Independence day

Today was Daddy's first full day of out patient rehab. He had 45 minute sessions with each speech, occupational, and physical therapists. His speech therapist sent him home with some homework. I was excited to get to work on some of it with him. He had a list of 23 popular songs and he had to "fill in the blank" (i.e. Row, row, row your ____). He did very well being able to complete about 19/23, some of which he went on to sing more than just the requisite word. He sang the full version of "Happy Birthday to Tarra".  Some of the songs stumped both of us, if anyone could tell me the answer to "School days, _______ days, dear old golden rule days" we would greatly appreciate it! He also went on to say the days of the week and the months.

In physical therapy they have been working with Daddy on using a cane. Mom had one on order that was coming in next week, but after Daddy's solo trek around the house this morning (while Mom was getting some much needed rest) the therapists decided it would be in his best interest to not put it off any longer. Mom was able to pick one up and get it home with them this evening. Daddy was definitely a little put off about using the cane (he just made a successful trip around the house by himself this morning, right?) but after some "tough love" from Mom, he not only agreed but did a few practice laps around the house. Luckily for everyone, especially Mom, the cane has given Daddy some independence. He was able to make it from room to room in the house safely without assistance.

As of right now, Daddy is scheduled to get 2 days of rehab per week. This is less than we were hoping for so we are looking into options that may be able to get us an extra day or two.


#3

Home Sweet Home - Round 2

Daddy was released from Jane Phillips earlier this afternoon and, as you can see, he was excited to be heading home!

Before heading out daddy was able to work with a occupational and physical therapist. The occupational therapist gave us additional direction on ways to rehab daddy's right arm and get it firing. We still have a long way to go in this area, but we know daddy is a champ and will conquer this obstacle too. The physical therapist had him up and walking using a cane for the first time, which was quite exciting. They don't recommend that he ditch his wheelchair quite yet, but daddy has a different opinion. He insists that we help him walk throughout the house and has no interest in this wheelchair. Shhh... don't tell!

Daddy's chairlift is officially installed and operational! Daddy was able to go up to his room for the first time since his stroke. I know he's going to sleep well tonight!

After this last episode daddy was taken off two of his blood pressure meds and we're definitely seeing an increase in his energy level. And with this elevated energy level we've seen an elevated level of opinions and direction coming from his direction. We'll take him, sass and all!

Thanks again for all the prayers and encouragement. We can truly see God working throughout our whole family!

God is good!

#2

A Matter of the Heart

The Thayer family has been on another adventure the last 24 hours. Yesterday daddy’s blood pressure dropped and he almost fainted. With the help of grandson #3.1 mom was able to keep daddy from falling and call the ambulance. They transported him to the Nowata ER where a couple of EKGs showed some irregularities so he went to Jane Phillips in Bartlesville for more tests. They are doing his blood work every 6 hours to check for signs of heart attack. The other possible cause of the low BP could be that daddy switched from a blood pressure patch to pill form yesterday. Of course, we’re hoping for the latter. 

The physical and occupational therapists at Jane Phillips came in today and gave us a few more exercises to help strengthen daddy’s right arm and leg. It’s nice to get new and different methods to try, I’m sure he gets bored of our same old exercises.

The dietician came in and chatted with us about daddy’s continued weight loss. He’s down about 30 lbs since the stroke (losing 2 ½ of those pounds in the last week.) We decided to add a daily protein drink so hopefully that will help bulk him up.

Dr. T and the nurse practitioner confirmed this evening some irregularities on daddy’s EKG. They said a normal reading would be at .1 and that daddy’s reading was at .3, however, a heart attack victim would have readings close to 50. The dr. believes the .3 reading could either be a result of the stroke or it could just be his normal heart rhythm. Either way we are very excited to hear that he isn’t having heart issues.

Daddy also got a stomach bug (when it rains it pours) so he's staying one more night in the hospital. They believe it’s just a virus but are running a test just to be sure. Until then he is on a light diet of apple sauce and toast!

