It is 11pm, We took Jeff to Jared's basketball game in San Gabriel earlier this evening then to Ladybug in Gardena for some Japanese food. This was his first authorized 8 hour leave from the hospital.
Jared had a pretty good game, most of scoring occurring before Jeff got there. As usual, being in a wheelchair did not hold Jeff back in his comments about the game or Jared. Brothers........
He did pretty well, both physically and socially. He was pretty good in interacting with everyone. He was not embarrassed to be out in public in a wheelchair. The hard part for his knucklehead family is how to put a wheelchair in the car. We had a wheel chair, and two squished adults in the back seat. We now have plenty of bungee cords in each car.
Which brings up we now have to make sure we have enough emergency supplies in all cars (Diane, our MREs are part of it) and at the house. Jeff has gone through two earthquakes during his stay at the hospital. Boy scout training: Always be prepared.....Jared will use this to get his emergency preparedness merit badge.
The part we have to be careful about is getting too complacent with him walking. Due to limited function of his feet, he can easily trip and fall. A fall will easily set him back. So even when he looks like he is doing quite well, we have to be on our toes. Part of it is that we have to position ourselves behind him and to the side at all times while he is walking. We also have to grab the rear waist of his shorts. All of this is to ensure if he buckles, we can use our grip to pull him to keep him from falling away, and our bent leg behind him to help support him up. It is deceptive watching him walk with the walker.
It is 3pm and Jeff is at home for a 8 hour leave. He will be back at SP LCMH at 8pm. We went to Lunch at a local SP Italian place, then came home to try out the modifications. Gayle and Tiff are trying to figure out if the Star Trek movie or Jared's basketball game is on the schedule. But it looks like he is finally getting some rest here at home. He has another leave tomorrow.
He underwent a stress test yesterday and this morning. They were concerned about any anomalies in his EKG and the most recent infection. His infection has cleared for the most part, and his test results look good. The Dr. is optimistic for his long term recovery.
The team will do another assessment on Tuesday to determine if he goes home next Friday.
On Friday the OT at the hospital came out with Jeff to look at the house. They decided to not go with a ramp (if anyone ever needs a ramp, give Brett McKee a call at AmRamp.com). He cannot lift the front of his foot well, therefore making walking up a ramp difficult, steps are easier. They prefer him to walk and not use a wheelchair. The wheelchair is only for traveling and long distances. Gayle's brother Cliff came out yesterday and in 4 hrs made the modifications. Two rails on the front porch leading up to the door, blocking off the over hang on the steps, one rail next to the toilet and one in the tub. I had to order two rails on line for installation next week. Overall, a minimal amount of modifications were needed. We were afraid we were going to have to widen the doorways for a wheel chair. As stated, Cliff did what would take me two days to do.
Which brings up the subject of his progress. He is able to get out of bed on his own and into a wheel chair or walker. He is able to dress himself. He can walk short distances with the walker. The drs. say he is making good progress. Hopefully after he gets home and walks more, he will gain more strength. He does require the braces for his legs, but they look unobtrusive. Modern materials make it minimal with high strength. Hopefully with time he will not need them.
We on the other hand are working on the house to minimize stuff. Thanks to all who have helped. Shirlee has been great in dealing with our penchant to keep all things. She is like a magician, diverting our attention while things disappear!.
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