Colon Hydro-Therapy

In my recent revisit summary, I mentioned that in April Kevin had his first session of Colon Hydro-Therapy or also called a colonic or colon-cleanse (not a colonoscopy). 

Colon Hydro-Therapy is a safe and gentle process to cleanse the colon or large intestine with warm purified water of accumulated waste materials and toxins without the use of laxatives or drugs.  As you know, Kevin has struggled with elimination and digestion for many years so it is likely there is a buildup of waste creating more toxins in his body.  Our constant goal is to get better and more regular elimination and improved digestion from Kevin.  It was explained to us that the large intestine or colon works like a muscle and by stimulating with Hydro-Therapy it will re-train and improve the bowel function.  This is exactly what we need for Kevin.

In April we took Kevin to Columbus (a two hour drive) for his first colonic.  It had been difficult finding someone to do a child for this procedure and another family had recommended this place in Columbus.  I was pretty anxious about it because I was not sure what to expect.  I brought a bag full of extra supplies trying to prepare for the unexpected and a two hour drive home afterwards.  Stress never helps any situation.  It took Kevin 10 minutes to finally eliminate the water that was introduced into his system, and we were only having a 30 minute session.  We had to use a vibrating massager on his belly to help him release.  He eliminated a lot of waste and in the end we were pleased with the results. 

After our revisit with FHC, they recommended that we continue to have more sessions but try to find a provider closer to us to avoid the two hour drive.  I found a person in Medina (only a 45 minute drive) who has advanced certification and we feel much more comfortable with, we even like the colonic table system much better.  Kevin receives a 45 minute session and she stays in the room the whole time and massages Kevin’s belly to help him release.  Kevin is quite comfortable during the procedure and watches a show on his DVD player to keep him entertained.  Kevin had a very good session and it was recommended that we have a total of 6 sessions, initially.  Kevin had sessions 2 consecutive days the first week and another 2 consecutive days the following week, and one session each the two weeks following.  When we were driving home after the first session, Kevin was very verbal!  I had not noticed that his verbal sounds had decreased somewhat since our revisit, but the colon cleanse seemed to help improve this again for him.  It is expected that after a colonic session, it may take 3 days to eliminate (which did happen after the session in Columbus, so no worries on the drive home), but Kevin has been having daily bowel movements since starting the Colon Hydro-Therapy with no help from any kind of stimulate we have had to use in the past.  We will likely have to continue on a maintenance program to keep things going but hopefully we will be able to decrease our sessions to once a month or less at some point.

We are very pleased with the results we are seeing from the Colon Hydro-Therapy and would highly recommend it to anyone who has similar issues.  We hope this will continue to help improve Kevin’s elimination and digestion.  If you have an interest in finding out more about Colon Hydro-Therapy or would like to find a provider near you go to www.i-act.org

Trouble-Maker or Problem-Solver

In the few weeks that we have been home since our revisit, Kevin has found some clever new ways to entertain himself, that have been driving us crazy!  It seems as if another shift is happening in Kevin by the examples we have recently witnessed that I guess could be a good sign.  As you know, his favorites are ceiling fans, running water, and lights.  Despite our best efforts, Kevin is continually trying to find ways to get to these items.  In fact, when we are walking in the neighborhood, Kevin can easily spot a ceiling fan that is turned on in a house as we walk by on the sidewalk.  When we are visiting a house or store for the first time Kevin traipses all over until he finds a ceiling fan and the switch to control that ceiling fan.  If we return to that house or store, you can be sure he will remember where the ceiling fan is located.  Here at home, we have door knob guards on many of our doors, one being the bathroom door, but just this week he discovered that he can easily remove the child proof guards from the door knob so that he can open and shut the bathroom door to play with the water at the sink.  We recently got a new kitchen faucet and until now Kevin had not paid much attention to it, but he quickly figured out how the new faucet turns on and off and he is now tall enough to reach the light and fan on the microwave oven above the stove – I didn’t even know that he knew that was there, because we never use it.  So now he loves to go back and forth between the kitchen faucet and microwave turning buttons on and off.  Then the other night, after we put him to bed, we heard him moving around in his room quite a bit.  Jon went up to check on him to find that Kevin had pushed his big blue recliner chair to the middle of his bedroom so that he could stand up on it to reach his ceiling fan.  Jon had to tuck the ceiling fan chains up inside the light fixture so that he won’t be able to reach them…for now.   And did you hear about the evening we were out doing errands?  We had to drive by the mall (where the video was taken of him walking to see the ceiling fan at the cookie store).  He began whining because he saw the mall and wanted to go to the mall, but we stopped at a store that was across from the mall.  When Jon got Kevin out of the car, Kevin began darting across the parking lot with the full intention of getting to the mall.  Jon quickly caught up with him and Kevin was not too happy about going into our store so we quickly finished our business and the rest of our errands were cut short.