         #2

Unqualified and Unsolicited Advice

I spent the last week helping Daddy transition home post stroke. For those of you that have or will volunteer your time to assist him in the coming weeks and months (thank you!), here are some tips and tricks--

1. If Daddy points in the office or towards the wall in the dining room he wants to know the temperature reading on the thermostat. This is always very important. He'll try to tell you if he wants it turned up or down, and if you get it wrong (which is often the case) he'll let you know. He is equally concerned with certain doors being closed, and fans and lights being on or off. Mom tells me this has something to do with air circulation in the house, which the Thayer girls don't care enough about.
2. Yes/no questions are generally answered successfully, you can use them to narrow down the guessing game when he's trying to tell you something, e.g., do you want an item in the bedroom? In the kitchen? Okay, is it in the fridge? A cold glass of water? In reality it's never that easy but you get the idea...
3. If he points towards the bedroom he likely wants to lay down. He knows he's not supposed to within a half hour of eating but he may try to trick you because you're new. Distract, distract, distract for the requisite 30 minutes.
4. He's generally willing and able to work on the speech therapy apps on the iPad. There are some excellent exercises on writing, speaking, comprehension and spelling. So far, daddy is 80-95% on the "easy" level (we both agreed that these were lifetime high marks). This is a good way to distract (see #3, above).
5. He may seemingly answer certain questions incorrectly (e.g., Q: What is your dog's name? A: Fido), but it could also be his weird sense of humor.
6. If there are two people around it's sometimes easier to walk Daddy from room to room in lieu of the wheelchair. He is generally eager to get up on two feet in short spurts. He can also stand up at the sink or counter if someone is there for backup support.
7. Do not let him talk you into a bath on the first floor unless you have four people and a crane to get him in and out (or if you've got inhuman strength like son-in-law #2).
8. Soft foods are preferable but we haven't seen him choke on anything since he's been home so feel free to experiment (my mom may not agree). He will occasionally cough after a meal or when drinking water too fast. If the former make sure he covers his mouth or you'll end up with chunks of chewed up lunch on your shirt.
9. Do not bring any handicap-related items into the house. He has banned the bedside potties to the storage shed (it only took us two follow up questions to figure that one out).
10. If he says "no" louder than necessary, rolls his eyes, or gets a disgusted look on his face it means he loves you and thank you very much for your love and support.

You're welcome and good luck!

#1

Celebrating Fathers

For the first time in I can't remember how long, Daddy had ALL his daughters in town for Father's Day. It only took a stroke to make it happen.

We (i.e., son-in-law #2) got some serious grilling done...

The best daughters ever got him a TV, the current one had an unpredictable red stripe that would suddenly and inconveniently appear. Turns out nos. 1, 2 and 3 aren't rocket scientists and therefore are understandably unable to purchase a TV that fits a certain TV cabinet. So... the #2 son-in-law and #3 boyfriend were called in to fix it!

We moved around multiple pieces of furniture to make room for THE BEST FATHER'S DAY GIFT EVER, TRUST US, and took the finger wags and occasional "no, no" from our father as eager encouragement. Hearing no clear and succinct objection, we carried on and are very happy with the results; even if it means Daddy has to make the extra effort to roll across the bed to sleep on "his side". (It's a long story.)

In other news, Daddy also received a BATH for Father's Day. SECOND BEST GIFT EVER. (Sorry no pictures of that, you're welcome.) While he's emphatically pointed to the tub numerous times over the last few days we've been putting him off while we work out the safest approach. (The shower on the second floor is a much better option but one we don't have until the chair lift gets installed, hopefully early next week.) We (i.e., I) decided that having three people help him in and out of the claw foot tub on the main floor was sufficiently safe (hopefully his physical and occupational therapists aren't reading this). Between me, #3 and son-in-law #2 we got him in and out with all limbs (and other items) in tact (Mom and #2 were afraid to watch). Good thing #3 is more careful with Daddy than she is with apple pies.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads, especially my own!

