Thursday-Very Busy Day
Hello to all,
Thursday was a marathon for Capt Jason, the patient.
Jason and Jodi had private time while Mom and Dad worked on computers in the ward. We waited for the twentysomethings to finish "goodbye" as Jodi had to catch a flight at National. Jodi and Dow left at 9:30, Dow walked her to the Tacoma Park metro station.
In the meantime Jason and I headed to prosthetics to have the "bionic arm" adjusted. The creators of the muscle controlled via electronic/computer chip hand fly in from CA each week. Using a computer, Dan runs a program, red and blue lines representing the signals from Jason's muscles to the hand. Dan "enhances' no I think he said, "magnifies" the muscle movement in Jason's residual arm so that the hand will respond appropriately: open, close and rotate. One of Jason's muscles sent strong signals, the other weaker. Jason's arm swells when it is in the prosthesis. It is very painful for Jason to withdraw it, makes this mom's heart clench. Say a prayer that Jason can leahrn to use the prosthetic arm without pain.
After that experience, Jason and I headed for PT for more painful therapy. "No pain, no gain" has Ms. Fonda used to say really, really applies to PT. Jason's right hip socket has "locked/frozen up" giving him a very noticable limp as he walks. Dr. Todd promised Jason, "You will leave this hospital without a limp." To get there, according to PT Kyla, whom Jason really likes, working together Jason and she must "break free" the hip joint. This is done by Kyla positioning a belt around her hips and locking the belt around Jason's upper right thigh and literally attempting to pull the leg out of his socket. She holds for about 10 seconds and then releases and then tries again. Jason in the meantime is tryiing not to cry and making painful grimaces. I asked, "Do we have something Jason can squeeze? or a piece of leather for his teeth?" Now as I write this I am wondering "Some pain meds possibly prior to PT while this exercise is part of his program, if Jason will take?" After this exercise, Kyla used a small particle board to do leg side to middle exercises with Jason lying down. This is to move the joint to the left/right positions. Kyla said that Jason should be able to move to about 40 degrees while right now movement is much more limited than that. I stood by Jason's side to keep him from rolling off edge of the table.
After PT quick trip to the room for lunch and then back down to the ophthamologist the good MD Michael Garvey, now in his second career he was in Foreign Service. (He looks as young as Jason.) We did not know how long this "check up for glasses" was to take as Dr. Garvey wanted to get Jason in the regular checkup chair and could not do this until Jason was able to sit. We had tried earlier, a couple of weeks ago, but Jason could not make it into his exam chair. So the afternoon passed with eye exam after eye exam, taking photo of Jason's right eye, seeing different surgeons who had seen Jason on his arrival, surgeons who could do possible future surgery to straighten the right eye, exam for reading, etc.
It truly was a marathon and after Jason's morning, I want to you to know, I personally admire Jason's strength, his endurance, his courage. Frequently, Dr. G would ask, "Jason do you want to quit, I know this exam is longer, (later "much longer") than we expected." Jason would say, "No let's do it now so I don't have to come back." Jason did get a prescription for distance and separate reading glasses. Dr. G was surprised at the magnification needed for reading while his distant vision I believe is 20/20. Please continue to pray for the healing of Jason's sight. We did not return to Jason's room till after 5:00 as Jason wanted to "walk off the afternoon of sitting." Jason missed OT but that is how the days go when a soldier is recoverying from the wounds of war.
When we got back Jason was too exhausted to take a shower or to eat. He asked me to please take off his shoes and socks and fell immediately asleep. Dow came in and I left one very exhausted sleeping soldier with his father and I left for Quixote Center and dinner. It is good to be able to go to the Center for it is a Sacred place of peace and spiritual respite for me. I want to thank Ken and Nancy for coming out of their way to provide a ride for me. It was an adventure in driving in DC as we got lost, but everyone I know gets lost. As Nancy said, "I just explore a new part of town."
While I was waiting for them to arrive in the 2nd floor lobby, a senior was sitting alone with her walker, I decided I would speak with her. She is 87, has lymphoma and no family close by. She had arrived at 10:30 this morning and finished with her appointments at 2:30 when she called for the taxi to come and get her. I met her at 6PM and still no taxi. The officer at the info desk had sent her to the 2nd floor because the first is so cold as the doors are continually open and the temperature outside was in the low 30's. I listened to her story and prayed her taxi would arrive. When I left at 6:30 she said she was going back downstairs to check once again. After I returned from Quitoxe I checked with the officer. Yes, she had helped the patient and the taxi arrived shortly after 6:30. "It takes a village to take care of our wise elders." I hope that you can reach out to someone you know who needs a friend this Christmas and throughout the year; especially a senior: a card, a ride, a hello.
When I got back to Mologne House at about 10, I thought I would take a minute to journal as the chapel is closed for renovations. I sat on the second floor balcony alone and the foyer was quiet. Out of the 2nd floor hallway, I see a senior coming, in some distress. "Lord, I pray, my night is not ending quite yet." Iris sees me and we introduce ourselves. She has just arrived, a grandson that she raised is in ICU, just arrived Very Seriously Injured from Iraq. Iris wants to go to see her granson but the shuttle has stopped running. "I can take you if you want to walk" so off we go across campus, about 10 minutes to the "back door" of WR. Up to ICU where she and I stand by his bedside. He hears her voice and responds by moving even though he is heavily sedated. We spend some minutes, say a prayer and the RN encourages her to return to Mologne and rest for the night. The RN assures her that if anything changes in his condition, they will call her room. We walk back and I give Iris my room number and phone and say I am available to help answer questions or to have tea. (I feel "a family veteran" being here 8 weeks)
Blessings on you for your goodness and kindness
to all of us and your continued prayers for Jason's recovery.
