We need more power, Scotty!

This afternoon we had the family conference with the therapists, essentially a report card on how things are going. My elbow is definitely holding me back from a couple of important tasks, like fall recovery, but I still need to be stronger as well and that will help. Looks like I'll have to ramp up on the weights at the gym starting tomorrow.

My release date depends a lot on when my elbow surgery happens and how well I recover from that, but we're hoping for sometime around mid-June if all goes well. As of today I've done everything I need to be able to do at least once (aside from fall recovery!) so it's a matter of getting stronger and practice, practice and more practice.

Yes I Can

Cappuccino! After therapy treat.

Things started off good today, as I was able to have my shower on the tub bench for the first time as part of my daily routine and it went really well. I had been having trouble getting my legs in and out of the tub, but I even managed that part this morning.

This afternoon I practiced transferring between my chair and the mat with the mat a few inches higher. I did it once fine, but that pretty much wore me out and I had trouble after that. The hard part is that you have to lean forward to balance on your legs, and then lean forward even further, which naturally raises your butt, and then turn. It takes a lot of faith to balance and then lean over even more as it feels like you're going to fall right over. I'll be fine with some practice though.

Goin' Mobile

Today was my driving evaluation, it was pretty much like a driver's test at the DMV and took a couple of hours. There was a vision test, a neuropsych part and a short Q&A test, and then we went driving. We started in a parking lot, did some city driving and even went on the freeway for a short hop. The hand controls were no problem and fairly intuitive, but my actual driving is definitely a bit rusty. I'll get the report tomorrow and we'll see what the official result is.

An interesting new part of my therapy is playing the Wii video game, and that was a nice surprise. Ryan and I played tennis, baseball and bowling. He beat me pretty handily at tennis and baseball, but I won a couple of rounds of bowling.

We had an interesting visit from Medal of Honor winner and motivational speaker Mike Thornton today, he talked for an hour about his adventures in Vietnam and the circumstances that led to him earning the medal.

I've fallen and I can't get up...yet

Ironically, after my tipover yesterday one of the therapy sessions today was fall recovery. Rather than trying right away to get in the chair, the therapist had me try and get up from the floor to the mat on its lowest setting, about 20 inches up. There was no way it was going to happen today, I'm not strong enough yet and I can't bend my elbow enough to reach up and push on something high. Eventually, though.

That really tired me out, and along with that I went to the gym and did almost a full hour of sitting balance today, both are things that wear me right out. It doesn't matter though, I'm still feeling good after my trip home yesterday and that got me through most of the day.

AT come home!

Who's this at my door?

Debbie and I had a great day at home today. We started with bacon and homemade waffles for brunch, along with cappuccino. After brunch we hung out by the pool for a bit, then watched some TV (Big Bang Theory). Debbie has picked up all kinds of pull-out shelves for the kitchen cupboards, so we installed one of those and it works really well for getting things out of the cupboard. A cup of tea, more TV, and then we cooked fajitas on the BBQ for dinner.

I did have one little mishap today, going down the ramp from the front office the front wheels of my chair got caught in a rut and I fell out of the chair. I had pretty much saved myself and got my hands on the ground, so it ended up being real gentle. Luckily, here was a big strong fellow just inside the office that picked me up and slipped me back in the chair easy. At least I've got the first fall out of the way, but I really need to find out how to get back up myself as I'm sure it will happen again.

Even with that it was a great day overall, and I can't wait to visit again.

When life gives you lemons...

This morning I was in for a surprise as I was scheduled for an outing to the Upland Lemon Festival rather than therapy. Debbie happened to be here early so she was able to go as well, and we had a nice time. It was a lot of wheeling around and there were a lot of obstacles like curbs and plastic tubes covering wires, so I'm sure I'll sleep good tonight.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I had my first shower in a real bathtub with the tub bench. I managed the transfer to the bench and back again with a bit of trouble, and I definitely need more practice with that, but the shower itself was no problem. This is how I'll end up showering at home, so it's a big step for me to be able to do it.

Tomorrow is the big day at home. I think Debbie has been planning the meals for the whole week, but it sounds like we'll be having waffles for brunch and fajitas for a late lunch/early dinner. Yum! Maybe I won't sleep so good tonight...

