Yesterday was the first day of physical therapy for David, and I was on that PT like a helicopter mom stirring up dust and causing chaos. I'm sure I made her feel nervous, fearful and a bit crazy during his first session. I studied every move she made and asked her about a thousand questions. The truth is, David currently terrifies me in a way that I haven't felt since I brought him home from the NICU. This new body he is sporting is wonderful and scary and I am soooooo far out of my league here. But enough about me.
During David's first PT yesterday, he sat on the side of the bed. The effort that it took for him to do something so simple was heart wrenching. Every movement, I have no doubt, felt weird with that rod in his back. Add to that the pain from surgery that undoubtedly is no fun at all and sitting was was quite the workout for him. Then she tried to have him stand. He was nowhere near ready for that and his legs crumbled. The whole therapy was about 15 minutes long, but he was sound asleep before she was even able to leave the room. However, she assured him "she would be back!"
True to her word, she showed back up in the afternoon. By this time, he had slept some, rested a lot and even eaten a meal. She also had a better idea of what his pain threshold was and what his abilities currently are. Immediately she had him sitting up on the side of the bed again. This time, he too had a better idea of what she was wanting and what he was needing to do to sit up. Once sitting up, you could tell he was rather proud. She was not done with him yet though. For his next trick, he was going to transition from the bed into his wheelchair. With the help of both the PT and I, the transition went very smoothly and he seemed to love it. BONUS: the wheelchair alignment really didn't look too bad. DOUBLE BONUS: he is definitely a good 2-3 inches taller.
David ended up setting in the wheelchair for a good 45+ minutes. In fact, they even transferred him from PICU to the the pediatric unit in his wheelchair. Once in the new room, he sat and played with two Mylar balloons that a friend brought him. They are the best PT motivation I have ever seen!
After PT, David snuggled down for some Full House (this boy loves that show) and he ate a pretty good dinner. I could tell the pain was creeping up on him as the group Therapy Dog International came around with some of their fur members in honor of National Pet Day. I could tell David really wanted to interact with these beautiful babies that came to visit, but he opted to just sit back and watch. We were introduced to a Great Pyrenees named Chelsea, two Greyhounds named Penske and Polar and a Border Collie/Blue Heeler Mix named Cooper. Cooper was the entertainer of the bunch bowing, playing dead, shaking hands, high fiving and begging....all for treats. It was an amazing distraction for both of us.
Last night David slept fairly comfortably, which meant mom did too. Except for a few alarms going off a couple of times because David was messing with the wires, it was a pretty peaceful night.
This morning David's pain is making him more uncomfortable. Dr. H came in though and sang David's praises as to how he is recuperating. From the surgery to weening off the pain meds, he is doing so good. Dr. H also gave me some pointers on how I can move and transition David on my own at home. His words, "Basically....just don't fold him in half. Other than that, you won't damage him." It made me laugh and also relieved some of the extreme worry and stress I have been feeling.
Today he loses yet another IV site (we will be down to just one then) and his drain. He is eating and drinking like a champ, so there are no more IV fluids either. He is doing all the right things in record time. In fact, as I type, PT has been here, gotten him into the wheelchair and he has already made the rounds of the unit. Now he sits in his chair playing once again with the balloons and seeming to be fairly comfortable. Today's goal: an hour in the wheelchair this morning and then again this afternoon. The only down side today, he absolutely refused to put weight on his legs. Hopefully tomorrow his pain will be a bit better and with the "gentle" persuasion of his PT and myself, as well as the motivation of playing with his balloons, he will start weight bearing again.
There are still hurdles to get beyond and I have no illusions about the recovery, but I also have faith that this surgery is going to be positive and life changing and that this new world will be huge for my boy.
I ask that you continue to keep David in your prayers as you well know, there are Goliath's outside this surgery that we are still fighting. However....I have faith that 2018 is going to turn out to be one of the most amazing, frustrating, wonderful, did I say frustrating, awesome years of our lives.
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