HA! Hardly vacation -right?

The man of the house has returned from his recent hospital/rehab stay. He returned safe and sound last Wednesday.  The transfer wasn't without it's hiccups, but he was safe. 

Care for David is different. He now has a wheelchair along with other care items that were once unnecessary due to David's progress. Thankfully we actually have these items. They make caring for someone easier and more dignified. 

Yesterday, David had his first outpatient OT appointment since being discharged on Wednesday. The appointment was reassuring. Meghan was one of David's regular OTs so she is very familiar with where David was. She said that she was surprised to see David in a wheelchair(wc) since the OT notes from the hospital seemed to suggest a more progressed patient. She also said that possibly the wc was more of a "safety" concern; I rolled my eyes 🙄. I told her that David can only walk, with his walker, a few feet so a wc is a necessity. Being safe is of course a necessity,  but that's different.  Anyway, after her assessment she seemed to be hopeful that we can get David back to where he was before the surgery.

I really liked the acute rehab program at Regions! So different than the care we got from acute rehab program at  Courage Kenny. But so much of the charting is insurance driven. Medical professionals are tasked with not only charting what they observe, but also charting in such a way that satisfies rules/regulations set forth by insurance. What gets paid and what doesn't. 

Anyone else exhausted by the control insurance and big pharma have on our medical care? This is a rant for another time. That being said, I am extremely thankful for Medicare/Medicaid and the CADI waiver. The medical bills that piled up after David's inital insult in 2021 were insurmountable. If it had not been for the outpouring of financial support we would have really suffered.  And now that David is receiving Medicare/Medicaid, plus the CADI waiver, we again are not having to bear the financial woes we faced the first time - even with all of the individual financial help.  I digress.

The day after David got home, on Thursday, I was reminded by my daughter that Jill Bolte Taylor's book, My Stroke of Insight, highlighted the fact that the author, Jill spent hours on cognitive therapy; Tapping into the workings of neuroplasticity. I decided to open up a new-to-us scrabble game I picked up at a local thrift shop, called Legacy. This particular set was produced in 1974 and was a deluxe edition. The reason I got it was because the board had raised edges so the tiles won't slip. The board we currently had was smooth so when we would rotate the board, the tiles would slip all over the place and make it harder to keep the game moving along. 

Some may not know this, but David loved all types of word games. He was a wiz at crosswords, jumbles, and the sudoko that matched both letters and numbers. Sometimes he would complete the easier sudoku's in his head...sick man. 

Anyway, we had fun playing the game. His processing time was a bit slower, but he was still as clever as he has ever been. At one point David suggested that we pause the game as he was getting tired. I started to get ready to get him transferred when I noticed that David had tiles in his hand. I silently watched as he strategically place three tiles to form the words LOX from ox and LIAR from Zip and Lox. Genius.

Today, Saturday, we decided that donuts were a necessity. So after enjoying a leisure Saturday morning, we drove out to our favorite donut shop, Moon Donuts in Buffalo.  We made off with our treats and as a secondary thought,  headed over to  Buffalo Lake and enjoyed the beautiful weather and our food (we also picked up some Culver's fish sandwiches to help absorb the sugar). It was a little tricky pushing David in his new wc through the grass and uneven terrain. However, we were finally able to make it to the perfectly placed park bench, just the right amount of sun and shade, and take in the scenery. 

It's so nice to have my hubby home. There's a promise of a brighter tomorrow!

Thank you all for your love and prayers.