Tomorrow will be one full week since Frank came home!!! It’s been a week of ups and downs, mostly ‘ups’, thank God.  Initially, Frank had a huge challenge doing some of the simple things that he used to do, as his left leg has more of a deficit and he had to tackle those once known activities a completely different way.  This is where it came in VERY handy that the therapists at the hospital had me ‘train’ with Frank, as I knew all of the cues that they used to keep him safe as he moves ‘to & fro’ and it allowed me to learn first hand just what his new deficits were.  Therefore, I was able to support and coach Frank properly through the ‘new’, but, old tasks.  It was sooooo frustrating for him.  My heart really went out to him.  

Frank has the grit of one I’ve never known and he met all of his challenges with grace and a ‘will do’ attitude AND I’m happy to report, for the most part, he has mastered these new ways of mastering all the things he needs to, to be safely at home.  It’s all the simple things we all take for granted, such as, getting into a small bathroom door with a leg that doesn’t really bend and has to be swung around to clear the foot; sitting on a toilet seat and not falling off, or staying safe as you get up & down from a toilet seat &/or a chair; climbing stairs and my favorite—going down stairs!!!! 16 OF THEM!!!! (so frightening);  getting into and out of a bathtub with a bath bench; not torquing a good knee that you rely on for all ambulating;  getting into and out of bed; turning over (the first night home we were up at 3:30am, as Frank had to learn to turn over in our bed, not a hospital bed, his left leg doesn’t bend well and you use a bent leg usually to turn over!); learning when you are just prior to being completely worn out and making sure you don’t have more tasks to complete before you are completely ‘out of steam’-if you don’t gauge this properly, you set yourself up to fall and fail miserably at anything you need to do, even if that is just being able to stand up!!! Anyway, you get the picture.  Everything takes energy, effort and stamina and when one side of your body is paralyzed, you basically, have to haul that side around as dead weight and it is tiring!!! It puts a lot of stress and strain on the good side, as well, and you have to constantly make sure you don’t wear out or damage the good arm and good leg!! Basically, it’s a lot to maintain, think about and manage, believe it, or not!! 

We’re had some administrative problems with our primary health care provider and have had a whole nightmare of logistics to deal with, and manage, due to the lack of professionalism on his part.  Some kind of a doctor, it’s been a real harrowing experience for us both.  I really don’t know how that doctor sleeps at night.  

At any rate, we are hanging in there.  Today is actually Frank’s 71st birthday!  We’ve had an enjoyable day and will be taking it easy this evening.  

That is all for today,
hugs from us to all of you!