Rehab

Well we have been in rehab for 12 days!

To say the least it has been O.K. Good for my dad, but the first couple of days i HATED IT.

It was hard for all of us to leave the burn unit, i think it was hared then what we really thought. We were in the ICU for 61 days! 11 Days in the CCU, 2 days in the IMCU, and 48 Days in the Burn ICU, its a huge change from ICU to a normal center. In the ICU we were taken care of and it was 1 nurse to two people. In rehab its 1 nurse to every 6 people. Huge difference. So you get where I'm coming from. It was 61 days of on hands care to having to wait 45 minutes to get something..

So the first few days, my dad was just really down, he left his family up on the 4th floor, and now having to start all over with new people, was really hard for him. So when he was down, i was down. It was a hard adjustment. For 5 days my dad didn't have a BM (Sorry if this is to TMI) Cause of all the medication he was getting , it blocked him up. Well the gave him some pills to make him go to the bathroom. Well the second day we were there, my dad wasn't feeling well at all. I mean he was having BM left and right. And if you know my dad he isn't able to hold for very long. After he had his cancer, it messed up his bowls. Anyways he was pretty sick. He wasn't able to make it to the bathroom, 1: Cause he cant move himself to the bathroom, cause he cant walk, 2: cause the nurses wouldn't come and help him, and 3: cause my dad doesn't want me to help him to go tot he bathroom. So i was sitting there helpless while my dad had a BM. As soon as he had it i went to the nurse and said that my dad needed help. By the way the nurse button was on for 10 minutes already. The nurse said she would be right with us. Well while he was sitting in his own BM, his stupid speech therapy(That's an other story) was in the room with him trying to do therapy while he was sitting in it. So really do you think he could of done therapy while you are sitting in your own poop. I know i wouldn't. Well it had been 20 minutes, still no nurse. So i went and got them again, 10 more minuter past still no one. Finally after 45 minutes of waiting i went for the 6th time and i yelled at the nurses. Each time i went to get her, she was on the computer! Its not like she was really busy and couldn't stop for 10 minutes. I mean if she was busy, i would understand why she wouldn't come, but she was sitting on the computer playing a GAME on facebook. NOT RIGHT when i had to go 6 times to get her and the call button had been on for 45 minutes.. So i was pissed. I went off on her. I wasn't a very happy person that day at all! Get this, when she Finally came in she yelled at my dad " TERRY THIS IS THE 5th TIME TODAY, I'M SICK OF IT" Wouldn't you get pissed at her to and let it all out! I'm very proud of myself. :)

So that day was a very bad day for us! My dad was so upset, he cried all day, and wouldn't talk to anyone! It broke my heart like no other..

So now on to Speech Therapy.... My Dad wasn't coherent for a good month. There would be days that he would be talking like no other and then something would happened and he would be so drugged up that he wasn't there. So speech wanted to do some test to see if he had any brain damage, For all this.  First of all I have been with my dad for 20 years. I know who he is and who he was BEFORE this happened. I know that  my dad doesn't spell well, or doesn't do math very good. Well all the question they asked him was Spelling and math! Both of the things my dad wasn't good at. But to me i thought he did pretty good. It would take him a few seconds to get the answer (Like it would take me to get the answer) but once he got it, it was right! There was a few that he got wrong but i also got some wrong. So after an hour of doing spell and math. They told my dad that he did have some brain damage, he was also very slow, he couldn't multi task, and he couldn't stay on track. UMM hell i think my dad did really good, cause i think i did about the same as he did. Heck i almost think he did better then i did. It was just very hard to hear them say that my dad did have brain damage and that he was slow! It kinda pissed me off. Cause they have only known my dad for 2 days and they didn't know him before all this happened. IF you has anyone that knows him, would say that he is the same person as he was before this all went on.. I know that this is there job and they know what they are doing. But he hear then say those things to my dad really put a damper on him. Needless to say i cried, and i cried hard. I didn't think he has anything wrong with him. He is very fast with things and knows how to get things down. But they think he needs help. So we are in speech therapy doing lame tasks to get my dad brina back up. Its like he is going thought 1 grade again. It just makes me mad that after 2 days and an hour they think they know him like no one else. After 20 years with my dad, he is still the same wonderful dad! I know I'm getting pissed at them for doing there job, but hey i cant help it. :) I know who my dad is and was!

Well after those first few days, its been pretty good. We have started to like the nurse a lot more now, and my dad is doing amazing!!! Last Friday he got fitted for his LEGS!!!! And yesterday they came in!! Well half of them, we are still waiting on his foot. But that should be here Monday at 3:30 and he should be standing on them by 4:30. Talk about exciting! My dad is able to sit up on his own from laying down, he can move himself over to the end of the bed, he also can transfer from the wheel chair to the bed.! We have only been there for 12 days and each day my dad does new things. He is also feeding himself, brushing his own teeth, writing, changing his tv channel, and getting himself a drink. There is so many things that he is doing that we take every day for granted. He is having to learn EVERYTHING all over again! And i know he is going to do wonders with them! Next step is walking and getting home. 21 Days... 21 Day till we get our life back. Our life will be different and things are going to change but I have my Dad and he is ALIVE!!! Just 21 day! Can you believe it. 21 days!

21 Day till this handsome man is HOME!!!