The word on the street is that Dad will be heading home next Wednesday! Hooray! The teams of doctors working on him met yesterday with the physical therapist to give an over all evaluation of his healing and abilities. They all said that they think if he keeps healing and working the way he is now, he should be home on Wednesday. He slept really well last night and is feeling good today.
That leaves Mom and the rest of the family scrambling to get the house ready. Mom's heading home this afternoon to re-arrange the living room so that Dad can set up shop with his bed and wheelchair. The folks from Sanford Contractors are coming Monday to start working on the ramp and sidewalk to the front door. Brent said it would look like "Extreme Home Makeover" in the front yard for a while. Hopefully someone will be there to get some pictures for us!
Physical therapy is going really well. They have attached rubber band-type material to his trapeze bars on his hospital bed that hangs down within his reach so that he can pull himself up and strengthen his arms. He's going to have HUGE arm muscles soon. :)
Mom has taken pictures of Dad's doctors and nurses and is going to upload them and send them to me today. I can't wait to see them because with the improvements he's made, he's going to look even better than when I saw him last. Mom said that the Cox's from our church came by and brought a huge basket full of different snack foods and fruit. Thank you all so much! I think that's all the updates I have. Keep praying!
Friday, July 13, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Getting there...
According to mom, last night was the best night dad's had since he's been at the hospital. He's had a hard time getting good, deep sleep because he either can't get comfortable with his legs or his medicine is off leaving him in pain. Thankfully, it seems as if they've finally figured out the appropriate level of pain medication he needs.
Good news! Mom seems to think Dad will be going home by next weekend! Can you believe that? It blows my mind to think he has come that far already.
One of the biggest concerns we've had is when he goes home, how's going to get around? They've constructed a wheel chair just for him that will keep his legs out in front of him while reclining his back. Another concern is a bathroom. We don't have handicapped accessible bathrooms and certainly a regular toilet isn't going to work considering he has to be reclined and have his legs straight in front of him. So today he got a wheelchair/toilet contraption that meets his needs and will allow him to use the bathroom with ease. It's so funny how we take the smallest things for granted but for some, they are the biggest of concerns. The folks at the occupational therapy department have been working on this problem for a while for dad so we are glad they could come up with something he will be able to use on his own. I am having a hard time imagining what exactly it will look like, but I imagine it just looks like a wheelchair.
I've instructed Mom to take pictures of the ramp construction and of his wheelchair so that we can all have a better idea of what's going on. I'm planning on going home next week to welcome dad home, so I'll take lots of pictures then.
One more thing is that there's a rumor that Dad may be getting a laptop soon. Then maybe he can start his own blog to update everyone on his day to day activities! More to come on this, I'm sure.
Good news! Mom seems to think Dad will be going home by next weekend! Can you believe that? It blows my mind to think he has come that far already.
One of the biggest concerns we've had is when he goes home, how's going to get around? They've constructed a wheel chair just for him that will keep his legs out in front of him while reclining his back. Another concern is a bathroom. We don't have handicapped accessible bathrooms and certainly a regular toilet isn't going to work considering he has to be reclined and have his legs straight in front of him. So today he got a wheelchair/toilet contraption that meets his needs and will allow him to use the bathroom with ease. It's so funny how we take the smallest things for granted but for some, they are the biggest of concerns. The folks at the occupational therapy department have been working on this problem for a while for dad so we are glad they could come up with something he will be able to use on his own. I am having a hard time imagining what exactly it will look like, but I imagine it just looks like a wheelchair.
I've instructed Mom to take pictures of the ramp construction and of his wheelchair so that we can all have a better idea of what's going on. I'm planning on going home next week to welcome dad home, so I'll take lots of pictures then.
One more thing is that there's a rumor that Dad may be getting a laptop soon. Then maybe he can start his own blog to update everyone on his day to day activities! More to come on this, I'm sure.
