Husbands 8 week follow up Wednesday

[ammowoman]

My husbands follow up appt is Wednesday. It will be almost 8 weeks since his accident. I'm guessing the dr will ok some weight barring. I know he's not gong to just get up and walk. Pelvis still painful but its the ankle that I think will be the most painful. He's legs have gotten so small over this time. He has been doing his exercises the PT and OT's gave him before they stopped coming to the house. I'm guessing PT will start up again as well. I know were both ready for him to be able to do more. Between working 10-12 hrs a day and making sure he has what he needs, I'm getting worn out.

[jayne]

Ammowoman...Told you before to be carefull its how the spouses get hurt..... you get wore down trying to do it all.....now he will really start to get cranky as he gets moving wanting to rush things.....do you have a laptop so he can get on here? there is also http://www.pogo.com a free game site that has live chat 24/7 that was a life saver for many of us in the wee hours of the morning when we hurt to bad to sleep....I know Money is tight but if you have the funds now is the time to get that laptop if you dont have one....he can also google his injuries and read up on them and learn about them.....you have to keep his mind busy.......good luck

[1171]

if he needs home health care have the doctor write a script for it. comp includes supplement support and in-home care.

[Bummer Knees]

The secondary disability for a parent of a child with a disability is back problems.

I believe it is the same with all caregivers.

[ammowoman]

I'm doing ok. Its just all the little added stuff that drives me close to the edge. Its petty given what he's going thru I know. I snapped at him a couple times and felt bad afterwards.

He doesn't want home health. I used my angry voice with the wc people and finally got him a cup holder and net for bottom of his wheelchair. That helped a lot. He's able to get his food and drinks from kitchen to recliner now much easier than trying to balance it all on his lap. He gets around good in his chair. I just make sure nothing is in his way. Kids have a bad habit of taking his bench out of shower and not putting it back. With it out he can't fit in bathroom. It just a routine of small things I have to make sure that are done before I leave for work. Today I forgot to make sure broom was by the back door. He uses it to let the dogs in and out.

All things considered, we are doing good. Even tho I haven't posted much I have been reading all the post and previous postings. I'm working all the overtime I can. It seems to be a given that wc trys to break you so you settle for less. It makes me suspicious of the small talk the rep had with me... If I work? Kids and ages? We are lucky in the fact I have a good job and carry the benefits on our family so if they do mess with his money we would manage.

We do have laptops. I'll let him know to join. We usually just use our phones tho. He stays fairly busy and the dogs are getting pretty spoiled.

[bronco54501]

Being the one that is injured and so close to your hubbies injjuries, I can relate... You mention the shower chair, my son used to do that as well, and my wife at times.... My wife used to do things like that, not that she was forgetfull but also if it wasnt set up I wouldnt try to take my shower when she wasnt there... As far as having to use the bathroom to do #1 I had my pee jug. Sounds gross but what a life saver i was..... My wife also used to push my walker away from the bed when we were sleeping, and she was worried I would venture out of the bedroom and fall....

I watched my wife do way more then her share and it was hard for her since I was the main provider.. I could have not done it without her and would return the same in a heart beat...

I hope the check up goes well, and if it does they will probably order up some harder excersises at a pt/ot place... Wc will have to provide transportation if you are not able to bring him.. The next steps for improvement are going to be painful for him, tell him to take baby steps and not rush into recovery.. I was not weight baring for 16 weeks and my leg looked like chicken legs, lost so much muscle mass and took for ever to gain it back... It has been 3 years and it is still 40% smaller then the other leg...

I aplaud you and any other that stick it out to help the ones in need.... But remember you need a break at times too.

[ammowoman]

Oh the pee jug is a must. He does have one. It is a life saver. The wheelchair is moved as well once he is in bed. Mainly so his dog can jump up there. We had to move our room to our sons room downstairs so its pretty small. I have to get my bed down every night and pick it up every morning. He can't get out of the room otherwise. He is usually up before I leave unless I go in early and leave at 4am. I just try and make sure everything is in order. If something is missed the twins are here till 6 and the other till 9. Between all of us we rarely live him in a pickle. If we do he can manage. Shower chair is something he can't manage tho. Our Mastiff can be a little demanding so I'm sure moving the broom and not putting it back was a pickle.

I have FMLA at work so I should be able to take him to PT that is ordered. Between myself and the twins we can get him there. He really doesn't want a stranger driving him. I wouldnt either. Since our last encounter with the case worker, we want as little to do with them as possible. This appt we want have her in the room durring his exam. He also finally gets his mri on his shoulder Wednesday. The place wanted his hardware in for 6 weeks at least.

[jayne]

good luck ammowoman....tell him Bronco is close to his injuries and here to answer questions....and if he wants to learn pinochle on pogo I will teach him

[bronco54501]

It sounds like you have things under control, if your hubby or you have any questions, feel free to ask.. Its a hard road to follow but if you know what to expect it just makes things easier... I dont blame you's one bit about the transportation, when I was released after 2 months of my hospital stay wc hired a transport company to drive me home... Nothing like reliving my accident, he was a road rage maniac and driving 80mph in a 55 speed zone and passing cars... After I arived home 3 hours later I was rushed to our local hospital, I had an ashma attack and seen my first signs of anciety..

Just a thought, your husband is going to be very weak, and he will need to re-build his core muscles.. Pool therapy (aqa-therapy) is a good starting point with less pain while he rebuilds.... You may want to ask his dr about it..................................................Bronco

[ammowoman]

I wanted to let everyone know how his appt went...

When we signed in, I let them know he didn't want the case worker in the room during his appt. They called his name and of course she follows. When we got to the room the nurse shut the door on her. When the nurse left you could hear the discussion about the dr updating her after the appt. She stood outside the door the WHOLE time. I know she has access to his medical but that had to be a violation of someone elses HIPPA law. There are several exam rooms, non of which are sound proof. Next visit I will ask that she not be allowed to stand outside the exam room. This woman sends my husbands anxiety level way up. He was already on meds for it before his injury.

Now the appt itself went well. The dr told him he's healing great and looks good. Cleared him to bare weight and warned him his muscle mass is deteriorated. It will take 3 times as long to build it up as it did to lose it. He also warned him that this is the really painful part of his recovery. He starts PT on Monday. I believe he is scheduled for twice a week. He mentioned the hardware in the ankle could be removed at approx 4 months if he wanted it out. I guess when you start wearing shoes sometimes it tends to bother you. At this point he's not wanting it removed. We'll see if that changes when he start walking again. He didn't mention the rod in the pelvis so we're taking that as it stays in with no option of removal.

He got his crutches yesterday and is using them a little. The dr also wrote a sript for a walker but WC said they were holding off on ordering that for now. Seeing him stand for the first time was exciting ... but not as exciting as receiving a text saying he pee'd standing! Sad but true. Smiling at work after I received it, I'm sure people we're wondering what evil I was up to. Lol