Hi all,
Has
anyone read the book, “Why Bad Things Happen to Good People?” because
we all sure would like to know the answer to that question.
Chuck
came home last week so needless to say, things have been quite hectic
around the house. His early and unexpected discharge has been hard on
Mom. She feels like its 2004 all over again, starting from scratch, with
many of his gains lost. Dad’s case manager at Northwest Community tried
to convince him (even after the discharge papers were signed) to
reconsider and get inpatient therapy at one of the local facilities. For
him, it was been there, done that so there was just no way he was going
to go back.
Everything
is magnified and especially difficult because his hearing is so
impaired now. We need to say his name to get his attention and speak
directly to him, not from the side or behind. The ear, nose, and throat
doctor recommended oral steroids but without any guarantee they will
solve the problem. Dad has enough emotional issues now without adding
more so Mom has opted to wait 2 weeks to visit the ENT again. His
medications are taken one at a time in a spoon with applesauce. We hope
to wean him off this shortly.
Chuck
is at a high risk for falls. We have to watch him constantly because he
wants to get up yet he still needs some help transferring from bed to
wheelchair, etc. In fact, on Friday Mom left him sitting on a chair and
quickly went upstairs to grab something and in that time, he stood up
and was walking around the kitchen unsupervised.
A
nurse will be coming weekly to monitor his vitals, change his wound
dressings (road rash on his leg), and check on his pain levels. He is
taking Norco for pain at night but even then, he wakes up several times
per night in pain. He will receive physical therapy three times per week
to help him regain his strength. We setup the living room as his HQ.
His goal is to be able to walk upstairs to bed and be able to sit in his
favorite chair (aka his throne). Mom hopes to arrange for speech
therapy even though she saved all of the worksheets from the March 2004
stroke. He gets so frustrated when he says the wrong word or can’t find
the right one. She of course is the unlikely recipient of the brunt of
his agony. Isn’t it true we take all our anxiety and pain on those
closest to us?
Thank
you again for all of the support and understanding as Dad requires 100%
of our attention during more than 90% of the time at home and it is
difficult to respond to emails and answer every phone call.
Please feel free to share this with all those we may have missed.
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