Dr. Phil's Dreamwidth Journal

Long weekend. Friday and Saturday night, little sleep. Sunday morning I emailed Mrs. Dr. Phil at 6:20am not to bother to come in. I wouldn't be any fun. At 4 I had terrible heartburn and kept asking for a couple of damned Tums. Even water was too irritating. -- I finally got the Tums at 9:20. Coughing up gobs of crap irritated a rib muscle. Great. One More reason not to sleep.

Yesterday afternoon I did sleep. In fact they couldn't wake me at 5 to get up. They got me up at 5:30. Dietary sent up a quartered fresh orange and it was the first thing in two days to taste good.

This morning I ate half a breakfast. Stomach has been annoyed with me since. It's gray and snowing a tiny bit outside -- too warm to stick -- but this makes the sky too glaring and annoying.

The good news is that the flu outbreak seems to have been confined to Five. The bad thing I am living on Five. I want outta here.

So yeah I feel better. Better enough to complain. (grin)

Dr. Phil

Weather was a rollercoaster on the last day of March. At 6pm there's fast moving white clouds and blue sky to the north and fast moving storm clouds to the south.

Did not sleep well last night. With warm rain outside the humidity indoors shot up. Put on the room fan eventually. Three times I broke out the Kindle to play music to drown out hallway and noises from other room. I had finally got to sleep when I was woken up by an aide at 5am that my weight would be taken at six. No. Besides, I get my weight taken most weeks and especially before a doctor's visit.

But what really didn't help was the increase in the gassy bloating feeling. Yesterday was mac and cheese lunch, but I only picked at dinner. I ran into this two years ago with food making me gassy. I just need to get out of here and get real food again. Took a couple of Gas-X at 3am, more at breakfast, lunch.

Had no interest in the lunch or dinner trays. I had a small cup of orange jello and some saltiness for lunch. Chicken noodle soup and two cups of orange jello plus saltiness for dinner. The noodles and chicken were well boiled, so I had some. The broth was good, though it had a lot of sage in it.

Late afternoon temp was just 99.6° F, so I'm not deathly ill. Dozed in afternoon.

But... today was the first day of PT in a week, so we ended up going outside under the portico out front. As suspected, the folding walker sucks on non-level surfaces. But I did well with my four wheel walker. First time I really got the push-brake-step coordination together. Go me. Also did well on a wet, slippery surface.

My entry for WOTF was due today -- the first quarter where the deadline was 9pm PST and not 11:59pm. Of course at 11am EST the system was closed. I had to send my RTF file directly to Joni. She was not happy with the IT problem. I think they get a huge number of entries in the last 24-48 hours.

This is an experimental story. I fully expect it to be punted, so I probably will rewrite it traditionally for Q3.

I hope this bug goes fast. Being sick in a hospital sucks. All the usual things I would do have to be filtered through other people.

Onward.

Dr. Phil

The blog title is a line from the movie Apollo 13, when they shut down the command module navigation computer before getting the lunar module's computer up and running. For some seconds, things were chaotic.

Another line I keep on coming up with, one I coined myself, is Hasn't anyone ever done this before?

Saturday is a lovely sunny day. And was supposed to be my PT eval with the new leg, thus putting me back on the clock with insurance. Alas, after yesterday, no leg delivered. And we're in limbo with insurance -- does the medical procedure change my status -- because you can't hope to get any coherent and accurate information on a weekend.

But no, it's dumber than that.

The expectation was, that with a successful eval, we'd start into the new PT regimen on Sunday. Well, I should be able to put on a Kiwi and resume what I've been doing on Sunday.

Except...

Dave discharged me from therapy so I could be evalled. And he's not on this weekend. So the person who was going to do the eval is going to have to get in contact with a supervisor.

You can't write this stuff.

And due to a bureaucratic drop kick, it's possible I'm still on the $280/day room and board, with no PT.

