Saturday, January 24, 2009

Friday, January 23...Moving Day!

Blog update by Cindy. Today was full of bittersweet good-byes. Katy Rehabilitation Hospital has been our home away from home for the last 51 days, and the therapists and nursing staff have become our friends. It's hard to believe that when George arrived there on December 3, he couldn't put more than a few words together, he couldn't sit up and balance himself, and he had no movement on the right side of his body. Today, thanks to his speech therapist, Barbara, his physical therapist, Kelley, his occupational therapists, Rachele and Laurie (who wasn't there for a farewell picture today), and the numerous therapy assistants, George has made miraculous strides. We know without this fantastic team at KRH, the prayers, love, and support of all of our friends and family, and the awesome God we serve, we would have never reached this point. George and I will be forever grateful! Shortly after 5 p.m. this evening, George finally got into his room at Cane Island. It is a very nice facility, but of course, change is hard. His transportation was 2.5 hours late in picking him up, and upon arrival, we were given a ton of forms to fill out, George had to undergo a full health assessment (and he will do the same tomorrow afternoon with his therapists), and then we had to get his clothes and toiletries put away, etc. Lindsay & Dave came by after work this evening to check on us. I think we were all nervous watching the new aides handle George, and found ourselves stepping in and showing them how George is used to manuevering. I really liked George's evening nurse, Loretta, so I felt pretty good about leaving him in her hands, but she leaves at 10 p.m. Hopefully, he'll sleep well tonight, but I'm sure it's hard being in a new place. I know I am ready to call it a night; I didn't walk in the house until nearly 9 p.m., so we've both had a very long day. George will be anxious to see some familiar faces, so please feel free to stop by and visit anytime. Cane Island is located at 21727 Provinicial Blvd ... just go south on Mason Road, turn left on Provincial (Walgreen's on left, Valero station on right) and Cane Island will be a few blocks down on the right hand side. You can find him in Room 403!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Thursday, January 22 ... Changing Places

Sorry it has been a few days since the last update, but we finally have a decision ... Dad will be discharged from Katy Rehabilitation Hospital tomorrow (Friday) and transferred to Cane Island, a new acute care facility that just opened in August, where Dad will be able to receive up to 21 additional days of therapy before going home. Cane Island is located directly behind KRH on Provincial Blvd. off Mason Road ... literally a stone throw away from his current location. So, after Mom gets Dad settled tomorrow, we will let you know the exact address and his room number so all of you can come pay him a visit at his new digs!! Thanks so much to Mike Ligon who kept Dad company last night while Mom went to her monthly bunko outing, as well as Dad's niece, Marti, who stopped by for a visit while passing through Katy on her way home to Nixon earlier in the week.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Sunday, January 18 ... CURIOUS about GEORGE!

Dad had a great weekend full of family and fun. On Friday, Dad's sister, Jimmie, and Dad's nephew, Kevin, and his wife, Lucy, who live in Georgetown, came to visit along with their two little boys. Clayton, their three-year old, loves Curious George, and now we know why ... he's exactly like him! During their two-hour visit, Clayton never stopped entertaining us as he tried out every gadget, button, and light switch in the room, as well as all of Dad's "accessories".
Then, before we all left for the evening, "Uncle George" even let Clayton take him for a spin in his wheelchair up and down the hallway, and no one was allowed to help push, even though Aunt Jimmie did try to help steer! We thought Dad would be the one eager to see us all leave, but I think it was more like the nursing staff (ha!). Dad even made Kevin promise to come back and see him Saturday morning before they headed back home, which they did, and when they arrived, Kevin said Dad already had visitors ... Ricky and Donnie Luker. Since Dad had a roomful, Mom decided to stay home and do a few things around the house, and then my sister, Terri, called and said that she and Emily were also headed to Katy. Terri told Mom that she would sit with Dad and Mom could have the afternoon off too, so Mom and Emily went and ran errands, got their nails done, and then came home and made a home-cooked meal and took it to KRH so they could all eat with Dad. Dad seemed pretty worn out and was in a little pain, so they left early so he could get some rest and relaxation. Mom called the nurses' station when she woke up this morning to check on Dad, and Ida, one of the Certified Nursing Aides, said he had a restless night and a rough start to the morning, but seemed better after he ate and Ida helped him bathe and get dressed. Mom thought that he might like to get out in the beautiful sunshine and weather we were having this morning, so she asked for a "hall pass," and Dave & I took them out to lunch at El Jarrito for some fajitas. And, we had a pleasant surprise; when we put a plate with some chips and salsa in front of Dad, he moved his right arm forward in an attempt to pick up a chip! It wasn't totally successful, but it was so cool, because we could tell it was an automatic reflex, so that brain signal to his hand and arm is definitely starting to work ... yippee!! While we were eating, Dad asked if we had time to run him by the house to see Brady, and of course, we couldn't say no. Brady was happy to see his ball-throwing master in the back yard with him again, and some of the neighbors ... Steve, Stephanie & Mike ... were happy to see Dad in the yard too! On the way back to KRH, Dad asked us to stop and buy Ida some flowers for always being so sweet and helping him with his personal needs. While we were at it, we also picked up some cookies for all of Dad's nurses to share because the entire staff is so caring and wonderful! Oh, and if you haven't guessed, Dad's discharge date was extended for an additional week to this Friday, January 23. We thank all of you for your continued prayers for God's favor; they are working and Dad is reaping big benefits from the best therapy team in town!!