Day 86, Tuesday Nov. 17

Day 86, Tuesday Nov. 17

Jeff only got about an hour and a half of sleep last night. With his hands, feet, and butt hurting so bad it was difficult for him to relax. He took a pain pill in the early morning and while it took the sharp out of the pins and needles sensation, he still hurt and felt pressure to those areas. 

Thankfully he felt better when he woke up. Instead of the pain he only felt fuzzy all over. While it's still a little uncomfortable, it's tolerable. He almost took a nap twice today, but Annette managed to keep him awake. 

In PT he worked on strengthening, balancing, and stretching. In OT he worked with a different shower chair, learning how to get in and out, etc. After giving it a lot of thought they decided it would be beneficial to buy another shower chair (that goes inside an average bathtub) to take with them when they travel. 

They are specifically thinking about when they go to St. George to stay in Jay and Peggy's home. Jeff said it was difficult and a lot of work practicing with this type of chair. It isn't practical for every day use. They are even discussing taking the bathroom lift with them to make it easier to use the chair. 

Jay and Peggy came by to visit today. Peggy has been working so hard to get every claim submitted to the insurance. There is a lot of paperwork involved and she's donated a lot of time to make sure it all gets done. We are so grateful to her for everything she does to help our dad and our family! 

Between everything, Jeff and Annette were able to work on book work, bills, and invoices today. They got a lot done. They also arranged for the wheelchair rep to come and look at the power chair Jeff bought. They are hoping to get an estimate on what it will take to tune it up and fix it. 

Jeff's friend Max came to stay with him tonight so Annette could go home. Jeff loves spending time with his old riding buddies and reminiscing on the good times they've had together. We are grateful Max gave his time tonight to be at the hospital! 

In exactly one week our dad will be coming home.  So many emotions surround this day it's difficult to describe. It will be nice to get in a routine that doesn't include a commute for Annette every day. It will be a stress and a relief to have control over the medications he is taking. 

There are still so many details to be taken care of before he can come home. We feel the clock ticking and yet are full of anticipation at the same time. 

We have so much to be grateful for; most especially the incredible strength of our mom and dad. They seem to be giving us the strength we lack to deal with what's happened. Having our dad home will certainly be a challenge. However, we know without a doubt that together, and with our Heavenly Father's help, we'll make it through the days ahead.