A lovely reward for very hard work done well and with dedication, we all agreed.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Let's be a little crazy, shall we?
So we picked Nora up from school this afternoon at 5:20 and instead of heading straight home to put dinner in the oven, we stopped to get some of these:
to celebrate the fact that John's been discharged from PT for his shoulder!!!! He still has therapy 3x's a week for his legs/walking/balance/gait-training, but the secondary issue with the shoulder in under control enough that he can do the exercises on his own. Whoo-oo!
A lovely reward for very hard work done well and with dedication, we all agreed.
A lovely reward for very hard work done well and with dedication, we all agreed.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
March 5, 2013
I think it's time to teach Nora that old saying,
"March comes in like a lion, goes out like a lamb"... We had what I'm
hoping is the season's last snow storm today. We even got enough snow
for Nora to get a snow day.
John
and I ventured out for his follow-up with the orthopedic surgeon to
check on his shoulder. The doctor's report: he's made nice progress in
the reduction of his pain and the increase of active motion. At this
point, he can move his hand to behind his back (which I hadn't seen
since before his accident). He still lacks complete elevation, so he
needs to continue to use his pulleys at home to stretch his shoulder and
work on increasing his range of motion. The doctor told him that he
thinks it's a reasonable expectation that he'll eventually have a
shoulder he can use fully pain free. Apparently, there's a one-to-one
correspondence of pain and motion -- the greater the range of motion he
gets back, the less pain he'll have. So for the next four months, he
needs to be particularly vigilant in stretching it out since adhesive
capsilistis has a tendency to flare back up in the first few months
after getting it under control; the exercises that he's been doing will
keep his shoulder flexible enough to fully heal and hopefully ward off a
relapse.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
February 20, 2013
After driving through over an hour of heavy snow (like 1/2"/hour, 20-30 mph winds heavy snow), we had a lovely day in Chicago for John's check-up at RIC. Blue skies and a brisk (OK, frigid!) wind -- but not a hint of the snow we'd left behind somewhere west of LaPorte. But enough of the weather report -- I'm guessing that's not what you're here for! (Funny side note, first: when I went out to reshovel the walk before leaving -- less than 2 hours after shoveling it to take Nora to school -- and saw how heavily the snow was still falling, I triple-checked the weather report online, and it swore to me that it was not snowing in South Bend. The snow on the porch was awfully fluffy and fake looking -- maybe it was my imagination?)
And now for the update you're skimming for:
Dr. C continues to be very pleased with John's progress! John's strength is slowly returning, and for this stage of the game, it's very good. He can now go against gravity with most of his limbs (yay!) -- it's so cool to watch them test for this. The doctor has John lift his arm, for example, and then John has to resist having his arm pushed down. It's amazing to see the mix of very high tech and very low tech techniques that have been used over the past 7 months, from the fanciest treadmill I could imagine to the doctor trying to squeeze John's pinkie and pointer fingers together. His discharge from OT is now official, reflective of the progress he's made in rehabbing his hands. He can almost spread his fingers completely now.
The cold does continue to challenge John. After lunch, we walked the 4 blocks from the restaurant to the hospital (I had dropped him off on the way in and parked the car), and that bright blue sky was deceptive: it was COLD! And Chicago was living up to it's nickname. And the wind and cold made the walk rather difficult for John. The good thing is, we know this will happen and we can plan around it. The bad thing is, we live in South Bend -- as I say to my students when they moan about the wacky weather and the cold, "Welcome to South Bend!" But winter (and the cold) can't last forever....
We also had the wonderful pleasure of stopping by the pediatric floor of RIC -- our neighbor's son is now rehabbing there. It was a privilege to witness for him (and his family) the powerful work that the RIC team can do. Please continue to keep them all in your prayers as well. Rehab is a long journey, and the more the merrier on the prayer front!
And now for the update you're skimming for:
Dr. C continues to be very pleased with John's progress! John's strength is slowly returning, and for this stage of the game, it's very good. He can now go against gravity with most of his limbs (yay!) -- it's so cool to watch them test for this. The doctor has John lift his arm, for example, and then John has to resist having his arm pushed down. It's amazing to see the mix of very high tech and very low tech techniques that have been used over the past 7 months, from the fanciest treadmill I could imagine to the doctor trying to squeeze John's pinkie and pointer fingers together. His discharge from OT is now official, reflective of the progress he's made in rehabbing his hands. He can almost spread his fingers completely now.
