Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Update from David

Aloha to our Ohana,

The past week has been a quiet one with limited contact from Theresa
herself. There was a phone call or two from her nurses earlier in the week
to update me with basic information from Theresa's daily progress chart,
i.e. she ate 70% of her meals, attended four hours of therapy, used the
commode 3X, required Oxycodone twice, brushed her teeth and hair,
dressedher upper body, and performed other activities of daily living.
Aside fromthis clinical checklist, I haven't learned too much about
Theresa's progressin her rehab therapies after the sutures were removed
from her right ankle/heel or about the x-rays that were taken last week.
That is, until this past weekend when Theresa phoned me with some
good news.

Her right foot is still not weight-bearing however she is doing leg lifts
and light exercises on it in addition to wearing the Dyna-splint up to four
hours per day. In collaboration with the OT/PT staff, Theresa continues to
stand on her left leg for extended periods and the pain in the left shoulder
is subsiding as she slowly regains flexibility and motion in that arm. Even
more exciting for Theresa is that her new wheelchair arrived and it's
properly sized so now she can use her left leg to propel the chair forward
along with both arms. This means Theresa is able to wheel herself pretty
much in a straight line and that allows her more freedom to roam the unit
and beyond.

Theresa told me it feels good to get around and she's used her newfound
mobility to enhance her joy rounds. She recounted some recent
admissions where the patients were either injured in ATV rollovers,
skiing crashes or even waterpark related accidents and how she consoled
the parents to help relieve their guilt over allowing their children to
participate in these activities. Compassion is not often displayed by
patients with brain and spinal cord injuries during their in-hospital stay
so it is a testament to our Lord's healing powers that Theresa can pass
along His grace to those that need it the most.

On a separate note, Theresa surprised me with a call today because she
heard on the news that Kilauea Volcano was erupting and spewing lava
fountains over the weekend. She warned me to leave if the lava flows
towards our home and I promised her I would keep an eye on it.
Fortunately for us, the lava flows are 80 miles away and headed in the
opposite direction. Still, it's a wonderful sign that Theresa now remembers
where we live and for her memory to have come so far in so short a time
is another of God's miracles.

As Theresa's medical condition continues to improve, the goal over the next
few weeks will be to prepare her for a possible move to a transitional rehab
facility. This will allow Theresa to continue with her daily rehab
therapies while staying in a more home-like environment that provides
assisted living care. Depending on whether our health insurance will cover
it, this may be at the patient housing at Craig Hospital or a dedicated
facility elsewhere on the mainland. In either case, this next path along
our healing journey leads Theresa that much closer to coming home. She
has mentioned more than once how she is longing for Hawaii however
for now, the best rehab therapy for her injuries is still far away from home.
Theresa's sister Wanda is planning to visit next week and I plan to return
for the move to the transitional living facility. Until then, please join me in
prayer for the healing and wellbeing of Theresa and everyone else in need
of our Lord's Grace.

Mahalo,

David

1 comment:

  1. Thinking of both you and Theresa, David. :-)

    much love,
    Darien and family

    ReplyDelete