Extra! Extra!
Kristen Adlhoch Tackles Therapy with Characteristic Strength and Smiles!
Hospital Food … Interesting!
Craig Hospital, Englewood, CO – I spent yesterday evening and today with Kristen, attending all of her physical and occupational therapy sessions, and “extra curricular” classes. Today was a busy day!
It started with Kris missing Fitness Class due to a miscommunication among the morning nurses – they didn’t get Kristen in her wheelchair and give her her morning medicine until a half hour after class started. We missed some sort of wheelchair soccer game that sounded fun – and they would have let me play!
Physical therapy (PT) was next. Kristen learned how to transfer herself from the wheelchair to a raised mat without the slide board. Then she spent half an hour getting stretched by the therapist and her father. (Kristen’s father, not the therapist’s.) During the stretching there was a lot of discussion about what we need to do to Kristen-proof our house. Those of you who have seen our two-storey-shower-only-on-the-second-floor house can imagine it will not be easy. Maybe Angel will get that new house she is always looking for? After stretching, the therapist strapped some electrodes to Kristen’s thighs to see if her muscles would respond to electrical impulses. They did, and it was amusing to watch the muscles wiggle and jump. This is a good sign, and means they will enroll Kris in a bicycling class starting next week. Apparently they will stimulate her muscles with electricity while she rides the bike – sounds more like torture than therapy to me.
Recreational therapy (T-Rec) was next. These folks purport to be the most fun people in the hospital. Last weekend we tie-dyed shirts with them. Yesterday they held a casino night. A couple times a week they bring dogs in for animal therapy. Saturday they will take Kristen and several other patients to the mall. Today’s meeting was just informational.
Somewhere in there we did a load of wash and ate lunch. Kris ordered the catfish, and received a large white plate with a slab of breaded catfish on it. No frills or side of parsley here.
After lunch we went to occupational therapy (OT). So far, there is not a lot of difference between PT and OT. During today’s hour Kristen learned to place various pillows and pads under her body and turn herself from side to side while laying on a large mat – a task now done by the nursing staff. Eventually she will be given a larger bed and will be expected to take care of her own comfort needs.
Between OT and Wheelchair Hyjinx one of the staff readjusted Kristen’s wheelchair. Apparently the axel was too far back and she could not do a proper wheelie. And yes, wheelies are VERY IMPORTANT here. You can’t graduate without knowing how to do them. Imagine pedaling a unicycle with your hands – kind of the same thing. Kristen was expected to travel twice the length of the gym in wheelie mode – not allowing the training wheels to touch ground. (See a short video of her doing this on her Facebook page. While you’re there, say “hi” to her – she appreciates that.) Another patient who has been at this a little longer was expected to maneuver a swerving course of tightly packed traffic cones in wheelie mode. Then we went outside to have a wheelchair race. This was really about racing against yourself and beating your previous time. However, Kristen – who had never done the course before – came within 12 seconds of beating the other two, more experienced patients. The course included a long downhill slope with many twists and turns (some 90 degrees) and then – you guessed it – a torturous return to the top. After the race, we went back inside and they were expected to descend a small flight of stairs – backwards, and in a controlled fashion (otherwise it would be fairly easy). They had help this time, but will learn to do it on their own. (Again, see a short video on Kristen’s Facebook page.)
We ran into Kristen’s doctor twice in the hallway today. We chatted with him for some time; he even drew a curious stick-figure-like schematic of Kristen’s spine to make some interesting points. Last night in the shower and again in bed Kristen’s legs experienced spasms. This is the first internal movement she has had in them in 2 weeks. The doctor explained that this is expected and may be a good sign or may be just a meaningless reflex (in either case, it is not a bad sign). I won’t go into the details – you’d need to see the stick figure spine drawing to understand them. He also told us that he will schedule another MRI for Kristen next week. He is anxious to see if there are any differences since the previous one done in Honolulu.
Dinner was interesting. Kristen had chicken strips with sweet and sour sauce that she said tasted like Mexican food. I had a stuffed bell pepper, which looked like something Calvin would not have eaten.
As I write, Kristen is studying for one of her finals. (All of her friends at Benedictine better be doing the same! You hear that Mariah? Margaret? Taryn?) Other than that, her spirits are high.
We are all looking forward to a white Christmas since we can’t travel to Phoenix. We will miss all of our family and friends there but will be thinking of them throughout the holiday. If we are really lucky, the doctor will let Kristen come home for a day at a time later this month so we don’t have to sing carols and open presents in the hospital, and we can schedule an “open house” for all her Colorado friends to stop by and see her.
Joe, Angel, Kristen & Lauren
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