It is so nice to be back up in my chair again and have my puppy back. I got Robby back last Tuesday and it was a very happy reunion. The first time I brought him home I was supposed to let anybody pay attention to him for a month but of course that is very hard to do especially with lots of family and friends around but I quickly learned why they ask you to do that. This time I’m holding strong and not letting anybody but me pay attention to him and it seems to be working out really good. Before he would of course follow around whoever is moving and was starting to get more attached to a couple of my caregivers rather than me, this time he is paying more attention to me.
On Wednesday, St. Patrick’s Day, we had about 10 people over for corned beef and cabbage and cribbage, I really miss those get-togethers. The meal turned out absolutely wonderful, everybody raved about it. After Teresa brought Robby back Tuesday evening she put the corned beef in the crockpot, one in Guinness beer in the other in water in a room full really good. Besides cabbage, red potatoes and carrots she also did some root vegetables.
On Thursday and Friday Robby and I took a long stroll out past the lighthouse. The weather was really beautiful and it was great to see Robby prancing down the walkway with his head up and a big smile.
I’m done with the visiting nurses and is released sad to see them go because they were so much help. The rest of my chair fitting I will do at Dominican with the rehab OT said PT’s. It will be nice to get back up in the standing frame, I was almost done with my session and ready to order the standing frame when I had to quit for my surgery. We need to work on my back rest in my chair. I have to do some tests to find out if I really have scoliosis or just weak muscles around my spine. they now make a mold of your back and make it into the back rest instead of adding a bunch of mechanical things, I’m really excited about that.
I got REALLY sick this weekend, I don’t remember the last time I have felt this miserable. My head felt like it was about to explode, my ear and throat were hurting really bad and I kept sneezing. I missed Robby’s play date and he didn’t get to go out and get any exercise but we will make up for it tomorrow and all next week.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Getting back to the old routine...
Getting up in my chair is getting easier every day. I am up to two hours a day to times a day. Today was the first day I went farther than the lagoon, I went down to the end of the wharf and then down to the boardwalk. Before my surgery they had just started rebuilding a haunted house and when I went by there today it looks like they are almost done with the outside of it, it even looks like it might be accessible.
The physical therapist came by on Wednesday and Friday to show the girls a proper way to do range of motion, most of them were too aggressive and did it way too fast. He also showed them some resistance exercises to strengthen my neck and shoulder muscles, I can already tell the difference. By the time I made it to the lagoon and back the first week I could barely hold my head up. You can bet that I sure am remembering to do weight shifts every hour.
I cannot wait until Tuesday when Teresa and Cassie go to pick up Robby, I cannot believe how much I miss that little guy. I didn’t really realize how many people noticed me when I was just cruising around but several people asked me where my dog was.
On Wednesday a bunch of people are coming over for corned beef and cabbage and cribbage. We get together once in a while but not often enough as far as I’m concerned, we really have a lot of fun.
I got to see Susan, the massage therapists, a couple of times this week. She brought over a movie “the weather girl”, it was a really great movie and we had fun just hanging out. She came by to other days to give me a massage and that always makes me feel GREAT and I sleep really well.
The physical therapist came by on Wednesday and Friday to show the girls a proper way to do range of motion, most of them were too aggressive and did it way too fast. He also showed them some resistance exercises to strengthen my neck and shoulder muscles, I can already tell the difference. By the time I made it to the lagoon and back the first week I could barely hold my head up. You can bet that I sure am remembering to do weight shifts every hour.
I cannot wait until Tuesday when Teresa and Cassie go to pick up Robby, I cannot believe how much I miss that little guy. I didn’t really realize how many people noticed me when I was just cruising around but several people asked me where my dog was.
On Wednesday a bunch of people are coming over for corned beef and cabbage and cribbage. We get together once in a while but not often enough as far as I’m concerned, we really have a lot of fun.
I got to see Susan, the massage therapists, a couple of times this week. She brought over a movie “the weather girl”, it was a really great movie and we had fun just hanging out. She came by to other days to give me a massage and that always makes me feel GREAT and I sleep really well.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Back in the Rojo again...
