Run Forrest, Run!

March 20, 2013, Sandra walked into the Tasty Buddha restaurant, under her own steam: no chair, no walker, and had a 'normal' lunch. HURRAH!

A week later, the lower extremity surgeon said, take off your braces, I don't want you using them any more. Sandra was ECSTATIC (hence my "Forrest Gump" title quote). They weigh about 6 pounds, and she couldn't even try to walk normally because the hinges of one would catch the other when she tried a normal step, resulting in an awkward, rolling gait. She's hardly walking "normally" without them, its more like creeping; but there is no walker or wheelchair to maneuver, FINALLY.  She's been walking around the house carefully and ever so sloooowwwllllyyy, getting steadier all the time. 

The same surgeon also prescribed physical therapy at the surgery center, six weeks of twice a week sessions, involving a lot of strengthening exercises - and to stretch the left knee/leg, because it's still stiff, swollen, and painful, and doesn't bend as well as the right knee does. 

It's hard to believe that it has been less than a month since her last - and hopefully final - surgery, to fix the broken bones in her right wrist. She got the cast off and started physical therapy on it within two weeks of surgery, I was amazed. Oh, and she has yet another plate, to stabilize the right hand. That makes three now - well, two plus the rod in her thigh. Traveling on a plane will be really fun now, TSA will probably freak out. 

30-pound baby

Sandra had her last surgery yesterday: the doctor reset a broken bone in her right wrist, along with some misaligned cartilage. She postponed this surgery until she could use her left hand more normally. Imagine not being able to hold anything in either hand! 

Surgery was about two hours...and was successful, but what they didn't tell her was she'd have to deal with a totally numb and unusable arm for at least 16 hours, until the nerve block drugs wore off. She couldn't feel ANYTHING from the shoulder down, nothing on that arm worked. Ther arm was protected  by a sling, but the numbness meant she couldn't use the arm for standing, sitting, eating, anything. 

She said, its like holding a 30-pound baby, that you can't feel or move. The numbness was super freaky because there was no feeling in it, touching her own fingers felt like touching someone else's hand, or an alien hand (verbatim). That was the worst part about the surgery (in my opinion, not hers, see below), not being able to move like she had been, doing more and more "normal" things, and it was terribly frustrating for her. 
 
PS: Sandra says the not moving wasn't the worst, the worst was trying to alleviate the pain once the nerve block wore off at 3.30am this morning; it took almost 12 hours and a lot of pain drugs to make the pain subside.  

Stand up, stand up for your 'writes' *

Tuesday, Sandra had a doctors appt. for renewal of pain medication. We used the wheelchair - for expediency only: she could have walked in using the walker, but it might have taken us about 20 minutes to make it from the car, (oh so slowly) and to the actual office. At checkout, she had to sign things, and I suggested she stand up to make it easier. You see the results! 

*...stand up for your rights, lyric from Get Up, Stand Up, by Bob Marley, one of Sandra's favorite artists. 

Knit or die!

Last week, Sandra had her occupational therapist do extra work on limbering up her left hand. It has been very stiff since she stopped wearing the cast on it, and everyone who looked at it said there was a lot of scar tissue in the wrist which was stopping it from flexing easily. So the OT worked on it Thursday morning, and Thursday night this is what I saw in the front room:

Yeah, Sandra was knitting! She said it didn't work out well, and was using it for 'hand therapy', but afterwards, her hands were both so tired/sore that she said it would be "a while" before she tried again.

HUGE steps

Today, Sandra's physical therapist Janice and I helped Sandra stand - and walk! - for the first time in more than two months. 

 She did great! Using a walker and her leg braces, she walked from the bed to the end of the bedroom hallway and back, about 25', and then, after a few minutes, walked it again. We found that only one person is necessary to assist her in standing up, basically to leverage her from a sitting position to standing, without her bending more than 60 degrees at the knees. Next week, she'll be bending 70 degrees, and so on, 10 degrees more per week, to full mobility. 


Tonight, she brushed her teeth at the bathroom sink, standing up. Tomorrow, she'll take a shower in the shower. HUGE achievements. 

HUGE. 

Look closely at the following image, something is missing: the wheelchair.

 

Progress

So Sandra continues to progress. She's blow-drying her hair herself. She is sleeping without the braces on her legs. 

She's still not walking though. Doctors' appt this week to see about when she can start weight-bearing on her right foot. She touched/rested the right foot (heel) on the ground a couple days ago. This sounds like a tiny, tiny thing...but its actually HUGE. She tried it and nothing "bad" happened, at least for her, it was a positive experience.  For someone who's never broken a single bone, to have thirteen+ broken bones all at once, it's overwhelming, psychologically. She sometimes cannot see walking and writing and knitting ever again.

If I could find her a pharma consulting job where she could do phone consults, I think it would help her mental outlook a lot. Sitting around gives her way too much time to think negatively, although her attitude is extremely positive. She has a job...but cannot do it. :(  

Anyone with a few minutes to spare, give her a call. Thanks!

Still hangin' in there

So Sandra is still in a holding pattern, waiting for her doctors to give her the go-ahead for the next level of PT/recovery. You can only do so much sitting in a chair/sofa/bed, waiting to be released. She says 'it has become tiresome'. 

I see her doing a lot more with what she's given. She lifts her legs with less caution, she reaches for more things, she is more brave about doing everyday tasks.

She worries about not walking ever again, and about driving again, which is understandable.I keep telling her that she'll be okay, and walking, and fine, with time.

Believe it or not, she doesn't like sweets any more. :( 

Arm doctor appointment at the end of the week, but she's really looking forward to seeing the leg doctor in early February. Hopefully she will get greenlighted to bending/weight-bearing on the right knee so she can get up out of the chair unassisted, or at least start PT with that goal in mind.

Status Update, straight from Sandra

Sandra summarizes her status:

In the last 2 days I’ve seen both of my orthopedic surgeons and here is my most current info:

• Left wrist is healing well but still not weight bearing.
• Right wrist has a few broken bones and will need surgery – we are holding off for 2-3 weeks until I can do more with left hand, otherwise I will have no usable appendages :(
• Left leg is now in a bendable brace with 30 degrees of bending allowed – he said it’ll be a month before I can start with a new PT regimen of bending the leg and longer until I can place weight on the leg because of the rod in my femur. I see him in a month to get approval for next level of PT.
• Right leg is also in a bendable brace but with no bending allowed. Same plan as left leg.
• Right foot is healing OK. Hopefully the broken bone will be ready for weight bearing when the knee is ready.

She had the immobilizing splints removed from both legs, got fitted with two moveable/bendable leg braces, and the right ankle is no longer wrapped. ALL sutures are finally out, she is less covered up now - 1 ace bandage as protection from the brace per leg vs. 3 bandages per leg. In other words, braces are slimming! 

Since it started raining, I realized we really do need a carport. Glad we will not melt. :) 

Settling In

Sandra is SO HAPPY to be home and not in the hospital or rehab facility. We are still figuring out the best way to move her throughout the house, it's a work in progress. Tonight is her first night on the sofa, watching her own tv.