Updates on David

Today was David’s first official PT day, and he now has some additional homework to do twice a day in addition to the actual PT sessions.  It is the hottest day of the year outside so we’re trying to keep cool in the house as much as possible.

Later this evening when it cools off David plans to wheel around the patio and water the plants.  This is an entertaining dance with me moving the hose around for him since he can’t roll over it with the chair.  Not very time efficient of course, but it’s good exercise for both of us.

David has accepted the invitation to again be a judge at the County Fair (baked goods, of course) in August and is working towards having enough strength and stamina to last the whole day as judging is a big event for him each year.  Since this year I will have to go along with him I had better start dieting now…

More later.

Drew

It’s Friday night and its been a long few days. David is enrolled in Physical Therapy and we have all his appointments and help scheduled for the next week or so.  Lots of things to adjust to, but we are slowly getting used to things, and then they change of course.

Today we were  ’on the air’ with Oldies 63, the radio station we advertise on regularly.  The event was sort of a celebration of David’s return from the hospital and the beginning of the next stage of his recovery.  It was fun and I think a lot of people tuned in.  By the time we got home David was pretty well exausted, but we went on to do all the prep work for making beef stew (a two day event around our house)

More tomorrow

Drew

Just got David in bed after a LONG and really fun day.

The new assistant started today and he and David have become fast friends.  Our friend (and nurse extraordinaire) Marge recommended this gentleman  (Ken) and he is well trained, professional, and exactly what both David and I BOTH need.  David had his breakfast and start of the day activities by the time Ken arrived at 10.

I got them started and then I went back to work for a while.  It was a pleasure to know that David was dressed, shaved, and up in his chair later in the morning and all the while I was finally making some progress on getting caught up on work.  Later in the day Ken and David worked on David’s PT ‘homework’ while I was on the phone with the insurance company (don’t ask) and getting some Clementines paperwork done.  In the afternoon I has a few hours in town by myself to get my glasses finally fixed (three months after my cataract surgery I finally have that second lens back in my glasses with the corrected reading lens!) and got David’s glasses fixed at the same time.  A stop at the drug store, Whole Foods and back home again just in time for Ken’s departure. 

David had a nap in the afternoon for an hour or so but he and Ken had just finished the second set of PT exercises and other important activities (if you know what I mean) in preparation for David and I to have a planned visit to Costco and out to dinner.

It was 6 by the time we got to Costco, and we had a wonderful 90 minutes shopping every aisle.  Needless to say the fridge is now full of stuff that we will be cooking and eating for the next week.  Going to Costco before dinner can be a very expensive proposition, luckily we could only push ONE cart!  David is planning to make a beef stew tomorrow to last a few days (read this as David will direct and Drew will do the cooking and cleaning).  That’s okay, it really is a pleasure to have him so active and involved in everything.

After Costco, with the car loaded up (didn’t think about the wheelchair being in the trunk since normally we can fit an entire cart in the trunk alone, but I moved some stuff around and we made it fit) we headed over to Lopez in Monterey for Mexican food.  It was great, as always, and David ordered a HUGE meal with no help at all from me (you can cut all that stuff with a fork), and ate every morsel (well, there was a little bit to take home).  Any prior concern about his appetite is now gone, completely.  It was a GREAT experience and about 4 hours out and about with 6 transfers with everything going to plan.

Getting home was uneventful, except that the restaurant has no parking so we parked on the street and getting David in and out of the car meant moving the car to a flat driveway and doing the transfer, then parking (or retrieving) the car.  Gives one a truly new perspective on blue parking when it’s you needing the extra space to load and unload the wheelchair.

Just a quick editorial.  It gave me pleasure in some odd way yesterday when a neighboring car to the parking space chose to park 1/2 into the crosshatch area that I need to get David’s wheelchair next to the car.  There was enough room remaining, but barely.  The result though was that she had to wait 10 minutes to get back into her car while I transferred David back to the car (it is a multi step process that takes about that much time, really; but especially when you are taking care to meticulously follow the therapists instructions and process, stopping to reconfirm each step and position).  I could see she was fuming but had she parked in her space correctly she would have had room to get back into her car.  It was a very strange feeling for really no reason at all and I felt oddly OLD and CROTCHETY at the same time.   Clearly some age related gene is kicking in that is really not that pleasant, except this time.

