Halloween

Well I made it through day one on my own. This morning I had a casting of my left leg, the one with the weak quad, so that they can make a brace to prevent my knee from buckling. It'll take about 3 weeks for the brace to be made, so until then I will just have to hope for the best. Then I met with the people who were going to be making me a custom cushion for my wheelchair. However after being assessed on their evaluated we determined that the cushion would provided no more comfort then any other cushion I've tried so far. So I will have to tough it out with what I've got and hopefully either they will find a combination of medications that work or I my body will simply have to heal from whatever is causing this pain. Other then that and Mom and Dad being gone theres not a lot new. It looks like it will be another weekend spent fairly close to the bed. Hope everyone has a good weekend.


Robert

Thursday

Today was Robert's appointment with the orthopedic doctor. Xrays were taken and according to the doctor, nothing in his pelvis seems to have shifted. Also he is able to get rid of the aircast on his left foot. However the area of concern on his spine where he has had a metal cage and which has been so bothersome to Robert did not get addressed. This was not this doctor's area, so Robert has to wait until next Friday when he has an appointment with the spinal doctor to find out what the story is there.Today's doctor gave no possible explanation for all the pain that Robert is in .... most unsatisfactory and uninformative in his answers to Robert's questions.
In an effort to deal with the pain better, Robert's doctor has started him on a new drug .... time will tell if this one will make any difference. In the meantime, Robert has to spend most of his time lying in bed except when he gets up for meals, goes to physio, or answers the call of nature. Pardon me, he also did his own laundry
today. :)))
Tom and I leave for PG early tomorrow morning. Pray for a safe trip for us, and for God's comfort to surround us as we leave Robert here. Especially for me as I will likely suffer from a little (maybe alot of) separation anxiety. Continue to pray for Robert's healing, for freedom from pain, and whatever else God brings to your mind.
I now place the blog baton completely into his hands, at least until I return on Nov.10. In the meantime, I'll be eagerly reading the blog with the rest of you.

Chris

Wednesday

Today was the Family meeting where all the players in Robert's recovery met together to discuss Robert's progress so far, and to set some goals. Everyone was very positive in their comments about Robert, his willingness to persevere through the rehab despite the pain, his positive attitude, and so on. He is gaining strength in every area, but is held back by the pain that just won't quit whenever he sits or stands for any length of time. Tomorrow he has xrays and sees the ortho doctor so he will find out then if any of the metal has shifted or something, or if this is just part of the process. It was also decided that November 20 was too soon for Robert to go home, so the new date is Dec. 4th. Although it would be nice to be home sooner, we all feel that the more physio he can get here, the better. Also, this pain issue needs to be successfully dealt with.
As for me, the plan at this time is for me to go back to PG with Tom on Friday. We will then go to FSJ for a Memorial sevice for a dear old friend, then come back to PG where I will spend a week or so before flying back here for the last three weeks of rehab. Worksafe has kindly agreed to keep paying for my stay here, for which we are very thankful. I am looking forward to spending some time at home, but I also know that I will miss Robert and that he will be very much on my mind.
Continue to pray for Robert's complete healing, and for continued courage and determination.

Chris

Monday

It's Monday, and good to be back into the routine of physio. Weekends tend to pass quite slowly here, especially when Robert can't stay in his chair for any length of time. They continue to experiment with different kinds of seats to try to give him some level of comfort, but so far, nothing really works. Keep praying for healing in his pelvic region. Other than that, it's been a good day today, with Robert being given the okay to walk short distances with the walker without a spotter (that would be me holding on to the waistband of his pants). Also, he's no longer on the drug that didn't help but had some not so nice side effects, so he's happy to say goodbye to those. Pain continues to be the big issue, with the its high level and ever presence definitely affecting the quality of life here. Yet there is so much to be thankful for.
Thanks for your continuing in prayer.