My first day up in my chair was kind of frustrating. I really wanted to get out and go but my body was not ready for it yet. I made it to the lagoon and then felt really dizzy so I came back and tilted back in my chair or while and tried it again. Today seem to be a lot easier and it’s just going to get easier the more I do it. Stanley, David and Corinne came down last night and spent the night so I got to go for a cruise with Corinne a couple of times. We went to the lagoon and fed the fish and the ducks. I get nervous going over the water but I did it and hopefully the more I do it the easier it will get. All in all I am SO glad to be home and got to finally be able to get up in my chair and cruise around once again. As always it was really great to see them. My neighbors across the street moved and I’m really going to miss them but they just moved up the street. They had our yard sale and I found a couple of really cool things.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Almost there...
I cannot even begin to say how great it is to be back home and to see everybody on a regular basis again. Tomorrow I’m supposed to start getting up in my chair for an hour twice a day, the next week two hours a day twice and so on... Teresa is going to go up to Santa Rosa and pick up Robby March 16th, I missed him so much and I cannot wait to see him again.
Last Friday marked my sixth week and I was supposed to start getting back in my chair a little at a time Sunday. Nobody has been able to get a hold of the surgeon to find out exactly what kind of range of motion I need to have done before I can get up. I have called and left a message as well as two nurses and the physical therapist, hopefully we will hear something this week. I did ask the surgeon before I left the hospital what I need to do and she said that after care will know...well they don’t. The weather is starting to look really beautiful and I cannot wait to get outside and cruise around.
Today it has been two weeks since I have been home from the hospital, tomorrow seven weeks since my surgery, and I finally got the okay to get up for an hour to an hour and a half twice a day, I cannot wait until tomorrow. I don’t know how hard it’s going to be trying to sit upright and drive my chair... everything slowly I guess. Today is supposed to be the only nice day this week but rain or shine I will be out there cruising around. It would be nice to just go down to the wharf and have a crab Louie salad.
Last Friday marked my sixth week and I was supposed to start getting back in my chair a little at a time Sunday. Nobody has been able to get a hold of the surgeon to find out exactly what kind of range of motion I need to have done before I can get up. I have called and left a message as well as two nurses and the physical therapist, hopefully we will hear something this week. I did ask the surgeon before I left the hospital what I need to do and she said that after care will know...well they don’t. The weather is starting to look really beautiful and I cannot wait to get outside and cruise around.
Today it has been two weeks since I have been home from the hospital, tomorrow seven weeks since my surgery, and I finally got the okay to get up for an hour to an hour and a half twice a day, I cannot wait until tomorrow. I don’t know how hard it’s going to be trying to sit upright and drive my chair... everything slowly I guess. Today is supposed to be the only nice day this week but rain or shine I will be out there cruising around. It would be nice to just go down to the wharf and have a crab Louie salad.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
My hospital ordeal...
My surgery was 7:30 AM on Friday, January 15th, that meant that I had to leave my house at 4 AM so my caregiver had to be At my place at 2 AM. Everything will really well and I was on time. The worst part about surgery for me, because of course I’m out so it goes by really fast, it is waking up just feeling really awful and there’s nothing you can do about it and they want you to cough a lot. They brought me up to my new room and here I am.
It has been a little over a week and although I’m keeping myself busy and going a little bit stir crazy. Charlie and Terry came by on Saturday to visit, he was really good to see them and I didn’t realize how much and miss them. They brought me some beautiful daffodils that are on my computer table and blooming like crazy and and they brought me a stuffed tiger that sings with a Neil Diamond song “Sunflower”, I love tigers.
The first Tues Teresa and Heather came to visit and Heather brought me a couple of her famous chicken wraps, I ate them both that night... I already miss Heather’s cooking.
Wed it took from 2PM to 9PM, asked 6 nurses, to get help with a BP and took me between 7PM and 9PM, asking 3 nurses, to get a Xanax.
Sun Stan & Mom came by for a visit, it was really great to see them and Stanley brought me a box of candy that I hid from everybody.
Wed Susan came by and brought Filipino food and we watched Americas funniest animals, I learned that I love Filipino food.
Mon I got my staples out 10 days I go home.
Tues Teresa and Sharon Pizza, I was glad to see them. I thought I was going home soon so I had them take my computer, I wish I would have known it was going to be two more weeks.
Corinne & Stan, drove to Santa Cruz and spent the night than drove Mom to the hospital to visit. I really did love having people visit but it really was silly for them to drive an hour and a half, stay a couple of hours in my very small room that I had to share with somebody, and then turn around and drive back.
I am writing all of this after so I don’t even remember what the days were any more. Mom and Cassidy drove down to see me, Cassidy is trying to get some driving hours for her license.
I am really missing Robby.