Thank You and Thank You and Thank You

We've officially made it through the first 48 hours! It has definitely been a learning experience for us all, especially my mom as the "lead caregiver". There is still a lot of trial and error going on as far as getting him ready in the morning but so far we've muddled through. We did experience our first wreck yesterday; mom and I were getting Daddy in the car after a doctor appointment and weren't as diligent as we should have been about making sure he took all the proper steps. He ended up in the floorboard, but it was a very graceful fall (sorta), there were no injuries and he was able to practice getting up so I call it a win.

We've been using some online resources to keep Daddy in speech therapy, and he's been doing really good. He is about 90% on repeating words when spoken to him, the other 10% he needs prompting (watching someone else mouth the words). Every once in a while he can complete a sentence or phrase without having to hear the word. The exercises get gradually harder as we go, so I expect he'll get more challenges in the coming days. Yesterday we worked on saying thank you (well, I'd get in his face and tell him to say thank you and he'd eventually get it out) and today when we sat down for breakfast, after a few fumbles and us trying to figure out what he wanted, Daddy busted out the prayer: Thank you and thank you and thank you! I've heard him pray thousands of times in my life and that one was by far the best.

He's not getting much physical therapy this week while we're in between in patient and out patient therapy (out patient will hopefully start on Monday) but he's getting PLENTY of occupational therapy. In fact, we all are: getting in and out of the wheelchair, in and out of the bed, in and out of the bathroom, etc. The biggest "challenge" we've had so far is Daddy's determination to get in the bathtub. He REALLY REALLY wants a bath (I definitely screwed things up by suggesting it) but it's not a safe option right now so we've (i.e., mom) have weathered a few "disagreements". The chairlift will hopefully be installed tomorrow which will give him access to the second floor with a better setup for bathing. Fingers crossed he gets up there sooner than later before someone blows a gasket.

ACTION ITEM: We've gotten a lot of "let me know what I can do to help" so here's your chance. The daughters are organizing a meal drive to get mom and dad stocked up for the next month while dealing with the transition. There are three ways to participate:

1. Drop off a frozen meal at any of the three drop off locations:
• Nowata Reid Veterinary Clinic (Tarra is there during normal business hours and Saturdays until noon)
• Mom and Dad's House (someone is usually there but just shoot a text to confirm!), 321 North Maple, Nowata OK 74048
• South Broken Arrow Life Church, 5801 S. Elm Place Broken Arrow, OK 74011 (Jessica is generally there during business hours but if she's not someone else will be!)
2. Sign up to provide a hot meal on a specific day via Meal Train. You can drop off at the house or the Vet Clinic https://mealtrain.com/y625mk
3. Send a gift certificate for a local eatery or grocery store, some good options are Wal Mart, Reasor's and Sams. You can drop it off at any of the locations above or mail it to mom and dad's house.

We are doing some marathon cooking at the Thayer house this weekend to get the freezer stocked so feel free to send recipe suggestions! Daddy is on a "soft" diet for now, but most foods are fine so long as he's taking his time and appropriately-sized bites. This daughter would of course love to see him consume as many vegetables as possible while his brain continues to heal!

Thank you and thank you and thank you!

#1

Home Sweet Home

Two of us made it home today: Daddy was discharged at 10 AM and made it to Nowata in time for two naps, dinner and Warriors vs. Cavs Game 6, I followed soon thereafter after a slightly delayed flight.

Daddy hasn't hit the floor with anything other than feet yet (we haven't dropped him!) and he's been a very receptive patient despite our concerns with his willingness to follow instruction. We've heard a few barks about going upstairs (he's been relegated to the first floor guest room) but all in all he has listened to all direction given by the Thayer girls. Yes, he was lucky enough to have all four present this evening...

This being the first time I've seen or talked to Daddy in a few weeks, my initial impressions are that he's got his "yes" and "nos" down (you just have to get the question right!) and, other than the not speaking coherently thing, he's a skinnier version of his old self. It was sure good to sit in my parent's living room talking and hearing him laugh over some of mom's chili.