Thursday was a marathon for Capt Jason, the patient.
Jason and Jodi had private time while Mom and Dad worked on computers in the ward. We waited for the twentysomethings to finish "goodbye" as Jodi had to catch a flight at National. Jodi and Dow left at 9:30, Dow walked her to the Tacoma Park metro station.
In the meantime Jason and I headed to prosthetics to have the "bionic arm" adjusted. The creators of the muscle controlled via electronic/computer chip hand fly in from CA each week. Using a computer, Dan runs a program, red and blue lines representing the signals from Jason's muscles to the hand. Dan "enhances' no I think he said, "magnifies" the muscle movement in Jason's residual arm so that the hand will respond appropriately: open, close and rotate. One of Jason's muscles sent strong signals, the other weaker. Jason's arm swells when it is in the prosthesis. It is very painful for Jason to withdraw it, makes this mom's heart clench. Say a prayer that Jason can leahrn to use the prosthetic arm without pain.
After that experience, Jason and I headed for PT for more painful therapy. "No pain, no gain" has Ms. Fonda used to say really, really applies to PT. Jason's right hip socket has "locked/frozen up" giving him a very noticable limp as he walks. Dr. Todd promised Jason, "You will leave this hospital without a limp." To get there, according to PT Kyla, whom Jason really likes, working together Jason and she must "break free" the hip joint. This is done by Kyla positioning a belt around her hips and locking the belt around Jason's upper right thigh and literally attempting to pull the leg out of his socket. She holds for about 10 seconds and then releases and then tries again. Jason in the meantime is tryiing not to cry and making painful grimaces. I asked, "Do we have something Jason can squeeze? or a piece of leather for his teeth?" Now as I write this I am wondering "Some pain meds possibly prior to PT while this exercise is part of his program, if Jason will take?" After this exercise, Kyla used a small particle board to do leg side to middle exercises with Jason lying down. This is to move the joint to the left/right positions. Kyla said that Jason should be able to move to about 40 degrees while right now movement is much more limited than that. I stood by Jason's side to keep him from rolling off edge of the table.
After PT quick trip to the room for lunch and then back down to the ophthamologist the good MD Michael Garvey, now in his second career he was in Foreign Service. (He looks as young as Jason.) We did not know how long this "check up for glasses" was to take as Dr. Garvey wanted to get Jason in the regular checkup chair and could not do this until Jason was able to sit. We had tried earlier, a couple of weeks ago, but Jason could not make it into his exam chair. So the afternoon passed with eye exam after eye exam, taking photo of Jason's right eye, seeing different surgeons who had seen Jason on his arrival, surgeons who could do possible future surgery to straighten the right eye, exam for reading, etc.
It truly was a marathon and after Jason's morning, I want to you to know, I personally admire Jason's strength, his endurance, his courage. Frequently, Dr. G would ask, "Jason do you want to quit, I know this exam is longer, (later "much longer") than we expected." Jason would say, "No let's do it now so I don't have to come back." Jason did get a prescription for distance and separate reading glasses. Dr. G was surprised at the magnification needed for reading while his distant vision I believe is 20/20. Please continue to pray for the healing of Jason's sight. We did not return to Jason's room till after 5:00 as Jason wanted to "walk off the afternoon of sitting." Jason missed OT but that is how the days go when a soldier is recoverying from the wounds of war.
When we got back Jason was too exhausted to take a shower or to eat. He asked me to please take off his shoes and socks and fell immediately asleep. Dow came in and I left one very exhausted sleeping soldier with his father and I left for Quixote Center and dinner. It is good to be able to go to the Center for it is a Sacred place of peace and spiritual respite for me. I want to thank Ken and Nancy for coming out of their way to provide a ride for me. It was an adventure in driving in DC as we got lost, but everyone I know gets lost. As Nancy said, "I just explore a new part of town."
While I was waiting for them to arrive in the 2nd floor lobby, a senior was sitting alone with her walker, I decided I would speak with her. She is 87, has lymphoma and no family close by. She had arrived at 10:30 this morning and finished with her appointments at 2:30 when she called for the taxi to come and get her. I met her at 6PM and still no taxi. The officer at the info desk had sent her to the 2nd floor because the first is so cold as the doors are continually open and the temperature outside was in the low 30's. I listened to her story and prayed her taxi would arrive. When I left at 6:30 she said she was going back downstairs to check once again. After I returned from Quitoxe I checked with the officer. Yes, she had helped the patient and the taxi arrived shortly after 6:30. "It takes a village to take care of our wise elders." I hope that you can reach out to someone you know who needs a friend this Christmas and throughout the year; especially a senior: a card, a ride, a hello.
When I got back to Mologne House at about 10, I thought I would take a minute to journal as the chapel is closed for renovations. I sat on the second floor balcony alone and the foyer was quiet. Out of the 2nd floor hallway, I see a senior coming, in some distress. "Lord, I pray, my night is not ending quite yet." Iris sees me and we introduce ourselves. She has just arrived, a grandson that she raised is in ICU, just arrived Very Seriously Injured from Iraq. Iris wants to go to see her granson but the shuttle has stopped running. "I can take you if you want to walk" so off we go across campus, about 10 minutes to the "back door" of WR. Up to ICU where she and I stand by his bedside. He hears her voice and responds by moving even though he is heavily sedated. We spend some minutes, say a prayer and the RN encourages her to return to Mologne and rest for the night. The RN assures her that if anything changes in his condition, they will call her room. We walk back and I give Iris my room number and phone and say I am available to help answer questions or to have tea. (I feel "a family veteran" being here 8 weeks)
Blessings on you for your goodness and kindness
to all of us and your continued prayers for Jason's recovery.
posted by Katy (Scott) Zatsick | 12/15/2005 09:04:00 AM
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