The doctors and nurses at Seton were amazed by my arm movement. Because of the tendon transfer surgery I had a lot more movement than most of the people that came through there, I am so lucky to have had the surgery.
The scariest incident at a hospital was when I got so impacted that it sent me into autonomic dysreflexia. I started sweating really bad and I asked the R.N. to please get somebody to help me because I was sick and needed a bowel program. After a while a nurse came by to help the Lady in the other side of the room and I told her to please help me because I am feeling really sick. After a while I started getting the chills, a really bad headache and I could feel my heart beating really strong. By the time the nurse came to help I was in full panic mode and told her I needed to sit up IMMEDIATELY because I was experiencing autonomic dysreflexia. She could see that I was panicked and finally rushed to get some help. By the time they sat me up and took my blood pressure it was 195 over 100, by that time I could have had a stroke or passed out. It’s a good thing I didn’t because nobody seemed to know what autonomic dysreflexia was, the R.N. had heard of it and knew that it was serious but did not know what to do. I told them what to do and immediately felt better.
It has been a little over a week and although I’m keeping myself busy and going a little bit stir crazy. Charlie and Terry came by on Saturday to visit, he was really good to see them and I didn’t realize how much and miss them. They brought me some beautiful daffodils that are on my computer table and blooming like crazy and and they brought me a stuffed tiger that sings with a Neil Diamond song “Sunflower”, I love tigers.
The first Tues Teresa and Heather came to visit and Heather brought me a couple of her famous chicken wraps, I ate them both that night... I already miss Heather’s cooking.
Wed it took from 2PM to 9PM, asked 6 nurses, to get help with a BP and took me between 7PM and 9PM, asking 3 nurses, to get a Xanax.
Sun Stan & Mom came by for a visit, it was really great to see them and Stanley brought me a box of candy that I hid from everybody.
Wed Susan came by and brought Filipino food and we watched Americas funniest animals, I learned that I love Filipino food.
Mon I got my staples out 10 days I go home.
Tues Teresa and Sharon Pizza, I was glad to see them. I thought I was going home soon so I had them take my computer, I wish I would have known it was going to be two more weeks.
Corinne & Stan, drove to Santa Cruz and spent the night than drove Mom to the hospital to visit. I really did love having people visit but it really was silly for them to drive an hour and a half, stay a couple of hours in my very small room that I had to share with somebody, and then turn around and drive back.
I am writing all of this after so I don’t even remember what the days were any more. Mom and Cassidy drove down to see me, Cassidy is trying to get some driving hours for her license.
I am really missing Robby.
The doctors and nurses at Seton were amazed by my arm movement. Because of the tendon transfer surgery I had a lot more movement than most of the people that came through there, I am so lucky to have had the surgery.
The scariest incident at a hospital was when I got so impacted that it sent me into autonomic dysreflexia. I started sweating really bad and I asked the R.N. to please get somebody to help me because I was sick and needed a bowel program. After a while a nurse came by to help the Lady in the other side of the room and I told her to please help me because I am feeling really sick. After a while I started getting the chills, a really bad headache and I could feel my heart beating really strong. By the time the nurse came to help I was in full panic mode and told her I needed to sit up IMMEDIATELY because I was experiencing autonomic dysreflexia. She could see that I was panicked and finally rushed to get some help. By the time they sat me up and took my blood pressure it was 195 over 100, by that time I could have had a stroke or passed out. It’s a good thing I didn’t because nobody seemed to know what autonomic dysreflexia was, the R.N. had heard of it and knew that it was serious but did not know what to do. I told them what to do and immediately felt better.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Pre surgery...
A week ago Wednesday I went up to Stanford to have a bone scan to see if my wound had reached the bone. Last Thursday I went up to Seton medical center to see Dr. Crew, Seton is supposed to be the best place to be if you have a wound. Dr. crew said that I needed to get flap surgery so I went up today to talk to the surgeon and it looks like I’m going to have flapped surgery on Friday. They cut a teardrop shape piece of skin from your knee to your thigh, work the muscle up over the wound and stitch it closed. They put you on a clinitron bed, a bed that is filled with moving air and sand so you don’t have to change position, for 6-8 weeks. In order to heal the wound like this it would take six months in bed and it will always be a place to open up a really easy.
Canine companions for Independence has agreed to take Robby back while I’m in the hospital. That way they can continue working with him and exercising him and when I get out I will be able to get him back and we can start living a great life. Except for this last week I have only been able to get up for a couple of hours every other day and the entire time was dedicated to exercising and working with Robby, we have become really close and this is going to be very hard.