Chris

Saturday afternoon

Another week has gone by....amazing how quickly the days go by. This weekend we're staying close to "home" as Robert is experiencing more discomfort than ever sitting in his chair, and so has to spend most of his time lying on his side on the bed. He was started on a new pain drug this week but it has made no difference in his pain level and has given him some negative side effects, so that has been disappointing for him.
As far as the rest of his physio goes, he is doing well in that and building strength in weak muscles. He is walking a little each day with the walker, and is increasing in the distance he can cover before the pain gets too much. So there are some very positive things happening in some areas, but in others, things have gotten worse. He sees the Orthopedic surgeon on Thursday so hopefully he can find out if everything is as it should be regarding the various screws and pieces of metal in his pelvic region.
Tonight Tom is flying in, and we are both looking forward to having him here for a few days.
That's about it for now. Keep us in your prayers, praying especially for the healing of the bones in the pelvic region, and for a decrease in the pain there.
Have a good weekend, everyone.

Chris

Its a Wednesday

Hey everyone sorry for the delay in posting. Well a few new things have happened since the last post most of them happening on Tuesday. In physio after the normal workout I started to work on standing up on to and off of a small box. After getting the hang of that I was able to use a small staircase they have built to practice climbing stairs. The steps are only a few inches high but I'm really happy with the accomplishment. Makes the prospect of getting around our house a lot easier. Then on Tuesday afternoon I was able to go into the swimming pool. It was fun to be able to walk with no support. My balance and strength to move my legs was still quite poor But when you lose your balance you only fall till your swimming. They gave me a few other exercises I could do that take advantage of the buoyancy of the pool. The pool is kept very warm which I hold responsible for me sleeping for the rest of the afternoon. Today I went back to VGH to see a specialist which was a big waste of time because all he did was book me to get a test taken in early November and then I came back to GF. In regards to the pain the doctors have started me on a new drug. I have taken it for two days now with little result. I am however on a very low dose of it so there is still potential if they see fit to raise the dosage. Thats about all the news on my end.

Robert

The Weekend

So we did attempt a couple of outings in the car this weekend. Unfortunately, each trip was quite short as Robert was too uncomfortable both in the car and in his chair. For some reason he has gone from being able to sit in his chair for to two, even three hours, to barely making it for more than half of an hour. Certain areas of his bottom where there are screws and metal are causing havoc with his ability to sit .... quite frustrating for him. It was still good to get out and tour around the area as it gives Robert a better idea of where he is, outside this building. Other than that Robert practiced walking and got a ways further down the hall than he did yesterday. He's a trooper. Looking forward to another week of physio, and confident there will continue to be great progress. Keep praying, and have a good week everyone.
Chris

End of Week Report

Well another week is done here at G.F. I'm definitely feeling stronger and am noticing major improvements in my walking. This weekend I have been given permission to practicing walking with a walker on my(with moms help)own. So thats a big step forward. Even though I can only handle short distances it lets me know that I will be able to get around on my own. Next exciting thing about the weekend. I have now been given a smaller foldable chair. This combined with my new ability to transfer into a car(see previous blog entry) allows me to go place with mom!!! Freedommmmmm!!!! So we are going to try going for a car ride tomorrow then maybe a drive/walk on Sunday. So thats what the weekend is looking like. I am still in quite a bit of pain whenever I am in the chair for about an hour or more, and the tinkering with painkillers is yet to provide any relief. This is kinda of a big deal that is causing me a lot of frustration so I would appreciate your prayers. Well hope everyone has a great weekend.

Robert

Midweek report

This week is zipping along as here it is, already Wednesday evening.
Robert has continued to make good progress in physio with today being the first day he got to attempt walking using a walker. He accomplished that feat successfully, going a short distance, always leading with his stronger leg. The physio also helped him attempt a transfer into our vehicle, a task he carried out in "textbook style" in Tracy's words,.... a piece of cake. Now we could drive somewhere of a short distance except I can't begin to lift his present wheelchair into the back of our car. All in good time.
Robert and I would really appreciate continued prayer for the pain issue. He is not able to stay up for very long as he just gets too uncomfortable sitting in his chair.
And of course, as the workload in physio increases, the pain level rises accordingly.The doctor is playing around with the meds, but doesn't seem to hear what Robert is saying when he explains his areas of pain. It's a frustrating thing to be in so much pain day after day. Pray for wisdom for the doctor in prescribing pain medication, and for the hand of God to touch Robert in such a way that the pain becomes a nonissue.
Thanks to all of you for your continuing prayers and for your cheers from the sidelines.
Chris