But then at the end of the day, as we snuggle on the couch and watch a show before bed, Kevin typically puts his good right arm around my neck to snuggle and give me hugs, but this week he began using BOTH arms and holding BOTH hands together as he gives me HUGS!!!  What trouble-maker?…I don’t remember any trouble.  Kevin is the best boy in the world!

Remembering Glenn Doman

This lovely write up on Glenn Doman was posted by the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential at www.iahp.org

Glenn Doman often said that mothers are the best teachers the world has ever seen, and the parents that he inspired and taught continue to prove that each day. Champion of every child on earth, he never gave up on any child, and his dream of better kids for a better world lives on.

When Glenn founded The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in 1955, he was a young physical therapist who, as an infantryman, had led his men through World War II. He had seen men destroyed on the battlefield and set about to save people. At this point, Glenn had begun to formulate the groundbreaking concept that brain injury is in the brain-not the arm, leg, or foot-and that brain growth and development is dynamic and ever-changing, a concept broadly accepted today as neuroplasticity.

Sitting on his mother's lap, Glenn learned to read before he went to school. His philosophy of learning was shaped by love and nurturing, and he always remembered that mothers were the key to the future.

Glenn said that, aside from his parents, the Boy Scouts were the greatest influence on him as a boy. "Primarily it taught me ethics," he said. He embraced the Boy Scout motto, which in addition to duty to God and country, includes helping other people at all times.

The other great influence on him was the war, and like the Scouts, he explained, it taught him "comradeship, decency, and respect for your fellow man."

When Glenn founded The Institutes, it was with awe and respect for adults who were paralyzed by strokes. "I found that given the opportunity they were courageous people, to be admired."

The same was true of brain-injured children and their families, he learned. Glenn's discoveries about how the brain develops allowed parents to keep their children at home and give them the opportunity to be well.

Glenn loved nothing more than being with children, who flocked to him and his Santa Claus demeanor. The comparison was made with merit, not only for his appearance but also for his warmth, generosity, and joviality.

In his early years, Glenn's mentor was Dr. Temple Fay, who taught him to look beyond the obvious and to question traditional concepts. Dr. Fay admired the brain as a work of art, and Glenn was his best student.

Glenn and his staff traveled the globe to study how children grow and develop. The result was The Institutes Developmental Profile, the first and only document that shows the stages of brain development and provides a functional diagnosis. Once an accurate Profile is made, that Profile provides a road map to create an effective program to treat the brain.

The concept of neurological organization followed, and programs were carefully developed to provide enhanced sensory stimulation and increase motor opportunity in recognition of the orderly way in which the brain grows.

By the early '60s, Glenn had hundreds of two-, three-, and four-year-old hurt kids who were reading and comprehending what they read well beyond their age. This led Glenn to ask, "Why aren't well kids as well as they ought to be?" A new chapter opened as Glenn realized that well kids were not getting the stimulation and opportunity they needed to achieve their full potential.

Glenn believed that parents were the answer to the world's problems and that children could learn absolutely anything that could be taught in an honest, factual, and joyous way.

He believed that mothers and fathers and children belonged together.

Once, many years ago, someone who did not agree with Glenn's ideas about early learning said of him, "All Glenn Doman is doing is driving mothers and babies closer together."

Well, it is not all that Glenn did in his long and highly productive life, but he often said, "Put that on my tombstone, make that my epitaph: He drove mothers and babies closer together, and I will rest well."

Millions of parents around the world have been influenced by the work of this great man. The world is a better place because of his life. His devoted staff will miss him deeply every minute of every day, but, like Glenn, they will never give up. They will continue to fight the good fight to ensure that hurt children have a fighting change to be well and well kids have a fighting change to be better.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Founder's Fund, c/o The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, 8801 Stenton Avenue, Wyndmoor, PA 19038 or donate online here.

