November 18, 2011

Another building day for Jason, as he went early to the gym with the OT therapist. She isn't very big (can't weigh more than 100 lbs.) yet she can get Jason working and sweating pretty good, with some simple routines; and, she is supposed to be the lighter workout person. Jason was on his way to the gym at about 08:30 this morning, and he went over on his prone cart. There are some benefits to being on the cart, as it allows him time to lay face-down, exposing the wounds to a little more air, and it gets the pressure off of them for a little while. The real good aspect of all his workouts and moving from bed to cart (or chair) and then to the gym, is that he is getting better and smoother with each attempt. The OT work lasted for well over an hour, and then PT came in to the picture. She made the comment that next time she wanted to get Jason before he was worn out. She could see he was already sweating pretty good when she got there. The efforts that she wanted to work on with Jason was on his balance, so it was good that we brought along his chair seat, as that is about the only thing that we currently have that allows him to almost sit up straight. They still need to make him a new seat, but that isn't going to happen until his wounds are done.

Once the gym work was done we headed back over to Jason's room. Almost as soon as we got back into the room and settled, one of his case worker came in and wanted to know if a decision had been made on the house. Well, the good news with the house is that it was more accommodating for Jason's needs, though it still isn't going to work out for all his needs. It is a two story dwelling, and as a result, just isn't as safe an area for them to have the family, and ALL of Jason's needs. He will be taking his bed, the one that he currently is sleeping in, so wherever he ends up going, they will need to have extra wide doors. The chair is one thing, but the bed is another. The bed needs a doorway of 40-inches minimum, in order to get put into the room. Even the rooms at building 26 (the on-site suites for the Wounded Warriors and their support person) are not wide enough for the bed, so we'll see what happens.

Once he is out-patient, he will be need to be able to come to his appointments, so he'll need transportation that can accommodate a wheelchair, and ultimately the rest of his family. Actually, he has already stated that he would like to have a truck set up for this, and not have to go with a van. Many of the guys go with a van, as it is the "best" vehicle for that, but he wants a truck. All of these things (bed, vehicle, housing) take time to get together and we're coming up on the holidays, and that complicates things even more.

Believe me, Jason would love to get out of the hospital, but there are a few things left to be taken care of, prior to that happening. In the mean time, we are getting to know the medical staff here, a great deal better, and they are getting to know Jason (and me). Our comfort level is gaining every day, so the feeling of "we made the wrong move" is steadily going away and being replace with confidence. Progress is happening on the home front, and Jason is getting anxious to see his wife and kids again, and is looking forward to seeing them next month. I think one of the things that he would like to experience with them, is simply all sitting down together as a family, in their own place, so that is a high priority for him, and that is why he works so hard. Stay turned for the progress and all the developments that come.

Thank you, for all the prayers and the continued support.