A couple of weeks

Probably the most important thing that's happened in the last few weeks, is that Josh has been given the all clear from his Ear Nose and Throat Specialist, and also had a SPECT scan, before he goes to Melbourne at the end of this week with his dad, for Hyperbaric Treatment (HBOT).

Josh will be attending Hypermed NeuroRecovery Australia, which is in Melbourne. You can read more about what this treatment is and what is involved on their informative website here. He'll be there for about 3 weeks, with follow-up sessions every few months.

Josh needed to be seen by the ENT to determine whether his ears would withstand air travel (if that is how they would travel to Melbourne), and also if they'd be able to handle the pressurisation of the Oxygen Chamber. It was determined Josh has a lot of fluid behind his eardrums, and that these things would do no further damage, and grommets would not be required. So, in actual fact, that's a good thing, because that means no further delay in commencing treatment.

A SPECT scan is a lot like an MRI as far as how it is performed, but just shows different images of the brain. A cannula was put in to Joeys hand, and we were left in a quiet room for a while to relax him, then a kind of dye was injected through, and the lights were switched off and the door was closed. This was to aid in total rest and non-stimulation of Josh's brain. After about 45 minutes, the images of his brain were taken, and they will use those results as a measure for new scans that are done once the first round of HBOT is complete, in about a month.

I am getting a little nervous as the start date draws near, and I'm not even the one going! I am looking forward however to spending time with my 2 other littlies, especially because it will be the school holidays, and my 2 big girls are going away for a week as well.

Josh did brilliantly during swimming last week; I held him under the arms, facing me, lifted out of the water slightly, and I couldn't believe how well he held his head up!

I had borrowed someone else's car for the past few weeks (mine needed a new motor and I've been trying to decide whether to put money into another motor, or just a wheelchair modified car), and the car seat Josh uses in that was different to the one in my car, and his head tended to loll forward. Occasionally though, he somehow managed to put his head back up! :-)

And this is my spunky boy with his latest "do".