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.
Do they not recommend Botox for those who have diabetes? Did the doctors mention that when they asked Bill? My aunt has mentioned her desire to give Botox a try, but I am pretty sure she is diabetic. She does eat healthy and is able to remain fairly active, so her diabetes is in check -- but should I tell her to use caution?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.livingwellskin.com/botox-xeomin