The YMCA is closed for a week for cleaning. I need to figure out some other exciting activities to do today. First off. I think that we will start with the bed exercises. Crunches in the bed. While lying in the bed...try to straighten out the left leg by pushing down on the knee cap. Lie on the right side and I will help move the left leg...hip joint. Yes the dreaded e-stem to the leg. Standing for 10 minutes.
We will need to eat breakfast and have meds first....Probably yogurt and p
I just started taking pictures of therapy...I realize now that I should have done this earlier. But, now I can look at the picture and now what the therapy was about. We will be starting home therapy since...the insurance is cutting down the number per year. But, it will be a nice break. I have learned alot...The pool is my primary goal. I still take William every day,,But,the pool will be closed for week. So I am coming up with a land based plan.
William is glad for the break from the
I found tickets to the "Color Purple" It will be at the Hobby Center this Sunday. It is a Theater under the Stars production. We had season tickets...I had to forgo all of the venues this year. But, this is the last one. I picked up the phone yesterday and asked if I could exchange the tickets for wheelchair accessable one. They said yes. So ...Sunday evening we will be going down to the Hobby center. William says that he doesn't hear well. But, he heard me exchanging the tickets. He is
We had to wait 20 min. to use the shower again. Oh, no the same old lady. This time she said that the since nobody was in the shower she was using it. She said that she is handicapped also. I mentioned that the women't lockerroom has a shower with a bench and rails to hold onto. She like this one. She complained at the front desk and said that she was shakey and felt like she was going to pass out...therefore needed to use that shower. I mentioned that if you are feeling faint then a priv
Friday. WE had OT at 8AM used e-stem. I took pictures so that I will know where to place the electrodes. I took pictures of using the massager. THe arm is really not coming back very quickly. It is downright slow!!!!but, we will persevere.
He had Kathy for PT. He was in the lit gait and walked on the treadmill for 45 min. He was exhauted. But, he was able to do it.
I was going to the YMCA after therapy. I was just going to use the shower. BUt, I noticed that the pool was empty s
Great day today. I have the day off. Got to the pool by 6:40AM. A little late for us. We are the early morning group. William did not want to go to the pool this morning. He just did not want to part with his nice comfortable bed. But, after grumbling and trying to talk his way out of it....we are on our way. We did 30 minutes of walking. William was able to walk with just the flotation belt. No noodle under his arms. I noticed that he would take his hand off the side of the pool and
I am glad to hear that William's appetite has come back a little. He is actually trying to eat. He finally admitted that the hospital did not like it when he did not eat and that he needs to eat to have energy.
He is eating very healthy. He has yogurt for breakfast and some fruit. For lunch he went out with AJ to Paneras. Salad and soup. HE brought part of the salad home and had it for dinner. So soup and Salad for dinner. When I got home he had cachews and gatorade.
Tomorrow i
I am thinking of increasing William's independence. I will try to cut down on caretaker hours. An hour at the beginning and end of the day. I think that it is time to try some independence. William told me that he thinks that the caregivers have primarily given him company. This has helped with his state of mind. They are company. But, they do not do alot while they are here and they are a hughe drain on the budget. I cannot wait to have them gone ...but, I know that we still need them f
William woke up in time to take meds and yogurt for breakfast. AJ came and took William to PT and OT. OT used e-stem on the hand. PT did not have a great day. OUr usual PT was not there. THe substitute was not as good. We went out to breakfast. Then I took William to the pool. He is tired. But, he kept going. Finally got home at 2PM. I let William take a nap. Woke him up and tried the e-stem. I was going to read the lesson for bible study. But, realized that I was exhausted. I had
The newest hand splint is not working well. The hand manages to slide out and bend at the knuckles. I will have to ask them to work on that.
William had a great day today. Up at 5AM ..we made it to the pool by 5:30AM. WE did walking for 30 min. I keep stressing that we need to increase endurance and stamina. HOme by 7AM. He has his meds and yogurt for breakfast. Back to bed for William. I tell him that he can rest until 9AM. Friends are coming over to stay with him and give me some
Up at 5AM. Early to the pool. Had a great workout in the pool. It helps that I prepare William the evening before for the early morning. He did alot of walking. I am trying to build up his stmina. I know that he was tired from the long day yesterday. He is snoozing now. In an hour, friends will come over and play 3 handed bridge with him. I get respite and will take off for 2 or 3 hours.
William had such a great day yesterday that he could not wait to sign up for the trip today. T
We just had a long day... An outing with the YMCA. I took William in his wheelchair. We left the YMCA at 9:15Am. WE are loaded on the bus on the wheel chair lift. I stand on the lift with William in the wheel chair. We head downtown. William again says that I need a GPS. I have a terrible sense of direction.