I had just introduced Robby to the dog around the corner, Bean, and they got along really well. Both are puppies and love to play. On Sunday I have been taking Robby to Bayview elementary school for a play date with my primary care doctors puppy, Bella, and another couple couples puppy that we met over there, Bonnie. They all get along so well and it is He so much fun to watch them play. I am sure that when we come back home we will resume.
Canine companions for Independence has agreed to take Robby back while I’m in the hospital. That way they can continue working with him and exercising him and when I get out I will be able to get him back and we can start living a great life. Except for this last week I have only been able to get up for a couple of hours every other day and the entire time was dedicated to exercising and working with Robby, we have become really close and this is going to be very hard.
I had just introduced Robby to the dog around the corner, Bean, and they got along really well. Both are puppies and love to play. On Sunday I have been taking Robby to Bayview elementary school for a play date with my primary care doctors puppy, Bella, and another couple couples puppy that we met over there, Bonnie. They all get along so well and it is He so much fun to watch them play. I am sure that when we come back home we will resume.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year...
The wound vacuum starts out with a piece of foam over the wound and a hose that sucks all of the air out of the foam and consequently vacuums and tickles the sides of the wound to keep it stimulated for faster healing.
On Wednesday I went to Stanford to get a bone scan to see if the bone was infected, the wound is now tunneling around the bone. There is absolutely no sign of infection, it is just a precaution. My appointment at Stamford was at 8 AM and as we were leaving at 6:30 AM the wound vacuum started beeping which means somewhere the hose is kinked or being crashed, none of these we can check in the van while I am fully dressed so we just try to ignore it. At 8:00 AM they gave me a shot and decided they were going to take the bone scan three times. After the first time of taking me out of my chair, putting me on the scanning table and then putting it back into my chair they decided that two times would be enough. The other bone scan they were going to do at 1 PM, the whole time the wound vacuum is beeping. By the time we got out of there, got home and got me into bed of course the wound vacuum was working perfectly. I woke up the next morning to the wound vacuum beeping and after calling and trying several things they decided to send out a visiting nurse that afternoon. The nurse replaced the dressing and everything worked perfectly. I’m going to Seton Hospital to see their wound care specialists, they are supposed to be the best in this area, and then I will know for sure how often and how long I will be able to beat up in my chair. My biggest concern is Robby, all of the time I am up in my chair is devoted to exercise and working with Robby and I just hope that it’s enough.
On Sunday I’m going to take Robby to meet Bela, my primary care doctors dog. They got her last Christmas and she is one year old. She is a bundle of energy, very friendly and I know will give Robby a good workout, I am so excited about it. I’m going to get a tennis ball launcher so that I can play with Robby but it’s nice to know that he will be able to have a playmate. Hopefully I will remember to take pictures.
On Wednesday I went to Stanford to get a bone scan to see if the bone was infected, the wound is now tunneling around the bone. There is absolutely no sign of infection, it is just a precaution. My appointment at Stamford was at 8 AM and as we were leaving at 6:30 AM the wound vacuum started beeping which means somewhere the hose is kinked or being crashed, none of these we can check in the van while I am fully dressed so we just try to ignore it. At 8:00 AM they gave me a shot and decided they were going to take the bone scan three times. After the first time of taking me out of my chair, putting me on the scanning table and then putting it back into my chair they decided that two times would be enough. The other bone scan they were going to do at 1 PM, the whole time the wound vacuum is beeping. By the time we got out of there, got home and got me into bed of course the wound vacuum was working perfectly. I woke up the next morning to the wound vacuum beeping and after calling and trying several things they decided to send out a visiting nurse that afternoon. The nurse replaced the dressing and everything worked perfectly. I’m going to Seton Hospital to see their wound care specialists, they are supposed to be the best in this area, and then I will know for sure how often and how long I will be able to beat up in my chair. My biggest concern is Robby, all of the time I am up in my chair is devoted to exercise and working with Robby and I just hope that it’s enough.
On Sunday I’m going to take Robby to meet Bela, my primary care doctors dog. They got her last Christmas and she is one year old. She is a bundle of energy, very friendly and I know will give Robby a good workout, I am so excited about it. I’m going to get a tennis ball launcher so that I can play with Robby but it’s nice to know that he will be able to have a playmate. Hopefully I will remember to take pictures.
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