Happy Friday!!
Dad & Chuck visiting!
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| Rik visitng Alvin fresh from CMH, Chuck Anderson in the back! Everyone is all smiles! |
Today is really a happy day! After being at CMH since Tuesday, Rik was released early this afternoon! Her Xrays still show a few spots on her left lung, however all her tests are coming back very well. kevin picked her up from the hospital, and where did she go?? Yep, you guessed it, straight over to see Alvin! After a short visit, Kevin took her home to rest. She will be taking a couple of antibiotics to keep her strong and to clear up any residual crud. Her color was spectacular and she said she was feeling so much better! Thank you all again for all the well wishes and prayers for her, clearly the Heavens are listening.
Yesterday, Hank & I attended Alvin's medical conference with the whole team of Al's "helpers."
It was decided by the team that in approximately 4 weeks, he should be heading home! YES I SAID IT!!! HEADING HOME!!! WOOT!! WOOT!! In 3 weeks, the OT will take Alvin on a feild trip to their house in Hammond. At that time, she will assist him with a complete walk through of the house, porches and yard. While in the house, she will be taking notes to set up a plan of assistance for any changes that may be needed. He will receive information about resources and help from the community. Basic needs for him may be quite extensive considering the age of the home, claw foot tub, doorway threshholds, stairs, bed, etc. He however has already said he is not getting rid of his beloved claw foot tub.....no problem. This news is so exciting! He participated in the meeting too. He told everyone how blessed he is and how proud of himself he has become since he has made so much progress. He even showed them how much stronger his left hand is now compared to before the fall!! Everyone sure has enjoyed working with him. 99.98% of the time, he is so pleasant and friendly....The SLP also stated in the meeting that they were going to proceed with a Modified Barium Swallow, pending the reults of the appointment at OHSU next week. The hard brace MUST be removed for this test, so all precations are being taken!
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| Parallel bars Alvin uses to walk forwards and backwards! |
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| Al preparing to use his walker.... he is tip toeing his chair to just the right spot |
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| Alvin up and adam with his walker!! |
This week, Al has walked way past his and his PT's expectations! His goal for yesterday was 75', he went over 100', with just a short rest...he also went down to the therapy room and enjoyed talking with some of the other residents and worked himself hard on the hand peddle bike....again he scored a 98%.....! He has also been using a treatment called Diathermy, a form of physical therapy in which deep heating of tissues is accomplished by the use of high-frequency electrical current, heat therapy...there isnt really a "feeling" if it is working, however using helps with the inflamation....
Today, he got up and sat in his wheelchair and then proceeded to " walk" his was around the third floor! He said his legs were ready to run right out of the building, but he knew his favorite aides would miss him! LOL I am sure it was a sense of liberation for him! His legs also appreciated the new work out! Overall, in my opinion, the next few weeks are going to fly by! Getting everyting ready at the house and just the pure emotion knowing his homecoming is right around the corner. Let's all take a deep breath and breathe.....ya, you did it didnt you??
Tomorrow, most of us are going out of town to attend a family wedding at Linda's house in Aberdeen, WA. Lani and Rik are staying in town to be with Al and so Rik doesnt get too overwhelmed. But we will all be back in to give Alvin a hard time on Sunday....oh wait, maybe it's just me that teases him...but I know he loves it....he throws it right back.
Hope all of you have a fabulous weekend! Enjoy the pictures!!
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