Tuesday, February 5, 2013 - Field Trip

Today was the long awaited trip back to Sunnybrook to see Marc’s neurosurgeon for a follow-up visit. 

We went down in one of the RNR Patient Transfer vehicles.  Because Marc didn’t need to ride on a gurney, they took us in a van, strapping in Marc’s wheelchair.  I believe this will be the last day for that chair. 

We had a great driver who made the trip a lot of fun. We told him about Marc’s stroke and subsequent healing journey.  We discussed positive energy and the body’s ability to heal itself with the right mindset.  He told us that he sees it all the time.  He said he can tell the difference between the “patients” and “those in recovery”.   The patients decide that they are ill and will have a hard time recovering.  And they do. Those in recovery do just that.  Recover.  And usually quickly.      

Marc was happy to have the wheelchair when we got to Sunnybrook.  That hospital is massive with hallways that seem to stretch on forever. 

The appointment with the neurosurgeon went very well.  He asked a few questions and then had Marc walk for him and demonstrate his grip with his left hand.  He was very happy with Marc's physical recovery. 

He determined that Marc still has a fair amount of left neglect but was happy to hear that it is improving. 

The doctor decided that we wouldn’t schedule the surgery to replace the missing bone flap on the right side of Marc’s head just yet.  The wait time is about four months but Marc still has a significant amount of swelling in that area.  He had us rebook a follow-up appointment for April 2^nd.  If the swelling is down enough at that time, he will schedule the surgery.  We were surprised to find out that Marc will only require an overnight stay once they operate.  If all goes well, he will get to go home the following day. 

I asked what exactly happened that night on December 8^th.  Was it a bleed on its own or a clot that caused a bleed?  He said that it was a bleed first which resulted in a clot which they repaired afterward.  He showed us a model of a brain and indicated that the bleed was deep in the parietal-frontal area. 

He said that they have no idea what caused the bleed.  It wasn’t a tumour or aneurism so it remains “cause unknown”.   He said that it was likely due to Marc’s high blood pressure and that because there was no apparent cause, it shouldn’t happen again.  The key is to keep the blood pressure under control and for Marc to take care of himself. 

We filled in our transport driver on the way home and he gave us some really great tips on nutrition.  Marc and I are interested in incorporating more whole foods in our diet and cutting out as much of the processed foods as possible.

Marc has been given a second chance at life.  This is a huge wake-up call for us both.  We’re excited about this new phase of our life together and we’ll be making a lot of healthy changes to our lifestyle. 

As horrible and scary as this experience has been, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.  It reminded us of the importance of our relationship and love.  It reminded us that we are human and as humans, how fragile our bodies truly are.  It’s time to stop taking life for granted and start nurturing our existence here on earth. 

Body, mind, heart and soul; each to be treasured for the gift that it is. 

Monday, February 4, 2013 - News, News and More News

Silly me. 

I forgot to take a picture of Marc with his new rollator walker.  Along with the walker came some great news.  He can use it on the rehab floor without supervision.  He just needs someone with him if he decides to go down to the food court.  Therefore, new rollator walker = independence. 

We filled in Marc’s physio and OT teams on how the weekend went and they were impressed that he made his own sandwich and chopped onions.  Apparently he also told them that he was tired because I made him chop firewood and stack it beside the house. I’m pretty sure they didn’t believe that part.

To get him back, Shannon had him do some other household chores in preparation for coming home.  He swept the floor under the exercise bars and he used the broom and a heavy belt weight to simulate pushing snow with a shovel.  I thanked them and promised that I would keep up the physio by making him do all the housework and snow shovelling when he returns home.  That’ll teach him. 

To add to the news, we are going by ambulance transport to Sunnybrook tomorrow for a follow-up appointment with the surgeon who performed Marc’s neurosurgery and saved his life.  I have a lot of questions for him including exactly where the bleed was and it’s severity.  I was so glad that Marc was alive after his initial surgery that I didn’t think to ask any real questions that day.  But mostly I just want to hug the man who is responsible for Marc still being in my life. 

And if that weren’t news enough, Catherine also said that Marc can have an overnight pass on Wednesday.   He gets to come home right after his physio and the rescheduled music therapy that afternoon and I will return him Thursday morning.  It’s all part of the baby steps toward coming home for good. 

I think that was all the news for today. 

No wait.  There is one more little bit of news that I almost forgot.  I almost forgot to tell you that Marc will be coming home, for good, on Friday after his swimming therapy.

Silly me.

Sunday, February 3, 2013 - Home Pass, Day Two

Our second home pass day went just as well as the first. 

Marc made up for lost time with Ceilidh and treated her to a big snuggle.  She was in doggy heaven. 

Cuddles

 Marc waited to have a shower at home today so we could make sure that there weren’t any problems for him getting in and out of our tub.  He did great.  I’ve been helping my mom in and out of the shower for years now, so this was a breeze.  Marc listened to my instructions and it went without a hitch.  He transferred to the tub seat like an old pro. 

In honour of Super Bowl Sunday, we made our traditional chili.  Marc chopped the onions and we called it OT.  He even demonstrated his skill at chopping with his left hand.  Show off.  He still has all his fingers, so we declared it a success.

Chopping Onions for Chili

Our family members popped by in shifts today for visits.  It started to feel like normal life.   I can imagine family get-togethers again and that feeling of fun and love that we used to share. 

A few snowflakes started to drift from the sky before dinner and Marc said, “Boy, the weather is really bad.  I guess I’m snowed in here.” 

Oh, I wish. 

There are a few more steps that Marc needs to accomplish during therapy and then he’ll be ready for home.  We want him home safely, so we will wait. 

