Day Sixty Eight

8:28 PM
Don slept well and eat two breakfasts this morning. Donnie Lee went to the center first thing this morning. He was there when I arrived at 9:45. I went to pick up the handicap placards for Don. Don had the CNA to get him up about 10:15. They brought him to the day room after getting him dressed. We ate lunch there Don ate my leftovers and then ate his lunch. We went to OT about 12:45 and they worked on building his strength in his arms. After OT we went to PT. They put Don on a matted table to help stretch his left leg. The PT really worked on that leg. Some friends came by just as they were finishing up with stretches. The PT then got Don ready to walk with his walker. This was the first time our friends were able to see Don walk. They left and Don continued his walk out to the lobby and outside to the porch area and rested their in his wheelchair ( I walk behind the PT and Don pushing his chair just in case he would need it). After resting a while, Don walked down the ramp to the parking lot around the front of the building and up the ramp on the other side onto the porch and into the lobby of the center. He finally took a rest at this point. His PT told him he was very proud of him for the improvements he had made. After PT we went to the day room and Donnie Lee came by on his lunch break. Supper came a little later than usual but Don ate all of his supper and his room mate gave him some of his supper and Don ate my left overs. He says the protein drink they have him on makes him hungry. He says he wants food all the time. Kristi came by after she got off from work. The CNA put Don back to bed and I got him dressed for bed. Don was really tired because of the "cranking" (as the PT & OT calls it) on his leg. He seemed to be in some pain but he had his pain medicine at 6:00. He started to drift off to sleep a little after 7:00 so Kristi set his oxygen and we got his blankets and things together for the night and left him about 7:30. Home health is supposed to visit us tomorrow to assess Don's needs at home and the PT & OT will visit our home on Wednesday to see how accessible our home is for Don. Everyone seems to be getting Don ready to go home on Friday the 13th, which is his 50th b-day. Don says he isn't getting excited until we are on Highway 27. He says then he'll believe that he is really getting to go home. Please pray that this goes well and that Don gets to come home on Friday. Please pray extra hard for us for when we get him home. Up until now I have had folks to help Don with his needs and I have had coaching when I was the one that was to provide Don with help. Friday I will be on my own at some points throughout the day. Donnie Lee works day shift that day and won't be home until later in the afternoon. I have had volunteers to say that they would be available on Friday if I need them to help get Don into the house. I plan to have someone there that can help just in case. I know that Don will depend on me more, physically, than he has thus far. Please pray for both of us as we begin this new path on his road to recovery!