Sanford & the ramp
Mom got a well deserved break yesterday, she went home for the first time since the accident happened. She met with some of the insurance folks and some of dad's coworkers to discuss building a new ramp for the house. We need to have a ramp that can accomodate dad in his wheelchair and that's no easy task. Because of his knees, he will have to keep his legs straight out in front of him and because of his back injury, he can't sit straight up, he must be reclined. So this means he has a specially designed wheelchair that won't take sharp turns well. So they plotted out the best design for a ramp and planned to come back and build it soon.
I would like to take a moment here to mention how wonderful dad's company, Sanford Contractors has been. Where do I begin? From the moment the accident happened, they have been looking out for all of us and making sure we are taken care of. The insurance company has been wonderful and they have assigned a rehabilitation worker to dad to make sure he has everything taken care of. It is such a blessing to know that he works for such a dedicated company. And it's very good to know that his coworkers respect him the way they do. They've already started talking about getting him "back to work" as soon as possible which is good for everyone.
And so many from the company have visited. Geez, I can't even name them all! Randall and Brent have been there numerous times, keeping dad in a good mood and they were there yesterday at our house helping mom with ramp ideas. The owner of Sanford Contractors, Donnie, came by as well a few days ago and told dad he can come back whenever he wants. What a relief to know that they want him to come back to work!
I have to run, but I'll write more and update everyone on his new wheelchair/toilet mechanism... I know you're all anxious to hear about this!
I would like to take a moment here to mention how wonderful dad's company, Sanford Contractors has been. Where do I begin? From the moment the accident happened, they have been looking out for all of us and making sure we are taken care of. The insurance company has been wonderful and they have assigned a rehabilitation worker to dad to make sure he has everything taken care of. It is such a blessing to know that he works for such a dedicated company. And it's very good to know that his coworkers respect him the way they do. They've already started talking about getting him "back to work" as soon as possible which is good for everyone.
And so many from the company have visited. Geez, I can't even name them all! Randall and Brent have been there numerous times, keeping dad in a good mood and they were there yesterday at our house helping mom with ramp ideas. The owner of Sanford Contractors, Donnie, came by as well a few days ago and told dad he can come back whenever he wants. What a relief to know that they want him to come back to work!
I have to run, but I'll write more and update everyone on his new wheelchair/toilet mechanism... I know you're all anxious to hear about this!
Monday, July 9, 2007
Rehab... not THAT kind of rehab!
So yesterday, we returned to DC and had to leave the family at home. It was hard to leave knowing that there's still so much left to do, but we'll be getting daily updates from mom so don't worry, you'll read it all here, I promise.
When we left yesterday, dad had just come back from his x-ray on his hip. He keeps on having sharp pains in his left hip that are just agonizing. He said it feels like knives just stabbing at his insides when he gets it agitated. And to make it worse, after he's in the pain "zone" he stays uncomfortable for about two hours. The worst is when he has to move from the hospital bed to the stretcher and back. The nurses, while they are wonderful, and they don't mean to, but they end up contorting his hip in the wrong way and he is in immense pain. It almost makes me pass out to see him like this. Trust me, it's not good.
Since they haven't really given us a reason for this pain, they did an x-ray to see if anything had been broken in the fall. Mom says it came back showing nothing unusual so they've decided it must just be the broken vertebraes in his back getting moved around, causing pain.
Before we left yesterday, they put the trapeze bars around his bed giving him a dangling bar overhead to hold on to and thus allowing him to pull his upper body up and move around. This helps him to adjust his back and get more comfortable in the bed.
The latest word is that he'll be in rehab for 2-3 weeks. I want to clarify here that this is not rehab on his legs. This is rehab on his upper body in order to teach him how to be more independent. They want to know that he can take care of himself for the most part so they've started showing him how to use his arm strength to get around. They move him from the hospital bed into a wheelchair, then he has to wheel himself down the hall to the gym. Then they give his arms a good work out and send him back to rest. It wears him out, but it's good for him. As mom said, it will get him functional and independently active for when he does come home.
