Shivraj Rana

Shivraj Rana

Cerebral Palsy Children

The child got hypoglycemic soon after birth and was put on IV 10% dextrose in NICU. Diagnosed as mild CP with MR; hypertonia grade I; adductor tightening and equines feet when made to walk with splint and supportive devices. Parents worked very hard on the child with BOBATH therapy in London. At age of 6 when he started with Vasa Therapy he had very tight pelvis, lumbar lordosis, hip knee flexion contracture, shoulders too tight to raise overhead and had trunk scoliotic and kyphotic.  He was unable to use left hand and did not respond to verbal commands consistently.

Shivraj Rana before Vasa Concept

As a result of the various therapies that Shivraj underwent, his body had become more spastic with growing age. He was very frightened to do any given task. Though he went to school, his learning ability and thought process were quite below his age level. Because of the balancing exercises that he was made to do he had developed flexion contracture at the elbows and also an outward pelvis looking exactly like a duck. After joining Dr. Rajul Vasa, we could see number of changes in Shivraj.

Following is an account of observation made by Shivraj’s parents over the years while being treated with VASA CONCEPT

Videos

Before - After Video

Videos - After Vasa Concept (playlist)

Photos

Before Vasa Concept

With Vasa Concept

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Progress Timeline

2009 Aug - Dec

Visible Progress

  • We totally stopped making him stand.
  • He did good standing in sand for 2 hrs and also some days he did sit-stand till 100 counts in one go.
  • He started to take weight on his hands and managed to do sometimes 5 pushups.
  • His ability to balance himself and maintain in one position improved.
  • I always tell him to be up on his knees for good balance when he is watching TV and nowadays he has became cheeky. When I am not around he will sit down and soon when he’ll hear me coming he will quickly stand up on his knees. Shivraj didn’t had this thinking I was bit shocked at first to notice but everybody in the house has noticed it. I am happy for this, atleast his brain is doing some thinking.
  • His communication skills and thinking skills have improved. For eg: When he is playing in the Playroom (with Kitchen set), he will nicely play with his sister and will ask her what to do next, what to cook, is it hot and sometimes will take turns.

His ability to balance himself and maintain in one position improved.

Shivraj - fine finger movements
2010 Jan - Jun

Visible Progress

  • I gave him 10 spellings and asked him to read them and then write it down without looking. (Recalling). I just wanted to see if he can remember and to my surprise he was able to remember 6 words out of 10 and was able to write them down without any mistake.
  • Shivraj is able to do good knee walking now as compared to few days back.
  • He has gained good confidence in reaching on ball exercise.
  • Shivraj’s counting skills have improved and he is able to write the numbers on instruction up to 500.
  • His addition skill has also improved. He is able to add numbers up to 10.
  • In writing skill little improvement is there.  He is trying to stay on the line and write.

Shivraj attempting camel - cobra
2010 Jul - Dec

Visible Progress

  • Shivraj has in total reduced  7Kgs so far.
  • His skin looks fair than before
  • His legs muscles have definitely relaxed and also there is good flexibility in his body.
  • His pencil holding grip is better now. He used to find it difficult to make humps and zig-zig. His zig-zig use to look like humps but now he can do both very well and can nicely write “V” now.
  • His scissor using skills are getting better.
  • He finds easier to eat with hands rice and daal and he will make pieces of roti and try to take vegetable and eat himself.
  • He is able to move beads on string with first finger and thumb from one end to the other; still finds bit hard to do the same with left hand.

His pencil holding grip is better now. He used to find it difficult to make humps and zig-zig. His zig-zig use to look like humps but now he can do both very well and can nicely write “V” now.

