Well I must say, the staff here really is great. I slept in a bed for the first time in 8 days and I feel a little better. We got to do some actual walking this morning in a Snugseat walker. It was amazing to see her take steps without scissoring. We also got a visit from the therapy dogs, Blake a yellow lab, Blaze a retired greyhound, and Chick-let a chihuahua. Chick-let was wearing a navy dress with white polka dots, and a rhinestone belt with a big bejeweled pink heart buckle. It was very nice to make so many new furry friends. We then got to work with the OT today, Kim I think. She just kept commenting how beautiful Nica is. She was also impressed by her abilities and her personality. We did some block staking, ring sliding, and some bead threading. Kim suspects Nica has a bright future as a bead threader.
Next it was time for PT. That started with some stretching by putting foam shapes in the water and putting them up on a mirror. Katie, the PT then decided she wanted to see how Nica did in a walker. Josh the rehab assistant, got the walker and set it up for Nica. We went down the hall a little bit and back. Then it was time to get ready for our family meeting.
Family meetings are scheduled every Thursday, but generally only happen around admission time unless there’s something that needs to be discussed with the team. That took about an 30 minutes and started with ogling over Nica, Nica asking for and getting her own ID badge, and then getting a retractable lead to put it on. Next we set our short term goals for therapy and penciled in the 2-6 week stay. The duration of our stay will depend largely on how well Nica is responding to therapy.
Housekeeping got Nica a get well card and a purple pinwheel flower. Someone else gave her a Lion King quilt. I’m not sure who it was because it was dropped off while we were in the meeting. Bonnie, our nurse practitioner, went to the store and bought us the diapers Nica needed since the hospital doesn’t stock diapers larger the a size 4. She also bought Nica a Ni Hao Kai Lan outfit and a little polka dot outfit with a big bow on it. They’re both really cute. For me she decided to get a six pack of Coke and some Doritos. I thought it was a very sweet gesture on her part and I was sure to thank her. Bonnie is also a dangerous woman. Every time I meet with her she gives me various chocolates like Almond Joys and Butterfingers.
Our afternoon consisted of a PB&J lunch we barely ate, a nap we never actually took, and more PT. I got to show Katie Nica’s last gait trainer video so that she could see where Nica used to be, ability wise. She was pleased to see the mobility Nica had developed in spite of the spasticity. Once afternoon therapy was over Nica got a surprise visit from Grandpa Joe. It was great to have some company and Nica loved playing with Grandpa. He stayed through dinner and bath time and beyond. Nica didn’t want to see him go. She had so much fun sitting with Grandpa and playing dolls and farm animals.
By the end of the day Nica was just tired. But we weren’t quite done. Dr Kornburg stopped by and took a look and Nica and asked how things were going. He took a look at her wound because it’s still leaking a bit. she leaves stripes every time she lays down. He went ahead and order a dry bandage be put on and he said he was going to see if one of the neurosurgeons could look at it tomorrow. He’s not worried about it too much since there’s no puss or blood leakage, just some yellowish drainage. I’m assured the drainage is normal but it’s been a week and we’re still seeing it. Dr Kornburg just wants some affirmation from a neurosurgeon that everything is still OK.
Nica-PT-Day-01 video
