Friday, May 8, 2009
#38, May 8, 2009
I am still not sure what happened, but Andrea got a call from the hospital that there was some challenge with Sean's procedure and would we be picking him up today? Of course we would! We motored up the freeway to Aurora and, due to a "minor accident" which turned Interstate 25 into a parking lot at the Tech Center, took the scenic route to Spalding. Sean was packed up and waiting for us, so we dressed him in warmer clothing and wheeled him to the Hummer. On the way back, I selected some of his radio presets, which really seemed to please him.He is resting comfortably in our bed, which he likes so much more than the hospital bed that he's been in for so long. We bought a bed rail so that he won't fall out and a bed alarm so that he won't walk out in the middle of the night.Sean will now be doing some home therapy and some in-office work; all is in flux right now due to the speed of his release. We'll keep you all up to date on his progress.
Posted by Paul Andrea at 10:17 PM 0 comments
Thursday, May 7, 2009
#37 Update, May 7th
Today is a MAGICAL DAY! We got the final word that Sean can come home on Saturday. I can't imagine a better MOTHER'S DAY PRESENT!!! They are taking the filter out of his groin tomorrow morning and will observe him for 24 hours to make sure everything is all right. They put the filter in just before he had his open heart surgery so he wouldn't throw any more clots while in surgery or shortly thereafter. He has worked so hard and we trained hard together and it has paid off. He is really looking forward to sleeping in a BIG bed; he only remembers being in a twin bed since Spalding - not the 2 months before. We are going to bring him home in his Hummer, which is what we promised him that we'd do if he worked hard in his therapy.Of course, he'll have more therapy when he gets home, but he is walking very well with the occasional tilt. The last test was getting on and off curbs in his new chair, which is better suited to his size.We'll add to the blog as he progresses, as we're sure that he will, but don't expect daily posts. We want to thank you all for your kind and positive thoughts and prayers. He continues to beat the odds and impress his medical and therapy staff. If you should ever need a facility like Spalding, we recommend it whole-heartedly. Thanks again to all our friends and Sean's.
Posted by Paul Andrea at 6:23 PM 0 comments
Monday, May 4, 2009
#36 May 3, 2009
We "survived" our overnight stay with Sean in fine shape. The hospital has a section of their training area that looks like a one-bedroom apartment. Andrea and I did some training with Sean, fed him his supper, and then helped him to bed when he got tired. The nurses came by about midnight to check up on him, which woke us up. Lesson #1, don't close the sliders all the way because staff will want to get in. About 2 am, Sean woke up and wanted to use the restroom. Lesson #2, make sure that the bed alarm is attached. Around 5:30, he was moving around in the bed and set off the bed alarm. Lesson #3, make sure that the alarm cord isn't someplace that can get tangled up. After breakfast, we did some more training and then headed home.This week, we'll bring Delaney in for training for when she and Sean may need help at the same time. As we understand, this is one of the final steps between now and Sean's being able to go to home health care.Sean is able to get up on his own with minimal help from us and is taking his medications by mouth, which means that his feeding tube may be removed this week. The big news is that he may be discharged as early as this week, which means that we need to do some rearranging of furniture to accomodate him and his needs.
Posted by Paul Andrea at 9:24 AM 0 comments
Thursday, April 30, 2009
#35 Update April 30th
The last couple of days have been GREAT! The training classes have gone very well and tomorrow night we will be staying overnight in the hospital apartment taking care of Sean full time just Paul and I. There is the call button if we need help, but we aren't planning on needing any help. We took up his Hummer today for him to transfer sitting in it. He didn't want to get out and would hardly give back the keys. :o) He is looking forward to sleeping in his California King size bed again. He hasn't complained but the twin size hospital bed is getting to him for sure. The training is being done with the Occupational Therapist and the Physical Therapy Therapist. We will train again tomorrow, spend the night and train again Saturday morning. Some more training next week will include Delaney. My notes will be a good reference for what to do in various situations. We still do not have a dismissal date; but we are really getting prepared for his release whenever that will be in the future. He will still have therapy sessions after his release but they will be here in Colorado Springs. We are looking forward to being at home and enjoy each other.
