rsalhus said:
Another thing I wondered about was the wooden steps you had built leading up to the motorhome steps. I remember you having a side entrance to your motorhome (which probably wouldn't be as hard to enter as a front entrance) but I imagine you still had trouble getting in and out with a walker. How were you able to accomplish that by yourself? And did you teach the Home Care nurses how to open and close the valves for your waste tanks when they got full if you were hooked up to a sewer? Now that's what I call real Home Care! ;D
Hello -- and thanks for the note.
I had the steps built -- certainly couldn't do that myself. The owner of the land I am on is a concrete contractor and builds steps all the time. He measured the walker legs, then had steps in place for me within an hour or so. The PT insisted I either get those steps built or have a pretty good reason why I didn't have them in place on her next visit. We first retracted the RV steps -- but then decided to not worry about them and built the walker steps above them so if they went in or out by mistake, they wouldn't collide with the walker steps. They brought a smile to the PT's face -- and that always made my day with her go better.
No -- fortunately, the PT, OT, or the RN that made Home Care visits did not have to get involved in my sewer chores. That would have been pushing my luck and am sure I would have seen three heads shaking in a "no way" direction . . .
The biggest frustration to me, especially during the 1st week was being alone most of the time. As mentioned, I was required to be flat on the back most of the time. I had bought a neat Euro Recliner that I wanted anyway - but pushed to have prior to my return from the hospital. It would allow me to adhere to the rule of keeping my knees below my hips whenever seated and was very comfortable. This would also allow me to do some work on my new laptop, watch TV or whatever. Plus it was very similar to the chair in my hospital room that was used by the PT there to show me how to get from my bed to that chair. So that was where I was sitting when the PT arrived at my rig for her first visit. Will never forget her reaction . . .
After saying hello -- she "immediately" asked, "WHAT are you doing in that chair?? It is too low, AND, notice how much your surgery leg has swollen since you left the hospital." She further explained that for the 1st couple of weeks, at least, I was to be in bed or on my couch (which she didn't like either) 85% of the time on my back to minimize the swelling. So was not able to use my burgundy color, leather, super neat Euro Chair for the next month <sigh>.
Getting into and out of bed by myself was a special and time consuming chore. I had a lasso kinda thing that I was instructed to use in the hospital that allowed me to rope my surgery leg foot without bending and move it as I shimmied my bod in or out of bed. So what was happening those first few days was that every time I got settled in bed -- I would discover something that I did not have within arms reach. When this happened to Helaine, she just yelled, "WALLY, get me a glass of water, or a pill, or a glass of wine -- or whatever". With me, I had to go thru the whole process of moving the leg again and such to get to the walker to get what I needed. And nine times out of ten, when I got settled again, I discovered another item that I needed that was, of course, on the other side of my rig.
After a few days of this, I finally had moved most everything I needed to beside the bed -- plus had a mental check list I would go thru prior to getting back into bed each time.
I was "so" fortunate to have family and friends checking on me. It would not have worked otherwise -- but no one was there 24/7. So the above was my biggest frustration. Plus the boredom of being that way for the almost 3 weeks before the PT would let me even use my new steps to go outside for my walks. Her insistence that they be built right away was primarily a safety precaution. Can't describe what a happy camper I was when she first went with me and allowed my first walk outside. 8)
But now I am able to get around at last 50% of the time w/o even a cane -- and that is with no pain in that hip whatsoever. So again, it's a tough row to hoe for awhile, but the payoff is worth it. AND, I can sit in my new Euro Chair any time I feel like it . . .
