A HAPPY TIME

Fourteen years ago yesterday, Joanne and I meet at a morning church service.  Latter that evening we had our first date.  We didn’t realize it yet, but we were to be a couple from then on.

We celebrate December 21 each year in addition to our wedding anniversary.  This year we exchanged gifts then went out by ourselves to a local Italian restaurant we knew to be easily handicap accessible.  This was our second outing sans chaperon since 11-11-11.  Instead of doing a board transfer, I stood to get in and out of the car.  I had fun showing off to Joanne.

This year was much better than last year when I was in the hospital with very, very limited movement.

The pictures below are of us yesterday posing by the Christmas tree, and exchanging gifts.

Please note that I am standing unaided in these pictures. Joanne is holding on to me just because she likes me – not because I needed it.  True, the walker is nearby, but still a few feet away.  I can stand still and use my arms fairly well for a few minutes.  I can also take a couple of steps without any support, but that requires Lupita hovering, ready to catch me.

The white straps on my legs are so I can pick up and move my legs with my hands.  These are a must for getting in and out of the car.  The bed also.

In one picture you see Joanne opening a necklace gift.  I strung the beads to make it, so that makes it a special gift.  Joanne recognized that not only was stringing the beads a feat for my hands, but also for my eyes, being as poor as they are.   I had became concerned when I realized how tiny the holes and thread were, but it seems my eyes have improved.  Lupita did all the things I couldn’t -  like cut the wire, crimp, and attach the clasps.

Joanne wore the necklace to dinner last night and to work today.

I’m through writing now…

TOO CHILDISH?

Sometimes a grown man needs a mommy.

Lupita and I work with my hands (along with everything else) when we go to the gym.  My hands have a really long way to go.  Recently, we have been building forts and towers out of dominoes and jenga blocks.  I build – she coaches.  I used to love to do this when I was a young boy.  I enjoy it now too, but it seems terribly juvenile.   And terribly necessary.

At first I kept knocking everything down because I could not control the blocks with my fingers.  Or I would drop the blocks on my partially erected edifice.   Or I would ram the structure because I could not control my arm movements well.   With lots of practice and coaching, I am learning and getting better with my movements and developing new skills.  It seems to come much as a toddler would progress with age.  You have heard of people having to re-learn everything – that’s where I am.  It is harder to do than I imagined.

Recently, I have been able to pick up and manipulate blocks with my left hand.  This is big stuff for me – although I cannot yet successfully place anything yet with the left.

Each time I accomplished something, I wanted to make sure Lupita saw it.  If she didn’t, I would struggle to replicate the achievement.  Then I realized that not only was I toiling as a youngster would, but I was seeking the same kind of recognition and approval a small child would.  Wow - that really adds to the juvenile nature of it all.  But it also makes it more fun.

Lupita and I have a new game.  I exclaim “look mommy” and proudly perform my latest accomplishment for her approval.  She dutifully watches and honors me with ”You did it!  Good boy!”  I bask in the glow of her acceptance and seek to repeat the whole process again by dazzling her with evermore increasingly awesome feats.

Talk about re-learning EVERYTHING.  Physically AND mentally.

 I use Lupita as my surrogate mommy because my real mommy can’t be there.  That would be even more fun though.  For awhile anyway, until it became just too silly for even us.  You parents of youngsters take note – be sure to play this game with your young ones.  I have re-learned that it motivates further development.  And it feels good.  And it’s fun.

I’m through writing now…

ANOTHER STAGE

Last Monday I set a new record for walking.

I bested my previous record of 185 feet by walking 345 feet.   I did this without any rest breaks.  My legs felt unusually limber – so I just kept going.  I felt like the energizer bunny.

The next day I was discharged from out-patient therapy.  No, the two events were not correlated.  I had been scheduled for discharge since Thanksgiving.   Ostensibly, I met all the goals for my first session.  I can’t help but note, however, a number of other factors.

First, I have just past the ‘magical’ one year mark (November 24) which research has shown to be a major plateau time.  Insurance is very reluctant to cover plateau times, thus they would have pushed to discharge me about now.  I wonder if this practice helps create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Second, it’s been 6 months since I started out-patient therapy.   A therapist told me that even though I have ‘medical necessity’ insurance, insurance itself says 6 months is the limit of ‘medical necessity’.   This is still much better than most insurance that limits you to a total of 20 sessions per year – or even per injury.  By contrast, I have received over 150 sessions.

Third, I have been hearing other patients all around me being discharged of late.   The gym is suddenly full of new faces.  I only recognize one from before.   It appears TIRR out-patient may be in the habit of rotating patients.  They certainly have a large enough waiting list to justify it.

This is not to say that I can’t get more rehab.  I will simply have to be reevaluated at some later date and ‘prove’ that I am ‘worthy’ of more insurance converge by having made substantial recovery with out the benefit of rehab.  This is the same basic procedure I have been through my entire experience with this injury.  I am used to it now, but at first it was frustrating and scary to learn that even the best insurance available (outside of congress) held total control over my recovery.  Talk about death panels – that’s the system we have TODAY.  Yet most people don’t know that (I didn’t) and even more would refuse to believe it.  After all, Fox News tells them we have the best medical system in the world.  That might be true if you are speaking only of the congressional plan.

I expect to go back for another round of rehab – because I have Lupita and a good support system that can facilitate continued, substantial improvement.   In fact, I have every advantage in this game.  But most do not.  Assuming they have made it this far, this could be the end of the line in their recovery simply because they lack the support structure required to jump through the next insurance hurtle, or didn’t have enough insurance to begin with.  Then there are the record 42 million Americans whose jobs do not provide insurance at all.

It would be nice if I could do something for the less fortunate injured people I see all around me.  Oh wait, I already do – I vote democrat.

I’m through writing now…