When he does go home, he'll have the hospital bed, trapeze bars and wheelchair. He'll also be sporting the external fixators (the rods and pins in his legs) so his legs will be straight in front of him. The back brace will also be a must. They hope that his back injuries will heal in 6-8 weeks on their own, but only time will tell. He'll have to go back to Chapel Hill in 4-6 weeks to do the knee reconstruction surgery on both legs. This surgery won't happen til the vein graft wound has healed completely so in reality, we don't know when that will be. We assume that he will then return home in a cast or a brace of some sort, we really don't know.
The vascular surgeon visited yesterday and stood at the edge of dad's bed and proclaimed that he was "very pleased" at the way his leg was healing. When they did the vein graft, his leg was so swolen, they were not able to stitch him back up. So they left the wound open and as the swelling goes down, they will pull the soutures together letting his wound close and heal. Yesterday they were able to pull two soutures together and dad felt the pain which is a GOOD sign! Any feeling in that part of his leg is good because that means there is a chance he'll regain feeling in his right foot. The doctors think that the fluid in his right leg/foot is pressing on a nerve imparing his sensations and preventing him from feeling anything. We hope once the swelling goes down (and it's still pretty swolen) it will move from this nerve and his sense of touch in his foot will come back.
Today he visited the gym again for physical therapy for an hour, came back to the room for lunch and then went back for more. Then he had occupational therapy for an hour. He looks forward to this time becuase when he's doing therapy, he's not lying in the bed helpless, this gets him moving his upper body. He will do 3 hours of intense therapy a day until he goes home.
It is amazing to look at the pictures from last week and the ones now. He has come so far in just 11 days, it is nothing short of a miracle what the doctors can do these days. We all know that it is God at work and we are sending up prayers constantly. Thank you for helping us do that and for the many acts of kindness you have shown to our family. We are so blessed!
When we left yesterday, dad had just come back from his x-ray on his hip. He keeps on having sharp pains in his left hip that are just agonizing. He said it feels like knives just stabbing at his insides when he gets it agitated. And to make it worse, after he's in the pain "zone" he stays uncomfortable for about two hours. The worst is when he has to move from the hospital bed to the stretcher and back. The nurses, while they are wonderful, and they don't mean to, but they end up contorting his hip in the wrong way and he is in immense pain. It almost makes me pass out to see him like this. Trust me, it's not good.
Since they haven't really given us a reason for this pain, they did an x-ray to see if anything had been broken in the fall. Mom says it came back showing nothing unusual so they've decided it must just be the broken vertebraes in his back getting moved around, causing pain.
Before we left yesterday, they put the trapeze bars around his bed giving him a dangling bar overhead to hold on to and thus allowing him to pull his upper body up and move around. This helps him to adjust his back and get more comfortable in the bed.
The latest word is that he'll be in rehab for 2-3 weeks. I want to clarify here that this is not rehab on his legs. This is rehab on his upper body in order to teach him how to be more independent. They want to know that he can take care of himself for the most part so they've started showing him how to use his arm strength to get around. They move him from the hospital bed into a wheelchair, then he has to wheel himself down the hall to the gym. Then they give his arms a good work out and send him back to rest. It wears him out, but it's good for him. As mom said, it will get him functional and independently active for when he does come home.
When he does go home, he'll have the hospital bed, trapeze bars and wheelchair. He'll also be sporting the external fixators (the rods and pins in his legs) so his legs will be straight in front of him. The back brace will also be a must. They hope that his back injuries will heal in 6-8 weeks on their own, but only time will tell. He'll have to go back to Chapel Hill in 4-6 weeks to do the knee reconstruction surgery on both legs. This surgery won't happen til the vein graft wound has healed completely so in reality, we don't know when that will be. We assume that he will then return home in a cast or a brace of some sort, we really don't know.
