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Here is more detailed information about how Lynette has been doing each day.
Today mom had her first day of outpatient therapy at OSU Dublin. They completed assessments to see where she is at strength and ability wise. Even since her last day at Dodd, mom improved on every single assessment she did! YAY! Mom will now have two days of therapy a week (previously she had 5 at Dodd) for an hour each session. They sent us home with a list of workouts to do when she is at home. After therapy, we took a walk to Frank's park. Mom walked .9 of a mile, with one break, in thirty minutes. Yesterday we took the same walk and it took us 45 minutes. She is CRUSHING it!
Mom was discharged from Dodd today around 2. She had both therapy sessions before she left. Everyone was so impressed with the amount of progress she made in her time at Dodd. It was hard saying goodbye to all of the amazing workers there. We are extremely thankful for the hard work and care they gave mom. Once home, we unpacked, enjoyed the weather on the deck and started watching the VMA's, something mom has been looking forward to. She is excited to sleep in her own bed tonight!
Tomorrow is mom's last day at Dodd! We are SO excited to finally be taking her home. She is looking forward to sleeping in her own bed, being able to watch her shows and sit in her backyard. Today mom accomplished a goal Kyle (Physical Therapist) had for her since day 1, to climb to the top of an 8 floor parking garage. He has been mentioning this idea to mom since she started at Dodd and today was the day! He said in the 20+ years he has worked here, he has only had 8 patients make it to the top. Mom made it all the way without stopping! It was super hard but she felt very accomplished.
Mom has a new discharge date. She is now going home this Friday. She is being discharged early because of the amazing progress she has made her insurance doesn't think she needs to be here anymore. Mom is excited to go home but is also nervous. She will still have a full day of PT and OT and will head home after that.
Mom worked super hard in both OT and PT today! In OT, they are really focusing on her gaining as much independence as possible before she is discharged. They are working on dressing and undressing. Today she was able to pull her shorts up on her own! Last week she worked on this for about 20 minutes at one time and was unsuccessful. It was really hard for her and it upset her so we are SUPER excited to see this progress! Mom is walking really well now. The Physical Therapists says she can be ‘independent for short distances' as in we do not need to walk directly beside her at all times when she comes home. He thinks she will be able to move around the house on her own (other than the stairs). Mom's team of doctors and therapists had a meeting today to discuss her discharge date. She could potentially be discharged this Saturday the 16th instead of the 19th because of how much progress she has made.
Mom had a good day today! She is still constantly peeing on her own. She hasn't been cathed since last Tuesday! She has been having multiple assessments to see how she is progressing compared to when she first started at Dodd. All tests are showing lots of improvement, so we are very excited about that! Mom is now walking more outside of therapy sessions, on her own. She is no longer considered a high fall risk.
Today mom got to leave Dodd to go to Franklin Park Conservatory! She walked around all on her own for almost an hour and a half, with only 2 breaks. Even with all of that walking, she still had an hour and a half of PT and an hour and a half of OT. She tried some new things in both OT and PT. Mom still has not had to be cathed since Tuesday morning. They are now wanting her to be cathed whenever she retains more than 80 ml, because of her UTI. We are concerned that catheterizing her will set her back from peeing on her own (a nurse said this was a possibility). So she is trying to use the restroom and drink as much water as possible. She has peed on the toilet multiple times today. Mom’s main goal at this point is to be able to drain her bladder on her own and to never be cathed again!
Today mom took a 45 minute walk to Neil Avenue WITHOUT HER WHEELCHAIR. She stopped a few times to rest but walked all on her own with Kyle and Taylor. Later in PT, she played Wii Fit to work on her balance. It was fun to watch! She hasn't had to be cathed today but has not peed since this morning. We figured out she is able to use the stylus from her iPad on her phone so she is currently doing the Wordle and checking her Facebook by herself! Later today, a friend is coming to give her a haircut and color her hair. Something new for today, she is now able to feel textures with her hands. Last week, she couldn't tell if a blanket was soft but today she could tell!
Mom had to be cathed today for this first time in 3 days. She was hoping for no more catheterizing so she was pretty disappointed. She ended up peeing a number of times throughout the day so we are hoping she won't need to be catheterized again. On Thursday, mom gets to leave the hospital for "reintegration" where she will take a bus and go either to Target or Franklin Park Conservatory. She is really looking forward to it! In PT, they are working on building her endurance. She walked for 8 minutes today without any help! Kyle doesn't imagine her needing a wheelchair once she leaves the hospital. They are thinking of renting a chair just to be safe. He believes she will be fine with basic mobility around the house and will likely not need one. YAY!
Mom started the day by peeing in the toilet! After she peed, they scanned her bladder and found about 100 ml retained. They won't drain her bladder unless there is over 300 ml retained. She kept her bladder volume low throughout the entire day and made it to the toilet a few more times. She even made it to the toilet for a BM! These are HUGE milestones and we are SO excited! Mom didn't have any therapies today so we played different games to work on her hand and finger strength.
Mom made great progress in therapy again and tried some new things! She is able to walk for short distances without anyone holding her, just a person holding her belt in case she stumbles. She is working on getting more speed, maintaining balance and moving side to side. She played some games in therapy and had some fun. No PT or OT tomorrow so we will be her therapists!