Doctor, Doctor

This morning I went to visit the doctor that fixed my elbow up, he recommends operating to remove the bone buildup. That's what we're going to do, so sometime around mid-May I'll be heading back to Huntington hospital for a couple of days to have that done. It will definitely set me back a couple of weeks, as I'll be immobile for a while, but I'll be happy to have it done now rather than worry about it down the road.

Other than that it was a pretty quiet day, although I managed to jump some curbs this afternoon. My visit home for Sunday is all booked, I get to spend the whole day at the new apartment or thereabouts

Lunch is served!

Lunch ended up being a success. Ryan - one of the other patients here - and I cooked pasta with meat sauce along with a salad and bread. We started at 10:00 and served exactly at noon, surprisingly. Debbie brought cupcakes for dessert, I had so much pasta I had to save my cupcake for later.

This afternoon I went to see the dentist about my broken tooth, which will have to be replaced. No more Punkinhead Martin soon enough!

What's for lunch!

In preparation for cooking lunch tomorrow, I went grocery shopping with another of the patients here this afternoon. We were basically left on our own at the door of the store, and it all went well. We at least didn't leave behind a trail of broken glass. Pasta, hamburger, tomato sauce, salad, bread... oh, and Debbie's bringing dessert. Hopefully it will all turn out okay.

Almost status quo

It turned out to be a surprisingly productive day today. This morning I felt good enough to work on getting up ramps in the chair a bit easier, and that went well. This afternoon I practiced transfers to different things: a couch in the office, the mat at a different height, and best of all, the bathroom bench. That part is super-important to me because once I can get that down I'll be set to do my whole morning ritual on my own. And that's the last major task standing between me and going home. Speaking of, I get a day pass to go home for the day this Sunday, and I'm really looking forward to that. Once again, there are so many things I'd like to do I'll probably end up not deciding what to do, but just relaxing and enjoying the day.

Monday morning weigh-in

Today I felt way better than I have in more than a week, and was able to manage almost the full day of therapy. I scaled in at 123 pounds this morning, a bit down from what I was a couple of weeks ago, but a lot better than what I feared after not eating for so long. It shouldn't take me long to get back on track, especially with all the supplements Debbie got for me!

Week 11: Dealing with Setbacks

It was a pretty unproductive week as I spent most of it in bed, but I would still prefer to look at it as a week closer to being home than a wasted week. My UTI was very frustrating and probably set me back more than a couple of weeks. The only direction to look, though, is forward to the future. Once I've licked the UTI I plan to work even harder!

A step better

My infections definitely feel a bit better today, so I think I'm finally on the mend. Still, I feel like someone's punched me in the stomach, kicked me in the butt and knocked me down, driven over me with a Mack truck and then backed up just to make sure that I ache all over. Tomorrow I should be able to do some therapy, though, so that will be nice.

I'm back...kindof

I'm feeling quite a bit better today as the doctors have a handle on what's ailing me: Two UTIs (urinary tract infections), which require two antibiotics - and one of them doesn't work on me, for some reason. I started two new antibiotics a couple of days ago, and everything seems to be headed back to normal, leaving me simply worn out from the whole thing.

Today I was able to get up in the chair a couple of times, albeit with a lot of help. Debbie's here and set me up with the laptop so I could post something, and hopefully we'll be back to more positive updates in just a couple of days.

Update

For the past week Andrew has been fighting a rather nasty infection. Yesterday they gave him two shots of a potent antibiotic and he is feeling much better this morning as a result. He should be back online soon. Thank you for your support and concern.

deb

Thursday Outing

Because the weather was a bit dodgy today, we went to the mall today for the weekly outing. I managed a lot better than the first time as far as wheeling around goes, but I was really worn out when we went back to therapy this afternoon. The mall was a lot busier this time as well, but I'm getting used to that and it was no problem.

Some of my friends at home are hosting the Parts Canada Superbike Championship Preview Day, and part of the festivities includes a silent auction for my benefit. It's on April 18th at On The Park in Toronto, and there is more information here: Parts Canada Superbike Championshiop Preview Day.