Thanksgiving Monday

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a great thanksgiving. The weekend here was pretty quiet. Mom and me hung around G.F. I got in a bit a personally directed physio. We also attempted some wheelchair basketball and tried to set a world record for the longest ping pong rally. Last night was the big thanksgiving feast at my grandmas that I unfortunately had to miss. Mom brought me some leftovers that I'm going to be having for lunch. As well last night a friend, Viral, from UNBC came and visited me for a couple hours. Throughout the weekend my coccyx and tail bone have been giving me a lot of pain, restricting me to a maximum of an hour or so in the wheelchair. So I have been spending quite a bit of time trying to get comfortable in bed. As for what I'm thankful for this thanksgiving, well it's pretty hard to say since I'm yet to have any turkey. Seriously though I'm really thankful for my mom hanging out with me, helping me and keeping me company though the last nine weeks. And for my sister who calls me constantly and is great to hang out with and talk to. Also for my Dad for being a great guy to talk with and for getting me through some hard stuff. So pretty much my family rocks. And thanks to everyone who is following what going on with me and for praying for me and having faith that everything is going to work out great. Well Thats all from me. Have a great rest of the weekend.

Robert

Friday

Another good day of physio, with more of the same exercises and a few new ones thrown in to mix things up a little. Now we're into the long weekend, so no physio for three whole days. Robert's physio (Tracy) did give him a walker for the weekend so he could practice standing ....no actual walking allowed just yet. It'll be good to have a day or two or rest, just to give some of the sore muscles a chance to rest and recover, but I imagine by Tuesday, Robert will be chomping at the bit to get back at it. We are trying to be creative in thinking of things we can do over the weekend to make the time off as enjoyable as possible. If the weather stays as nice as it is today (beautiful blue skies, gorgeous fall colours adorning the trees, ....sorry all of you living PG and north who are enjoying snow, I understand???) , we should be able to get out for some walk/rolls which is always a good thing.
Going into the Thanksgiving weekend, I am thinking of the many things we have to be thankful .... in our lives in general, and particularly, in Robert's situation. God has brought him so far in the two months since his accident, so much healing has already taken place, it is amazing. God has been with our family every step of the way, giving each of us the kind of strength we need at exactly the right times. I am so thankful that He is the loving Father we can rely on and trust in, even though at times we can't even pretend to understand what is going on. I am also very thankful for the many friends and for the people we don't even know who have been praying faithfully through this entire experience. The prayer support has been immeasurable, powerful, and is deeply appreciated. We can all be thankful that we have a God Who hears, and Who is willing and able to do even more than we could ask or think.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, everyone. God bless you all.

Chris

Back on the Blog

It's been a few days since either of us have written .... I guess that means there's been no new crisis, which is a good thing, and nothing that made us feel we had much new to share. However, it's been a good week of steady progress in physio .... challenging workouts for Robert as he continues to work on strengthening various muscles to prepare him for walking. He has progressed in that regard at the parallel bars, able to walk without the assistance of the physio (except for her gripping the waistband of his sweats which probably wouldn't do a whole lot of good if he were to start going down). Anyways, he takes steps bearing most of the weight on his legs with some support from his arms . He's able to do a few laps up and down the bars. and then that's it. Lots of pain follows that, and there's no getting away from that. We can all thank God for the strides he is making (literally) and continue to pray for healing to the nerves leading to his right foot and left quad. Not much difference can be seen in the function of those areas, but we trust the healing is taking place and will reveal itself soon.
Yesterday Robert got a new roommate ... a man about my age probably .... seems very nice and he does speak English.:) His name also happens to be Robert, so on the big chart in the hallway where everyone's schedules are posted there's a red" name alert" sticker by their names. I guess the nurses could get meds mixed up or something.
That's about it for today. Thankyou, everyone , for remaining faithful in your prayers.
Chris

Back To Work Monday

Well the weekend is over and it's time to get right back into the swing of things. I got to take another shower this morning, this time it was a lot less painful to sit in the shower chair, which made the whole experience much more pleasant. In physio We worked some more on walking and I was able to lift my feet up a bit higher which made my steps feel a little more natural. We also did some balance work and found out that I'm still fairly wobbly but can stand on my own for nearly a minute. Other then that there isn't a whole lot of new news to pass along. So I guess that'll be it for now.