If you would like to share your thoughts and fond memories of Glenn with his family and the staff of The Institutes, send an email to rememberglenn@iahp.org

Rest in Peace Glenn Doman

OUR HERO, dedicated his long full life to help bring life to brain-injured kids.  I have tears in my eyes as I remember this dear man, because if it were not for his dedication and devotion to over half a century of brain-injured kids, my son Kevin would not be where he is today (no drugs, no seizures, crawling, creeping, walking, and more).  It was the summer of 2006 that we read Glenn Doman's book "What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child" and our lives changed because we were given hope and a lot of hard work that has been well worth the blood, sweat, and tears.  We spent three years (2006-2009) with the Doman family and staff at IAHP.  I vividly remember Glenn Doman (at 87 years of life) walking into the lecture hall on that first day of our parent course and feeling so blessed and honored to be able to meet my hero.  He is like Santa Claus and Jesus all wrapped up into one amazing person.  He always began his lectures by asking the parents "Are you surviving?" and when we responded yes he would say "Good, that's the name of the game."  And I always try to remember the wisdom he gave us, he said we have to look both ways...how far we have to go AND how far we have come.

"Champion of every child on earth, he never gave up on any child, his dream of better kids for a better world lives on." Upon hearing the news of his death, my Mom said, "I'm sure he has gotten a grand welcome into heaven!" God Bless!

March 2007

"Great" Visit

On our drive home from our revisit in Philadelphia,

we stopped to visit some family in Pittsburgh.

 

Kevin's Great Bubbie & Great Aunt Theresa

 

 Kevin's Great Grandma & Great Aunt Anita

KEVIN’S NEW PROGRAM (SPRING/SUMMER 2013)

Nutrition Program
As I mentioned earlier, Kevin weighs 51 pounds!  This is significant because when we began with FHC 2 years ago, Kevin was 40 pounds and he remained at that weight until our last revisit (November 2012)  he finally increased to 45 pounds.  And now he has gained an additional 6 pounds in 6 months.  This is big, because it must mean that his body is finally absorbing those good nutrients.   He also grew 2 inches in height as well.  We have continued to see some improvement in his digestion this last six months and when we look where he was 3 years ago there is progress but we still need more progress.  Kevin had is first colon cleanse last month.  Colon Hydrotherapy is a safe and gentle process to cleanse the colon of waste materials with water.  We will continue to have more sessions to help get closer to regular elimination and improved digestion.  

Physiological Program

Regarding Kevin gulping/swallowing air, we believe that this is likely caused by being tired, bored, or stressed.  And we also feel that some of Kevin’s Breathing Programs may cause him stress in some way and contribute to the gulping problem.  So for the time being we will continue to suspend the Reflex Bags.  For the Carbogen Therapy Program, we will switch from the breathing mask to a nasal tube to observe if that causes less stress on him.  Kevin will continue to get an increase of oxygen for his brain and body through the Mild Hyperbaric Therapy.  And we will also continue the Coordinated Breathing Program by Audio to encourage good rhythmic breathing. 

Sensory Stimulation Program

Kevin will receive a second session with the Solisten (Tomatis) Headphone Program at some point this summer to further help improve Kevin’s language.  We will continue with the Oral Motor, Olfactory, and Tactile Program to help improve sensations.

Language and Learning and Social Program

We will continue to teach and use sign language in our daily life while encouraging vocal sounds.  We will also continue to develop purposeful play to help generate his own play actions.  We hope this will diminish his pen play and other non-purposeful play actions.  One thought that was discussed was that possibly the new pen play (mouthing & flicking) may be replacing the gulping, not ideal, but a step better than filling his belly with air. 

Physical Program – Basic Brain Organization

We will continue to crawl and creep with our very helpful and motivating volunteers.  This not only helps Kevin physically with his walking but it also helps increase concentration, develop mouth control (swallowing, chewing, tongue control, verbal sounds), and better filtering.

If you have visited the blog recently, I posted a video of Kevin walking in the mall on April 2 with some very good walking.  We feel that our close work with Dr. Joe using the orthotic inserts and wedge adjustments to his left shoe as well as the crawling (with toe digs), muscle stimulation, and walking track have all contributed to his progression in this area, but once again, we still need more progress.  Dr. Joe is now recommending a minor surgery for both of Kevin’s feet called HyProCure for Partial Talotarsal Dislocation.  This is when the ankle bone displaces off of its natural alignment and begins to collapse and cause abnormal motion.  The minor surgery will place a small “pin” (with no drilling or screwing) to act as a stent to internally stabilize his ankles and help correct his feet.  The bad news is that Kevin will have to be off his feet for 3 weeks following surgery.  So we are in the process of discussing the best time to have this performed.  www.hyprocure.com

I think we have also decided to purchase the laser that Kevin received a sample session of last year during our visit (see Blog, April 2012 – Reflex Integration with Lasers).  The Quantum Reflex Integration (QRI) uses a low level laser combined with the reflex integration techniques (that we have been doing by hand).  This will achieve better and faster results, it will also enable us to do all the reflexes instead of concentrating on just a few because of the time it takes to do it by hand.  www.reflexintegration.net