Today's picture is of Kent and I racing at Daytona last year in the Moto-ST 8-hour race. It was loads of fun, although neither of us finished unfortunately. Brian J. Nelson took the picture, it's another one of my favorites.

The Day After

Nothing I did today could match the great day I had yesterday, but it was a good day nonetheless. My cold is pretty much gone, and the buzz from yesterday let me increase all my weights at the gym without any trouble. The trip home makes me even more motivated to finish up here at the Casa as soon as possible, and I'm working even harder toward the goal of being totally independent when I leave. It's within reach now, and it won't be long.

Home!

view slideshow here

What a great day! I woke up feeling a lot better than I have been, but I don't think it would have mattered much. I was so looking forward to going home for the day I would have gone no matter what. We started with the home evaluation, and that went well with no surprises. The doorways in the new apartment building are all plenty wide enough, the bathroom and kitchen are huge, and there is tons of room to wheel around in. All we really have to worry about are rails for the tub and some other small bathroom details.

Debbie and I barbecued hot dogs for lunch, a nice change from the hospital food. After lunch we explored a bit, checking out the complex, and then we just hung out by the pool for a while. The building is really nice with lots of amenities, and the apartment is pretty much perfect. I can't wait to go back now!

Two Steps Forward...

It was a pretty quiet day today, I ended up staying in bed this afternoon as the therapy this morning wore me right out. My cold seems a bit better, but now I'm running a bit of a fever. Even something as simple as a cold is compounded by my paralysis. It doesn't take much to sap all my energy, and I can go from shivering to sweating in just a few minutes. And because I can't expel a breath quickly now, that makes things like sneezing, coughing, and blowing my nose almost impossible.

Hopefully, a good night's sleep will fix me right up, because tomorrow is the big day.

Standing Room Only

This week I got to try out the standing frame for the first time. I haven't been able to until now because of my knee ligaments, but that's healed well enough now. Standing is good for bone density, circulation and reducing spasms, but I enjoyed it just because I got to be at regular height again - it's nice to be able to see things as I used to.

Week nine was pretty good even aside from that, I'm getting a lot handier in the chair and on the exercise mat - I can do a lot of my own leg exercises now, something I'll have to do regularly to keep the range of motion good in them. Unfortunately, I've picked up a cold that kept me in bed Saturday afternoon and most of Sunday. Hopefully it will be gone before Tuesday because I get to go home for the day and check out our new apartment!

I'm glad it's the weekend

(in color)
There's not much new to report today, it was just another full day of therapy that wore me right out. I thought I'd post this picture of me on our SV650 project bike that I put together and raced in 2003. I qualified for the SV Cup final at Road Atlanta and had a great time. Brian J. Nelson took the picture, it's one of my favorites.

Sleeping on the Job

Thursday is outing day, and today's trip was to the local Albertsons and then out for lunch. Only thing was, we didn't drive there, we wheeled. And it was a long way. Uphill. It was a great trip though, I bought some cookies at the grocery store, and we had a great Mexican lunch. And the trip home was downhill, luckily.

I was bushed after this morning, but it was straight back to therapy this afternoon. The first session was mat exercises, and in the break between sessions I ended up falling asleep for a few minutes on the mat. The last hour was sitting balance, one of the exercises that wears me out the most of course. Like I said a couple of days ago, just when I think they can't work me any harder...

Another busy day

Just when I think they can't work me any harder, the therapists come up with new things to torture me with. Today started off regularly enough, with lower body stretching and a trip to the fitness center, but for the last hour before lunch I practiced uneven transfers - getting from the chair to the mat with the mat a few inches higher than the chair. It was hard work and wore me right out.

After lunch, the task was to kneel by the side of the mat and use my arms to hold myself up. Easy enough if you've got some strength in your legs, but I could only manage about 30 seconds at a time as it was pretty hard on my elbow. It was a nice exercise, though, and a lot of what they're having me do now is aimed at eventually being able to get in the chair from the floor.

Today's picture is from a houseboat trip we took last year to celebrate my mom's 75th birthday. It was the first morning, and my mom caught the first fish of the trip. It was a great holiday and we had a lot of fun (although it was a bit stressful driving the boat!).