Tomorrow is another day and PT is starting again for David.   More then.

Drew

Lots of time away from the house today with appointments and errands.  We were up early to get out of the house by 9:30 and did not get back until after 2 which is a long day for us.  It’s after 8pm and David is back up in his wheelchair on his computer at the kitchen table, researching something and reading through three months of emails just to make sure I didn’t miss any important ones! 

More tomorrow when we know his PT schedule.

Drew

We’re finally in the swing of things, so to speak.

Monday is our first ‘Doctor’s Day’ with two appointments and some phone calls needed to get the PT person on the calendar.  Today went pretty smoothly.  I got a LOT done around the house and David had a comfortable and productive day. I am ending the day with the kitchen clean, the laundry done, most stuff put away, and David comfortably in bed with his computer and the TV after having had dinner, ice cream, and all his medications.

David was awake all day, and in his chair for a few hours outside on the deck in the warm sunshine.    We met with the new helper who will be here a few days a week and David is VERY motivated to get standing and walking in therapy again so that he can strengthen his leg and get aroiund the house without the wheelchair. We did his stretching and leg exercises a few times today.  He knows that his leg has to come first, then his arm, that it will take some time, and that he will only be able to walk with someone by his side for quite some time.  There is the Gourmet Show and the Gourmet Retailer Board Meeting coming up in a few months in San Francisco and he really wants to be more mobile by then.

David’s homecoming was very special and his being home is a big help for him.  He is really looking forward to the radio broadcast on KIDD 630 AM on Friday (11 to 2) when Mike and Kevin will broadcast live from the store as they have done in the past.   We’re expecting quite a crowd. 

And for those of you who have asked, we’re just assuming that Pierre Jean arrived home safely since, as normal, no phone call, no email, nothing (and since his mother did not call and she knew his schedule that must mean he got there safely!).

Thanks for keeping up to date.

Drew

Sorry the updates are only every few days now,, we are  just gettting back into a routine.  It’s Saturday night now, and we worked a few hours in the store today.  It was a bit optomistic to try for 6 hours in his chair today, be he made a great effort for about three and then retired to the car to sleep for a while.  We ended up closing at 4 so we could get him home to rest.

We’re looking forward to getting into a new routine once the PT starts at home next week.

Even with all the advance planning it has been a LOT of work to organize for having David in the wheelchair in the house, the car, and the store, etc.  You can measure this, or arrange that, but it’s the ‘staging’ of everything for his meals, showers, and other activities ( and all the stuff that he needs at different times) that makes it complicated. About the same as having a newborn, I suppose (as David himself says).

Our next goal is enough strength in his leg to transfer more easily and walk.  It will be a while yet.

When we have a schedule for David in the store we can start thinking about appointments, but that will be a week or two before we get that worked out.

Thanks again for all your support and patience.

Drew

It’s Thursday mid-day and we’ve been home 24 hours or so by now.

David is taking a nap which is a real luxury for him. His schedule gets tough again starting tomorrow so he is enjoying it while he can.  We are all arranged for his doctors and PT appointments, and have most everything arranged now for getting around the house and the back yard.

Yesterday on the way back home we stopped at the store so he could visit while I went to the pharmacy one more time.  He enjoyed critiquing everthing that had gone on in the store during his time at the hospital for the past three months.

I had arranged for a few friends to come over for an appetizer and a little dinner and he enjoyed the very small party.

Pierre Jean is on his way back to France today (6am bus from Prunedale to get to SFO for his flight!) and it was a great help to have him here and a wonderful inspiration for David.  After a few days I will better understand exactly what type of in-home help we might need for the coming months.  For now its just David and me.

David had his breakfast this morning out in the garden (it decided to get really NICE outside for his homecoming).  He did SOME of his exercises today, the rest are for this afternoon.  Morning is is rest time while I am working and then the afternoon is his work time.  We will start to plan which days we might be going to the store in the afternoons, but not immediately.

Thanks again for all your support.

Drew

Tomorrow is definitely the day.

