JLD has been busy, busy, busy!!

(Kirstin here). This rehab business will keep a guy on the run! Or on the roll, as the case may be.

I know our posts have slowed down, but that is because there is lots to do. I try to sit in on much of it, so I can learn how to be a help rather than a hindrance. Here's a snapshot of J's day:

6:00 Perky nurses rush in to to wake him up and take his blood pressure and bring a few meds. He dozes off again for 20 minutes.
6:30 Equally perky physiatrist breezes in to examine his progress (she's the dynamic doc who oversees his physical rehab program and bust his chops once in a while). He dozes off again.
7:00 "OK, I guess we're not going to get any more sleep, so let's shave/shower/shine." He can mostly dress himself, but since he does most of the routine in the bed, he needs his clothes, toothbrush, razor, etc. brough to him for now. Somewhere midway through the morning routine, his breakfast gets delivered. J is so happy to have grits with his bacon/eggs each morning!
9:00 Recreational therapy (practise on how to do fun lifestyle things in a wheelchair)
9:45 Occupational therapy (practise on the less fun lifestyle things like dressing, bathing, etc.)
10:30 Physical therapy (exercise, exercise, exercise)
11:15-1:00 Lunch comes somewhere in there and J usually tries to relax in the room, hit the restroom, visit with me, talk with nurses, maybe there is a bladder test or something (BTW, the bladder and bowels are singing nicely now! Huge relief on that. Apologies if that is TMI for some of you. J will tell you he has come to appreciate the little things in life, such as basic body functions!)

1:00 More PT
1:45 More Occupational Therapy
2:30 He's done with the structured parts of his day and can chill out, or else take care of other business, start to have visitors, etc. This is also when he hops onto the computer (if its not in use) in the recreational therapy office to post homages to Kirstin :-)

Yesterday, JLD had his first escape from "the joint." We went on an afternoon excursion with the recreational therapist to have lunch downtown at the Mellow Mushroom (a favorite of J's)! Then we toodled around downtown a bit in the 95 degree heat. JLD was sweating like crazy in that brace he has to wear, but kept a good attitude while he wheeled around and navigated the sidewalks, bumpy crosswalks, crowds, etc. I was so proud of how upbeat he was. The outside world is really not built for folks in a chair -- you'd be surprised at the little things that present a big hassle. We visited a few restrooms to see how impossible even the supposed "handicap" stalls can be. Life in a wheelchair means lots of trouble-shooting and creative thinking!! (Plus, good attitude!)

And speaking of life in a wheelchair, no one is saying he'll be spending his life in one. It's still too soon to call. But this next phase of rehab DOES include him being in a wheelchair, and the next goal is to progress beyond it. In fact, the invention of the wheelchair is a fine thing; without it, poor JLD would still be lying in a bed all bummed out and not progressing like he is!

THE PROGRESS
OK, here's what you've really been waiting for...His left leg continues to come along and he is gaining strength as the muscles and nerves remember how they are supposed to work. The right leg is still much behind the other, but there is continued progress in BOTH legs EVERYDAY. This week he used a walker to walk (slowly and carefully, with great concentration) about 100 feet! The PT was in front of him in case his knees buckled (which they did not) and she helped with his hip movement on the right side a bit, but he did most of it on his own. In this exercise, his body is re-learning how to shift/bear weight from leg to leg, to use the hips to take steps, and plant those feet. Over here in the cheering squad, we are MOST THRILLED to see this, as we did not expect to see activity like this so soon, and were afraid to hope for it at all, to be honest. Here on the sidelines, you can't help but get teared up to see this! Or in Aunt Debbie's case, you just up and let them tears flow with joy!!

In addition to this, he has a whole set of specific exercises to get his quads, hamstrings, ankles, hips, etc. to all regain their memory of how they are supposed to work. In the evenings, we often re-do another round of what he did in PT for extra credit. The last few mornings, he has awakened with some stiff, tight muscles.

With the assistance of a PT, he also has begun to roll onto his front side and do some push-ups. Girly style of course, but given the circumstances, let's let that slide, ok? ;-)

JLD GETTING DISCHARGED
The current plan is that Jonathan will be discharged from this rehab center on August 2! We'll likely stay in Greenville for a couple of weeks and do more out-patient physical therapy. We're laying the groundwork to head to San Francisco after that, where he can continue with out-patient therapy for several months. Can't wait to see you West Coasters, too!!

HELP
We need to line up his Bay Area medical team! If you have any Northern California recommendations on spinal cord rehab centers, neurosurgeons, physiatrists, or general practitioners who have experience with spinal cord injury, SEND THEM MY WAY. We have a start on this thanks to Robert and Celeste, but I'm looking for all the info I can get. We need to get J a receiving phsician out there who can help us continue on the long road.

I gotta run now...more later,
Kirstin