It didn't help that I couldn't get up until 11 this morning. Our best aide, Sabina, was on, but there were three admits and other crises. I haven't decided if I'm being a cranky crab or a whiny child when my schedules fall apart. It's a long story. Perhaps in the future I'll reread this entry and wonder what the other issues were this morning. Ah, well.

Onward... at some pace.

Dr. Phil

We've been getting the back edge of Winter Storm Selene. But West Michigan is right along a boundary line. Ice then snow north of I-96. Rain south to Indiana. High today of 60°F by the border, 40s here, 30s north. It's rained enough that looking down at the grass in the back garden, there's some ponding. Green Bay got snow. The northernmost part of the Lower Peninsula is getting 12-15" of snow. Welcome to Great Lakes spring...

Tuesday in PT we went back to the regular corridors, having concentrated on carpet for a couple of weeks. My previous record number of steps on a single stand was 26. I had runs including 19, 26, 24, 26. Finally eked out a 27. Go me. All told we had gone 47', so we measured another 13' to make it sixty feet and achieved it.

Definitely go me.

Yesterday in RT, we were able to spend some time outdoors. Melissa is always egging me on to bigger numbers of reps. I'm up to 100 (100+1 or 105+1 depending on the exercise). So she said 150. While Melissa and Autumn chatted, I went through three exercises with the hand weights, three sets of fifty each. Or 150 x 3. So th-bbbt! (grin)

Today in PT I didn't have the stamina of Tuesday. But... I did make a total of 45 feet in the hallway. And I got to talk about helium and nitrogen and liquefied air and the Liedenfrost Effect, etc. during the breaks. So it was a good day.

Also had to talk legs. I get my leg tomorrow. So Saturday's PT will be an evaluation and then I should be put back on the clock for full therapy. The first few days will be just having the leg on for a couple of hours -- whether sitting, standing or even first steps. Probably will stay with RT until I can do sufficient stuff to warrant turning OT back on, too. But Dave thinks I'll be back on the insurance clock on Saturday.

Man, I do hope this goes as smoothly as I think it can... but I know it will be weird at first, too.

I was going to write and post this last night. But I must've drifted off sometime after midnight. I woke up, my light and TV were still on, and still had my reading glasses on. Was sure the clock said 6:10am. But that meant I was way behind with water and hadn't charged my Kindle. So I checked the Kindle, which had gotten a partial charge in the evening. It read 91%. It also said the time was 2:30, not 6:10.

Ah...

It was hot on five in the middle of the night. My ice water melted too fast. But I slept.

So onward, as the rest of Selene passes by. Sun tomorrow as we ride off to see a man about a leg.

Dr. Phil

Today was a big one. Today we went off to Hanger to try on the test leg.

They use a thick clear thermal plastic, so they can see the fit inside, and carve or reshape with a blowtorch as needed. Next the adjusted connecting piece will be used to cast a mold for the first real piece.

Once we got around the spots that were digging into my thigh, added a pad inside, it was time to stand up to the folding walker we'd brought along. Now I've been standing up with one leg for months, so I knew I could do it. But would the stump handle this?

Smooth up and standing. There were, of course, two immediate issues. First, I have gotten very used to looking down and checking my left foot placement these last two years. Similarly, the prosthetic foot has no nerves, but I could see the foot clearly bending out. Easy to fix with a wrench. Second, I realized I had to stretch up and lock my right knee to try to equalize the leg lengths.

Tom and their builder, Kevin, brought out pads to slip under my right foot. Interestingly I have had troubled lifting my foot with the walker. Not as hard with a second leg -- marvellous invention, they should issue those standard. First ¼", then 3/8". Perfect. Or at least much better.

I probably had at least three stands.

It felt like I could take a step, but there was no stretchy sleeve to hold the leg on. So no.

Next appointment, Friday 25 March 2015. 1:30pm.

Pictures from today are on Facebook. I'll eventually get them up on the blog.

The leg is different from my imagination -- which I expected. Surprised that the ankle is completely fixed, no sprung motion in any direction. Not sure how I feel about that. Even the AFO on my left foot had some fore/aft bend to it.