Shivraj - performing Buddha posture on Ball
2011 Jan - Jun

Visible Progress

  • After a long battle with the school and the Educational Governing body we managed to get admission for Shivraj in the same school.  Shivraj was very happy to be back into the school. We provided Shivraj with the powered wheelchair so that he doesn’t use the walking frame. Everybody noticed a good change in Shivraj. The teacher and his caretaker found his concentration and listening level had increased including his writing skills. They also found him more flexible in terms of reaching for the pencils on the table.  Shivraj would everyday come back from school and tell everybody what he did at school; this he had never done before. We as a parent were pleased to see this improvement. He would open his bag every day and would show us his reading book or any letter he got from school.  He got better day-by-day in his exercise too.
  • His social interaction with his sister also got better. They both would play nicely together most of the time picnic game. They enjoy sharing the music they like together and dance to the song too.
  • Shivraj also did start to dress up by himself for eg: putting t-shirt and track bottoms on. He brushes his teeth and goes to toilet himself.
  • Shivraj and Nikita (his sister) will play together and he enjoys playing hide and seek together.
  • His counting ability has improved too, mostly addition.
  • He likes listening songs and after he has listened couple of times he knows the rhythm/ lyrics and likes to sing as well.

He likes listening songs and after he has listened couple of times he knows the rhythm/ lyrics and likes to sing as well.

Shivraj - balancing on one knee
2011 Jul - Dec

Visible Progress

  • He is able to remember more and will tell me what he did or what happened at school in detail. He didn’t do this when he used to go to school a year before. He actually remembers what he did in morning and afternoon i.e.  after lunch break.
  • Also while doing his exercise he doesn’t complain about pain as he used to do before when we started the exercises.
  • Shivraj’s speech has improved a lot than before.
  • He is enjoying his school and is progressing in his studies too. He does seem relaxed than before.  He looks forward to go to school every day.
  • We were very pleased when he himself came out of the sand bag one day. He with the support of the table pulled both his legs out of the sand.
  • He knows all TV channel’s numbers and starts the TV by himself and changes the channels too.
  • He is interested in gardening and will join me in digging and planting with some help.
  • We can see all the natural feelings coming in him now like getting angry, showing tantrums and happiness which a normal child does. Sometimes he gets angry with me and says ‘mummy I am not talking with you because I am sad’, on asking why you are sad he will say ‘ I don’t want to do exercise as I am tired’.  He goes to school for five and half hours daily and still he is ready to
  • He does all his exercises after coming home and also some days does them in the morning itself before going to school. He wants to walk and will also ask us why I am not walking? Or when will I start walking?

He does all his exercises after coming home and also some days does them in the morning itself before going to school. He wants to walk and will also ask us why I am not walking? Or when will I start walking?

Shivraj standing up to switch on the lights
2012 Jan - Jun

Visible Progress

  • He very well does pushups, rolling over, crawling up and down the stairs, one leg on bed and one on floor and bending back to reach for toys.
  • He will himself count the date for next few days for eg: today Wednesday it’s 23rd,  then tomorrow Thursday 24th and so on.
  • He recently had been to school trip without me (first time in his school life), which shows that he has grown his confidence and have enjoyed his trip very well.
  • We do knee walking race (kind of game for him) which he enjoys and will try hard to win.
  • Also we play a small game of rhythm like clap + tap + twirl which he does it very well and he can keep up his rhythm with his sister.
  • Shivraj seems to be more alert and has got more awareness now.
  • Shivraj is able to remember his daily activity at school and will tell what he did. He also remembers what is going to happen at school next day for eg; “if it is the library on Wednesday and Art club on Tuesday”.
  • Also his grip to hold the shirt buttons has improved in his right hand compared to left hand.
  • His levels in education have also improved. He is getting better in comprehension also (question & answers).
  • He is flexible in all his exercise.
  • He can play games on a small handheld (Nintendo 3DS), in which he has to hold it with both hands and use fingers (both hands).
  • Shivraj’s interaction skills have improved.  For eg: when he is interacting with Nikita (sister) he will definitely come up with some new questions. He will ask her at the end of the school day ‘What did you do at school today?  In fact he will also ask me ‘what I did at home?’. He likes to be kept informed. If we are on road he likes to know ‘what road we are on name/no. of the road?’
  • Emotionally he shows his frustration over the exercises and also gets very upset that he is not able to walk. In fact he asks me everyday ‘when will I start walking?’ Also during the exercise he will ask ‘Is my pelvis still tight and why is it tight, I am doing the exercise every day?’.
  • Whenever I will write an email to madam, he likes to find out what madam said?
  • He will also help me make grocery shopping list and prefers to keep it, so that he can tell me what to buy.
  • Sometimes he speaks very clearly, but I have noticed that when he wants to sing a song (a line) he is not able to maintain the clarity.
  • Education wise his reading is improving. He has started to read a book which has more than 10 small lines. But sometimes needs reminder not to skip the line. He knows 2, 3, 5, and 10 multiplication tables and got better in single digit addition but still struggles with subtraction.

