6 am.  If he is awake at 5:30 he stays in bed until 6. That is his routine and Conor has a classic autism need for routine.  When he gets up each morning his routine has also included turning on the television and watching  "CBC Terry Seguin".   

Conor has been sleeping on a living room couch since his return so I could be nearby on our other couch to keep an eye on him in case he was in distress. This morning I was in the adjacent kitchen when I heard some loud walking noises in the living room and went in to find that Conor had walked from the living room to the television to turn on CBC Terry Seguin.  Conor has been very wobbly on his feet and he has a long way to go towards recovery so I was startled to see him at our big screen TV.  I was happy though that he had done so without falling and hurting himself. It was a sure sign of progress in his recovery.  His CBC Terry Seguin television walk demonstrated improvement physically and showed that Conor will not stay down, he will keep walking until he is fully recovered.  Two thumbs up for Conor ... and for Terry Seguin!

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Conor Is Home From the Hospital!

Above Conor, and Mom, in the bottom pic,  on the way home.

Conor's Mom stayed at the hospital with him 24/7,  for 2 weeks

Dad spelled her off at times and the nursing students also sat

with Conor and gave Mom some breaks once he was moved

from the Intensive Care Unit to a room in Pediatrics.

In the grainy pic below (taken in dark lighting) Conor rests

at home on one of our living room cozy couches.

Conor is home! After 2 weeks in the hospital, including 6 days in intensive care, it feels great to have our buddy home with us. Yesterday I told Conor I would be back at 8 am this morning to take him home.  I arrived at 7:55 am and Conor Was waiting in the door way of his room ready to go home.

We really didn't know for the first few days if he would survive.  His negative reaction to the anti-seizure medication Lamotrogine resulted in a condition called Rhabdomyolysis which is as bad as it sounds.  Essentially, as I understand it the muscles break down and can cause renal (kidney) failure.

Conor is home now, safe and healthy. We all have lots of work ahead doing phsyio  with Conor as he recovers strength and coordination. Conor has shown substantial improvement each of the last several days and we are very optimistic that our Run, Jump, Fly boy will be back before too long. 

There are many, many people to thank for Conor's well being today. There are literally so many: all the hospital medical, nursing and support staff, our family doctor, people who know and work with Conor at school who visited with him in the hospital,  family friends and Conor's brother Brandon who was a big help at home and at the hospital on visits. 

We are happy, very, very happy to have our buddy home with us. Today is a great day in the Doherty home.

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