Johnathan was Jeff's night nurse again and like usual he took the time to get Jeff up at 6 am to shower and perform other morning cares. We are so grateful he goes the extra mile to get this done before the end of his shift!
Jeff says, "He's my favorite nurse. We have so much in common! The only differences are that I'm old and he's young, I've done it and he wants to do it. I love to talk with him, we have a great time."
After his shower he struggled with temperature issues again. He felt freezing and his core temp was lower than normal. They piled warm blankets on him and even gave him hot chocolate. This made him very sleepy and he crashed. When it was time, the nurse and Annette were able to get him dressed and ready for the day without even waking him up! When they were ready to get him in the wheelchair to go to therapy he finally woke up and stayed awake.
Annette left to spend time with Peggy looking at tile and counter tops for the remodel. Jay stayed with Jeff and went to therapy with him.
Jeff says he didn't feel like he was really warmed all the way up until he sat in the sun before therapy. Then he worked really hard in PT.
He spent a lot of time practicing going from the wheelchair to the bench (in place of a bed) and into a sleeping position, then back up and into the wheelchair. He repeated it several times, struggling only in one spot each time.
Going from a laying to a sitting position takes a lot of upper body strength. Jeff is still unable to push himself onto his elbows in order to get the leverage he needs to sit up. As soon as they help him onto his elbows he can do the rest, but that one movement requires more strength than Jeff has at this time.
He's been doing a lot in PT to gain the necessary strength and we know that in time he'll be able to do it all on his own. Today he was able to push down and press 100 lbs. It's sort of like a bench press, but with a downward pushing motion. This is the most he's done so far!
He says that to be able to do all the things he needs to do he'll have to be able to press 170 lbs, his full weight. While that may seem like a long way to go, he has already come so far in such a short amount of time! He says his "old and painful shoulders" and "weak arms" are holding him back for now, but that he'll get there in time.
He only wore his neck brace during therapy today. When practicing transfers he says he loses his balance, falls over, and jerks to one side or another at times and he wants to protect his still fragile neck. He reports that the muscles are pretty sore from use, but that it's nice he doesn't have to wear it all the time.
For lunch Jeff and Jay went to Subway! Jeff said, "It was great to be able to have lunch with my dad and spend that time with him."
Jeff pushed himself all the way there, which included a trip outside and a couple buildings down. He ate his sandwich and drank his drink without any help, a point that made him very proud! Because the break between PT and OT was only an hour today they ran out of time and Jay had to push him back to his room.
During OT they made a phone call to the company who made the grabber they had ordered, Quadtool. They were told that adaptations are available to make it work for Jeff!
The biggest problem is that it's too small and hurts his hands when he tries to use it. The person who will be helping to figure all that out is out of town for two days, so we are eagerly waiting to hear back.
Jay left when Annette got back. She and Jeff watched a movie, then Jeff had dinner. After that Ryan and his family came to visit.
Jaxon (8 yrs) loved playing in the manual wheelchair and did pretty good at figuring out how to maneuver around in it. He was quite disappointed when his mom told him he couldn't take it home.
Jeff says, "He's my favorite nurse. We have so much in common! The only differences are that I'm old and he's young, I've done it and he wants to do it. I love to talk with him, we have a great time."
After his shower he struggled with temperature issues again. He felt freezing and his core temp was lower than normal. They piled warm blankets on him and even gave him hot chocolate. This made him very sleepy and he crashed. When it was time, the nurse and Annette were able to get him dressed and ready for the day without even waking him up! When they were ready to get him in the wheelchair to go to therapy he finally woke up and stayed awake.
Annette left to spend time with Peggy looking at tile and counter tops for the remodel. Jay stayed with Jeff and went to therapy with him.
Jeff says he didn't feel like he was really warmed all the way up until he sat in the sun before therapy. Then he worked really hard in PT.
He spent a lot of time practicing going from the wheelchair to the bench (in place of a bed) and into a sleeping position, then back up and into the wheelchair. He repeated it several times, struggling only in one spot each time.
Going from a laying to a sitting position takes a lot of upper body strength. Jeff is still unable to push himself onto his elbows in order to get the leverage he needs to sit up. As soon as they help him onto his elbows he can do the rest, but that one movement requires more strength than Jeff has at this time.
He's been doing a lot in PT to gain the necessary strength and we know that in time he'll be able to do it all on his own. Today he was able to push down and press 100 lbs. It's sort of like a bench press, but with a downward pushing motion. This is the most he's done so far!
He says that to be able to do all the things he needs to do he'll have to be able to press 170 lbs, his full weight. While that may seem like a long way to go, he has already come so far in such a short amount of time! He says his "old and painful shoulders" and "weak arms" are holding him back for now, but that he'll get there in time.
He only wore his neck brace during therapy today. When practicing transfers he says he loses his balance, falls over, and jerks to one side or another at times and he wants to protect his still fragile neck. He reports that the muscles are pretty sore from use, but that it's nice he doesn't have to wear it all the time.
For lunch Jeff and Jay went to Subway! Jeff said, "It was great to be able to have lunch with my dad and spend that time with him."
Jeff pushed himself all the way there, which included a trip outside and a couple buildings down. He ate his sandwich and drank his drink without any help, a point that made him very proud! Because the break between PT and OT was only an hour today they ran out of time and Jay had to push him back to his room.
During OT they made a phone call to the company who made the grabber they had ordered, Quadtool. They were told that adaptations are available to make it work for Jeff!
The biggest problem is that it's too small and hurts his hands when he tries to use it. The person who will be helping to figure all that out is out of town for two days, so we are eagerly waiting to hear back.
Jay left when Annette got back. She and Jeff watched a movie, then Jeff had dinner. After that Ryan and his family came to visit.
Jaxon (8 yrs) loved playing in the manual wheelchair and did pretty good at figuring out how to maneuver around in it. He was quite disappointed when his mom told him he couldn't take it home.
Jeff worked on the computer for a while and looked things up with Ryan. He's awesome at typing and using his mouse now!
Annette held Tylee (7 months) and helped Julee entertain the cute troublemaker Talon (4 yrs).
Annette then left to go home so she could work on choosing the paint she wants on the new walls. She also had to discuss tile with Perry Jones. Julee left with the kids at the same time and Ryan stayed for the evening.
Steve Moffet, an old friend and business associate, came by to visit with his wife. Jeff enjoyed the time they were there and the conversation.
We want to thank them for all of their help and support since the accident. They've helped a lot behind the scenes and we want to recognize them and tell them how grateful we are for everything they've done for our dad!
It's incredible what can be accomplished when people pull together for a common cause. We've had so much help in so many ways! The time that's been sacrificed, talents shared, financial support, kind words and encouragement, and the prayers on our behalf have been such a blessing to us.
Our hearts are full and we continue on each day knowing how blessed we are in this trial. We love our dad so much and are humbled by the love all of you have also shown him. Thank you!
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