Patiently. 

Sort of patiently. 

As patiently as we can. 

Tap, tap, tap, tap....

Saturday, February 2, 2013 - Home Pass

I picked Marc up at 11:30 this morning after showing a house.  Despite his concerns about me getting the wheelchair into the car trunk, I managed just fine.  It would take more than a little wheelchair wrangling to slow me down. 

Arriving at home was pretty emotional for him.  He missed it so much.  It’s exactly two months today since he had his stroke.  What a fitting anniversary, to be able to enjoy some of the comforts of home, even if it is only on a day pass. 

The first thing Marc wanted to do was cuddle Ceilidh.  The feeling was mutual, judging by the amount of dog hair covering him at the end of the day.   

Home & doggy cuddles

 The next thing Marc wanted to do was sit at the table, read the sports section of the paper and have a cup of coffee. 



Coffee...and more doggy cuddles

We didn’t have any trouble at all today.  I think it’s because my mom has a walker so it is just second nature for us.  He even made a sandwich on his own and just had me carry it over to the table.  At dinner he helped prepare some of the food while sitting at the table. 

Robbie came over and they played three games of chess. 

Chess

 Marc did really well.  He won the second game. 

It was wonderful seeing Marc smiling all day.  I’ve never seen anyone appreciate being home quite like he did today. 

Evening came far too soon.  We are really looking forward to tomorrow and spending a full day together again.  At least we know that we are in the home stretch.  Before we know it, Marc will be home for good and I won’t have to bring him back. 

Friday, February 1, 2013 - A Wii Bit of Balance

I arrived a bit later today due to a painting workshop so Marc and I just visited in the food court.  He had physio in the pool this morning which is always a favourite.

Since I missed physio today, I’ll share what happened yesterday.  The session was held in the rehab floor’s old dining room, which now houses a huge television.  Several of the patients on the floor are working on balance and are at roughly the same skill level, so they had a kind of physio party. 

One at a time the participants played a balance game on the Wii which had been hooked up to the television.  The others did other balance activities together while they awaited their turns.

Marc went first.

I thought it was a brilliant idea.  The trick was not to move your upper body and just use your lower body for weight shifting to get balls to drop down a hole.  The Wii provided instant feedback if you cheated. 

I love that everyone got to have some fun social time while using technology to aid in their rehabilitation. 

Just a Wii bit of fun on the rehab floor. 

Thursday, January 31, 2013 - One Step Closer

This morning Marc and I had what is referred to as a “linking meeting” at the hospital.  We met with a team from Community Care Access Centre, CCAC, along with Catherine, Marc’s physiotherapist at the hospital. 

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss what Marc will need once he is back home in terms of therapy and support.  The waiting list for physiotherapy and OT on an outpatient basis at the hospital is several months long, so in the meantime he will be receiving both services at home, probably once a week. 

Catherine was able to let the CCAC members know about his progress while at RVH and where he is now in terms of programming.  This allows a more cohesive and seamless transition to his therapy at home. 

These linking meetings take place before a rehab patient is formerly discharged.  It means we are one step closer to having Marc back home full time. 

The next step is for Marc to have a day pass.  He is going to come home on Saturday afternoon for a few hours and then he will come home all day on Sunday.  If all goes well during the visits, he will be allowed to come home for an overnight stay one night next week. 

As you can imagine, we both had huge smiles on our faces. 

Marc asked when he could expect to be discharged but there is still a bit more work they would like to do with him before they feel safe sending him home for good, so we were just told, “Soon.” 

Soon is good.  Soon is very good!  And Saturday can’t arrive fast enough. 

Wednesday, January 30, 2013 - Overcoming Obstacles

When I arrived at the hospital this afternoon, Marc was already in the therapy room.  I wandered in to find him with Shannon, manoeuvring around various obstacles with his walker.  He had to not only avoid bumping into the obstacles but he also had to demonstrate proper and safe use of the walker. 

He then had to manoeuvre through the room around obstacles while locating six small cones that Shannon had hidden.  They had a lot of fun with it. 

After, Marc worked at completing a puzzle he’d been working on before physio while in OT.  He had apparently become frustrated with it and declared it a “bulls&*t” puzzle.  Karen, his OT therapy assistant, had found that quite funny and said, “We’ll, at least you’re human.”  The “bulls&*t” puzzle became the joke of the afternoon. 

I guess Marc rarely complains about the tasks he is given.  I know he never complains to me.  He loves physio and OT, knowing they are helping him get back his normal function, or at least as close as possible.  In fact, I’ve never once heard Marc ask, “Why me?”  What he talks about instead is how much better he is getting and what his goals are for recovery. 

While Marc was doing the puzzle, his physiotherapist, Catherine, pulled me aside and asked, “Did Marc tell you what I caught him doing yesterday?” 

I hadn’t heard a thing.  Mr. Innocence was too busy singing "Soft Kitty" and "Happy Birthday" to me.

“I happened to be walking past his room and instead of calling a nurse to remove the obstacles in his path to get to the bathroom, he had his walker sideways and was pushing it past some equipment that was in the way.  When he saw me, he pushed the walker through and quickly turned it.  He had it backward at this point,” she said. 

Despite myself I started to laugh, “I’m surprised he didn’t just lift the walker over his head and sidle past sideways.” 

I honestly don’t know how Catherine and Shannon put up with him.  Talk about making someone’s job harder.  They try their best to keep him safe and give him some freedom and he keeps crossing the line. 

Now I realize that there was more to the obstacle lesson than met the eye today.  If you can’t beat him (and I’m sure at times they’d like to) join him and at least try and teach him some safety along the way.