Robert

Sunday

It's a quiet Sunday at GF Strong. It was great to have Ryan Gilmore here from Taylor to visit Robert Friday night and Saturday. Thanks to Bruce for your contribution in making that happen.
Not much on the go today .... if the weather holds we'll go for a roll/stroll and pretty much take it easy. Back into the physio tomorrow.
Keep praying for continued protection from all form of infection, particularly bladder, and for continued healing of nerve damage to the left quad muscle and right foot. Give much thanks for all the healing that has already taken place.
That's all for now, folks.

Chris

A Day of Firsts

Well today was a pretty sweet day. I was able to have my first real shower in 8 weeks. One with running water and real soap and shampoo and not me lieing in bed with a face cloth and a bucket of water. So that was really nice to have. Up until now I was unable to sit in the chair they use for showering due to pain, but today I was able to bare it. Then in phsyio I was able to take my first steps. I was wearing a harness attached to a pulley on a sliding track to catch me if my legs gave out. and I was in the parallel bars so I could take some weight with my hands. and the therapist was there to support my back and keep my knees from buckling, But hey I Was Walking!! My legs have been increasing in strength at a very quick pace. There are certain muscles like my left quad and hip flexer as well as some abductor muscles that are very weak due to nerve damage and the pelvic fracture. They are just strong enough that we can begin to exercise them with next to no resistance. So it will be along road to getting them up to a level where they are usable. Ryan Gilmore is also coming up for today and tomorrow. It'll be fun to get to hang out with him for a bit. Well I think thats all I have to say for now. Later,

Robert

Oh yeah here is my new address at GF,

Robert Lavigne (Rm 433)
G.F. Strong Rehab Centre
4255 Laurel St.
Vancouver B.C
V5Z 2G9

An Ordinary Thursday

I'm happy to report that nothing out of the ordinary has happened today. Robert had a good day in physio, and its amazing to see the improvement in his strength and mobility that is made from day to day. We know its God at work to heal and strengthen his body, but you have to know that Robert is doing his part in all of this as well. No complaining, he's just try try trying as hard as he can. Tom and I are so proud of him.
Tonight we are walking/rolling to a restaurant about a block from here.Tom leaves first thing tomorrow morning. It's been great having her here.
Thanks for your prayers which I know God is hearing and answering.

Chris

Back to Gf Strong

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers. It was quite the ordeal over the past day and a half, but it's Wednesday morning and Robert is back at GF Strong, feeling better and back into physio. Here's the story.
He was moved to VGH Monday night at 8. Believe it or not, he had to go through the whole triage thing to get admitted. This meant we all were in ER, Robert lying on a stretcher bed that was too short for him, narrow, with a thin mattress. Amazingly enough, he wasn't that uncomfortable until later in the night when it became unbearable. The ER was particularly busy that night so we were in the hallway near the front doors. They hooked up an IV, took blood tests, and we waited and waited and waited ...until close to 3 am when he was finally moved to the Medical Assessment unit where he was in room with two other people. Tom and I went back to the hotel and crashed for a few hours, then were back at the hospital by about 9:30. Robert had finally been given a better bed as he just couldn't tolerate the stretcher bed another second. A doctor of infectious diseases came by and said that he wasn't going to give Robert a PIC line (I don't know if that's how you spell it) after all, but was going to treat the infection with a powerful oral antibiotic. Robert did get two doses of antibiotic by IV while he was there, and his fever was done, urine looking clear. Anyways, the word was that Robert could go back to GF that afternoon. Yahoo. All we had to do was wait for an transfer ambulance. So again we waited and waited and waited ..... until close to 10 pm to be transported back.
So now everything is back on track, Praise the Lord. Continue to pray that the bladder infections stay away for good, as well as any type of blood infection which is also a concern due to all the metal he has in his body.
To backtrack to Sunday, we had a wonderful family gathering at Earl's on Sunday night. And it was a great weekend having Jen and Tom here. We continue to enjoy having Tom here, with his presence being particularly helpful during the last couple of days of upheaval.
Thanks for the cards and gifts various ones of you have sent. They are all much appreciated.
Thanking God for His strength and faithfulness, and for wonderful friends who persevere in prayer,
Chris