DAY 116, June 21. It was time to progress to the next phase of my recovery. It was time to leave Houston and return to Austin. My day started with my usual routine while mom and Kevin finished packing. They had already finished packing up their apartment. I said my good byes to the doctors, therapists, nurses and assistants. The staff had autographed a tee shirt for me. I prepared for my 150 mile cab ride to Austin. I did my transfer to my wheel chair, and the staff sang and danced in a parade to the elevator. Heart-felt thanks and good luck salutations were exchanged, and off I went, pushed by Martha and accompanied by mom and Kevin. I was loaded in the back of a mini van, which was designed to carry a wheel chair. Mom sat in the passenger seat and Kevin followed in my old van to complete our convoy. I felt like cargo strapped down in the back of the van. Mom and the cab driver hit it off and had a great conversation. I watched the landscape as it flew by. I had driven this route many times. After a three hour drive, we found our way to the hospital. I checked into my private room, which was rumored to have the biggest TV on the fourth floor. We unpacked and I settled into my new digs. It was a nice room. Mom and Kevin eventually left and went to a near by hotel.
Day 117- Mom and Kevin left for the long drive back to Wisconsin. I was on my own. I can’t thank them enough for all they have done. They both put their lives on hold to help me to recover. The definition of family.
The epic event of the day was my first real bowel movement (without an enema). All those mini-enemas came home to roost, with a vengeance. I filled my diaper with what felt like a big mud pie. It happened just before my therapist showed up, so I was mortified that he had to clean it up. But from that point forward, I had regular bowel movements. So it was another milestone, though a messy one.
Day 118- Today’s therapy was bathroom training. The usual toilet is like a low chair. The problem is that it is too low. It is impossible to get up, because my legs were too weak. The solution was to have an elevated seat mounted over the toilet bowl. I successfully used the toilet. Ker-plunk. Another milestone.
My mother and Kevin arrived home safely. Hurray.
Day 119- Evaluation Day. I met my doctor and therapists. Again, I had hit the jackpot. They all turned out to be exceptional….My room was near the nurses’ station, and close to the lunch room and therapy. My nurse was Vlady, complete with a Russian accent and the tech was Jack, a bear of a man with a heart of gold…. I still used a wheel chair. And when I was in bed, there was an alarm that sounded, to warn the nurse that I had left the bed without assistance.
Day 120- Therapy started full speed. In physical therapy, my therapist was Don. I started immediately on the treadmill. Again, I had a harness to help support a percentage of my weight and to catch me, if I fell. In occupational therapy, I worked with Mel(issa). We started on the hand bike, which had pedals like a bike, but for the arms. In speech therapy, I worked with Kirsten. We worked on facial exercises.
Day 123- Today, I walked alone using the walker. Another huge milestone. My independence day approached.
Day 124- The food was great. I loved the salmon and mashed potatoes. Eating was a pleasure. I ate salmon every day!
July 2013- My morning routine was different, yet similar. I was awakened for vitals. I would swallow my pills instead of having them ground up and washed down my feeding tube. I was not getting my anti-clot shot in my hip anymore. Breakfast would be served in bed. Then I would transfer myself with assistance into my wheel chair. This was done by adjusting the bed height so I could sit up, hold onto the handrails and stand up, then pivot into the wheel chair. I would then wheel myself to the wash basin to brush my teeth and wash off my face, and comb my hair. Then I would check the schedule for my therapy times. It was much simpler than before.
I wasn’t using my feeding tube for water intake. It was there as a back-up plan just in case. I was drinking thickened liquids with my meals. Eventually my feeding tube was removed. The way the tube was removed was pretty low tech. The doctor came in and firmly gripped the tube and pulled on it until it popped out. It was kind of like a tug of war. There was a ball attached to the tube just inside the stomach. This served as a gasket and a mechanis