So far Daddy's getting in and out of his wheelchair and bed relatively unassisted. We've hidden the walker for now so he doesn't know it's an option (so don't tell him!); the therapists suggested we use the wheelchair for now until he gets a little better at the walking thing.

He alleges that he didn't sleep through the night very well at the rehab center so we'll see how much shut eye my mom gets tonight.

#1

Last Chance Work Out

Yesterday, Mom and I had our first trip with Daddy outside of the rehab center. I asked Daddy yesterday morning if he wanted to go to LifeChurch.tv and he quickly agreed. Mom and I helped him shave, brush his teeth and fix his hair for his first public appearance. We got him loaded into the Prius and to LC.tv's South Broken Arrow campus. #2 and the rest of the staff were very excited to see Daddy out and about. He didn't quite make it through the whole service before he was ready to leave, but we got in 4 successful car transfers during the process, so we call the outing a success!

As of this afternoon, Daddy has officially completed his last day of in-patient rehab. Against the pleas from the therapists and ourselves, he has decided to forgo the extra week of rehab that was offered. As much as we would have loved for him to stay, we are happy to oblige with his wishes and are eager to get him back into his own home. I have some hope that being in his own environment will make things "click" a little easier.

Since today was Daddy's final day of rehab, we got some pretty good farewell tips from his therapists. His speech therapist said that the more he tries to use his speech, the quicker he will get it back. Fortunately for Daddy, I'm sure the Thayer girls will not be giving any slack in the speech department. His physical therapist was sure to explain to Daddy that he is not to use his walker or go up/down the stairs at home. I assume she has gotten to know him well enough to know that he definitely needed some ground rules. However, I'm not sure how much she got through to him given the smirk he gave her in response. We are sure to have our hands full with our strong-willed Dad!

On Wednesday, Daddy will visit his regular doctor in Nowata. The dr. should give him a referral to the St. Francis out-patient rehab facility in Bartlesville. From there, Daddy should start his out-patient rehab within a day or two. No rest for the weary!

We are very anxious to get Daddy home and see what this next chapter holds for our family. #1 will be joining us tomorrow evening, it will be nice to have the entire family under my parents' roof once again. Thanks for all of the prayers that have carried us through over the last 6 weeks, and continue to pray for the weeks and months to come.

#3

Decisions, Decisions.

For outpatient therapy daddy is going to require physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) and speech therapy (ST). There are only a few outpatient facilities that offer all three in our area. Mom and I went and looked at a rehab center in Claremore and Bartlesville today. The recommendation from Bernsen is that daddy should have anywhere from 3-5 days of rehab, the biggest need being for his speech. We’re learning that regimen is hard to come by as far as outpatient goes, but both Bartlesville and Claremore are offering to work with us on getting at least 3 days per week. By the end of the day we landed on the Bartlesville rehab center and are excited to see daddy’s progress once he starts.

The therapist and the doctor met today and decided they would like to extend daddy an offer to stay an additional week. The reason for the extended offer is because they still see daddy making progress and believe they could get him a little further along with some extra time. Daddy has been SO ready to go home we weren’t quite sure how he was going to take this offer. Well maybe we had somewhat of an idea! He gave them a big resounding “No.”  We’re hoping to “encourage” him to stay for one more week (any visitors, feel free to help us in this endeavor). We’ll let the staff know on Monday of his final decision.

Daddy’s speech therapist challenged him with a bbq dinner if he was able to get all his flashcards right during one of his therapy sessions. He was able to do it and will be enjoying his savory bbq tomorrow at dinner. I bet he’s ready to get something different than rehab food in his stomach!

Thanks again for all the prayers – praying that God will comfort daddy and give him wisdom/discernment while deciding about his additional stay at Bernsen!

#2

Training Day

Daddy had quite the crowd today. I could tell from his expressions that he was thrilled everyone took time out of their day to make a fuss over him. (Ha.) We had several family members and friends show up to get "trained" on how to help care for Daddy once he goes home next week. One of his therapists said that he has broken the record for the number of people to show up to family training. Once he's home he will need someone with him 24/7 so we are so blessed to have so many people willing to take the time to help.

