Time is just a flying by these days - I can’t believe in just 11 days Matt will be going home for good. We are both so stinking excited! Matt has been doing so great, that they have actually arranged for him to go home on another day pass tomorrow. We’re going to practice some normal day-to-day maneuvering around the house to see how we do. Then we’ll spend the rest of his time here at Younker perfecting those things to ensure that we’re comfortable and capable of getting things done around the house together. I’m fairly confident in our abilities to work together as a team, but it will be good to try things in our normal home environment. Matt will also get to go home overnight next weekend, just to see how we’re doing and to make sure if there’s anything we need to do to the house, we have time to do that before he comes home to stay. He’s so excited that he’ll get to come home twice more!
All of Matt’s therapies have continued to go really well. They set weekly goals for him, and he consistently meets or exceeds them. Here’s just a run down of some of the things he’s working on/has accomplished lately:
· Matt gets dressed each morning, and does about 95% or it himself: shirt, pants, socks, shoes. He can also TIE his shoes! The occupational therapist just helps him stand up to pull his pants up, and that’s about all she does for him anymore!
· He has been standing up in front of the mirror in his bathroom to brush his teeth. He also sits in the bathroom and shaves in front of the mirror.
· Matt walked 105 feet yesterday in physical therapy. And, he not only walked 105 feet….he walked a GOOD 105 feet. He is walking with the help of one person on his right side, and another person on the left side just standing by in case he needs extra help. He was walking with a four pronged cane on the left side for a while, but the physical therapist doesn’t think he’s going to need it and so they’ve been working on just having that left side free…and he’s been doing great with it. The walking is still the hardest thing for him…and we’re anxiously waiting for the day when he can walk naturally and casually again. We know it’s going to be a while…but also know that the only thing really standing in his way is time. He’s going to get there…in time.
· Matt has been eating and drinking like a pro! Matt’s feeding tube came out last Friday! They had him eating 3 meals a day for 5 days and the tube came out. He was doing so well. The speech therapists keep telling us how amazed they are at his progress in that area. He is definitely NOT the norm…in a very good way! He’s been enjoying lots of yummy sweets that our friends and family have brought to him. There is nothing that he can’t eat! He’s so excited about that! We’ve been working on his pronunciation and he’s been making great progress with that as well.
We’ve decided to go to outpatient therapy at the Penn Ave clinic affiliated with the hospital. There, he will be able to have all three disciplines (occupational, physical, and speech) in a large chunk of time. The Physiatrist here will continue to follow his progress there and keep tabs on his rehab. I believe we are probably going to start up there on the 22nd of December. I plan to take off work the rest of the year and go with Matt as he transitions to outpatient, and gets to know the new therapists. After the first of the year, I will just drop him at therapy and go to work while he’s there. Because my job is so flexible, I will also be able to work some from home. (Have I mentioned recently how thankful I am for my job!?)
Matt and I are both excited to just get him home and get on with the next phase of our journey. I’m sure it will be full of ups and downs…but I trust that God will see us through as always, and the ups will far out number the downs.
All of Matt’s therapies have continued to go really well. They set weekly goals for him, and he consistently meets or exceeds them. Here’s just a run down of some of the things he’s working on/has accomplished lately:
· Matt gets dressed each morning, and does about 95% or it himself: shirt, pants, socks, shoes. He can also TIE his shoes! The occupational therapist just helps him stand up to pull his pants up, and that’s about all she does for him anymore!
· He has been standing up in front of the mirror in his bathroom to brush his teeth. He also sits in the bathroom and shaves in front of the mirror.
· Matt walked 105 feet yesterday in physical therapy. And, he not only walked 105 feet….he walked a GOOD 105 feet. He is walking with the help of one person on his right side, and another person on the left side just standing by in case he needs extra help. He was walking with a four pronged cane on the left side for a while, but the physical therapist doesn’t think he’s going to need it and so they’ve been working on just having that left side free…and he’s been doing great with it. The walking is still the hardest thing for him…and we’re anxiously waiting for the day when he can walk naturally and casually again. We know it’s going to be a while…but also know that the only thing really standing in his way is time. He’s going to get there…in time.
· Matt has been eating and drinking like a pro! Matt’s feeding tube came out last Friday! They had him eating 3 meals a day for 5 days and the tube came out. He was doing so well. The speech therapists keep telling us how amazed they are at his progress in that area. He is definitely NOT the norm…in a very good way! He’s been enjoying lots of yummy sweets that our friends and family have brought to him. There is nothing that he can’t eat! He’s so excited about that! We’ve been working on his pronunciation and he’s been making great progress with that as well.
We’ve decided to go to outpatient therapy at the Penn Ave clinic affiliated with the hospital. There, he will be able to have all three disciplines (occupational, physical, and speech) in a large chunk of time. The Physiatrist here will continue to follow his progress there and keep tabs on his rehab. I believe we are probably going to start up there on the 22nd of December. I plan to take off work the rest of the year and go with Matt as he transitions to outpatient, and gets to know the new therapists. After the first of the year, I will just drop him at therapy and go to work while he’s there. Because my job is so flexible, I will also be able to work some from home. (Have I mentioned recently how thankful I am for my job!?)
Matt and I are both excited to just get him home and get on with the next phase of our journey. I’m sure it will be full of ups and downs…but I trust that God will see us through as always, and the ups will far out number the downs.
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