Headed for downtown Houston to the Federal Reserve. We go through one entrance. and enter into a compound. Now we all get off the bus. William and I are last. We take the lift
I am so glad that I am using a service for caregivers. I went to work at 7:30AM yesterday morning. I expected a caregiver to show up at 8AM. I had a lab appt. set for 8:40AM. I am at work and get a call from the homehealth company at 9:45AM. They tell me that the caregiver just called and said that she can't make it today. Luckily, I had gotten William and up and given him his morning meds and taken care of the bathroom before I left. I was almost going to leave all that for the caretak
The first of August. I cannot believe that time flies. It just doesn't stop. I went to work today. THerefore William did not get alot of work down. It was a down day. He got to relax. He seems very confused sometimes. I don't know why that is. Somedays are just not as good as others.
More later. He has been getting better at playing mah jong on the computer.
I was reminded about all of the things that I had to do to get ready for discharge.
1. Go down to medical records and get release forms.. This is release Williams medical records to his new doctor;s. Cardiologist, Rehab, Primary care, Neuro. And I order one for myself. (I end up getting 10 pages of nothing for $64.00). I also go to a different dept and order a CD of all of his tests.
2. Make appts with all of the new MD's . for about a week after we get home.
3. Call home health t
We started to read the CHINA Study. This is a study that advocates being a vegetarian. William really got into the book. I , myself, think that a little meat is OK. Well, as you know. Coumadin patients should have regular consistent diets. WE just had lab work done. William's blood was stable. Now it is too thick. I told the MD. I forget, to tell you. William has decided to be a vegetarian. This is OK. They just need to be notified. So, now we are back to more frequent blood work
William is making progress. Positive. SLow by steady. I think that is the way that William has always been. Slow and steady. In therapy the PT has his walking with min assist each session. This makes William feel good. He is also walking in the pool. Everybody is watching his progress and they are all so supportive at the pool. We are part of the early morning pool gang. The handicapped need to get to the pool early to beat the little kids. Lessons start at 8AM. Today William was too
Yes, we tried accupuncture. The accupunturist said that you sh0uld try it before 6 months post stroke. We did this for about 2 months. It did not seem to help and William does NOT like needles. WE discontinued the therapy.
This was a very busy time. We had OT, PT, ST 3 times a week and accupuncture twice a week.
The accupuncture would treat the unaffected side of the body. Hoping to open up meridians to get the flow of energy going to the affected side. We took herbal remedies
While in the hospital. My son learned of the ROho cushion. He said that since William will be spending alot of time in the wheelchair, I need to make sure that it is comfortable. THe best in comfort is the Roho cushion. I asked the case manager and PT to order a Roho cushion for the wheelchair. I was expecting this upon discharge. A roho cushion is made up of lots of little cells that are filled with air. They have multiple kinds. Check out their web site. This particular cushion will
This is our 4th hand splint. Of course, getting a hand splint made take up the hour of OT. But, we need one. William wears his every day. We started with the ready made ones in the hospital. Each therapy place has made us one. We needed a new one today...because William hand keeps popping out of the splint. They tell me that this one has some wrist extension. They will check is weekly and modify it as needed by heating it and bending it. They also need to add the thumb part on next week
In the first rehab place. They suggest that we get an AFO. I have no idea what they are talking about. But, as true to my nature I google it and find out what it is. That sounds good. The PT puts in an order. I am supposed to go to some shop and get William fitted for an AFO. When we get to the shop, the person asks what kind we want??? What kind?? I thought there was only one kind. I had seen the plastic ones. Well, what do you have and what are the differences?? She brings out a pl
It is difficult to realize that you have to make so many choices on care. I believed that all rehabs would provide the same type of services. Wrong. There are alot of orthorpedic rehab units. I believe that the therapists really like ortho more. It is actually easier. They just have to sit there and count the number of reps of whatever that a patient does.
Stroke patients have a brain component. This is neuorlogical. Sometimes lack of comprehension, memory, carry over, irritation,
We start outpatient therapy at Methodist Willowbrook hospital. It is like a sister hospital of the downtown one that William had been in for 2 months. We have PT, OT and ST. I had chosen this facility because it has a hydrotherapy pool. I did not know that hydrotherapy is not covered by insurance for stroke patients. The PT person works with William. Primarily doing transfers, OT tries to help the arm, ST is the best of the 3 at this place. I am hoping that we can work with this place. I
I was so tired of being at the hospital. That I didn't care about fighting for more rehab time there. All I could think about was. No more 5:30AM blood draws and meds before shift change. No more waiting for the PT and OT and ST to show up. I don't care how hard it is going to be. I want to take William home. I had spend every minute that I was not at work at the hospital. That meant, I would leave work at 10 and get to the hospital with the 11PM shift. I would stay until 1Pm and get t
The 2 weeks on rehab is rather scary. Why only two weeks? Well, we will make the best of it. I have William dressed and ready to go each morning. I was told that they have to be dressed and ready for therapy. Now, I learn that part of therapy is learning how to get dressed. WEll, we skipped that part. WE wait for the PT person to come to the room and take us to the 4th floor for therapy. They try to get William up. IT is difficult. He does not have much balance or strength. BEing on t
