A Paraffin Manicure

     Breakfast was sausage gravy and biscuits with four slices of bacon, cranberry juice and a small bowl of cantaloupe. And yes, greater love hath no man than to share a piece of bacon. Mmmmm while trying to reach his bacon, he leaned too far forward and did a face plant. He was trying to get the last slice of bacon. It was kinda startling. The nurses had to pull him back up, now it is funny.

     They are scheduling him to remove the blood clot filter in his leg, so no eating until after the removal. There is a sign on the door for no food in the mouth. NPO (Nil Per os)  is Latin for "nothing for mouth".

    OT is stretching his left arm and lifting his 3/4 lb weight with the right. She is talking about having someone go to our house and make recommendations for house renovations on the same day we want to come here.

    Speech has background music on and is having him talk over it. He is singing The First Noel. Breathe first before you sing. He is doing pitch weaving.

     PT did stretches on the mat, frog sit and some balance.

No lunch for him. He says he misses the H2O. 

   Aytree from SWIACH stopped in for a visit. I got a hug. We were very pleased to see her. She is the PT specialist there and was very helpful to us. What a blessing she is in our lives, very patient and kind.

     We found out there is someone in La Grande that has spinal cord injury rehabilitation experience Yeah!  They will fax her the info on the techniques they are using here so she will know what help we will need there. Yeah! I was not looking forward to three days here for six months. She is one of Central moms, two of her children go to Central school. I won't reveal her name until it is settled. 

     PT had him lifting weights. He is up to 1 pound.

    They strap his hands to the bar as his grip is not very strong.

Our friends, Jean Secl and Donna Patterson stopped in to say hello. Donna's husband Archie is getting another biopsy, four times he has beaten cancer.  And Jean was here to see her son and to help Donna drive back to La Grande.

    OT had Bruce put big pegs in small holes (is that a government thing?) and take them out. Then she dipped his left hand in warm wax, five times, wrapped it in Saran Wrap and then with a towel. She peeled the wax off and was able to manipulate his hand. She says his hand is looking more normal.

     It works really well, Beth is able to move his fingers without pain. They are  pleased his hand is looking more normal.

     Had a pleasant talk with the recreational therapist. She is planning for him to use the hospital wheelchair accessible mini van to look at Christmas lights and do a drive by tomorrow to see the step he will need to maneuver so he can eat Christmas dinner at the Robison's house. She wants to take him swimming too. 

     They came to remove the filter about 4:30. He was awake but didn't feel any pain. It is called conscious anthesized. It took about two hours. I started reading the third book in a Brian Jacques series, Voyage of Slaves. An easy escape book.

   He returned and was ready for dinner. He had turkey tetrazzini, roll, small salad, two cartons of milk and a partridge in a pear tree. No just can't remember what else he had. Sorry 

   We were both pretty tired so we watched a Charlie Brown Christmas. It is a short dvd and we both fell asleep. We woke up when they brought in his night meds so I headed for my Boise home.