Kerry: March 6, 2009

Where have we gone you wonder.  We are here, still ensconced in sunny and warm florida.  Kerry has now been in the "rehab" hospital next door to her last hospital which was Ridgelake, both part of HEALTHSOUTH.  This facility has been a marvelous experience under these circumstances and relative to the rest of this life episode.    It looks like a hospital, but everyone is bedbound for one reason or another.  If feels like a college building in some ways as during the day all patients are on their way to or from their rehab classes.  Kerrys schedule is as follows:  Breakfast, start getting ready for PT at about 9:30 as it takes about a half hour to get her into her "body armor" upper body brace which is in two parts.  The front and back plates much like the upper body armor of a medieval knight.  She must be "log rolled" from side to side in her bed to put the back pieceon, then laid on her back to fix the front piece, and it is all secured with straps from back to front and velcro closures.  She cannot roll herself from side to side as she MUST NOT twist her back in any way as that would be the dangerous motion that might injure her very fragile thoracic vertebrae where the repair rod  is fusing that part ofher back together.  It then takes 2 people and not less (helps if another is behind the wheelchair to be sure it does not move at all but it can be done with 2). to help her up (remember she has no arm help from herself) she must pivot herself, and sit down in thechair.  Then off to her 10-11 classwhich is in a very large gym.  This is where she practices walking, turning, leg strenthing on the fixed bike.  She can walk about 40 feet, then sit down in her chair for a rest.  Then some more etc.  Today she walked a total of about 400 feet in many consecutive sessions.  She shuffles very carefully, but shows improvement each day.    Then some OT (occupational therapy) for one half hour which is all about her semi useful left arm.  She has no use at all of her right arm as rthat shoulder is fixed to her sides with a strap sortof affair.  That arm will probably never be useful again until and if surgery can repair her VERY badly damaged rotator cuff which as of now is not in place around the humeral head, which is in itself  articial, as there is a titanium rod where her humerous should be.  Someday perhaps the completion of this artificial shoulder will occur but that is still very much an "if".  She may not have full use of that arm again but that will depend on what MRI and surgeon see down the line.  I cannot think of that as yet.  She is as of now working on range of motion in her upper and lower leftarm. Her lower right arm is ableto be used in a very limited way.  Her hands are a yet not functioning.  She has what iscalled "heterotopic calcification" around her leftelbow, meaning a bony material has developed in her elbow from the trauma causing is not to be able to bend to  90 degrees or further.  That may reabsorb, it may not.  Yet to be seen with range of motion exercise.  That shoulder is still stiff and quite painful.  The afternoon repeats this schedule pretty much, and of course we have wrestled her out of her "armor" for lunch and back into itin PM.    All this wears her out quite a lot.  Remember, she did not move from her back for over 2 mos so her muscles are very debilitated and weak.  Her PT person seems to be pleased with her dogged determination and ability but sheis a long long way from anything that resembles "normal" whatever that will be in her life.    Sheis eating well tho John or I must still feed her, very small bites as her swallow is not yet perfect.  She must use only a bedpan for all functions unless she is in her "armo" and then a trip to the john is very slow and arduous, the wheelchair, help getting up, turning, and sitting on the toilet.  By days end at 4 oclock she is very  very worn out.  Asleep by 8.   Todays good news, she may start to weight bear  with her left arm using a four pronged cane for balance.  This is a  big step in her walking skills.  John is with her from about 8 AM through getting her afternoon armor back on.  Then I or we come at about 1 for the afternoon classes sohe can take a break and tend to home business, bills, the grass, the dog etc.  He returns after dinner to spend the quiet bedtime hours with her.  She has bed baths every other day and tomorrow she will have her hair washed with WATER for the first time since Dec 24.    Slowly, ever so slowly together, John, myself and Marty, move Kerry towards some semblance of recovery.  No one said life would be easy!     LYNN

Next Day: KERRY, March 2

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Lynn Taliak <ltaliak@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 8:56 PM
Subject: Next Day: KERRY, March 2
To: kyla elderton <kylaelderton@gmail.com>