FHC Revisit May 8 & 9, 2013

We have returned from Kevin’s seventh visit with the Family Hope Center in Philadelphia.  Kevin is 8 years old and we have now had 7 visits with IAHP (2006-2009) and 7 visits with FHC (2010-2013).  Kevin made 1 chart change on the Integrative and Developmental Progression Chart in Sensation and Tactility: Locating a favorite toy by feel with each hand (this means his LEFT HAND!) without looking.  He also made 18 qualitative changes on the chart.  Unfortunately, this is still not enough change to increase his neurological growth but we have seen many positive and encouraging changes that confirm we are on the right track.  In fact, our brain experts at FHC have tweaked a couple parts of Kevin’s program but for the most part we are seeing positive progress with this current program so we do not want to change too much at this point.  Here are some examples of the positive changes we have seen in his development this period.

Have you HEARD Kevin lately!?  He is much more verbal.  We get to listen to long lasting stretches of glorious babbling!  We began noticing an improvement in his verbal sounds about the time of our last revisit, and more improvement in March, and even more improvement during and after his time with the Solisten (Tomatis) program that he had in April.  We have had spurts of verbal sounds in the past few years but then Kevin would always lose this ability. This is probably the most sounds we have heard, the longest nonstop verbal babbling we have heard, and the longest period of time we have had sound from him.  I LOVE IT!  In fact, during a Skype appointment with FHC about a month ago, Kevin and I were having a sign language session, and I was trying to get Kevin to do the sign for rain and sun.  Jennifer observed him making sounds and commented that it was a different sound during rain versus sun.  And sometimes Kevin will even answer a question with his version of yes “yay” and no “uh uh”.  It’s very exciting to hear!

We have continued to participate in the library story times and I have recently received lovely compliments from the librarians regarding Kevin.   They have made wonderful comments about how much more engaged, social, and happy Kevin is than when we began in the fall.  I wish you could see him participate and watch the kids in story time, he loves being there.  Kevin seeks out the librarians upon arrival to the children’s room (they even ask him to ring the bell), he shakes their hand before he leaves and signs thank you.  He also does this after church with the priest.  I also love that people that see Kevin in the community are noticing some of the positive changes we are working so hard on with him, better walking, and less gulping/swallowing air.  And it has been my proud pleasure to announce to the neighbors as they try to hide their dogs from Kevin (because Kevin has always been so afraid of their dogs), that Kevin is no longer afraid, and if it is alright with them, Kevin gives many dogs in the neighborhood a treat.  A puppy, even jumped up on Kevin and I think Kevin laughed!  What a difference!

Another change is Kevin weighs 51 pounds!  This is significant because our first two years with FHC, Kevin was 40 pounds and he remained at that weight until our last revisit (November 2012) he finally increased to 45 pounds.  And now he has gained an additional 6 pounds in 6 months.  This is big, because it must mean that his body is finally absorbing all those good nutrients.   

Don’t forget to check out the blog.  If you would like to read more about our visit that includes Kevin’s New Program for Spring/Summer 2013 where I describe some of our new programs including some additional developmental highlights from other parts of his program.  A few other parts of the program I discuss further are: taking Kevin for additional sessions of Colon Hydrotherapy; our theory behind the gulping air; a minor foot surgery called HyProCure; and laser reflex integration.  My favorite blog story over the last six months is “I WANT SUNBUTTER” (April 2013) and be sure to check out pictures of Kevin to SEE how happy he is and videos featured to HEAR how happy he is and a small sample of his verbal sounds.  And don’t forget to watch the “Walking Better on April 2, 2013” video.  Search the Blog Archive listed on the side panel to find past posts or scroll down to the bottom of the blog and click on Older Posts to find all the recent additions to the blog.  www.hudakfamily.blogspot.com

Fabulous dinner with friends

Dinner with our friends from Idaho.  We both had the same revisit (finally!) in Philadelphia at the Family Hope Center.  We met and became friends at IAHP and had not seen each other for four years.  It was a fabulous dinner at Maggiano's and Kevin and Josh hugged and shook hands many times.  So happy to see them!

 

 

Ezra Jack Keats Story Time at Akron Art Museum

Kevin had so much fun on this outing with one of his favorite friends, Karen.  One of my favorite parts of this outing was when we walked around the museum afterwards and Kevin was really playing around with his verbal sounds.  There was a little bit of an echo and he liked hearing himself get loud and soft making his new sounds.