Shivraj’s interaction skills have improved. For eg: when he is interacting with Nikita (sister) he will definitely come up with some new questions. He will ask her at the end of the school day ‘What did you do at school today? In fact he will also ask me ‘what I did at home?’. He likes to be kept informed. If we are on road he likes to know ‘what road we are on name/no. of the road?’

Shivraj - wearing clothes
2013 Sep '12 to Apr '13

Visible Progress

  • Shivraj is doing good standing up (catching and throwing ball). He is able to stand continuously for 5 minutes at a time and do the ball activity, he will sit for a second or so and then he will stand up and continue.  We are doing this exercise for at least 30 minutes every day.
  • He is also doing good sit to stand and cycling indoors (weekdays) and outdoors (weekend).
  • He is also doing the dog-cobra, cobra, cobra with legs bent, camel with one leg kicking in air with powder and alternate legs in flexion and extension; his movements have become very swift now.  His body is becoming more flexible and loose with this.  The stiffness at pelvis is reducing.
  • Wrist extension on ball: doing very well with his right hand compared to left hand which is really stiff.
  • Now he comes on knees and catches ball thrown at him very well at the same time maintaining the posture.
  • Now he can do skating holding the rod overhead on his own, we just need to give him verbal commands and he follows them well.
  • His balancing in standing posture has improved. He is able to stand for at least 5 minutes continuously while doing the half an hour standing activity.
  • In monkey on rod exercise he is getting up by himself and trying to touch his knees.
  • He has started going school and everybody commented on Shivraj saying that he looks fresh, happy and very vocal.
  • All family members are very pleased with constant ongoing improvement in Shivraj’s speech and communication.
  • When we came back to London, Shivraj was telling all about his India trip to his father and grandfather.  He even told them about the conversation he had with Dr. Vasa regarding to his walking.  They are very impressed with his standing up and catching-throwing ball. Shivraj for first time in month of April 2013 did cycling without me putting bandages (crepe bandage) on his feet. He only needed little help with his right foot to keep it on pedal. He did cycling indoors for half an hour as it was raining outside.
  • Regarding his studies, he has gone up by one level in both Literacy and Numeracy. On the GLOBE he is able to show where India, UK and South Africa is. He will go on the search engine (ipad) and will type what he wants to look into for e.g: if he wants to listen to any song he will log on to YouTube and type in the song to listen.
  • For first time in these many years he enjoys watching movies (kids movies) in cinema and will ask us to take him or will plan a weekend by himself. He remembers (date) when the movie is releasing and will not let anybody else forget it too. His understanding and sense of humor has also improved. He will laugh at appropriate scenes while watching movie or kids programs.
  • Recently he has shown interest in different TV programs related to ‘Cars’ and ‘Train journey’. For that reason we also took him to ‘London Transport Museum’ to gain more knowledge on old cars. He enjoyed and was asking questions like ‘How old is this car?’. Some cars were from movies so he enjoyed the museum trip for first time.
  • He enjoys watching cookery shows which is his favorite.
  • His gait and balance is improving since he started nearly 2 months back. He will confidently walk down the slope at home. Shivraj seems to be getting more and more flexible in all his exercises.
  • Even at school his Art teacher has noticed a good improvement in his fine motor skills. He enjoys his art club and looks forward to it. He has improved in his cutting skills, sticking and drawing.
  • He enjoys swimming and he has learned quite a lot in swimming like swimming on back while kicking legs, bend-open-together movement where he will actually say while doing it and his coordination has improved too.
  • He enjoys giving company while I am cooking and would like to help too in chopping and mixing.
  • In particular I have observed that previously in standing posture because of the contracture at hips Shivraj used to have a bent posture like Donald duck which has now got corrected.  He can now align himself straight while standing and catching a ball etc.