So a typical below the knee leg comes in at 5-7 lbs. This one will be more like 8-10 pounds, given the heavier weight loading.

Definitely a surreal experience. Next time for real. Then more serious walkage...

Onward.

Dr. Phil

So... Wednesday the flight surgeon cleared my left stump for takeoff. Or at least some weightbearing.

Friday I'd already made an appointment to get measured for a prosthesis. We planned to do the same wheelchair ambulance maneuver as on Wednesday, but this turned out to be an adventure in itself.

Now the stand and transfer wheelchairs in the hallway, including moving my seat cushion, worked swell. Except this one had me leaning way back. Fortunately the driver had a blanket with him, which he put along the back so I could sit up straight. Then there was the ramp.

For some reason the folddown lip to the ambulance lift ramp wasn't lying all the way down. The driver had to hold it down with one foot while pulling me up. Then when he went to engage the lift, a red light came on and it beeped. Eventually he climbed in, removed a plastic cover, inserted a handle and pumped it up manually until the light went out and then the remote ran the lift. I speculated that the pressure in the hydraulics might have been insufficient until there was a few manual pumps.

Mrs. Dr. Phil didn't ride along, because my aide Sabina and her trainee had to ride along, since this was a clinic visit. Of course that meant the driver had to leave his second wheelchair at Fuller, so he could fold down the second row seat. Mrs. Dr. Phil met us at Hanger on Cascade Road.

Lovely sunshine and blue sky. Backed out, rolled up to the front door, hit the handicapped button, let the door open, pushed forward and... S C R A P E... Yeah, the chair barely fit through the door into the entryway.

Second door swings open, we get pushed forward and... BONK.

The wheelchair does not fit. Huh. Pretty funny for a prosthetics clinic.

So... we did bring the folding walker. In theory I could stand and hop through the doorway and fold the chair and get back in. But would the wheelchair fit through the interior doors? Well, yes, they were wider. But in the end they got some channel lock pliers, took out a nut to remove a pin from the door opener, so the door would be opened all the way. With some scrapes, we made it through. A few bumps through the next two wooden doors. I was in.

Naturally we gave Tom a hard time about his ADA doors, but truthfully, bariatric wheelchairs are wider.

So, onto the main event. Ever proactive, I had Mrs. Dr. Phil bring two left shoes, so they could fit a foot to size 10½ 4E/6E and get the height right.

A plaster cast of my stump was made. Very similar to the procedure used on my left leg for making an AFO. Measurements of my right leg from the knee down in the same shoes.

This Thursday I go back for a first fitting with a clear attachment, so they can see how it fits. Then they'll make the real one and next week I shall hopefully have a leg.

Very exciting.

But the fun didn't end. Getting into the ambulance wasn't a problem -- I think the hydraulic pressure was back up. Except... as the lift ramp was swung up and the back doors closed, there was a loud SNAP and something hard from behind and to the left struck me on the cheekbone, just below the eye. WTF?

Couldn't find anything on the floor of the van and the skin wasn't broken or bleeding. When I was being unloaded at Fuller, however, the driver found a jagged flat piece of hard plastic sitting on the back of the shoulder of my shirt. I have it and will put a picture on Facebook -- update this post later. The driver figured the cover he'd removed earlier must have been pinched by the mechanism.

Funny, as long as no one lost an eye.

----

Did another sit and stand with assistance from the 17" mat table in RT today. This was smoother than last week. Hard to do with one leg. We'll get there.

And in a couple of weeks, I may be able to walk through doorways -- using canes or a walker. But it's coming.

Onward.

Dr. Phil

This morning I was sitting up in bed and eating my breakfast, when I looked down -- my stump looked it was lying at a funny angle to the left. Then I realized I was looking at the Ace wrap and it was probably falling off. Did the white 5-ply sock come off in the night?

Uh, no. It was sitting over on the chair. The nurse last night forgot to put it on. And I can't see what's going on.