The vascular surgeon visited yesterday and stood at the edge of dad's bed and proclaimed that he was "very pleased" at the way his leg was healing. When they did the vein graft, his leg was so swolen, they were not able to stitch him back up. So they left the wound open and as the swelling goes down, they will pull the soutures together letting his wound close and heal. Yesterday they were able to pull two soutures together and dad felt the pain which is a GOOD sign! Any feeling in that part of his leg is good because that means there is a chance he'll regain feeling in his right foot. The doctors think that the fluid in his right leg/foot is pressing on a nerve imparing his sensations and preventing him from feeling anything. We hope once the swelling goes down (and it's still pretty swolen) it will move from this nerve and his sense of touch in his foot will come back.
Today he visited the gym again for physical therapy for an hour, came back to the room for lunch and then went back for more. Then he had occupational therapy for an hour. He looks forward to this time becuase when he's doing therapy, he's not lying in the bed helpless, this gets him moving his upper body. He will do 3 hours of intense therapy a day until he goes home.
It is amazing to look at the pictures from last week and the ones now. He has come so far in just 11 days, it is nothing short of a miracle what the doctors can do these days. We all know that it is God at work and we are sending up prayers constantly. Thank you for helping us do that and for the many acts of kindness you have shown to our family. We are so blessed!
Friday, July 6, 2007
Moving on up
Today dad got to move up to the rehabilitation floor here at the hospital. As mentioned before, it's very nice and luxurious compared to the typical hospital room we were in on the fifth floor. He's had a good day for the most part. Here's a picture of him in his new "crib."
You'll notice he has noticably less stuff hanging around and attached to him. He's gotten rid of the oxygen and the ivs in the past few days so he's doing a lot better. The ultra sound of his artery went well. The vein graph was a sucess and the doctors are all pleased with the way it is healing. Prayer is working!
We got the word that the rehab wing was ready for us so we packed up and loaded him on a stretcher. They walked him up here and then when we were loading him back onto the bed, we got a little off in our timing and he was in intense pain for a few minutes. We had to stop what we were doing, put him back on the stretcher and figure out another option. Luckily, the staff here knew right what to do and grabbed a slick sheet to help him to slide onto the bed. It was much less painful the second time around, but he's been in pain for a while since then.
Mom's tired but of course she has yet to complain about anything. She's actually napping now as I type this. Her medical knowledge has been so helpful because she remembers their "lingo" and can repeat it when the next round of doctors come in to check up on him.
So I'm sure you're all dying to see the new room. HA! Here's some pics.
The best part is the window. We joke about being on people patrol because you can actually look out of the window and see the folks that are walking in from the parking deck. It's so interesting to be able to people watch from seven floors up! Here's the view
Since it's the weekend now, his physical therapy tomorrow won't be as intense as it is during the week. With the weekend staff, they only do about half of what the weekday staff can do. This will be good becuase it will let dad ease into the physical therapy. In total, they will do about three hours of physical therapy a day. It's not all at once, it's in shifts. They'll let him calm down and rest in between in order to keep him from tiring too badly.
They are thinking he'll be in physical therapy for 10-14 days. We're not sure when his reconstructive surgery will be, but if they had to guess, they said it would be several weeks away.
As you can tell from the picture above, he's come a long way in a week. We're just hopeful that he continues at this rate.
You'll notice he has noticably less stuff hanging around and attached to him. He's gotten rid of the oxygen and the ivs in the past few days so he's doing a lot better. The ultra sound of his artery went well. The vein graph was a sucess and the doctors are all pleased with the way it is healing. Prayer is working!
We got the word that the rehab wing was ready for us so we packed up and loaded him on a stretcher. They walked him up here and then when we were loading him back onto the bed, we got a little off in our timing and he was in intense pain for a few minutes. We had to stop what we were doing, put him back on the stretcher and figure out another option. Luckily, the staff here knew right what to do and grabbed a slick sheet to help him to slide onto the bed. It was much less painful the second time around, but he's been in pain for a while since then.
