I have no idea why I wait until almost midnight to write on this blog - I must still be rebelling against my mother who sent me to bed way to early as a child.
Anyway, this has been a very busy two days.
Yesterday we went in for a quick appointment with the bloodwork people (didn't know what else to call them) and they told David that all was great with his blood tests. There was a bit of a concern with some elevated liver enzyms, but that was a false reading and everything is A-OK!
We then went to Occupational Therapy where they heated his right arm up with a heavy hot wrap and then rubbed his arm down with cocoa butter and then massaged the heck out of it and did some bending, pushing, pulling, twisting and whatever else they could think of to do to give him more function. He is still unable to straighten the arm all the way but he uses it for almost everything. He is now able to touch all of his fingers to his thump and make a pretty good fist althought it is not quite as tight of a fist as the left hand. His ring finger on the right hand is not extremely responsive due to the ulnar nerve damage, so they will be doing a great deal more to try to activite the strength and sensations in that finger.
I am so in awe to watch him use what functions he has. He goes to the passenger side of the jeep and opens the door, then locks his wheelchair directly in front of the opening. He has rigged a handle on the roll cage of his Jeep and he grabs it backwards and lifts enough so he can completely rotate, while still in the wheelchair. Then he reaches in with his left arm and grabs the dash handle just above the glove compartmen and uses his right arm on the rigged handle to lift himself completely off the seat and rotate into the Jeep, then he uses both arms to lift himself from his back to his rear and vowalla - he's sitting up and ready to travel. It's as easy as that - go ahead and try that yourself - I'm quite amazed every time I see it.
David has decided to purchase a different Jeep with 4 doors so we went shopping. He is figuring out how he can climb into the back of the Jeep, pull the chair into the back, close the back door from the inside and climb from the rear of the jeep, through the center console arm rest area and into the driver's seat. I watched him do the entire routine, except for pulling the wheelchair in because it might scratch a Jeep that isn't his yet, and he just did it. I'm sure it was extremely painful but he just did it. I keep having to turn away so he doesn't see my face scrunch all up as I fight back the tears.
Before we went shopping for the Jeep, we went to physical therapy and he did Palates for awhile and made me feel like a real bump on a log. Then he decided to walk. I watched and gave him any assistance he requested in getting into his legs. The fit is still very painful with all the HO, but he insisted on doing it. We then harnessed him in and he did a lap all the way across the room and back. He tipped a few times and, even though he has only part of his legs, he is still a stout young man - I don't consider myself weak, but helping him get back straight made me feel like a girly-man. When we were taking the harnass off, his skin was absolutely wet. The effort to do that was enormous. I'm glad I contain my tears better when I am with David that I do when I write this blog. Oh my gosh, am I proud of the effort he is putting out. We then looked at the x-rays of his legs and the HO is everywhere - the x-ray of the bones is a deep dense white and the HO looks like a swirling mist of lighter white. In a few places it is darker and those are the more sensitive spots that have matured and are hardening. David had me tough one of the spots and the HO is still pliable and can be manipulated through the skin. In a few places the HO is nearing the joints and the Docs have encouraged him to keep rotating his legs, whenever possible, so the HO does not get a good hold in a joint. We were told today that they just have to wait because sometimes the HO will just stop growing and present absolutely no problems - other times, surgical removal is the only option.
Almost all that was yesterday - now today. Another occupational therapy, heating up the arm and manipulating every function of the hand and arm as much as possible. David comes out of there completely fatigued from the pain but it ready to hit it again tomorrow. We had a few hours to kill before Physical Therapy so we met a few people that he wanted me to meet and then went to the hospital where a fellow EOD Tech, who was just transferred here yesterday, was recovering. It was a bit different for David to put on the yellow gown and put on the surgical gloves to see another wounded soldier. This young man had lost both legs BK (below the knee) and had no arm damages. David's biggest concern seemed to be that this soldier had a better beard that his own. David was very encouraging and helpful. Before we went up, David had asked it that was an OK thing to do and was told that he had to go through some training before they would allow him to talk with someone in an "inpatient" status. We both thought that was a bit STUPID since he had just had 5 months of training while being an inpatient himself. So, we ignored the directive and made a successful visit.
We went on to PT after some lunch and took David's "stubbies" over to the prosthetic lab for some adjustments. They basically rebuilt the legs while we waited and he put them on about 6 different times so they could make adjustments. Then, he slipped in, and they fit somewhat comfortably with no major pinching. He walked, I would say, about 80 to 100 feet. Working on his posture and using the handrails on the parallel bars. At one time he let go of the bars and just stood there and balanced himself. "It's all a process!", he would keep saying - and what a wonderful process it is to see him gaining confidence and resolve to push through every imaginable pain to stand and walk. His goal is to be standing at 6'4" on the runway when his comrades return in November - I know he'll be there and, yep, I'll be standing there with a runny nose and watery eyes.
We were at his apartment and he was playing a war game on his X-box and was hit by an IED. His comrades in the game were dragging him away from the blast and it was showing the view from his eyes close to the ground and coming in and out of focus. David said, "that is eerily real!". A few minutes later he said he as going to miss those military operations when he was able to supress the bad guys and help his friends and the people of those countries. He also said, "Dad, I miss my legs, I really liked having my legs!" What can you say? "I know son!" wasn't much of a comfort, but I don't think he was really asking for comfort, just making a statement of fact. Then it's back at it tomorrow.
It's past midnight now and I am not going to proof-read my mistakes.
All My Love,
Gordon
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