Bill: or is it William?

A sign the economy is improving...

Bill and Ayn made a trip to Las Vegas recently. TSA was great again, good shows, good food. No problems until:  Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs.  Paying with a credit card, "Bill Jackson" on the card, and he is asked for ID.  Okay, then she says, "This says William. Do you have any ID with 'Bill' on it?"

Snicker,

He left without a dog.

Bill: Friday, April 25: more Botox & another PT tool

Busy day!

Friday morning was Botox, the first since December.  There were two difficult moments. The first was when the medical assistant left with instructions for Bill to put on a gown.  For Ayn, it was too retro to his time at OHSU, so for her sake I took his left arm out of his shirt and wrapped him in a blanket instead.

The second difficult moment was when the doctor was trying to pry open Bill's clenched left hand. She didn't realize how much pain he really was in because he never says stop.  My guess is that he was holding his breath; he was suddenly not responding to questions and had the "thousand yard stare."  God I panicked, jumped up and got right in his face, and asked the doc if we could get a blood pressure cuff on him.  She had us lie him down first, asked if he was diabetic (no), and he came back fairly quickly. 

After all that, the injections were almost like nothing.  Bill will see the rehab doctor in three weeks to check on the progress.

Our next expedition was way out southeast Portland, just inching into Gresham. Hubby and I bought another wheelchair, and I was tasked with picking it up. 

Back downtown for rehab, with walking, practicing on step-through (visual cues are a big help) and stairs.  Ayn reminded me a couple days ago that Bill used a cycling machine at Marquis with feedback to show how much each leg was exerting. I asked PT if they have something similar; yes, although Jenny and Jeff aren't certified on it. BUT a bit later, Jenny looked across the room and said, "Oh, but we do have this machine," and got Bill set up. 

He stands on the machine's blue pad, with his feet precisely positioned. When he first stepped up, 90% of his weight was on his right leg.  He was instructed to get his right and left to 50-50, and did! He seemed to enjoy it. Ayn said, "Wow, I haven't seen him stand so normal for a long time."  Then he had to balance front/back 50-50 at the same time as right-left were balanced. Then do it without holding on to the support bar. Then another "game." 

I think this is going to be a point of emphasis and it's really going to help him regain the trust that his left leg is supporting him.

Bill, week ending April 18: arm; another trip

Bill sent a message early this week, are you ready for this, there's some movement in the left arm!  It's very slight and mostly coming from the shoulder, which is fine because that's how the left leg started coming back. I think I gasped and squealed back then.

Bill and Ayn are off on another trip so of course we expect great things again!  TSA was smooth and helpful again. Their greatest excitement was recognizing QuestLove, and a little later he told Ayn he admired her hair (dreadlocks).

Bill: Update on state investigation

Remember the nine hour Trip to Hell?  Way back on July 22/23.  I filed a complaint with Oregon regulators, and got a determination this week:

"Re: Complaint #OR8450

"Your complaint regarding [xx] has been investigated by this office.  Based on the information gathered during the on-site complaint investigation, our office did identify one or more violations of the Oregon Administrative Rules for Hospitals.  Deficiencies were cited in the area of Patient Admission & Treatment Orders.

"The Statement of Deficiencies (SOD) for this investigation has been forwarded to the health care provider.  They have ten (10) days from the receipt of the SOD to complete and submit a Plan of Correction for the deficiencies cited.

"We are very appreciative of your efforts to bring your concerns to our attention...

(Client Care Surveyor, CMS Representative, Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Authority, Public Health Division, Center for Health Protection, Health Care Regulation and Quality Improvement)

Bill: Thurs. April 10: Nine months; hinging

Tuesday was nine months.

Wednesday PT was very good, with more "step through" walking tips and stairs. One trick for training the left leg was to stand at a hip-height crossbar with a ball hanging down; he had to stand on his left leg to kick the ball with his right. She also called the bracing specialist to talk about getting the leg brace hinged -- this will allow the ankle to bend for an easier/natural walk, while still providing support. The appointment for that modification is tomorrow!

Next week Bill and Ayn are taking another short trip. Perhaps with the brace mod and the same kind of inspiration from their last trip, Bill will come back with even more tricks in his pocket! In the meantime, we need to get one or two things repaired on the wheelchair because airlines and cabs aren't very kind in handling it :(

Another round of botox finally got scheduled for late this month.  Bill had to intervene for getting the doctor's office to actually talk to the insurance company.

We also ran into OHSU's "rehab navigator" while waiting for his PT appointment. I mentioned that Bill is anxious to get back to work, and she recommended working with the VocRehab office on Interstate Avenue, "They have all SORTS of resources to help you."  We might try to stop in after next Wednesday's PT, but it might have to wait until they return from their trip.  

Bill April 2: Doing SO great

Bill has lost a lot of weight since pre-stroke. Without mentioning pounds, I can tell you he is down 30%.  So after therapy it was a trip to the mall (yuck) to buy pants that will stay up (hooray).

Physical therapy today was great.  We told Jeff that Bill recently conquered standing from a chair without help. So Jeff had some challenges.  Stand from the therapy table with his right hand on his right knee. And down, sitting not plopping. Now stand with the right hand on the left knee. And a controlled sit.  Now with the right foot slightly forward of the left foot (making the left leg do more work),  and oh my, Jeff finally found a challenge for Bill.

Now let's practice on the walking, specifically stepping through with the right foot. And let's practice on the stairs. Jeff worked him!

Bill: no April Fool's

In PT, Bill is working on stairs.  Going down is harder than going up.

This week was a nephrology (kidney) and hypertension update.  The genetic test came back negative, so they won't be adding a new drug.  Ayn's record of blood pressure readings was impressive, so they have instructions on the next med they can try to cut back on.  Doc said two of the meds he will probably always stay on, but two could, might, maybe disappear.

Bill really wants to get back to work, so the next step is how to navigate it. Who all has to clear him? Will he, or does he need to, ease back into work?