OK. Whew.

Did handweights outside on the way to the gym. Nice.

In PT we again started straight on the carpet. But this time we did steps forward, sideways and back.

Actually I did steps to the left. Right didn't work. Yet.

And one of my back steps was HUGE. Surprised all of us. (grin)

My back hallway goal was to this short side corridor going down to a new door onto the patio outside the gym. It's been covered in plastic, the hallway that is, for months. But they just did the work in the last day. Apparently the first new door was jamming and sticky. They replaced it.

Finished PT with some wheelchair squats. We haven't done them in a long time. Push back on something and tilt the wheelchair. We used the edge of the steps in the gym. My leg is a lot stronger than it used to be. I'd tilt and hold. Dave started adding resistance. No problem.

Since there are wheelie bars, I am now cleared to do this exercise on my own.

Onward.

Dr. Phil

Warm, rainy day. Humidity is up so the foam cups of ice water we live on have condensation.

There are some guardrails at the front entrance, sturdy enough to use for sit to stands outdoors during RT. Sat down on the 17½" mat table for the first time in the gym -- this is home toilet height. Had assist on the gait belt to stand up. It seems so far down, but then there's no supporting rails or handrails to get up with. We'll do more.

After lunch schedule was tight. Lay down to pee and bedpan, then back up in chair. Wheelchair ambulance brought their own chair that fits their ramp, unlike mine. Used the stable hallway railing to stand while wheelchairs swapped, including my seat cushion. Success!

Appointment with my surgeon, Dr. Fras, went exceedingly well. I am cleared for limited weightbearing and my next appointment is in FIVE weeks.

Unlike the regular ambulance crews which wait for you, the wheelchair ambulance leaves and the office calls for return trip. Came swiftly.

Excitement at top of ramp from I-196 to Fuller Avenue. To our left, the freeway overpass was blocked southbound by two Grand Rapids police SUVs. In between two officers were wrestling with some guy with a backpack. He was swinging arms and legs, kicking and punching the cops, at one point lifted off him feet by the cop behind him. Most definitely resisting arrest.

We didn't turn north towards the hospital, because there was a rapidly approaching siren. Michigan State Police car came to a stop right in front of the fight and a tall state policeman in impeccably straight and pressed blue uniform, leapt out. By now the man was struggling on the ground. The state cop knelt on the guy's shoulders and cuffed the man.

Incident over. By the time I was out of the van, an ambulance was arriving. Our driver speculated the guy might be going off in restraints for evaluation. Who knows?

But I am cleared for the first stage of prosthetics!

Onward!

Dr. Phil

We took some hand weights outside and I did my arm exercises in the fresh air. The sun really came out later, but I'm not complaining.

Did better getting up from the 19" mat table... the 17½" mat table is repaired, finally, and awaits.

Onward!

Dr. Phil

Second shower this morning. First time the stump was free to be showered. Different aide than before, but it all went well.

Mrs. Dr. Phil brought meat loaf she made last night, a couple of slices of Velveeta and our travel ketchup bottle. And bread. Real bread. A bit dried out, but while grains. Sturdy. Bits of nuts.

And flavor.

Ooh, and pickles! Bonus!

One of the other inmates took my ham and cheese sandwiches from the lunch tray back to his room. So we felt good that food wasn't wasted...

After the Sunday paper, we went outside. Alas, a bit of a breeze cut down our time outside, but it was in the 40s. 50s and 60s coming.

Mrs. Dr. Phil also brought a borderless 8x10 print from the new 3-in-1 printer that came on Friday. Cute picture of us outside on Christmas in our red hats. Put it on the wall where several of the aides spotted it right away. What a cute couple we make...

Today was a rest day. Monday we pick up the pace anew. Wednesday we see the surgeon. Friday we hopefully start on the prosthetic.

Mentally I've been ready to get out of here for a long time. Physically we are getting closer.

Want to be home.

Onward...

Dr. Phil