The therapists are not comfortable with his walking with a walker at home just yet. They want him in a wheelchair full time for now so we mostly worked on helping him from wheelchair to couch, bed, toilet etc. The good news is that he is able to do all these things pretty much on his own. We shouldn't actually have to do any lifting at all. He just needs someone standing on his right (bad) side to make sure that he is stable. We also got to go downstairs to learn how to get him from the wheelchair into the car and back. Daddy was such a trooper today. I think he's really getting anxious to get back into his own home.

Mom will have to make a decision soon on which out patient rehab facility Daddy will be going to once he's discharged. His therapists would like him to be able to go to therapy 5 days a week but from what we've heard so far, it doesn't sound like there are any rehab facilities that will offer that many sessions. More than likely, he will end up going to therapy 3 days a week. We are looking into facilities in Bartlesville, Claremore, and Tulsa. Hopefully in the next few days we will figure out which one will be the best fit for him.

Getting Daddy home is a big transition, but we are confident that he will be a little more comfortable once he is in his own environment. One of the therapists said that he may even be a little more inclined to work and try new things in his own home. I am sure he will be eager to get back to his household duties! (Mom said she's tired of having to make the coffee.)

Thanks again to everyone who came today and who continues to pray from a distance.

#3

A Failure to Plan is a Plan to Fail

We are beginning transitional preparations for Daddy’s homecoming, still anticipated for next Tuesday, June 16.

Mom has done a bang-up job getting their home ready for Daddy's return. She coordinated the installation of accessibility ramps in the back yard, obtained all the needed and recommended equipment (wheel chair, walker, etc.), and had the stairway measured for a chair lift that will provide access to the second floor master bedroom and bathroom.

Since Daddy's ability to move improves every day she's refraining from making any additional modifications until we see what he can do come next week. Today, OT worked with mom and dad on transferring from the wheelchair to a bed and getting in and out of a sitting position. Apparently Daddy did all the hard work by himself taking only verbal and physical queues from the therapist. We are hopeful that he'll be able to walk short distances with a walker by the time he's discharged, which would allow him to access the bathrooms at home (narrow doors). Mom witnessed some promising efforts today:

Tomorrow Daddy's therapists are hosting a "family training day" for those that will help out in the coming months. Attendees will learn how to help him in and out of the car, up and down stairs, etc. I'm not sure the they anticipated TEN participants but surely they can accommodate. Daddy is just going to love all the fuss...

We are also researching outpatient rehabilitation facility options. We got an "unofficial" recommendation that Daddy receive outpatient therapy in all three disciplines (occupational, physical and speech) five days a week. Until he's able to voice a complaint, we'll send him to the facility that will provide the maximum amount of butt kicking. Hopefully that decision can be made this week so we're ready to hit the ground running once Daddy gets home. No rest for the weary!

In other news, Daddy got a little bit of a stomach bug yesterday but powered through all his therapy sessions and seemed to feel better today. He's now taking all medications previously administered through the feeding tube orally. Since he's completely weaned off the tube, the medical staff requested that it be removed before he is discharged. While the GI doctor originally said the tube would have to stay in a minimum of seven weeks we are hoping for an exception so that Daddy can go home PEG tube free. And the speech therapists are getting creative. Apparently Ms. K  bribed my father with pizza and barbecue sandwiches if he can successfully complete a flashcard exercise (she shows him pictures and he has to say what the object is). He got six out of ten correct today; I'm anticipating a breakthrough tomorrow.

Finally, this daughter is excited to be heading back to Oklahoma for Father's Day weekend and to see her Daddy GO HOME after 43 long, hard-fought days.

#1

Form Matters

Daddy is getting a couple of well-deserved days of rest this weekend. He was given a few pieces of homework; stretching his hand and working on moving his ankle. We were able to work on both of these things this afternoon. He even let me give him a quick manicure! He hasn’t been quite as open to these activities before today. I think he’s eager to do everything he can do to get home! The staff confirmed this week that daddy’s official release date from Bernsen is Tuesday, June 16^th.