Mom's tired but of course she has yet to complain about anything. She's actually napping now as I type this. Her medical knowledge has been so helpful because she remembers their "lingo" and can repeat it when the next round of doctors come in to check up on him.
So I'm sure you're all dying to see the new room. HA! Here's some pics.
The best part is the window. We joke about being on people patrol because you can actually look out of the window and see the folks that are walking in from the parking deck. It's so interesting to be able to people watch from seven floors up! Here's the view
Since it's the weekend now, his physical therapy tomorrow won't be as intense as it is during the week. With the weekend staff, they only do about half of what the weekday staff can do. This will be good becuase it will let dad ease into the physical therapy. In total, they will do about three hours of physical therapy a day. It's not all at once, it's in shifts. They'll let him calm down and rest in between in order to keep him from tiring too badly.
They are thinking he'll be in physical therapy for 10-14 days. We're not sure when his reconstructive surgery will be, but if they had to guess, they said it would be several weeks away.
As you can tell from the picture above, he's come a long way in a week. We're just hopeful that he continues at this rate.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Thursday
Dad was able to watch fireworks on tv last night. Ironically, he saw the "National" fireworks show in DC. It was just two years ago at that time that we were all sitting in the Pentagon parking lot watching those same fireworks live. Let's hope that next year we can do that again.
This morning, dad was ready to move around. So he got mom and a couple nurses to help him move his legs around and sit on the edge of the bed. It's good for him to sit up to get acclimated to moving around. It's occassionally painful, of course, but we all know that this is a good step in the right direction. He sat this way for about an hour and fifteen minutes but then at the end, he was exhausted. They got him situated back in his bed and he napped for a while. It just takes so much out of him.
Fortunately, his left leg and foot are looking like normal. The swelling is almost completely gone. However, the right leg is still very swollen and marshmellow-ish. They are going to do an ultrasound tomorrow morning on his right leg to check the vein that they had to replace and see how well it is doing.
The doctors came in this afternoon and said that he was anemic and therefore a blood transfusion was needed. So this afternoon, they gave him two pints of blood. Instantly, he started to feel better, look better and it's a noticable difference. Because of his need for blood, they weren't able to move him to the rehab wing so we've got one more day before we are in the lap of luxury.
Mom and I got to "tour" the rehabilitation wing last night and it is like staying at the Ritz. Hardwood floors, nickel light fixtures, awesome decoration. The rooms there are bigger, the bathrooms are handicapped accessible and there's even a laundry room for them to do their own laundry. It's such a nice environment for him, more positive, upbeat, etc. They also want to make him more independant so mom can go home and he will be able to take care of himself.
Dad got another huge flower arrangement today from Sanford Contractors and it is gorgeous! Thank y'all so much for all of your love and support. He appreciates it all (as do we, the family). Jason says that the pictures of his legs on Webshots have been viewed 957 times!! That takes my breath away. I cannot believe that many people have an interest in this but it's amazing. If we've got at least half those folks praying, then the Lord has to oblige us all, right? :)
Hopefully we'll have more pictures tomorrow of his new "crib."
This morning, dad was ready to move around. So he got mom and a couple nurses to help him move his legs around and sit on the edge of the bed. It's good for him to sit up to get acclimated to moving around. It's occassionally painful, of course, but we all know that this is a good step in the right direction. He sat this way for about an hour and fifteen minutes but then at the end, he was exhausted. They got him situated back in his bed and he napped for a while. It just takes so much out of him.
Fortunately, his left leg and foot are looking like normal. The swelling is almost completely gone. However, the right leg is still very swollen and marshmellow-ish. They are going to do an ultrasound tomorrow morning on his right leg to check the vein that they had to replace and see how well it is doing.
The doctors came in this afternoon and said that he was anemic and therefore a blood transfusion was needed. So this afternoon, they gave him two pints of blood. Instantly, he started to feel better, look better and it's a noticable difference. Because of his need for blood, they weren't able to move him to the rehab wing so we've got one more day before we are in the lap of luxury.
