Increased Sensation!

     Arrived to find my husband with a carrot in his right hand taking a bite out of it. He is eating regular food now and he can feed himself with food that he doesn't have to hold tightly. He doesn't have the strength to hold a spoon. On the other hand, the left hand is giving him problems. They X-rayed it and it is not broken, but there is a lot of pain there and he can barely move it.

  The oxygen tube is gone from his nose and he has a smaller patch on his throat covering the Trach incision.  He can move the covers with his right hand to cover up his shoulders, he can wave bye bye and he can push the call button with his hand instead of moving his head to touch it with his cheek. Quite a bit of progress I'd say.

      While I was gone grandpa K had some visitors; Donna and Archie Patterson, Lee Flower, Lanny and Ava Hildebrandt, from La Grande and Bill Crawford a seminary student from 27 years ago from Rexburg, Idaho. He brought his wife and several children. Bruce said it was great to see him and meet his family and was grateful they came all the way from Rexburg to see him. 

     Mark Haynes stopped by this afternoon on his way to Ca. He is just missing the storm.

     

    A beautiful flower arrangement sent by our friend Julie! Thank you, he loves it. 

   PT came in to stretch Grandpa K before they put him on the standing board. As she was stretching his left leg, we both saw it move. So we had him move it again. Then Waldo came in and he made Bruce move it three more times. He put his hands under his knee and pushed up and had Bruce push down. WOW. Then he tried the right knee and he moved it once. Waldo told him not to make faces when he moved his knee. He got up to 30 degrees on the standing table then stopped, he gets dizzy still, the blood pressure thing, then he gets a headache. So that is the sign to stop.

      There is a really bright overhead light in his room and it is nicknamed the "Tanning light". Bruce grimaces when they turn it on. We usually use the back light over the bed for more subdued lighting. 

    I wasn't going to mention this but Bruce says to include he has increased sensation on his backside, he can feel the bedsores. Ow Last night as they were putting medicine on the sores he felt a tingling and today he feels pain. The nurses all say this is good so he will be able to tell them when he needs turned because he can feel the pain.