Getting Daniel up and moving is important to counteract the loss of mass - even if it hurts. He's working against weakness, tight and stiff muscles, contractures and of course PAIN.
Today his PT worked with him and get his arms stretched. He expressed some pain in the form of moaning - especially when moving his elbows again. His nurse gave him some pain meds to allow him to continue. While that took effect he didn't seem to ease up on the pain expression at all. Still he worked through the session. Then it was time to get him up and walking.
Today he will be using a walker (like the normal kind you see around) that forces his arms to work a bit more. As Daniel walked about we observed that he didn't really need it. Next time he walks we may not use a walker at all. I think he's in a fair bit of pain, stiff and unused to standing up. He seemed a bit humped over and shuffled along as best he could. It's tough to see him struggle and be so achy looking.
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The afternoon brought his OT to work and stretch Daniel. For some reason Daniel's right arm seems to be stiffer and be a source of pain today. He was more flexible in his left arm and the stretching went better today. The OT brought a balloon and a therapy ball to try to engage Daniel in his bed. He seemed uninterested in it. I think the overriding pain kept him from doing much today.
We then tried to get Daniel to move to the chair for another round of sitting, but he seemed very resistant to it. Instead he began to move his legs back to laying in bed. Dawn grabbed his talker and asked for him to say "yes" or "no" to sitting in the chair. He moved his fingers to a different menu and chose "All Done"! That response was crystal clear so we ceased activities and got him comfortable and back in bed. Dan is resting now and watching "The Incredibles" with us.
I was hoping he'd be up for a bit of time sitting in the chair a second time, but he made it clear that he didn't want to do that today. Maybe tomorrow....
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The afternoon brought his OT to work and stretch Daniel. For some reason Daniel's right arm seems to be stiffer and be a source of pain today. He was more flexible in his left arm and the stretching went better today. The OT brought a balloon and a therapy ball to try to engage Daniel in his bed. He seemed uninterested in it. I think the overriding pain kept him from doing much today.
We then tried to get Daniel to move to the chair for another round of sitting, but he seemed very resistant to it. Instead he began to move his legs back to laying in bed. Dawn grabbed his talker and asked for him to say "yes" or "no" to sitting in the chair. He moved his fingers to a different menu and chose "All Done"! That response was crystal clear so we ceased activities and got him comfortable and back in bed. Dan is resting now and watching "The Incredibles" with us.
I was hoping he'd be up for a bit of time sitting in the chair a second time, but he made it clear that he didn't want to do that today. Maybe tomorrow....
Does Day 31 at least mean that Daniel has passed the half-way point for his Burn Unit stay? I sure hope so. I greatly look forward to seeing him out and about, maybe enjoying an ice cream, or hiking a trail with mom and dad. I wanted to share a connection or two. My daughter is taking her prerequisites (Anatomy/Physiology) for an Occupational Therapy program, so your blog is helping me to understand this important field of work.Also, my brother Jeff, and one of your Foothill Marching Band brethren (Class of '89) has a son with autism who works harder than any kid I know: hours of ABA therapy after a full day of school, and Saturdays, for instance. Though, now Daniel, and his parents, have to get the hardest working awards. So, thank you for the blog. It helps all of us. Have a great weekend of healing, Daniel!
ReplyDeleteWe'd like to think that Daniel is 1/2 done with ICU Burn - then onto rehab for some period of time (weeks, months??). It depends many things. It could be 5 months total perhaps before he returns home, but I really don't know for sure... One day at a time is about all I can handle!
ReplyDeleteIf all his grafts heal and do not require additional rework then we think we're on track for a 2-month stint in ICU. If he has new complications we'll have to reset our counters and deal with new realities.