#6- 2 Weeks Later

published on 25 August 2023

Yesterday (Thursday, 8/24) was two weeks since mom's surgery. 

I wanted to write a blog post to compare where we were two weeks ago to where we are today.

Two weeks ago, moms first movement victory was scooting her legs over on the bed on her own. On August 12th, she sat for the first time on the edge of her hospital bed with support of an ICU nurse and a Physical Therapist. She finally started moving her arms with minimal control and on her own. She was on a restricted diet, eating only thickened liquids and tiny bites of soft foods. We were stuck in South Carolina with no information and no support from doctors or nurses. Her blood pressure could only withstand 20 minutes of PT/OT. 

Today, we are in Ohio where we feel informed and supported by the entire medical team at Dodd. They know our names, they involve us in conversations and they answer all of our questions. She is able to stand for a number of seconds entirely on her own. She can rise to standing from her wheelchair with minimal support. She is able to sit in her wheelchair for hours at a time without her blood pressure effecting her. She is now able to walk with just one support person and her blood pressure is staying in a safe range. She walked on a treadmill and rode a bike machine.  She is getting to go outside and enjoy the weather. She took a shower. She is receiving 3 hours of PT/OT each day. She can walk backwards, walk through cone obstacles and do step ups. On 8/25, she walked 168 feet with the help of a single Physical Therapist. She is peeing some on her own and is requiring less catharizing. She is in less pain and taking less pain medication. She is sleeping better and seeing a psychologist to help her mind recover.

If you can't tell from above, mom has made incredible progress in a short time! I knew she was a fighter but I couldn't have imagined the amount of progress and improvements we would see so quickly. I am so proud of how hard she is working and beyond thankful to the staff at Dodd for their motivation and encouragement.

My mom is the toughest, strongest and most amazing person I know. I am so lucky to have her as my mom and be with her to watch her reach these milestones. I can only imagine where she will go from here and I can't wait to see it. 

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