The cold does continue to challenge John. After lunch, we walked the 4 blocks from the restaurant to the hospital (I had dropped him off on the way in and parked the car), and that bright blue sky was deceptive: it was COLD! And Chicago was living up to it's nickname. And the wind and cold made the walk rather difficult for John. The good thing is, we know this will happen and we can plan around it. The bad thing is, we live in South Bend -- as I say to my students when they moan about the wacky weather and the cold, "Welcome to South Bend!" But winter (and the cold) can't last forever....
We also had the wonderful pleasure of stopping by the pediatric floor of RIC -- our neighbor's son is now rehabbing there. It was a privilege to witness for him (and his family) the powerful work that the RIC team can do. Please continue to keep them all in your prayers as well. Rehab is a long journey, and the more the merrier on the prayer front!
Monday, February 18, 2013
February 18, 2013
John sees his physiatrist later this week for a general rehab check-in, and then the orthopedic surgeon in two more weeks, but for now, a short update:
After more progress testing today, OT has decided to discharge John (pending the doctor's approval). But not so fast if you're thinking that means less therapy! For a few weeks at least, John will do double PT sessions so that they can continue to work on the range of motion exercises for the shoulder that the orthopedic surgeon prescribed (which they've been doing) AND do more legwork like gait training and balance work (which had been a little neglected in the more immediate need for the shoulder work). I think this is officially the hardest physical thing he's ever done -- but he's getting inspiring results!
After more progress testing today, OT has decided to discharge John (pending the doctor's approval). But not so fast if you're thinking that means less therapy! For a few weeks at least, John will do double PT sessions so that they can continue to work on the range of motion exercises for the shoulder that the orthopedic surgeon prescribed (which they've been doing) AND do more legwork like gait training and balance work (which had been a little neglected in the more immediate need for the shoulder work). I think this is officially the hardest physical thing he's ever done -- but he's getting inspiring results!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
January 30, 2013
A double milestone day...
it's the 6-month anniversary of John's accident AND his birthday (I won't give the year away, but if you look closely at the balloons from Pat and Fred, you can figure it out...)
John celebrated with:
* a trip to St. Joe's, where we joined them for the all-school Mass celebrating the beginning of the 2nd semester -- and John enjoyed having the students serenade him with "Happy Birthday" and getting a fun bunch of balloons -- our house is very cheery now, just in time for the temperature to drastically drop again.
* a therapy session in the pool (does this count towards his celebration???), where he got a great workout. On the therapy front, we're pleased to report that his shoulder seems to be improving since the shot.
* dinner at Fiddler's Hearth.
* cake and presents (and we're hoping a quiet evening -- read: a sleeping 5-year-old -- will follow shortly...
I have moments where it's still hard to process that this has happened to John, but I watch his fierce determination to continue rehabbing and building up his strength, and I find myself grateful for this opportunity to witness his strength and understand his love for us in such a profound way. While ADLs (activities of daily living) are a daily challenge, I am confident in his ability to meet them with grace. I can't imagine that I'll ever be thankful that wave knocked our life around (literally and figuratively), but I am grateful beyond words that we are all still standing... thank you all for your love, prayers, and support over the past few months!
it's the 6-month anniversary of John's accident AND his birthday (I won't give the year away, but if you look closely at the balloons from Pat and Fred, you can figure it out...)
John celebrated with:
* a trip to St. Joe's, where we joined them for the all-school Mass celebrating the beginning of the 2nd semester -- and John enjoyed having the students serenade him with "Happy Birthday" and getting a fun bunch of balloons -- our house is very cheery now, just in time for the temperature to drastically drop again.
* a therapy session in the pool (does this count towards his celebration???), where he got a great workout. On the therapy front, we're pleased to report that his shoulder seems to be improving since the shot.
* dinner at Fiddler's Hearth.
* cake and presents (and we're hoping a quiet evening -- read: a sleeping 5-year-old -- will follow shortly...
