Tuesday July 15
15 July 08 - 05:56
Jim had his first full day at Rehab yesterday. It seems everyone wants to know how it went, so here goes. I worked until 1:30, got there about 2. Jim was in a wheelchair, but in what looked to be a most uncomfortable position. It seems he was "shifting" They had lain hin way back to take the pressure off his bottom; this is necessary to prevent the ulcers. He was rather vague about the day itself, at first, now I know it was because there were nurses in his room. When he was all settled & more comfortable, he told me the following.
"I was the worst case there. I saw people walking, people moving themselves around in wheelchairs, therapists working with people's hands & arms. I thought, good. They will get me functional & I will learn to use aids so I can at least use my arms & hands. Then I got some disturbing news. A therapist told me I would only be here three or four weeks. I knew (the arms & hands) it wasn't going to happen. Then the Social Worker talked with me & said the doctor had me down for a four to six week stay. He said they will not dump me on the streets, but be my advocate to help me get what I need."
We were both pretty upset by this. It is obvious Jim will gain little in only 4 to 6 weeks. For instance, the Speech Therapist came in to work with him on his swallowing. He can chew one ice chip, swallow 1 small plastic spoon of water OK. He even did well with two spoons of jello. But when she tried pudding, he could not swallow effedtively & it stuck in his throat. He had to try to clear it from his throat himself because it would not go down & we certainly did not want it going into his lungs. So the ability to effectively swallow remains a big issue. Ineffective swallowing & aspirating are a cause of pneumonia & we do not want to go there again!
Until now, Jim has been reluctant to sell his truck, but as we talked yesterday, the reality of the next few months hit him & we talked about what to do to accomodate him at home. He said sell the truck. I will sell my piano. We will clear whatever is necessary from the family room to set him up in there. He was ready to let go of a lot of things. I will be contacting someone I know who works for a lady who sets up & conducts sales. I believe she will help in pricing items correctly, also. We have items from his Dad's and my Mom's estates that we planned to use when we remodeled the house, plus we have been helpless collectors every since we married almost 21 years ago.
I do get overwhelmed when I think ahead, I must admit. These are the things I think about, that I would like you to pray about:
Will someone have to be with Jim 24/7? How will I work and take care of Jim at the same time? How will I turn him, get him out of bed? Will he still be tube fed? Will I need suctioning equipment? Can I get an electric bed and a lift? What if he needs to go to the doctor? How will he ever be able to get out of the house? What about therapies for him as our insurance only covers a few visits per year? Will I need to sleep in the same room he will be in so I can hear him if he needs me?
I know the Social Worker will help us with many of these questions. I do not voice these concerns to Jim for I do not want any other discouragement to set in now when he is just beginning therapy. It will be huge if we can get the swallowing issue resolved. I can handle the trach, I can even handle the tube feedings, but it would make a big difference if he could swallow. I do not want him to go to a nursing home & I know from the way he talks that that has never entrered his mind. He expects to come home.
God is bigger than all my problems, that I know. But in my weakness I find myself thinking about these things over & over. Pray that I will have peace, trust in God to work things out to His glory. Pray that I will make these verses a reality in our life:
Matt 6:25-34
25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 "Therefore do not worry , saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Seeking first His kingdom & His righteousness, Marilyn