Mom and I got to "tour" the rehabilitation wing last night and it is like staying at the Ritz. Hardwood floors, nickel light fixtures, awesome decoration. The rooms there are bigger, the bathrooms are handicapped accessible and there's even a laundry room for them to do their own laundry. It's such a nice environment for him, more positive, upbeat, etc. They also want to make him more independant so mom can go home and he will be able to take care of himself.
Dad got another huge flower arrangement today from Sanford Contractors and it is gorgeous! Thank y'all so much for all of your love and support. He appreciates it all (as do we, the family). Jason says that the pictures of his legs on Webshots have been viewed 957 times!! That takes my breath away. I cannot believe that many people have an interest in this but it's amazing. If we've got at least half those folks praying, then the Lord has to oblige us all, right? :)
Hopefully we'll have more pictures tomorrow of his new "crib."
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
More updates
Today has been a good day. Daddy's taken his first ride around in a wheelchair so that was exciting. They got him up in the wheelchair and drove him around the hallway for his physical therapy and he got to see a bit of new scenery. His "specialty" wheelchair is designed so that his legs will lie straight in front of him and his torso is able to lay back. At this point, he is unable to sit straight up so with this reclining wheelchair, it's the only way for him to get around. It's a big step for him to be mobile!
Since today's the fourth of July, the mass of doctors hasn't been so bad. He had the trauma team in first thing this morning, then the physical therapy folks but it really hasn't been that bad. Supposedly they are having fireworks at Keenan Stadium tonight at 9:30 pm so maybe we'll be able to see those.
We're still unclear on when he will have surgery and move to the rehabilitation wing. The latest update was that he'd go to rehab tomorrow and then have surgery in 7-10 days. We're hoping to go up to the rehab wing on the 7th floor sometime to walk around and check things out. When he does get to rehab, they will teach him how to be more independent. Right now, we are moving his legs and placing pillows around his body in order to make him more comfortable. Rehab will help him to learn how to do all of this on his own.
Some good news, still no pneumonia! He's still hot all the time but fortunately, his breathing exercises seem to be doing their job. We've got the a/c in his room set at about 60 degrees so we are all freezing but he is sweating away. Melissa's fanning him right now trying to get him cooled off. We said we were going to buy big palm leaves to fan him with and feed him grapes... ha!
Today he was able to get rid of the oxygen and the iv in his arm. These are the last two steps he had to conquer in order to get him to rehab so he's doing well! He's eating well and we keep getting more and more home cooked food from visitors so thank you all so much.
Keep the prayers a coming, he is already so much better than he was yesterday!
Since today's the fourth of July, the mass of doctors hasn't been so bad. He had the trauma team in first thing this morning, then the physical therapy folks but it really hasn't been that bad. Supposedly they are having fireworks at Keenan Stadium tonight at 9:30 pm so maybe we'll be able to see those.
We're still unclear on when he will have surgery and move to the rehabilitation wing. The latest update was that he'd go to rehab tomorrow and then have surgery in 7-10 days. We're hoping to go up to the rehab wing on the 7th floor sometime to walk around and check things out. When he does get to rehab, they will teach him how to be more independent. Right now, we are moving his legs and placing pillows around his body in order to make him more comfortable. Rehab will help him to learn how to do all of this on his own.
Some good news, still no pneumonia! He's still hot all the time but fortunately, his breathing exercises seem to be doing their job. We've got the a/c in his room set at about 60 degrees so we are all freezing but he is sweating away. Melissa's fanning him right now trying to get him cooled off. We said we were going to buy big palm leaves to fan him with and feed him grapes... ha!
Today he was able to get rid of the oxygen and the iv in his arm. These are the last two steps he had to conquer in order to get him to rehab so he's doing well! He's eating well and we keep getting more and more home cooked food from visitors so thank you all so much.
Keep the prayers a coming, he is already so much better than he was yesterday!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)