Home At Last!

Not really home - but out of the big house (ah - hospital). Sean's now settled in at his sister Kat's house in West Seattle. Things are going pretty well. He adjusted right away to the wheelchair, in fact we never hear him coming and he sneaks right up on us. He's getting around well using his walker to get to the wheelchair and the bathroom. The home health nurse came this morning and spent 2 hours with him. She was very informative and helpful. Sean will also be having a physical therapist work with him at the house. Things are looking up!

Contact Information

Sean's email address is sean.kelly@kent.k12.wa.us

FRIDAY - Welcome Home Sean!

Again - a roller coaster day. Lots of activity, then waiting then the adjustment of being home. Kat's husband Aaron, waiting all morning for the wheelchair to be delivered. Finally came at noon. Tom & I ran out first thing to find, purchase and arrange delivery of a single bed. Then to the store to stock up on sheets and basic supplies for Sean, and groceries. Tom went to DOL to get the handicap sticker. Kat arrived as planned at the hospital at 4:45 PM to pick him up, only to be told that they wouldn't send him home with any drugs, we'd have to go have the Rx filled at his insurance's pharmacy (Group Health)which by this time was closed. This is after we were assured he would be discharged with enough meds to get him through 24 hours. By this time Sean is extremely uncomfortable and in lots of pain and I'm more than a little annoyed considering I have been asking for 11 days what the procedure was for discharge, and this was NOT the way they told us it would go! Tom and I both talked to the charge nurse and finally she consented to arrange to have him sent home with enough drugs to get him through the night. However since the hospital did not have his drugs ready as they had told us they would, Kat had to wait several hours to get them. Of course the ride home wasn't any picnic. They got home about 7:30PM. We had dinner waiting, but it wasn't much of a celebration. Sean has to adjust to everything all over again. He's exhausted from using the walker. Short trips like going into the bathroom wipes him out. He's not that comfortable in the wheelchair. Adjusting to a regular bed, instead of the hospital bed where he could adjust everything has been a challenge. I think it took a couple of hours last night to get him semi-comfortable (arranging and re-arranging pillows) under, to the side, in between his legs. I think his pain is far more than I would expect to see, but it was a BIG day. Tom & I went home as 12:30 AM exhausted. I'm hoping he got some sleep.

The Best News Ever

Wow! What a day! The nerve block was removed this morning. Physical Therapy came this afternoon and got Sean up using a walker! The best news ever....he is mobile! Three steps and he was wiped out. But for God's sake, he was walking! However slow it was..it was progress. He can put weight on the left leg, yeah the one he just had surgery on Sunday. No weight on the right leg yet. An MRI taken today will give them a better idea of what's to come for the right leg. The best news is....Sean can come home tomorrow. He'll be going to Kat's house (the only one in our family with a one story house). They have a room ready for him. I have to run out and buy a single bed tomorrow (keep your fingers crossed that they can deliver same day). Wheel chair is being delivered tomorrow as well. We are all in a frenzy of activity to get things ready for him to come home. All of us happy, busy, excited, tired, oh and did I mention happy?

Sure Happy It's Thursday

(Kat again)

Nerve block was removed (or that was the schedule for today). The PT (Physical Therapy) Doctor was supposed to come yesterday but couldn't because the nerve block was still in. She's supposed to come today. Hopefully she'll be able to give us more information. I'm going to go visit him after school.

His room is all painted and we are just scrambling to put it together before he gets released.

Today's update

(This is Kat again)

Things look a little brighter than they have in recent days. He had a nerve blocked yesterday that really seems to be helping his pain. He's seeing the Physical Therapist today. Still no word on the date he'll be released, but we're getting his room ready for him. :)

Tuesday

Not unlike the last eight days, this has been a day of ups and downs. When I came in at 5:30 this morning, he was in excruciating pain and had not slept all night. The nerve block they placed in his left leg during the surgery yesterday, did not work. The purpose of the nerve block is to completely block the pain after surgery. It took until 1PM today before they took him back into the OR and inserted another nerve block. This one worked and so now his left leg is completely numb. What a relief! He has a little better appetite today (which translates to; he's eating an eighth of what he normally does). We are so grateful when he has any pain relief what so ever.