June Report

Since it is Memorial Day weekend, I’ll update a bit early. Does it seem strange to any of the rest of you that Memorial Day is so early in the month this year? I still have five days left of school after this! At least I have only five days with children. I will be the summer librarian at our school for the month of June. Besides having to continue to work two days a week during my six weeks off, I’m excited about it. Always wanted to do it, this will be a good taste.

I took off a half day Thursday to go to the doctor with Scott. We knew it was not the last visit, but Lyn and Aaron were home, so we took them with us to meet Dr. Dinkins. New office, nice building, still had to wait an hour.

Dr. Dinkins is a really nice guy. Think I’ve said that. But he really disappointed Scott this visit, even though he knew in his heart that this was coming…no work in June. Therapy is going really well. Scott is walking a mile in 40 minutes. He can ride in the van. He can sit on a bar stool for supper. We’ve even gotten him into the den since Aaron and Lyn have been home to sit in his favorite chair which we’ve built up with his extra cushions. But he is not up any where near ten hours yet, let alone being able to sit for a ten hour shift – even with the breaks the guys have promised him. So, we had to be brutally honest and admit he still has a long way to go. Doc said a pro athlete with all the stuff at their disposal would be out a full year with this kind of injury to one knee. Maybe it was good that this week was the first time we’d heard that. Scott might not have pushed so hard and have come so far already.

Stairs are okay to start working on again. Right now, he can manage 2-3” steps without a problem. A normal step is 6-8”, meaning we have a way to go. I’m trying to borrow a set of physical therapy stairs from my county school system for the summer. They’re huge (size of a couch) but they would be a big asset to have for a few weeks.

Lyn’s home for the summer this year, Aaron’s off to Alabama. I’ll be home a couple of weeks in July before having to go back to work. I’m looking forward to having Scott home with me for once in the summer. Maybe he will get to start back to work when I go back.

Did you ever think someone could have to relearn how to sit after they relearned how to walk??

May Report

I’ve wanted to talk to both of my parents this week. Mother would be pleased that after 17 years of peonies trying to do something at my house, there are twice as many blooms as we’ve ever had at the same time. TWO!!! You can count all the blooms we’ve had on our eight plants on one hand. But this year, we have two at once! I feel like I’ve finally made it as a flower cultivator. Last year we had two buds but only one blossomed. I am certain we will get two blooms this year!

Daddy would be secretly pleased even though he would be fussing over the phone that I plowed our garden with the big tiller. The handles were up around my shoulders at times, but with Scott’s guidance and encouragement, I did get our garden broken up. We planted just before all the rain started. I hope our beans and okra have not washed into the woods. I’m sure most of the herbs and flowers have washed away. The deer and rabbits liked the cabbage and two of the heirloom tomato plants!

Scott went back to the doctor Last week. We had a big afternoon. First a trip to the police station to measure chair heights. Then therapy. Then the radiologist. Then the doctor’s office. There was no place for him to sit in the office. Nothing was high enough, so he had to stand while we waited (for an hour…that was rough.) But, finally they called us back. Everyone laughed and cheered when he walked in without his braces. He has not been released, but we had already figured out that wasn’t happening. He can bend to 90 degrees now on his own, but chairs and stairs are still out of reach. That requires more like 120 degrees because of the way you sit and the stress on the leading knee when climbing stairs. When he is warmed up and limber after therapy he can get to 110 degrees for a few seconds, so we are making vast improvements. We bought two PFDs (personal flotation devices) at Wal-Mart to use as chair cushions. They should raise a standard chair to about 24” which is the absolute minimum he can get to. There is a possibility that will be a permanent situation, but we are not giving up yet. The doctor isn’t making promises, but isn’t painting a black picture yet, either. We just don’t know how much flexibility his knees will ultimately wind up with. It doesn’t just depend on therapy and motivation and ignoring the pain. There is an issue of wires replacing tendons which can’t be predicted.

He walks without the braces most of the time now and his confidence is returning. He uses his canes when we are on any sort of unlevel or slightly precarious surfaces. He likes going to Lowe’s because of the big carts. We do the outside circuit a couple of times with him driving the buggy and so we get our walking in and sometimes some visiting, but always some shopping. Aaron and Lyn have former classmates working there who always chat with us and keep up with his progress. Wednesday he walked a half mile in 20 minutes. That is still a little under half speed.

The best part is listening to Dr. Dinkins and Scott negotiating when he will go back to work. Scott asked with broken heart, “I can’t go back to work yet, can I?” Dinkins’ response was, “No, I’ll see you in a month.” Scott’s instant reply was, “No, I’ll see you in three weeks.” The therapist and the doctor both have remarked that Scott is extremely motivated. They only see him when he is behaving. They’d be scandalized to see the stunts he pulls when they aren’t looking. You should have seen the smile Scott had when he was told he could lift up to 30 pounds now instead of being limited to a gallon of milk. Now I’ll have to keep him out of Tractor Supply. He’ll be carrying dog food and fertilizer bags on the sly.