Update on progress, hold the deep thoughts......

Sunday, October 10th, 2009


So I haven’t stopped thinking about the “deep” stuff but I thought I’d give a nice simple update outlining how much improvement I have made over the past couple of days.


(I’ll write this at the top of the page in case you don’t make it all the way to the bottom….
Please send me your current phone numbers, email and mailing addresses as I am going to spend some time updating my contacts this week. jimm@stx.com. Thanks)


Friday

1. Started the day with a trip home!!! To check things out and see if any changes to layout etc need to be made to accommodate me in the house.
1. Really exciting and wonderful to walk through my own front door but really hard to have Wyatt say “ No Daddy I no want you go, No Daddy”
2. Good news is that the new apartment is perfect for my present situation
3. Can’t wait to sleep in my own bed, with Jenny and start getting better sleep
2. Worked a lot on balance and was able to balance myself on a BOSU ball alone, started very shaky but with a lot of concentration was able to quiet the muscles
3. Walked for 5 minutes on the treadmill at 1.6 mph trying to improve cadence
4. Did some “squats” down to almost 45 degrees with no support
5. Walked to therapy without a cane (75 feet) and then kicked a soccer ball back to my room at the end of the day with no cane.
6. Got my butt handed to me in the card game UNO by one of the other patients
7. Nerve and Muscle pain is like I was working out full tilt getting ready for the season
8. Woke up at 5 AM for the second day with a low level migraine headache that we couldn’t beat with meds, blood pressure as high as 170 over 108 (needs work)

Saturday

1. Back on the treadmill, this time for 6 minutes, and got going as fast as 2.0 mph
2. Woke up again with Migraine, third day in a row, going to try some new meds to beat it
3. Body is very sore again, low back, neck and all stops in between.
1. Spent a lot of therapy time on trying to fix back and neck
2. Hips and “girdle” seem to fall out of whack and can’t stay in tune all of the muscles learning to operate together again
3. Who thought walking was so hard on the old body?!
4. Missing the UNC vs. Brown Game today which is sad but soon, would have been too much commotion likely
5. In the afternoon we did almost a full lap around the building, about 200 meters
1. Walking speed is almost normal for short bursts in the hallway
2. Still need to get endurance up but they say it will come back quickly now
3. Graduated to no cane!!!! And was given permission to operate in my hospital room with no supervision. Like a 13 year old!!! Woo Hoooo
4. Earned the freedom to walk around the floor with no nurse or therapist as long as Jennifer or my Mom are here
6. BP topped out at 186 over 112 at one point today – good bye salty and fried foods. Time to apply the “short term pain (sacrifice) = long term pleasure (health)” theory on the food front ( starting first thing tomorrow, lol)
7. 
   Coming up...
   
8. Sunday is a day of rest around here, but I’m not resting, try to walk as much as I can with Jennifer and My Mom, rip some push-ups and do some ab work
1. Will try to get some video of walking to update Facebook and the kids back home
9. I have my tentative DD (discharge date) for October 15th – This Thursday!!!!!
1. Maybe even earlier with all of the gains of the past couple days
10. Trip to one of my favorite places, the grocery store, on Monday learn how to function in that environment and get groceries to cook a meal.
11. Tuesday I get to cook a meal for the staff. Is it conceited to say that I miss my own cooking? Have to decide what to make?
12. Wednesday will be spent getting ready to move home Thursday.
13. They are convinced they get me into a very light jog for 10 – 20 yards by Thursday!
14. Drop five LBS through diet control and increased energy spend.
15. DID I MENTION MOVE HOME ON THURSDAY!!!!! WOOOOHOOOO

Thanks you so much to everyone for the continued support and for the cards and gifts that we have received. Very special thanks to Ryan, Kristin, Sahr and Kelly (my therapists) they have been so incredible.


Love you all,
Jim