Progress! On Friday, July 12 I was discharged from Cox South. If I lived closer to Springfield, MO, Cox would be my hospital! The care was coordinated, thorough, gentle and just what I needed at that moment. I cannot speak more highly of all the nurses, PCAs, case workers, surgeons, occupational therapists (OT) and physical therapists (PT) . All saving my life and nurturing me back to better health. Thank you to each of you. Your care was much more than a job, but more like a calling. God bless all of you. The transition to Myers Rehabilitation hospital was smooth. Following discharge, a short ride in a wheel chair van, and I was at my next phase of care, in-patient, rehabilitative care. That first evening was uneventful. The caring staff explained the facility, we set goals, and I rested well. Rest was important because starting Saturday ,July 13, my therapy began. The program here includes 3 hours of PT and OT daily. My first OT and PT sessions were evaluations. In OT, we discussed the layout of our house- how many floors, obstacles (such as throw rugs, pets, stairs), existing aids (such as grab bars in tubs), countertop heights, etc. There is so much to consider! In PT, my core strength was evaluated, basic moves of my stump evaluated, etc. I will not go into too many gory details here (maybe some day we will talk face to face about those). My thigh muscle had to be sewn around the terminal end of my remaining femur. This muscular area will be key to my success with my future prosthesis. Because of the muscle relocation, when I move I am relearning the muscle memory. Different muscles are being called on to do different things. When I did an exercise involving extension of my leg (essentially pushing the stump down into the bed) I could feel a unique wave in my thigh muscle . Flexion (raising my thigh off the bed) caused a significant tightening of my thigh (like a charley horse in the front). These are all totally normal, and indicative of progress! My second OT session was the BEST. You see, I learned and preformed my first shower! Since my stump is not healed yet, we covered it with a plastic bag. I stripped naked, sat on a bench in the shower and totally savored the time as warm water flowed all over me. I shampooed my hair and used a washcloth and soap to clean everywhere! I shaved in the shower, I toweled dry on that bench, and then using my walker, I sat in a wheel chair and dressed myself. Clean underwear and pants and a T shirt made the transition from patient to human complete. (Not that patients are not humans, but those who have experienced long hospital stays know exactly what I mean). I next wheeled over to the sink to brush and floss my teeth, apply deodorant and comb my hair. Amazing! My wife, Shari was doubly glad I smelled so much better! My second PT session had me practicing the moves (while on a firmer surface) I will need to use. Learning to stand, sit, lay, roll over (this sounds a lot like training a puppy) scoot along the edge and swinging my leg around to a different side of the platform. Cathy, the PT, kept mentioning buns of steel and abs of steel to Shari. (Not that I have them, but I will develop these muscles out of necessity,) In the later afternoon hours, I have been consistently developing a low-grade fever (99.2 to 100.2). This is perplexing to the medical team. The fever is broken by midnight. As my wound dressing is changed, the nurse staff say all looks good. I only have one more wound vacuum left. Its called the JP. Its a clear rubber bulb (think baby nose sucker, except with a valve and hose) that the nurse opens to drain, squeeze to create a negative pressure. Then we wait. Each time the negative pressure is gone (bulb fully expanded), the nurse measures the volume of the content of the bulb. As soon as the volume is less than 30cc in a 24 hour period, that drain comes out, and I move to yet the next stage-stump shrinkage. This whole process has been a real education to me. My spirits are up, my family supportive and my friends prayers have been key. Thank you so much for everything. As long as you want the details of my progress, I will continue to write. (Sorry if it seems too graphic, I have tried hard to tone it down, a bit.) God is great and you are all so good! Thanks for your prayers, cards etc! Until next time.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 11:31:17 +0000
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