Master Ryan Lloyd

Thursday - 6/13/19:

- Ryan did not have the g-tube removed on Tuesday as we had hoped. The doctor recommended waiting another week due to the risk of complications that could arise if taken out too early. We have another appointment for Monday and are very hopeful they can remove the g-tube then.
- Ryan has an evaluation with a different Occupational Therapist not affiliated with Hoag for an assessment tomorrow. We need to get to work on that right hand / arm and the Hoag program still doesn’t have any openings for him until September. We are on a cancellation list but so far they have had no cancellations. Here’s to hoping that this new OT has more availability for him an can really get him moving.
- Ryan has an MR Angiogram for this Saturday. I’m not sure when we will get the results from this scan but I’m praying that they don’t find any cause for concern.

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. Ryan continues to make improvements and is in incredible spirits. His positive outlook on this whole experience just blows my mind. ❤️

Wednesday - 6/5/19:

Ryan has been home for over a week and things are going so well!

- Ryan had his first follow-up appointment yesterday with Dr. Duma, his neurosurgeon. His case continues to not require surgery, which is excellent due to the location of the stroke. Dr. Duma ordered another test to rule out some other possible issues / causes for the stroke, which is scheduled for two weeks from now. Dr. Duma was kind enough to show Ryan the CTs and explain to Ryan exactly what had happened. It's quite incredible to see the first CT from 4/16 and compare it to the one done on Monday 6/3.
- Ryan has been through all of his PT, OT and Speech assessments. He continues to require all three services but scheduling has been a challenge. The Hoag Outpatient Rehab clinic is very impacted and, while we love the team there, we may need to look elsewhere in order to get in all the recommended therapy hours. I'm calling each morning to see if there has been any cancellations for the day. (Hopefully they don't get sick of me anytime soon )
- Ryan is kicking butt in PT each day. He's pushing himself and astonishes his PT, Alicia, each session. His balance is improving and so is his stamina. We have a ways to go but he's working hard. William accompanied us to PT this morning and was an excellent cheerleader. He even was allowed on one of the pieces of exercise equipment next to Daddy and tried copying him. He was so excited to be able to do what Daddy was doing!
- Speech has been incredibly interesting and helpful as Ryan has some word finding and short term memory issues.
- OT has been the hardest therapy to schedule and we've only seen the therapist for the assessment thus far. Ryan's right hand/arm continues to need therapy but we are seeing improvement each day. He's become quite skilled at using his left hand for everything but needs reminding to try to use his right hand as well.
- Now that Ryan has been cleared to go into an HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy), we've been doing this for 1.5-2 hours each day. We are so lucky to have access to a chamber!
- We've done a few short outings as a family recently and Ryan has done remarkably well. He's pretty darn steady on his feet and refuses to use the walker the hospital ordered for him. We try to get out at least one time per day for something other than therapy, which is good for all of us in a number of ways.
- We are hoping Ryan will be able to have the g-tube removed next week during his follow-up appointment with his gastroenterologist. I’m told this is an outpatient procedure and can be done in the office. Cross your eyes, fingers and toes that this happens next Tuesday!!

Thank you all for continuing to keep Ryan in your thoughts and prayers.

Tuesday - 5/28/19:

Ryan has officially been home since Sunday, May 26th! We are settling back into the routine and have been spending some much needed family time at home.

- Ryan will continue to need PT, OT and Speech to continue work on his recovery. He has evaluations set up for later this week and early next week. I'm super excited to get these therapies set up as soon as possible. In the meantime, we are taking it easy but also encouraging Ryan to move about and use his right hand/arm as much as he can.
- Ryan has follow-up appointments with five different doctors scheduled for the next few weeks. He'll also have another CT to check on the stroke area and to make sure it is improving. He'll have a chest x-ray as well to check on the pneumonia.
- Ryan should have the g-tube removed the second week of June during his follow up appointment with his gastroenterologist.
- Ryan continues to need support at the home and cannot be alone quite yet. He is not able to drive and will complete a driving evaluation when he is cleared to do so by his doctors.
- Ryan still won't be returning to work for some time. He needs to be cleared by each of his doctors before we can even consider this as well. In the meantime, I'm encouraging him to visit the dojo sometime soon as I know it will be soooo good for him to visit everyone.
- Regarding visitors, we'd love to see you!! Please just reach out to me and I'm sure we can set up a time for you all to have some quality time with Ryan. He has a LOT of appointments in the next few weeks (it took me over an hour to set them all up this morning) so we just want to make sure we are home when you come by!

Thank you for your continued support and prayers! The road ahead will be long but there is progress each and every day!