2012 04 13 Thursday April 12

Post date: Apr 13, 2012 12:49:07 PM

Everything is on track for Martha to go home Saturday! The rehab staff have been working her through specific exercises, and have chosen the type of walker she needed. (After she had used it for several days they decided the rollator was not quite right for her, so she has a different kind now. I am not sure what they call it -- it has two wheels on the side away from her and tennis balls on the handle side. They added a fold-up tray, too.) Some friends of hers have loaned her a wheelchair, so it's at her house, in reserve. We added a wearable "panic button" to her home alarm system so she can summon an ambulance if there's a crisis. The rehab people will send her home with an assortment of tools, benches, steps, etc. to help her, and early next week we have someone coming to look at adding grab bars to at least one of her two bathrooms (one bathroom didn't need them as much).

I don't want to make it seem like we don't have concerns -- Martha still needs assistance, and the rehab staff wants someone there pretty much all the time for at least the first few days -- but she is very eager to be home. She has gotten better enough that she isn't falling asleep every time she sits down, and the distractions of the rehab center are keeping her from resting well at night. She will receive home-health nursing and home rehab as long as she qualifies, so she isn't being cast off without any more treatment.

Fortunately Amanda has been doing better this week. The acupuncturist thinks that despite her reaction last weekend, the latest medicine is actually doing a lot of good. He feels he is able to counteract the negative effects with acupuncture so she can benefit from the positive effects, and he told her she passed the low point in her illness a couple of weeks ago and is definitely healing now. She has continued to spend hours per day doing light exercise, breathing, yoga, time outdoors, and trying to find a balance with the medicine without worrying about her blood pressure. It is getting easier, and she does seem to be getting better.

Thank you to everyone who has offered words of support for Amanda and Martha both.