Whew....

So, a report from the first 24 hours back home. Well, it started with the excitement of a fall which on the day after seems to have no further effect than giving everyone involved some stress and excitement. My sister, Felicia, and brother, Keith, stayed the evening. The move from the rehab center went well with help from Karen and Steve. We made a stop at CVS where I got my exercise walking in to hand in the scrips for all the meds that are part of my life right now. Sadly they only had five days worth of the Lovanox so I need to go back and pick up the rest.
After thetrip to the emergency room the first bit of settling in went well with help from Mary Lou and Carolyn as we sorted through what I needed. Mary Lou and Keith did a great job of bringing things down from upstairs and getting the office area all set up for me. Carolyn took on the monumental task of trying to clean up the dust from all the construction. She worked on it Friday and Saturday and I am thankful as there are no clouds of dust as one moves through the house downstairs. After Carolyn and Mary Lou had both left Keith started work on plumbing and things he needed to do. Later Felicia went to the Common Market to gather some food from the soup/hot bar for dinner. As we ate we discussed plans for the evening and the following days. I was also introduced to my guard dog, if you come to visit I will be certain to introduce you as well.

Today Felicia and Keith brought in tables and chairs from over the garage so that I will be able to host the Frederick South game days for a few months till I regain some independent mobility. I was also shown the exercise bike :-( Keith bought for me which will allow me to exercise and strengthen my arms and good leg. However I was exhausted today and so spent much of the day sleeping. Guy is due back home around 7pm and after he gets back and a bit settled in we will head out for some dinner and some shopping of groceries and such.

Today

And she's home already!

Hurrah, no damage, Leslie is back home already, she fell as well as can be expected.

Oh No! Set Back!

Just a quick note, Leslie fell on her move home, she was not ready.  She is in the ER at Frederick Memorial Hospital.

Moving Day is coming

Just had a chat with the cordinator here. She let me know that they like folks to have cleared out by noon (hmm, aren't there some westerns with that?) Soooo, having spent over two months accumulating things here - who would like to help me vamoose? I don't know that I'll need a lot of help except that I have my executive office table setup which is going to require a van with a good bit of space or a truck. Seems on the heavy side to me so probably don't want to lift it a great deal up. There is also the platform walker which is skinny but long. The rest of the stuff might require a large car or van, and then there is me. If there is leg room I can likely do a front seat, just can't really bend the leg greatly - yet.

Wow, it's been a week

Well, the days do blend together here. However, yesterday was completely different. That's right, yesterday I went for a home evaluation visit! The house is fantastic!! A big thanks to all the folks who came and helped, and a huge, ginormous thanks to Keith for coordinating, doing, envisioning the work.

We started off from Walkersville with a transport wheelchair, crutches, and a walker. I need to get my leg less surface sensitive as it was cold on the legs while wearing shorts. At home I used the wheelchair from the parking area up to the front porch, then the crutches to get to the steps and then... yep, turned around and sat down on the top step. Got up on a box, then back into the chair. I did use the crutches to get in the door and to walk around in the lower part of the first floor. Yes, I am uncomfortable on crutches - mostly mental. I hope I become more confidant on them as time goes by. I'll probably use the wheelchair in the upper half of the floor.

The bathroom is awesome - what a shower! And it's purple! The bathroom walls, not the shower, silly.

There are a few items still to acquire for my use once home but it is official. I am approved for release on Saturday the 31st.

So, if you want to visit me at Walkersville, the clock is ticking...

Latest Update on Homecoming

I will be visiting my home on the 27th to do a Home Evaluation Visit. This allows the therapists to see my home, see whether I can function within it, make suggestions for any items which might be useful once I'm in residence, etc. If all goes well then I will most likely be discharged to Home on the 31st. Home has been explained briefly to me as "You are at home except for essential trips, such as doctor visits. You have in-home therapy visits and you have a set of therapy exercises you are expected to complete." I know while I am on my pain medications I will not be driving myself anywhere.

Possible Uh-Oh

"Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death." Harold Wilson

The quote was in our daily chronicle for today.

This morning had a visit from Laura to let me know they had received an email from the insurance company setting a discharge date of 3/21. Yes, that is this coming Wednesday.

I spoke to one of the primary therapists on my case and she confirmed that they didn't really feel confident I was ready for discharge. She also suggested I call my case manager at the insurance company to discuss concerns with her. In addition, the rehab center is putting together a counter-proposal which involves a home evaluation on the 27th.

So I'm asking all of you to either hope that the insurance company delays the discharge or I quickly become proficient on stairs with crutches.

Beyond that, I am actually starting to reduce the amount of pain meds I take as the pain is reducing slowly.