I have moments where it's still hard to process that this has happened to John, but I watch his fierce determination to continue rehabbing and building up his strength, and I find myself grateful for this opportunity to witness his strength and understand his love for us in such a profound way. While ADLs (activities of daily living) are a daily challenge, I am confident in his ability to meet them with grace. I can't imagine that I'll ever be thankful that wave knocked our life around (literally and figuratively), but I am grateful beyond words that we are all still standing... thank you all for your love, prayers, and support over the past few months!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
January 17, 2013
Meeting the new doctor: check
Telling John's story again: check [I have learned more about the spinal cord than I ever thought I would know...]
Hearing another doctor say his progress is great: check!
All in all -- a successful doctor's appointment. And, oh yeah -- we got a diagnosis for the shoulder: capsulitis. hat is capsulitis, you ask? From the ever-popular Wikipedia:
The treatment was a cortisone shot (with a long needle -- yuck!) and more range of motion exercises in PT. So far, it's feeling better -- and John got out of bed with minimal pain Friday morning!
Telling John's story again: check [I have learned more about the spinal cord than I ever thought I would know...]
Hearing another doctor say his progress is great: check!
All in all -- a successful doctor's appointment. And, oh yeah -- we got a diagnosis for the shoulder: capsulitis. hat is capsulitis, you ask? From the ever-popular Wikipedia:
Frozen shoulder, medically referred to as adhesive capsulitis, is a disorder in which the shoulder capsule, the connective tissue surrounding the glenohumeral joint of the shoulder, becomes inflamed and stiff, greatly restricting motion and causing chronic pain.
The treatment was a cortisone shot (with a long needle -- yuck!) and more range of motion exercises in PT. So far, it's feeling better -- and John got out of bed with minimal pain Friday morning!
Monday, January 14, 2013
January 14, 2013
Just when I was starting to think we'd maybe hit a plateau -- and John was starting to be bored by therapy -- he had a wonderful PT session today.
I was working in the waiting room and saw him and Marilyn pass by out of the corner of my eye. John was sort of dribbling a soccer ball (definitely pushing it down the hall with his feet), as they walked from the treatment room out to the lobby. And then this weird thud -- thud -- thud noise interrupted my proofreading. So I wandered out into the lobby, and saw my husband kicking a soccer ball against the wall! He may not be ready to exercise his 4 years of eligibility on the ND soccer team (yet!), but he was able to keep his balance while he kicked the ball a few times! Then he got to hit a tennis ball with a racket for a couple of minutes, which gave him the chance to work on side-to-side movement. Again -- far from ready for a real court, but by summer time, he should be able to play with Nora, a thought which makes my heart burst with joy and gratitude -- and pride in his determination and hard work.
Not surprisingly, he topped off this morning's therapy session with a good long nap this afternoon.
He has hit a small speed bump in the recovery road -- his right shoulder and arm have been bothering him for a long time, and although OT and PT have been working strengthening the muscles all around them, both Angie and Marilyn think he has tendinitis in the shoulder. Since iontophoresis and taping it aren't really helping, he needs to see an orthopedic doctor to see if there's an underlying issue causing the pain. So we get to meet another doctor on Thursday.
I was working in the waiting room and saw him and Marilyn pass by out of the corner of my eye. John was sort of dribbling a soccer ball (definitely pushing it down the hall with his feet), as they walked from the treatment room out to the lobby. And then this weird thud -- thud -- thud noise interrupted my proofreading. So I wandered out into the lobby, and saw my husband kicking a soccer ball against the wall! He may not be ready to exercise his 4 years of eligibility on the ND soccer team (yet!), but he was able to keep his balance while he kicked the ball a few times! Then he got to hit a tennis ball with a racket for a couple of minutes, which gave him the chance to work on side-to-side movement. Again -- far from ready for a real court, but by summer time, he should be able to play with Nora, a thought which makes my heart burst with joy and gratitude -- and pride in his determination and hard work.
Not surprisingly, he topped off this morning's therapy session with a good long nap this afternoon.
He has hit a small speed bump in the recovery road -- his right shoulder and arm have been bothering him for a long time, and although OT and PT have been working strengthening the muscles all around them, both Angie and Marilyn think he has tendinitis in the shoulder. Since iontophoresis and taping it aren't really helping, he needs to see an orthopedic doctor to see if there's an underlying issue causing the pain. So we get to meet another doctor on Thursday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)