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