Hello all! Sincere apologies for the delayed update on mom’s status! I hope each and every one of you had a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Mom has been doing incredibly well over the past few months!! In fact, so well that Physical Therapy discharged her in November, and Occupational Therapy in December. She continues to see speech therapy, but mostly for vocal cord rehab due to prolonged intubation & short term tracheostomy.
Her mobility is improving every day. She’s a little extra cautious when walking on ice, wet surfaces, etcetera (as we all are/should be). She does have some shoulder discomfort at times due to her broken ribs and collar bone. Her hips bother her when walking for extended periods, due to the breaks and fractures sustained to her pelvis. She had a follow up appointment with her orthopedic surgeon (Dr. Hobby) last Thursday. X-rays were taken of her pelvis and collar bone. They showed much improvement and are looking great! Yay!!
Mom’s been at home now since the end of September. Her sister Shelli was there with her until mid December, which was incredibly helpful! Thank you, Aunt Shelli!!
Mom does get tired with increased activity, and frequently lays down for a nap in the afternoon. This isn’t uncommon as her body is still healing. It’s going to take time to build her endurance level back up again. Her trauma surgeon told Ladd & I (when mom was in ICU) that it would take a good year for mom to be "whole" again. She’s healing a lot faster than originally expected, so that’s a huge answer to prayer!!
She has been doing some supervised driving over the past month now. Ladd took her out while in MT for Christmas, and the neighbors (Sandy & Kelly) have gone with her as well. She should be independent with driving within the next month or so! In the mean time, we want to thank those who have so generously given their time to drive mom back and forth to appointments, church, the store, etc. We truly appreciate each and every one of you!! And thank you all so much for the prayers, love, and support! It means the world to us!!