We love the board game Carcassonne and its iOS version is a masterclass in translating a game to the iPad. Alex and I played a game during our quieter moments today, and of course he beat the pants off me!
Fun fact, we’ve even had a chance to visit the town of Carcassone in France with Dagmar once. We like the board game more!
Emily from PT stoped by to discuss mobility options with Alex. We have been planning to use a knee scooter at home, but after some conversation with Emily, Alex decided to give a walker a try. Even though he has little strength on his right side, the walker gives him more stability. Emily also pointed out that a walker could be fitted with an extension that allows his right arm to provide quite a bit of support. We also decide to rent a wheelchair to help us get Alex up and down the porch steps, though frankly if the weather forecast holds out this may be a very challenging exercise when Alex is discharged (we are expecting a blizzard this weekend).
Alex got to practice both the walker and wheelchair with Emily this afternoon. He was very motivated to get to the bathroom, being no fan of the commode that he had been using thus far. Alex was a champ, keeping his right foot off the ground, stepping carefully with the walker as he pivoted to the wheelchair, and reversing the whole process in the bathroom.
He has since twice more gone through this routine. The walker looks like a keeper. Thanks, Emily!
Alex just had a nice conversation with Carrie about “therapeutic recreation services,” although we soon renamed what she was offering “life-T”. she was interested in how Alex spends his time and what might be done to make his time at the hospital pass more pleasantly. She loved hearing about Cadi (the cat) and told us about therapy pets who might stop by. Alex also talked about creative writing and drawing. Alex even thought some follow up with Carrie after his recovery might be valuable.
Alex and Carrie had a really energizing conversation. It is great that Gillette has someone focused of doing what they can to help patients dig themselves out of the doldrums of a hospital stay. Just before she visited Alex was really feeling the dumpiness and indignity of the experience. Her visit was a real tonic.
Tracy, the charge nurse, brought the whole team in for a visit. She described Alex’s condition to everyone and they seemed happy with his progress. Alex is eating a bit of breakfast and expecting a day of rest, recovery, and PT.
Mary will be staying with Alex tonight. Alex had a brief bought of nausea, but is back on track. We are hoping he (and Mary) can get some rest.
What does Alex do for rest and relaxation?
Jordan came by to give Alex an orientation to his room’s amenities, the most vital of which is his PCA (patient controlled analgesia) button. He’s in control of this button, not the nurses and not us. We came up with a number of questions for the team, like “are there pins in there?” and “will we need a wheelchair?”
Alex is now ensconced in his recovery room on the 7th floor of Regions Hospital. He’s got his own room and just went through a bunch of questions and setup by the nursing staff here. He feels a bit of pain since the incision on the back of his leg is not really covered by the nerve block they did. He will soon get his own button to control his pain meds. Meanwhile he is eating a few ice chips to salve his sore throat and resting.
“I definitely feel somewhat bionic right now,” says Alex, referring to the plethora of wires.
Mary and I just met with Dr. Koop who was very positive about the results of the surgery. “His foot will be dramatically different,” he said, “he will be surprised.” Alex’s foot was placed into a much flatter position and the tendon lengthening was successful.
We won’t see Alex for an hour or so, but the short term concerns are pain management and swelling. They keep a close eye on those things while we are at the hospital. The key decision coming up will be when to go home. Once Alex can manage the pain that will be one component of the decision. The other will be whether to send him home in the Robert Jones Dressing or a cast, which depends on the degree to which swelling reduces over the coming days. We are hoping for a cast simply because it will mean one fewer trip for follow up, but we realize that is unlikely.
One surprise for me was that concerns about infection stretch out to a number of weeks. In fact, Dr. Koop pointed out that the most common period for an infection to become an issue is at about four weeks post surgery. So that is something we will be keeping an eye out for at home.
We have prepared. We have a second floor living-dining room, a small fridge in Alex’s room, Nate’s TV for months of entertainment, clean sheets, and two special CHG showers. It snowed this morning, but not enough to keep us away from Gillette and Dr. Koop. Alex was on time for his 6am arrival.
The team was ready and whisked him into prep. Meetings with nurses, Dr. Koop, the anesthesiologist, and more. A final CHG wipe down and a snazzy blue bear hug robe. Alex got his IV placed and was ready to go. At about 7:40am they wheeled him out.
Thanks for all your good vibrations! We are hoping for steady hands and minimal nausea. We will keep you posted.