This week in PT they were concentrating on getting daddy to use his right hip when walking. Right now, while he is trying to walk quickly, he’s not necessarily walking correctly. He received a few lectures on the importance of form. The PT used the analogy of swinging a baseball bat to help make him think about moving that hip. I’m sure that analogy registered with him! We’re praying that he can make these corrections so he can get back on his feet.

His speech is still the toughest obstacle we have to face. We’ve read that some left-brained stroke victims can spontaneously have their speech restored. Others may never get it back and all variations in between. Obviously our BOLD prayers would be that something will click in daddy’s brain and he’ll get his speech back in an instant. We know that we serve a big God and fully believe in His completely healing for daddy’s speech. We would appreciate as many bold prayers in this direction as possible!

Note: Daddy has been moved to Room #593 due to a remodel happening in his old room.

If you have any questions about daddy or his recovery, feel free to post them in the comments. We'll be happy to answer them as best we can!

#2

Dynamic Duo

Brayden and I got to visit for a couple of Daddy's therapy sessions today. During physical therapy today he made 2 laps around the gym with his walker. The therapist was still helping support daddy's right knee, but said that it was only to make sure he didn't hyper extend it. He was making all of the steps on his own. She also has to help him keep his steps straight. Sometimes that right foot wants to cross over in front of the left which as you can imagine trips him up a little bit. Brayden was very impressed (this is the first time he's seen his Papa in therapy- until this point he's only seen him lying in a bed) he would say things like "Is Papa standing up all by himself?" and "Papa is walking really good!". It makes me so proud to see him excited about his Papa's progress.

In occupational therapy they worked more on his right arm. She was getting movement out of his shoulder and elbow, but still having to do most of the work with the wrist and fingers. When we showed up, Daddy was showing off by showing us how he can get his arm from his lap to his arm rest and back again. (I think he was showing off for Brayden.) We also noticed that he's lost his arm brace that has been attached to his chair to keep his arm from falling off the side of the chair. Another milestone! It seems that there are milestones being overcome every day. We were so proud to get to see some of those today.

The highlight of the morning (for me) was to get to watch Daddy and Brayden play a game of catch with a football in between therapy sessions. Brayden is definitely ready to get Papa home. Brayden needs to practice up on his batting for the fall and I think he's excited to see that Papa will be able to pitch to him. Papa has been his "at home" baseball coach for the past couple of years and we sure missed him this 2nd half of Brayden's season.

 

 

After therapy, Daddy had a 30 minute break before lunch. We assumed he'd be ready to get into bed to rest but he surprised us and declined the offer. Instead, he rolled himself to his sink and brushed his teeth and shaved his face. He's definitely getting to be a little more independent! Brayden also got Papa to play some Tic Tac Toe on the iPad. Although Brayden won't admit it, Papa kicked his tail.

 

Thanks again for all of the prayers! 2 more weeks and we will be taking him home. We are praying to see a lot more progress before that point!

#3

Working Overtime

Daddy had a VERY full day of therapy today. Typically, he has 3 hours of therapy sessions a day (in 30 minute increments). Today he was able to receive extra attention and they stretched it to 4 hours! I came up to visit after lunch and he was wiped out! Good thing he got a lot of rest this last weekend.

In one of his physical therapy sessions, they had daddy practicing using a walker. His therapist is still working on strengthening his hamstring in his right leg and hopes to see it engaging soon. We are definitely praying that too and look forward to the day we see him use his walker without assistance.

The occupational therapist worked with daddy on strengthening his right arm. You’ll see in the video below that he is putting all his weight on his right arm while he moves the cones with his left hand. We’re so proud of how hard daddy works each and every day!

His speech therapist monitored his eating today and has graduated him to a “soft” diet. No more mush! He will still have some food restrictions, such as, salad or fresh fruits and vegetables, but we know that daddy will continue to improve and will graduate to an open diet soon!

Thanks again for all the prayers and support. Keep them coming our way!

#2