Today was Kerrys first full day of therapy, that means about 4 hours of therapy.  She experienced some nausea this a..m. but overcame it, was wrestled into her body armor, this takes about 15-20 minutes, then into her wheelchair, and off to therapy.  She walked many times on the parallel bar floor, a total of 60 feet!!!! She then crossed it once walking backward!!!!!    Hurrah for Kerry.  That was really a great accomplishment.    a small bit of lunch followed, the food is not very good so a small bit is good enought.   Then 4 half hour sessions of other therapies.  Some leg exercises, some occupational work with her arm.  Remember, her right arm is entirely unused becaue of the crushed and only partially repaired shoulder.  So only her left arm gets therpy.  She dida good job with all of it and best of all-----she was not in misery when she returned to her bed at 4 o'clock.  We have now met her primary doc there , a woman who seemed very reasonable, Dr. Emese Simon.  She was comfortable to speak with and seemed open to questions.    She then visited with Kerry and I and convinced her that it was time to take out her catheter and that is her last tube to come out of her body.  So now she must learn to deal with that function once again, she is worried about it butit is very doable.    We also had a consult with a GI  man trying to understand her recurrent bouts of upsetin her digestive system.  He may order an endoscopy to rule out a few things.  She will bel sent toanother hospital for that procedure.  Her tummy worked for her today but only because of a large dose of antinausea drug.  It was a good day for her and us.  We are grateful for these good days!       LYNN

Kerry, March 1

email from mom to all via me - Kyla

Lynn here again.  I think I left off after my friend Cheryl left. She went home after spending  a week here with me, visiting Kerry, cheerying her up, staying up having late night chats and just having a sort of girl week, which  I needed.  Then on Sat Marty's sister Ally and husband Don came for a few days on a road trip to the Keys.  Mary Alice arrived from Germany for 5 days, and Marty returned.  Hence, it was a busy time for me.    Kerry had had a good week whilst Cheryl was here.  Then Sat Sun and Mon things disintegrated once again.  After several days of eating and standing longer each day. she became very nauseated, ofttimes trying to vomit and feeling horrid.  Then on Tueday when they were all here things changed dramatically again.  She felt well, was eager to "get on" with things and get out of that bed.  She walked the full length of the parallel bar thing, stayed in the chair for many hours, and went without meds for pain for up to 20 hours.  On Thursday she was able to be in a wheelchair with her feet on the ground moving herself about.    On Thursday night the nausea returned big time.  Marty thought perhaps a gall baldder attack based on a hands on exam from him.  Ultrasound on Friday said No to that.  Fri afternoon she was transferred to the rehab facility next door which resembles a hospital but everyone there  is there for rehab.  There is a huge gym or rehab room, 76 beds for in house patients etc.  Her nausea was terrible on Sat, and again no eating.  Overnight Fri night lots of vomiting.  Sat night a good night for sleep but awoke to vomiting up her morning meds.  Marty really got busy assessing her belly, the pain, when occurring, before or after food etc.  Lower belly pain related to intestinal sounds and activity.  Then after observing her eating, nausea episodes etc he spent a lot of time putting all the facts together and summarizing that perhaps itis esophogeal reflux she is experiencing.  Tomorrow based on this idea, the doc has ordered a CAT scan with contrast.  I believe this will show the details of her upper digestive system.  Hopefully she will not have to have a endoscope down her throat.    She will also be seeing a GI doc hopefully tomorrow.  If she can get this digetive stuff under control she is  definitely ready and enthusiastic about rehab.  She is very nervous about it thinking she will not be able to do it etc.  But hopefully the rehab will be moderated to her ability and she will realize success at each attempt and bolster her wavering confidence.  This evening as we left she felt well, was very conversational and John was going to spend the night in the porta-bed in her room.  That was great for her to look forward to so I am babysitting their dog overnight.    She is still experiencing a great deal of pain in her back more often than not so she is still getting pain meds for that altho they have been diminished so she is feeling more discomfort, hell, it is just plain pain.  Discomfort is a doctor word for PAIN!!!  Neither arm is functional and therapy will begin to tell us if she will have limited, none or all use of them.  These next days will be difficult and painful for her and of course she is still in need of her body armor, or turtle shell whenever she is up higher than 45 degrees.  So well as she sounds, she must still use a bedpan for that necessity, cannot shower and has bed baths, and cleaning her hair is done in bed with dry shampoo.   So we are a long long way from where we hope to get.      Hanging in there with Kerry and John for yet many many more weeks of work!!!!!       We thank all who have sent gifts, cards,thoughts,  prayers in many different forms.     As ever,  LYNN