Shivraj Rana History

Shivraj was born on 04/03/2003 at 38+ weeks by an emergency caesarean section because his heart rates were decelerating. Couple of times during my pregnancy I was sent to Emergency due to high blood pressure. On the day of Shivraj’s birth, I was sent to the hospital due to very high blood pressure and presence of protein in the urine (obviously unaware of everything at that time). I was kept on observation the whole day and the decision was taken close to midnight that Shivraj should be delivered via C-section. My pregnancy was considered as a case of Pre Eclampsia. After birth Shivraj kept on crying. As I was under medication from the C-section I was unable to move at the beginning, but as there was no assistance from any nurse during the night I managed myself to get Shivraj out of the crib and made him sleep next to me; he still continued to cry. I tried calling the nurse several times but nobody came. That whole night Shivraj starved and the next morning he turned bluish–purple in color when he cried to the point where my husband had to call for assistance of a doctor passing by to observe Shivraj as he looked unwell. The Doctor took urgent attention and took out the phlegm from his mouth and also checked his sugar which was diagnosed as very low. Then he was urgently taken away to the Special Unit where he was kept on drip and glucose. He had one epileptic attack that night (7 mins long) and 2nd attack followed early morning (4-5 mins long). The doctor still was unable to explain the cause of the epileptic attack as his sugar level was in control in the NICU. He was then also given sodium, which too had become low. The Doctors assumption regarding the seizures was “Low Sodium.” Shivraj stayed at NICU for 10 days before he was discharged.

We were initially told by the doctors that everything is fine and normal. He was a very cranky baby; he would hardly sleep at night or during day. He had had reflux problem as well for which he was kept on medication for some time. He would vomit a lot as well.

VISIT TO INDIA:

I visited India when Shivraj was 8 months old and we consulted few doctors for an honest second opinion to the NHS. At this point when we were confronted with the truth as one doctor point blank told us NOTHING could be

done with your son even though you may pray to god or you go and see as many doctors, he is going to remain like this “HANDICAPED”. Needless to say it was a big shock to us; doctor fromKashiba Children Hospital. He saw Shivraj and told us to start the physiotherapy because he had the condition called CP. We actually didn’t know at this point what CP meant and what the condition was to which we then investigated.

Shivraj at this age used to just lie on his back with eyes rolled over much of the time or would just stare at the ceiling. Feeding him was still the hardest task ever. He used to vomit a lot nearly after each and every feed.

Meanwhile my husband contacted Shivraj’s pediatrician and asked them why they were unable to identify his condition. We had an appointment in place after I came back from India. When we saw the Doctor he said we don’t tell the parents truth at this stage because some parents cannot handle the truth and will give away their kids for fostering.

Shivraj had his MRI Scan and the report showed some damage in his brain; something called “Periventricular Leucomalacia”. It was heart breaking however life has to go on. We persevered and followed the exercises shown in India and Shivraj showed some improvement. He would sit with some support however each step was mountain to climb.

 

FURTHER VISITS TO INDIA:

I decided to go back to India and continue with the exercises being taught to me. On my second visit to India I had planned to stay longer and to get more experience in regards to the physio. I had to do lot of hard work on Shivraj. We had daily a physiotherapist coming to my home in India who did exercises along with me on Shivraj which benefitted in myself learning many of the Physio exercises which I could perform independently on my return to the UK, hence in addition to the therapist we also did those exercise ourselves with him daily. To the best of my efforts, Shivraj started to sit up; I think he was over 1 ½ -yr- old then. We did all the exercises with great commitment and effort and he started to bunny hop just when he was 2 yrs or over 2 yrs old. He also showed good improvement in his diet. I also took him for speech therapy and occupational therapy at the children’s hospital. Shivraj started to babble and also we found out that he would turn his head and would try to look for me. He would look around whenever we took him out. During this time I was constantly back and forth between countries to do best for my son and increase the therapy we could offer him. Before returning back to the UK, one day I saw the board of Krishna Centre, it had

everything- Physio, OT and Speech. It was lingering in my mind, however due to time constraints I didn’t have enough time to visit and evaluate the services the centre provided.

