Barbara’s MJD Blog

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Full day today of rehab stuff, starting with accupuncture – I had a little boy, Brandon, next to me today, he’s probably 7-8, having treatment for the first time, scared as heck, and crying with the needles in him.  Well, I lied down on the treatment bed next to him and said, “If it means anything to you, I cried the first time too.   All I can tell you is it hurts less and less each time you come,  You know what helped me?  Big deep relaxing breaths,”  He took one and I said “Phew, you gotta make sure you brush your teeth before you come”  Well, he broke into hysterical laughter, and his Mom took over from there.  I don’t know Brandon’s story yet, but he is in a wheelchair… I consider myself lucky – I can use a walker.  There are now 7 children on our floor

Went to PT this afternoon, I went up the PT (4) stairs without holding on to the railing, nice and slowly!  I can come down the stairs starting always with my left foot and not hold on, but the minute I start with my right, it’s weird, my whole body shifts, and my foot slaps down on the step.  The biggest accomplishment for me today was stepping over the obstacles set up..left,right,left,right,left,right.  They are in varying degrees of height, so you have to sometimes lift your foot higher.  I did up & back 3 times, nice, slow, and controlled, and only had to grab the bars once!- Andy, my therapist even got excited (he never gets excited-and oh, by the way, he loves Deena)  My balance still continues to be the same.  Some good days, some not so good.    I talked to Dr Frank (who understands/speaks pretty good english) to talk to Andy about my wanting to walk. I know there are ways to learn how to walk again.  Knees bent, foot position, hip position, arm swing, etc.  I’m not a therapist by any stretch of the imagination, and if I need to keep doing these balance exercises first, so be it. BUT I told Dr. Frank, I have 1 treatment left, and we’re leaving in one week…I want to walk!  I think he communicated it to Andy so he understood.

Onto electrocution.  On the table next to me is Luke.  Luke is 7 months old!  He is the cutest, most mild mannered baby I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.  Electrocution is getting easier, they hook you up, thighs and calfs, jack up the waves until you say stop, and about  20 minutes later, you beep, and you’re done.  Luke almost fell asleep working his binky…

Deena had another accupuncture session on her knees today (#2) (yesterday I told Jason, the accupuncturist here,  that she has arthritis in her knees)  He’s going to try and help.

To sum up today, okay day, back ache (from spinal – ibuprofen helped a lot), could (and will) be a lot better…I’ve gotta do a lot more on my own (I get tired so quick).  Oh, Deena and I found some walking paths on the side of the hospital.  We’ve been doing them whenever we can!  FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION

Dad, Can’t Knock Me Down!

Uncle Eddie – Happy Birthday!

6 comments October 7th, 2008

Monday, October 6, 2008

It’s almost 12:00 midnight here.  I had my third spinal today.  I haven’t figured out what they think of me here yet.  Let’s see if I can explain:  On treatment days, they put your IV in your hand around 12:00 ( it doesn’t matter what time your treatment is, everyone who’s having a treatment that day, gets their IV (port) at 12:00.  Let me tell you, I am a baby when it comes to IV’s, so, I brought (borrowed from Morgan) lidocaine, which is numbing cream.  I am proud to say that I have been toughing it out without the numbing cream (okay, okay – not by choice, I’ve pretty much handed it over to two of the children’s parent’s here to share-call me a softee, but I can’t imagine…), the nurses here are very good, they haven’t missed yet…until today.  The nurse felt so bad, she kept apologizing.  She got it the second time, and was still apologizing about the first!  The whole time I’m thinking, hell, I’ve had stitches/novacaine in my head/face 3 times, broke/lacerated my nose bridge, cut two arteries in my leg, along with stitches in two other places in my leg….all in the past couple of years.  This is nothing!

Then, at about 1-1:30, they hook up your IV to a glucosa bag (sugar water).  When I got here I kept talking about Saline, well, they don’t know what that is…Dr. Bing and I finally figured out, here,  glucosa = saline)

I should mention that gloves are not used here.  (I think I might have seen the doctors in the OR -spinal room, but I can’t be positive)  Call me neurotic, but I have alcohol swabs and anti-bacterial handi-wipes right on my nightstand, and the nurses know what to do with them before they touch my hand (all it took was one charades game at the beginning of our stay).

Then, at your scheduled time, they wheel you off upstairs to the OR.  Sometimes they have to queue 1 person up right outside the OR in the hallway, but you are never left alone.  Well, I sit up and chat with the staff member assigned.  The topic of conversation is always the picture of Morgan & Collin I have with me.  Today, Lucy, one of the translators said to me,”You are not at all nervous.”  I told her ,”This is what I’m here for, to me, the rest is fluff!”  (I still think she’s trying to figure that one out – ha ha)

Thanks to my friend Liz, and my Auntie(s) Ruth and Missy, (and to go without saying, my god sent Angel-Deena), I’m back!  I’ve got 1 week , and 1 treatment left to blow the lid off this place.  I have a card sitting on my desk at work that has a shark fin strapped to a goldfish in a little fishtank, and it says “Attitude is Everything”.  Ain’t it the truth!        

Hey Dad, if you’re out there   “Can’t Knock Me Down!”

7 comments October 7th, 2008