Successful Sessions

Jackie and I both slept in today.  Jim had left late last night for a whirlwind trip to get some preparations ready at the house.  Both Jackie and I were up a lot during the night so our bodies must have been telling us we needed a little extra rest.  Needless to say we did not get everything done by 9am so speech was pushed back until 10am.  Nana came to spend the day with us.  It was great to spend time with her and was good practice for me to do the transfers since Jim has been doing almost all of them.

Becca came in the room to pick up Jackie and asked how many people he wanted to poll today for the cheese steak challenge. She said he had to say at least three.  To all of our surprise Jackie said 10.  Becca held him to it and within their hour session Jackie spoke to 12 people.  They actually went to the 3rd and 5th floors to find more people.  To say the least, Becca was pleased with Jackie’s goal for the session and his initiative. PTL

Immediately following speech Jackie headed to the gym with Erin for PT.  The session would be split in two since Jackie had an eye appointment at 11:30.  The focus of the first half of the session was walking.  Jackie looked great using the parallel bars!  He is even learning how to swing his left leg so Erin only has to guide it.  It was nice for Nana to see his progress.

We waited for a bit until we could see the eye doc.  She examined Jackie again and made an adjustment to his glasses. This should be our last appointment with her until after Jackie’s surgery.

Even though he slept in, Jackie was tired from his morning sessions.  We really had to coach him to get through lunch.  I was able to get the second half of his PT session moved to later in the day so Jackie could catch a quick nap.  When he woke up we were getting ready to head to the gym when Erin came into the room.  She was planning to work with me on standing and transfers, so we decided to just stay in the room and practice there.  I am feeling much more confident now.

Jackie went to OT right after our session with Erin and started on the mat with a good stretch on is left side.  He finished the session using the Rio machine.  This is the robotic machine that moves Jackie ‘s left arm for him.  Jackie watches the screen and follows the movement with his eyes.  The goal is for the brain to connect what is happening on the screen with the movement of his left hand.  Very cool!

It was time for another nap.  Jackie slept past dinner time so we heated up his meal and had a late dinner.  Jim got back while Jackie was eating.  We finished up and took a snack break on the second floor.  It was a beautiful night and this was the first time Jackie had been outside.

When we got back inside it was time for meds and bed.  It was a good day overall.  We are all looking forward to the weekend to recharge.  Enjoy your weekend and thanks as always for your positive thoughts and prayers.