Posted by Paul Andrea at 7:28 PM 0 comments
Monday, April 27, 2009
#34 Update, April 27th
Paul and I started our at home training today with the occupational therapist. We need to have between 5-10 hour sessions in the next 2 weeks and an overnight stay to see how to take care of Sean so he and we are safe. We don't have a date for his coming home as of yet but it could be soon. It went very well today and he is excited to work with us because it means he is getting closer to coming home to his California King bed instead of the hospital size bed he has been in since January. This Friday he will have been at Spalding Rehab Hospital for 50 days which doesn't seem possible. He has come a long way in such a short time. Thank you everyone for continuing to pray for him and supporting us with warm wishes and thoughts. We have another challenge right now I have a blood clot (DVT) in my upper left arm from when a box fell on me just over a month ago, they found it last week. The challenge is my arms are weaker than normal but I will be going to therapy soon for strengthening them so that won't be a problem. The good news is they took enough blood before I started the blood thinners that if my side of the family has a gene that is causing this we will be able to identify it and it may mean Sean won't have to be on coumaden for the rest of his life. They couldn't determine why Sean had all the blood clots he had because they gave him Heprin the blood thinner right away and that modified the test results. He has good days & bad as expected but he is moving forward. We are so excited that he is getting stronger and better with each passing day.
Posted by Paul Andrea at 8:37 PM 0 comments
Saturday, April 25, 2009
#33, April 24, 2009
We took Delaney up to see Sean this evening, and unfortunately both Delaney and Sean had just woke up, so neither of them were very social. We'd let Delaney know that Sean had a tender tummy (due to the feeding tube, which they only use to give Sean his meds), and she seemed a little tenative due to that. He was able to say her name, though. If they both are awake, they'll probably do much better.Sean went outside yesterday and got to play catch with his physical therapist for a while. There is a semi-enclosed area off the first floor dining room with paved areas, cobblestones, grass, and landscaping for different therapy challenges, and with the warmer weather, Sean likely will be spending more time there.We've had a cold front move in this morning, but we'll be heading up to see Sean soon. The next step for us in Sean's journey back is to receive training in how to help Sean with his daily activities, including an over-night stay in Denver. When we finish, then we'll be preparing for his discharge, with the goal of his being able to live an independent life again.
Posted by Paul Andrea at 9:59 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
#32, April 21, 2009
Today we met with Sean's therapy team, and they all are happy with the progress that Sean is making, but noting just how long of a road is ahead of us. The main thrust of each therapist is that sometimes he does really well, and sometimes, not so much progress.After the meeting, both Andrea and I worked with the physical therapist to help Sean stand, walk to and from the toilet, and sit back at the bed. When we came into the room, he was sleeping, so we didn't do much more than feed him some pudding and a quick run-through of getting his gait belt on and the therapy. He'd actually been outside earlier today, so was kind of tuckered out.We're beginning to talk about when Sean leaves the rehab center and comes home , what things we'll need for the house (grab bars, ADA toilet rails, etc.) and just what our expectations are for him vs what his needs are going to be.
Posted by Paul Andrea at 5:24 PM 0 comments
Sunday, April 19, 2009
#31, April 19, 2009
Due to the snow, this was the first time we'd been up to see Sean since Wednesday, and he is still doing well. We got to take him around the hospital in his chair, and fed him both pistachio pudding and his regular supper. If the weather had been a few degrees nicer, we could have taken him outside, but that will be coming very soon. Tuesday will be the first "formal" team meeting with his therapists. We've spoken to them all individually, of course, but we will be sitting in on their daily meeting where they let each other know about what Sean has been doing in the individual sessions. The communication among nursing and therapy staff really seems to be excellent here, which helps the healing process tremendously.
Posted by Paul Andrea at 8:01 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
#30 Update April 15th
Sean had a great day! His appetite is back; he ate 2 helpings of his dinner tonight. He is working really hard and making great strides. He is able to sit up for hours at a time now and occasionally only needs one person to help him with his walking. We asked him if he wanted to get a haircut today and he said "no". Not to brag but when the nurse asked him what kind of cooking he liked best he said "my Mom's".
Posted by Paul Andrea at 8:40 PM 0 comments
Saturday, April 11, 2009
#29, April 11, 2009
Sean has moved up a room, from the stimulus-controlled section to a room with more of a view (of I-225) and a little more room. Tonight, we helped Sean walk from his bed to the restroom and back, and Andrea and I fed him his supper. His walks are with help, but not necessarily with mechanical support. He can go up stairs pretty well, but has trouble going down the stairs. The staff has mentioned several times that we seem to be having a good effect on him; he is less likely to balk at their attempts at helping him or giving him medications through his feeding tube than before we arrive.We're hoping that either we can walk him to the dining room or that he can come out there to see Delaney tomorrow. When she is in the ward, she sometimes gets a little loud, and we don't like to feel that we're bothering the other patients.Thanks as always for your prayers and positive thoughts; we feel that Sean is responding to them.
Posted by Paul Andrea at 10:37 PM 0 comments
No comments:
Post a Comment