Thursday, February 13, 2014 6:30am

JOHN IS HOME! PRAISE THE LORD!

John is home - happy and content!  John was just beaming in the car all the way! It was 110 days in the hospitals.  The staff was affectionate and encouraging as we left the Rehab Unit.  They were amazed and proud of his hard work and the great progress he made.  We will never be able to thank all the professional staff along the way who made this day possible.  And we are ever mindful and grateful for God's healing mercies and steadfastness. John has been outdoors each day and is acquiring his tan again. He wheels around the house a bit more smoothly each day. 

Whew! It has been a very busy six days.  We are so grateful that Paul was here for the first three days.  He and my family were here working hard to make necessary adaptations for the wheelchair.  They also brought food and merriment!  The ramp we purchased for the front doors was installed and works well.  Paul built another wooden ramp for the one step we have inside the house which allows John access to the dining table and straight to the back patio.  Paul and Terry took off all the framing on the bathroom door, installed a grab bar and new shower head on a long hose.  The bathroom is fully functional for John.  Paul raised John's lounge chair up 3" so he is able to "slide" from the wheelchair to the lounger.  Perfect!  Then Terry brought in seven 4'x8' sheets of a thin, hard wood and laid them on the floor so John could maneuver the wheelchair since the thick carpet made it very difficult.  The bed and bedroom work just fine.  John has no trouble sleeping!


Now I know why the nurses and nursing techs were so busy - there is a lot of maintenance to do in our days.  John and I are still working out the kinks and moving towards a routine.  It really takes awhile to get going in the mornings.  Taking a shower takes time, but our setup works out well. We still work to get the right medications taken at the right times by reading our list.  We need to remember to put in his eye drops every 2-3 hours - and we are still watching for improvement. Also, we are working our way through meal choices since John cannot eat everything.  The second day (while the family was at the table), John had a serious choking incident with lettuce.  It was left from the day before and the limp, stringy stuff just got stuck! No more salads for awhile.   Everything else is in small bites and eaten slowly.

John had an intake session with his new physical therapist at the Barrows Outpatient Rehab on Monday afternoon.  He is eager to get to work and will see her twice a week (although he would prefer every day, Medicare does not).  On Wednesday he had an intake with his new speech therapist and next Monday we will meet his occupational therapist.  Two days a week will be very busy and John will need to work steadily at home on exercises as well.  The PT predicts at least 3-4 months.
I have been busy scheduling follow-up appointments with various doctors.  We are eager to see a neurologist/ophthalmologist who specializes in cranial/facial issues.

We have been out and about.  We tackled Panda Express (John could eat the noodles) and WalMart (of all places!)  Those few hours were a whole day's energy.  On Valentine's Day we will tackle the movie theatre in the morning and then lunch out. 

Today 10:30am - John cleaning the front porch!

So, here is our life now.  John is determined and cheerful and getting stronger.  We are moving forward in a new normal although we know this one is temporary as he continues to heal and progress. Stay with us, dear friends and family, and keep praying.  And thanks once again for all the continuing cards and notes of encouragement