David finally had the last procedure completed today at the hospital in preparation for coming home.  David is collecting story lines for his ‘book’ on his experience, and the orderly that took him to have this procedure done was named Jesus.  As he was riding in the elevator David decided he would name a chapter “Taking the UP elevator with Jesus”.  David was glad the elevator went UP.  He was a little concerned about riding the elevator with Jesus going the other direction (the biblical references, and all that stuff).

You have to know the county hospital to even further appreciate the humor in that the technique to actually GET an elevator is to press BOTH buttons, and GET IN any elevator that arrives, since once you are in you have a better chance of eventually getting to the right floor.   The surprise is which direction the elevator actually goes.     After two months we have finally learned this. Really.

Today I again worked on cleaning out stuff from David’s room.  By now I am pretty sure all his stuff will fit in the car tomorrow!  Our plan is to get there by 11 and get on the road by 1pm.  We’ll see how that goes.  He has a lot of people to say goodbye to tomorrow and there have been a few that have known they wont be there tomorrow so they came by today to say their goodbyes.

An amazing journey.

More tomorrow.  Drew

It’s Monday and we’re still here.

The closer we get to going home the longer each day seems.  Only natural I suppose.  Once we knew Friday was out the plan became Tuesday. More on that in a moment.

As long as he is here he is taking advantage of more therapy and is walking much better EVERY day.  We have set up a long section along our back garden wall that he can use for walking therapy, it’s just about the same height as the wall rails here at the hospital. We did more ‘stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down practice on Saturday.  Feels like one of those long religious ceremonies with all the standing and sitting.

Saturday evening we went to Costco in Sand City to pick up all the medicines for David’s release.  They did a GREAT job organizing if for me and got all of it right, and on time (mostly) and what a RELIEF. They are teriffic.

Sunday was our first ‘day out’ and we got here around 10 and got David set up to go.  We went in the car over to Valley Fair and got a bed tray at Brookstone.  Did a little shopping elsewhere and then went back in the car over to Santana Row.  Had lunch at the Left Bank (onion soup and steak frites with a cheese fondue starter). David ate up a storm and we had a great afternoon (David, Pierre Jean and myself).  By the time we got back to the hospital at 4 David was ready for a nap.  He was notoriously funny throughout. 

Well, now its Monday and it may be that the minor proceedure we are waiting for which could possibly be done as an outpatient in Salinas or Monterey, has again been delayed due to resources at the hospital (I am told).  So, if we are going to wait until we get home then we may be out of here es early as tomorrow (Tuesday).

Everyone here is coming by to say goodbye to David since he may be moved out at any moment.  He has made quite an impression on everyone and they all adore him (and his never ending sense of humor, of course).

After almost three months you would think that by now I would have learned not to let my expectations get ahead of reality and to accept the schedule as it is, or will be.  That being said, we’re anzious to get out of here.

I will update you when we know more.

Thanks again for all your cards, email s, and support.  David and I were just taking down most of the card wall today in anticipation (it tooks us almost an hour to take most of it down).  If you have any cards or letters please send them to the store and not the hospital now, thanks!

Talk to you all soon.

Drew

David is himself today.

He is a little disappointed that he can not come home today and that he has to wait until Wednesday the 17th.  However, he is more than occupied with two boxes of Sees Candy (to say I am sorry for speaking sharply at him when we were trying to practice transferring him in and out of the car today).  As he said, “AHH, the power of guilt”.

The past few days have been hectic trying to get ready for his possible homecoming on Thursday.  Now that it is next Wednesday we have a few more days.  Sunday he will be out of the hospital for 8 hours with Pierre Jean and me, probably going shopping on Santana Row.  It will be good training and hopefully not too expensive!

Therapy yesterday included walking (with help from the therapists) along the hallway near his room using only the side rail on the wall and his own legs.  He has an ankle brace keeping his weaker leg more steady and that is helping a lot.

David was fitted for his new wheelchair which will take a while to get here so he has a loaner chair in the meantime.  It’s narrow enough to fit him well and give his arms good access to the wheels, without a lot of extra space for him to slide around.  It’s Candy Apple Red and he wants to put flames on it (sort of like the KitchenAid mixer on Good Eats with Alton Brown).  We’ll see.

I will update you after the weekend when we are more sure of the Wednesday date.

Thanks for all your support.

Drew