Today was another busy day. They all seem that way. I guess the nurses at Mayo were not joking when they said Brooks was like the Boot camp of rehab! I enjoyed helping my dad at his therapy sessions. Today was a lot more hands on with physical therapy. They have him walking with just one person assisting him, yesterday it was two and also without using the cane. They put an ace bandage around his foot to keep it held at a 90° angle so that it doesn't drag. Today he would kick his foot forward in a walking pattern. During therapy children from a local school came to sing some Christmas songs. They were from Seacoast Charter Academy and it was so nice to see them singing and see the patients watching them so closely. One of the students made a point of looking at the patients and saying Merry Christmas - it was so sweet. It's just singing a song. But it just reminded me that in our everyday life we can see all the Christmas festivities and hear Christmas music and go to Christmas performances. For the people who are here, they don't get all those experiences during this time. 
The singing provided a short break, but then it was back up to practice walking. This is the therapist having him walk without the assistance of a second person or a cane. He walked beside my dad and would tell him to kick his foot and look up, but as they started to go the therapist moved a little bit away from him so that my dad was having to put his weight on his right leg. The therapist said the one thing he likes about my dad is that he comes in here for his physical therapy sessions and he works and he works hard the entire time he is in here. His physical therapist has been giving him extra time because of how hard he works and because he feels he will be up and walking in no time. The second picture there is when they had him stand up beside the bed and they wanted him to lift his left leg and put it up on the bed with his knee bent, which would force all the weight on his right leg and then with all the weight on the right leg the therapist basically pulls him up and down by bending at his right knee. This is a strength building exercise but extremely difficult. So in that picture the therapist has his right knee held so that it doesn't buckle. The therapist aide is holding his right arm and shoulder back. They then asked him to pick up his left leg. I mean can you imagine that - they are basically saying stand on this weak, unstable leg, and we are going to take the strong one out from under you. I mean I see the benefit of the strength building exercise but I imagine it is terrifying to my dad. So it took me getting down on the floor, holding his left hand while using my other arm to pick up his left leg and get it on the bed. And he is strong. And he is a fighter. And he didn't want me moving that left leg. BUT....we got it up, we got him to then stand up straight and tall. I am glad that my aunt Pam was there during this and snapped a picture. I do a lot to help out, in any way I can while he is in his therapy sessions but prior to this picture had no picture as to what that looked like.....
My dad also had music therapy today. It was fascinating to watch but also sad. Seeing my dad know what he wants to say but unable to get it out and getting upset, breaks my heart. He kept saying "I can't" with her. Now I am not trying to sound judgemental or harsh and I don't have a degree in whatever it takes to be a music therapist but I really think if she would have slowed down, taking into consideration that the processing might take a little more time then maybe he wouldn't have been as frustrated. But then again maybe I am just partial to my dad being upset.
Every day is progress. Every day is doing something that he couldn't do the prior day. Every day brings with it new challenges and frustrations. Every day brings accomplishments beyond the doctors expectations.
"In the midst of suffering, God makes some of his most profound and precious self-revelations. Perhaps he does so because only then are we ready to hear them." Randy Alcorn
This song....totally speaks to our hearts during this time....
Oh and my husband solved the Rubiks cube today!!!
1 comment:
She helps me find clarity, her words document the slow and steady growth and improvement, she makes me cry with every blog....tears of joy. Rachel Van Deusen I am so grateful you are documenting this because my days are blurry, scary, exhausting and so emotionally overwhelming that I sometimes miss the good stuff. Thanks kid. - Mom
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