Thereafter I came back to UK and carried out the exercises at home by myself. Shivraj showed very little improvement but still we took it positively.

It’s then we met our family friends and they recommended Doctor Vasa for Shivraj. I phoned Doctor Vasa’s assistant Trupti madam and tried to book an appointment. It wasn’t as easy as I thought to just phone and book an appointment. I had to face tough questions from Trupti madam during my call as she suggested that we will have to stop all the other therapies because it will clash with Dr. Vasa’s therapy and that parents should be 100% committed towards the therapy. Once we confirmed eventually I was lucky enough to get an appointment and see Dr. Vasa. I had to send Shivraj’s history and all the current exercises in a DVD which I was doing with him. To be honest this was the first time somebody had asked anything like that from us before an appointment which we thought was fundamental to assisting this condition.

FIRST APPOINTMENT WITH Dr. RAJUL VASA ON AUG 2009:

When I went to the centre and spoke to the parent’s children who were undergoing Dr. Vasa’s treatment, I got the feeling of being in right hands (first time ever). I have seen many Doctors in UK but never met a doctor who had looked into Shivraj’s case before hand and discussed anything on how to resolve things. Every doctor will always ask us what happened and what’s wrong with him. We found Doctor Vasa to be very committed to each and every child and in return she expects 100% deliverance from the parents to follow the therapy and diet. Obviously doctor Vasa found all the exercises I was doing with Shivraj to be wrong. I straightaway stopped everything and started from scratch. It was a big setback for us because after doing exercise for 6yrs finally Shivraj had started to walk and now they were telling him not to walk and stand up. After starting Dr. Vasa’s therapy, we saw a big difference in Shivraj. For instance, he lost quite a lot of weight after his pelvis got half loosened in July 2010. Also we stopped making him wear splints and he stopped using the walking frame. For not making him wear splints and not using walking frame I faced problems with school and the Physiotherapy Department. Eventually everything got sorted after the Physiotherapy Department made me sign a letter stating “that I am totally responsible for not making him wear the splints.” Also the school was not still happy considering the health and safety reasons of the staff dealing with Shivraj on daily basis because we asked them to stop using the walking frame for Shivraj. So after consulting with Dr. Vasa we bought a powered wheelchair for Shivraj, so that he does not have to use the walking frame at school, which he is using even now. Soon after that as per Dr. Vasa’s advice we took Shivraj out of the school anddid home schooling for 1 yr. It worked really well for Shivraj. I got more time to do exercise with him and also we provided him good education at home. He became more alert and his concentration span also improved a lot. He learned a lot in this 1 yr than he would have in school. He is able to read small books. He knows one digit addition and subtraction. He also knows 2, 3 and 5 multiplication tables. In terms of the exercise he got really flexible all over. We found his legs muscles are more flexible now than when he was wearing the splints. Also there is a bigimprovement in his sitting posture. His trunk has started to be straighter and stronger than ever before. His pelvis got more relaxed but not completely relaxed yet. We are currently working on it. His fine motor skills have also improved. His finger grip has improved. He will eat by himself with fingers. Also he has started to dress himself. He will brush his teeth himself with very little help from me. He is also able to take bath after I have put soap on him with little help to put water on his back. He will go toilet himself for wee and is also able to sit on the toilet by himself now. Shivraj has now started going to school again since September 2011. Everybody at school was very happy with his progress. They found that he is very happy in himself and also his concentration skills have improved along with his education level. We are all very pleased with his progress and all the credit goes to Doctor Vasa.

She is Godsend to us. We would not have achieved all this without her help and advice. We are very thankful for her valuable time and advice.

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Medical Records

2003

2004

Other

Scrap Book