End of the day - everybody's tired

Dad had a pretty frustrating and exhausting day, but he sounded better when I talked to him about an hour ago. He was calling to get the address of this blog, so his nurse could read it in her spare time tonight. His day started at 7:15AM with Occupational Therapy (OT) coming in to help him get dressed, brush teeth, start breakfast and start the day. He then had a bit of a break, and then pretty much went from 10AM until 3:30PM with just a break for lunch. There was speech therapy, OT again, physical therapy (PT) x 2, and meeting up with a recreation therapist to find out what he likes to do and they'll start working on it.

This recreational therapist was pretty interesting - his job is to get Dad back oriented and able to get out into "the real world" and not the protected bubble of the rehab hospital. He's been doing this for 32 years, and clearly loves his job. He was talking about how he takes the patient out across the street and takes them to the grocery store, coffee shops, bank ATMs -- things "normal" people do, to make sure they can return and function once they leave. This rehab goes way beyond just the physical, which is so important.

The trip to the West side of the hospital (as the sun was going down) was well-received. Warm sun on the face felt good to Dad, and we were out there about 40 minutes. We then went inside to let him have his dinner (which keeps causing heartburn - the steroids he's on can do that as well), and he was heading for a nap when we left. The best part for Mom and I was to see Dad get out of bed, pretty much on his own. Two days ago he had to have two people help him. Today, he basically did it alone with some monitoring. He's getting stronger by the day, and his balance is getting better as well. Great to see!

Tomorrow's schedule is quite a bit lighter. He sees OT at 9:15PM, and then a few doses of PT scattered in through the day. Likely the same for Sunday. Some well-deserved rest after hitting it pretty hard the first few days. Mom passed the "I can do this" test (since I'll be leaving up here Sunday) today. I made her take the keys and drive down to the clinic, park the car, and we talked with the Mayo Clinic staff about where she asks for help when getting off the elevator (the walk to the MRI is about three blocks or more by the time you wind your way around the buildings). I think it made me feel better, and I know it helped Mom to have a dry-run.

Posts in the coming weeks may be a bit shorter (since I'll be relaying information instead of actually seeing it in person), but I'll keep up as much as possible. Have a good weekend!