AM I GETTING TIRED OF DOING THIS Renee asked me this question over the weekend. I told her even if it where forever I would never tire of it. It would simply become something learned and then routine like putting your shoes on everyday and tying them. And that when you love someone you don’t get tired of doing anything it is just part of your routine. I posted some time ago watching Renee do small things we learned many years ago as children was difficult. I do find it at times now helping her perform these tasks difficult as well. Not difficult to handle but difficult to now have her first hand in front of my trying to do things daily. All those things we do daily. Every move, every step, every motion is now thought out. I have not been able to post as often as I was because we have been that busy. It was very interesting to see the adjustment period that Renee made from Magee back to home. It took a few days before she settled in and you could tell she was back in her comfort zone. I think it is best right now if we stay to a routine until she has a routine to follow with therapy. Our daily routine is fairly simple and starts with waking up and doing the normal activities with showering and dressing. This can take up to one hour and I try to make it as self dependent as possible. I generally make her breakfast and after eating we being our routine. We follow lessons that where taught to Renee at Magee. One lesson is taking silly putty and rolling it out and making a snake out of it. Then using the left hand (the weaker one) and begin with the pointer finger and thumb and pinch. We do this with each finger several times down the silly putty. After doing this numerous times I take the putty and flatten it out. I placed lots of spare change such as dimes, nickels and pennies pressed down in them. After they were pressed into the putty Renee had to take each one out with her left hand. Using her fingers to pick them out and then placed them in a pile to the left. We did this exercise many times as well. Lastly I would take change and spread it in front of her and have her take each piece of change and place it in a container. Over and over she would pick up each one. She would not complain at all. Although she did say many times her arm would never get better I would never stop reminding her each time it will. I don’t care how many times she says that about her arm I will always remind her otherwise. I have seen what she can do with her arm and told her that if it were useless she would not have these functions. The later portion of the day we spend walking. I am not a therapist and do not know the mechanics of walking. But what I do know is this. If you lie in bed and don’t walk or sit and do not walk you never will walk. So I would stand her up and walk her down the steps and walk back up them. She does the stairs very well. We would walk in the living room and kitchen with me in front and her walking while holding onto my shoulder and arm. Step by step across the house. More than one occasion she would step on my foot and we would laugh. I would also take a 2x4 with markings on it and lay it on the floor. I would stand behind her and gently support her or guide her as she moved the walker between the 2x4 and made sure her feet where shoulder width apart with the 2x4 as a tool for that also. On final exercise I did was walk her to the kitchen and taken some of the Tupperware cups from the shelves and place them on the counter. And then take them and place them back up on the shelf. Something small and easy it would seem but takes concentration and effort for now. Amazing how this will build in time. We had our initial meeting with Magee on Oregon Avenue on Friday for outpatient rehabilitation. They had two types of rehab one that was a full day rehab but consisted of day trips doing things outside of therapy and then a therapy where you only came to do therapy three times a week. Renee chose to do therapy three times a week as she is not a social person to take trips, it is just not her and many can understand that. We now have to wait for her to go to an evaluation to be evaluated and are awaiting a phone call. I was also told that Moss Rehabilitation also just opened a brain injury rehab in Woodbury. I know they have a very good name as well and that would be very close for us. I plan on my daughter video recording short segments of us working at home from now until she will be walking on her own. I know she will kill me but I plan on taking it and having my daughter cutting it down to clips of each one and posting it. To see someone go from where she was one month ago to know is amazing. I want others to see how far she goes from this coming week to the end when that may be. Not a video diary but a short series of videos that document her transition back to Renee. I play many roles at home now but I would never have it any different. The one I like the most is best friend. When we talk and laugh now it is more now than ever. It is deeper now than when we first met 15 years ago. Renee might not be the same right now as she was before, but she will be someday. It may take some time she will. I have patience now, something she taught me along the way.
Posted on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 11:31:04 +0000
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