I missed a number of days due to being out sick, so I am sorry for the lack of updates! Mom continues kicking therapy butt. She walked up steps, walking better and for longer periods of time. She has made good progress in OT! She has been working on picking up and moving small blocks and picking pegs out of a peg board. Today she put on her own shirt! She is enjoying her visits from friends and family.
Mama got a shower! She's feeling fresh as a daisy. She is still sleeping well after working hard in therapy every day. The doctors let us know this morning that she has a minor bladder infection so they will be giving her antibiotics for a little while. Her liver enzymes are improving, which is great! She is continuing to try new things in therapy. She will not have any PT or OT over the weekend but the therapists have given us a couple of ideas to work on. Yesterday was two weeks since mom's surgery. Check out blog post #6 to see how much she has improved since then.
Mom slept well last night. She worked on a lot of new skills in PT like walking backwards, walking around cones and stepping up and down. We got her outside a few times to enjoy the weather. In OT, she used an arm bike (a bike where she pedals with her arms). They have been giving her electrical shocks on her arms to strengthen her arm muscles. Last night, we used face masks to get some hydration back to her skin.
Mom had another good night of sleep. She has made great progress in both OT and PT. A goal she is working on in OT is to press the buttons on her bed to adjust it. She is now able to sit in her wheelchair for longer periods of time. We got her outside this morning for fresh air and sunshine. PT got her up and WALKING today! She was in a harness with two therapists around for support. She walked 2 laps in the therapy room, one lap without stopping at all. Videos/pictures will be posted soon. She has been peeing on her own a lot more today and hasn't had to be cathed since yesterday. She also hasn't had pain medicine since last night!
Mom had a much better night of sleep last night! Good thing because we were woken up early for an ultrasound of her legs, liver and bladder. I was glad that I was able to go with her to both exams as we had transportation issues for both exams. It was almost 3 hours until we were back in the room and she missed her recreational therapy time. We have a tentative discharge date of September 19th. Please check today's blog post (#5) for results from her scans and more detailed information.
Mom is in her room at Dodd! She is in room 4147 on the fourth floor. She didn't sleep very well last night but is happy to be back in Columbus! Mom has already had 2.5 hours of PT/OT today and has one more session to go! I will try to post her therapy schedule each day. She is napping now and her next PT will be at 2:00. They have her back on a soft food diet until speech therapy clears her. She will be getting chest and neck x-rays around 1-1:30 today and an ultrasound to make sure there are no clots in her legs.
Another good night of sleep for Lynette! Finalizing the last details for her transport home tomorrow. The transport team called Denny and asked where they should pick her up... We both basically work here now with all the work we have done. Our favorite Physical Therapist came in to say goodbye and brought several things to make moms ride tomorrow more comfortable including 2 pairs of TED socks, 2 neck braces and an abdominal binder (to help keep her blood pressure down). There will be a nurse on board that is able to prescribe all meds and keep her comfortable. Mom is feeling a little anxious about the long ride but is ready to be closer to her people.
Lynette continues to be sleeping well (even with constant check-ins from nurses). Her blood pressure and oxygen have been good all day. We accomplished almost all of our daily goals before noon today! We are continuing a 3 day HGTV marathon binge. She is looking forward to Facetiming Elli later tonight. Have not seen PT or OT today but Denny and I have been taking over her workout routine.
Lynette slept well last night. She is having shoulder and neck pain but muscle relaxers seem to help. PT brought in TED socks which are thigh high socks that prevent blood clots and leg swelling. They were hoping the socks would keep her blood pressure down as she worked out. They helped a little but not significantly. Her blood presure gets lower as her head is raised into a seated position. Her new party tick is peeing whenever meeting with therapists or taking her pills.
Lynette woke up with a fever of 102 which went down later in the morning. PT came in and is practicing having her sit in seated position and keeping her blood pressure down. Lynette is peeing consistently on her own! The Pure Wic catheter makes it sound like a rain storm when she pees, loud enough for all to hear. She's clearly feeling better as she ordered shrimp for dinner. Who eats shrimp from a hospital?
Transfered out of ICU at midnight to the Orthopedic Unit. Had a rough back spasm last night where her pain reached the worse it has been throughout the injury. She got very little sleep from the transfer, to the spasm and all the check-ins from the new nursing team. New trauma doctor came in this morning and was impressed with her progress. They believe Lynette's recovery will take a year but we are determined to make it sooner! Speech therapist cleared her of her prior restricted diet of soft foods and thickened liquids. Lynette had her PICC line removed. Elli came in for a visit and was a great mood booster!
Ate her entire breakfast today. Continued using the universal strap to eat yogurt with Denny's assistance. Doctors informed us that she will be getting out of the ICU later today. PT came again and Lynette sat on the side of the bed on her own without any support. They worked on getting her to stand but her blood pressure began to drop and they sat her back down. She is lifting her knees on her own now.
The trauma team came in today to discuss getting Lynette out of ICU and back to Columbus. They are hoping to get her out of the ICU on Monday. Occupational Therapist showed her how to use a universal strap that goes around the palm of her hand so she can work on feeding herself and brushing her teeth. She finally got to wash her face!
Started moving more today. She moved her legs over on the bed without any help. Physical Therapist had her sit on the edge of the bed with support. She held her head up on her own and was able to turn her neck to look around the room. She slept approximately 8 hours and was Kennedy's first overnight stay at the hospital with Lynette. She was not aware of the large scab under her nose.
Our excellent customer support team is ready to help.
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