A New Challenge

   Bruce is on level 5 on the step bike. Oops change that, they are having him step as fast as he can and he said it wore him out. He went back down to a level four. It makes the lef spasm return.

  Tuesday Bruce wanted to try the slide board at the end of the bed. It was harder than he thought. It is up hill and he didn't have his left arm brace on. We did it, it took longer than the sling and lift. We will get faster.

   At pool time the two aides asked Bruce to try walking without the neck float support. He said it made it harder, but he liked the challenge. The aides were concerned if Bruce loses his balance, he could fall forward or backward and not recover so they only will try that when they have two to work with him. Bruce was able to walk around the pool four times. He did sit to stands, and push off the side of the pool. He complains they don't do enough warm ups. 

  Rosala and Debbie once again outdid themselves with dinner. We enjoyed KFC with homemade tater salad, baked beans, orange slices and a still warm lemon meringue pie. Thank you ladies. You are spoiling us.

  Wednesday night Bruce had leg spasms again, twice, we were both calm and I didn't snap at him. I was able to place his leg back on the bed without any problems. We had Duncan put the bed rail together and Bruce decided he didn't want it on the bed, it would ruin the mattress. We will order a standing one that is removable.

   Thursday Bruce tried the slide board again. It goes a lot quicker than the lift and sling. E wore his arm brace.

   Friday PT worked with his left arm. They think they can get more out of it.

  We went on a field trip to the DMV. Bruce renewed his drivers license up to 2024 and we got a handicap accessible sign for that long too. We had to have a DRs signature. 

  Sonnet came twice this week to walk Hali our dog. Both like it. 

Saturday we went to the fundraiser pasta meal for the boy with a cancer tumor. Bruce got spaghetti and I got the chicken fettuccine. I liked the small bread sticks, have never seen them before, they could get addicting. It was good, Bruce had dessert, a slice of chocolate cake with white frosting. 

  Saturday night we took Andrew out to La Fiesta for his birthday dinner. I had a tostado salad with avocado and sour cream. So needless to say I ate way too much this day. 

Routine with Ups and Downs

It has been a busy week.

   Bruce has worked hard. Monday night he had a leg spasm and his leg fell off the bed. He yells at me to get his leg back on the bed. I am groggy and grumpy and he tells me not to snap at him. He asked for Tylenol because his shoulder hurt him. 

   Tuesday night his leg fell off the bed twice. He was nicer asking me to put his leg back on the bed for him. I guess we were expecting it so that helped. 

  Our health care provider found another bed frame to add to the side of the bed so his leg will stay on the bed. Trouble is it has to be removable so we can get him in and out of the bed with the sling. I saw one with legs that looks like it could slide under the mattress. 

   Pool time included Bruce walking on his knees and doing some standing. He was able to float on his back and do the bicycle kick. He was excited about that.

   Bruce has been able to get himself set up to use the urinal during the day. He uses it about five times a day. So the more he does the less we do. It takes about 15 min every time. We help him by emptying the urinal, putting his leg back on the pedal and re affixing the tabs on the attends. He has no feeling in his fingertips and it is difficult to get the tabs back in the right places so one of us, Duncan or I get him fixed up. One more step toward independence. We have to stop what we are doing to help him and sometimes it is annoying. Some days we don't begin a project until he is taken care of. Our lifestyles revolve around him. It is a personal encounter so only family can do this. Or a health care person could do it but what would they do every two hours? 

   It is the end of the week and he hasn't had any more leg cramps. good. We figure his leg muscles are starting to work again, they are firing up and he is getting spasms. 

   We got a heart attack this week! Thank you activity day girls (ages 8 - 11) for thinking of us!

  I saw a movie preview called Me Before You and liked the previews. I got the book out of the library. It is about a handsome, rich 35 year old business man that is in a motorcycle accident and ends up a quadriplegic C5 C6 like Bruce only his recover is just minor movement in one arm. He is able to move his motorized wheelchair with his fingers after two years. His mother hires this energetic young woman to care for him. So this is my review. 

   The book gives a lot of insight into the life of a spinal cord injury person. It talks of the anger and frustration Will has to deal with as his whole lifestyle was very physical. I felt the story gave insights to what a quad has to deal with, but it left out shifting weight during the day. I liked that it talked about people feeling sorry for a quad and talking down to some one in a wheelchair. I did not like all the f bombs. I do not like stories with rape violence in them. It is sweet love story with the My Fair Lady theme (Pygmalion) for Louisa to change and grow but Will did not come to terms with his life and his choices would not be our choices. It includes right to die issues and overcoming sexual violence and not letting one nights events govern your lifestyle. Seems to me what happened Louisa was devastating and I would have curled up in the fetal position. Will was giving her experiences and showing her what the world had to offer as she wanted to be safe and not leave her hometown. I think the negative outweighs the positive in the book and wouldn't recommend it to read.

  

One year Home

   Bruce got to make three month goals. By the end of three months he wants to be able to stand for 15 min. Now he can stand for 2 min. So by the end of Feb. he needs to be standing for five min to meet his goal, March would be 10 min. And the end of April he should be standing for 15 min. 

 His second goal is standing pivot transfer. So he should do that by the end of April.

At pool time he was able to walk and stand with some warm up exercises first. 

 On Wednesday Bruce was able to do Temple Recommend interviews in the evening. 

   Thursday, Bruce and the OT helpers were in the women's shower at the hospital. They have grab bars in there they use and the lights went out. Apparently they are motion sensor activated. Bruce said it was really dark. Niki moved toward the door and the lights came back on. 

Rosala brought us a chocolate m and m cake. Delicious! And Debbie brought a chicken, pasta broccoli casserole. Most excellent. Thank you for thinking of us!

New BB Jacket

   I had a mani/pedi on Tuesday. I love the massage chair. And Kim the manicurist remembers me or least my husband in the wheelchair. 
  Went to UFO yesterday and finished my bee quilt top and a minion lap quilt in blues, yellows and orange. Needless to say, It is bright. 
  My quilting friend, Rosala said she was cleaning out her garage and found a box with five quilt tops she had forgotten she had made. The one she was working on was tee shirts from all fifty states. It was huge and fun. She was adding borders to it. It was on heavier fabric so it will be a heavy, fun quilt. 
 
The PTs are having Bruce stand more, he stood for two minutes. They want him to be able to do a pivot turn, that is his next goal. Maybe we should have the primary children try that.
 Bruce's catheter came off. It does that sometimes, I gave him a urinal, we are just waiting for the helper to get here. Oh well I was just thinking I need to change the sheets. 
 Mark Shelton brought a LHS basketball jacket and vest for Bruce. He loves it and wears it all the time! Thank you Mark.