Two Steps Forward, One Back

Don's new carbon fiber brace came on Monday and it was short of amazing how well he could walk in it while getting the final fitting tweaked. His toe didn't drag and get caught on the floor and his heel was hitting the floor first which I haven't seen since before his stroke. He was able to stay standing for longer periods. I was so pumped until…

The next day at home I tried to get Don's foot and his new AFO into his brand new shoe that was fitted at the same time as the brace. I struggled and fumed and tried the shoe horn and a few choice words but I couldn't get them on. Then Don pointed to the other shoe lying on the floor and laughed. I'd been trying to put his right foot into his left shoe. Oops. Finally, we were good to go but it still wasn't easy to get the footed brace into the correct shoe. It will get easier, I'm sure, as I practice but I'm not looking forward to adding this to our daily routine although the trade-off will be worth the effort. Unfortunately, he only had the brace on a short time before he wanted it back off. There's a break-in schedule where you add an hour each day and already we're off schedule.

His new wheelchair also got its finally tweaks on the same day his carbon fiber brace came in. It's got a solid plastic and lumbar cushion for his back which is frustrating the dickens out of me. It has to come off or on each time you fold or unfold the chair when you're out and about town. That means the back pack also has to come off as well. Monday the orthopedics guy showed me what I was doing wrong---not clicking the seat part fully down---so things are looking up. I still don't have the process down pat but I'll learn, hopefully before winter sets in. I can't imagine standing out in a storm doing an imitation of an idiot. As inept as I am about sliding those slots in place it's a wonder I ever figured out sex.

Tuesday I went into the aquatic pool with two physical therapies and Don. It was his last session and the aquatic specialist was teaching both me and the other PT how to work with someone with Don's issues. I plan to start taking him into the YMCA pool between the holidays thus the "Winter of Don" will begin. We're making up our own PT program and will go three times a week. The aquatic specialist gave me all the plastic coated diagrams she's been using with Don in the pool so I'll know exactly what to do. Hopefully, when he has his last land therapy, either Friday or next Monday, the PT will give me some written material as well. I'm excited about aquatic therapy for stroke survivors. Don's definitely made some gains that I don't think would have been possible with just physical therapy on land. If nothing more, just being able to move so much better in the water gave Don a renewed interest in taking part therapy.

I'm a little down right now, though. This morning I got a call about the results of his CAT scan. The aorta aneurysm they've been tracking has grown to 6 cm in diameter and they usually operate at five. It was 4.3 cm a year ago. Two steps forward and one back. Let's hope it's only one back. I'm a little freaked about the possibility of him having another stroke with the procedure. We go to the surgeon's office tomorrow. I'm hoping she can do the stent instead of abdominal surgery. I'm worried and want it over as soon as possible.

But on the good side, we were able to get the new docking arm put on the new wheelchair so I can use the chair lift in the Blazer again! Old lady caregivers shouldn't have to risk getting hernias. We don't have time.

Jean Riva ©

Stepping Up to a New AFO

You know it's a sad state of affairs when you can say that flipping a mattress was the highlight of your Sunday. Okay, flipping two mattresses, that's a little better but it's still pathetic. Or is it? We all need a stop-and-smell-the-dust-mites kind of day once in a while.

Monday was just the opposite from Sunday with several things happening to thrill and excite. Okay, not thrilling as in a roller-coaster-at-Disney-Land kind of way, but thrilling in the stroke recovery world. We started the day with a physical therapy session (on land this time) for Don. The highlight of which was Don being asked to step up and back down on a step that was placed in front of a grab bar. This was a two man operation, to help Don the first time. He came close to wiping out and falling and would have if not for the fact that I was there with his wheelchair to catch him on his way down to the floor. His therapist had set a goal of three steps up and down but after that first attempt Don was a little scared to try again. But trooper that he is, after a little rest he was good to go again and the improvement between the first and second attempt was dramatic. By the third step up and down, Don was able to do it all on his own power with minimal help from any of us. Now, if that isn't something to thrill and excite I don't know what is.

In the afternoon Don got casted for a new AFO. When we told Don's PT this morning where we were going to get the AFO made he got puffed-up impressed and told us that the man who owns the place is known world-wide for his innovated carbon fiber braces. He holds the patent and people fly in from all over the world to get them made from him. And here we picked out the place because it was close to home. Who knew our good luck would come to this? What makes this AFO different from the old plastic type Don had before is that the foot part has springy action that is suppose to help with drop foot and the carbon fibers are, of course, very light weight. The top part that goes around the calf is one continuous piece; you slip your foot down through the opening in the top to put it on and it's suppose to help you to stand up straighter. We'll see. It's not going to be a put-it-on-oh-it's-a-miracle kind of thing. We'll have hard work to do---the PT, me and the brace guy---to get Don's calf muscles stretched back out after several years of atrophy.

This orthopedics place also owns a Giger biofeedback machine that the owner has offered to let our PT use on Don free of charge. There are only three in our town of well over 600,000 people. If we can pull this together I'll blog more about the technology later on. It looks interesting!

Jean Riva ©