She's Coming Home

Getting ready

Kate- hey Gabby
Gabby- ha
Kate- I was thinking of trying you in a walker today instead of the treadmill, what do you think?
Gabby- I fall?
Kate- no, it will hold you up. I'll go grab it so you can see.
She shows me then some other people help get me in it.
Kate- Does anything need adjusting?
Gabby- na
Kate- ok can you try to take some steps
I take 4 steps. I like this better than the treadmill, I can take steps easier but it's still hard and slow.
Kate- awesome, can you keep going?
Gabby- ya mi-ute
Kate- you need a minute first?
Gabby- ya
Kate- ok

Gabby- rea-y
Kate- ok
Gabby- you vi-eo?
Kate- want me to take a video?
Gabby- ya. Phone chair
Kate- ok, go ahead
She took a video while I took some more steps
Gabby- tired sore. I want get out
Kate- ok. Want to lay down for some stretches before sitting in the chair?
Gabby- ya
Someone helps her move me to the table and Kate starts doing all my stretches. She starts with my hands and arms then moves to my legs which are really sore and tight from the walker.
Gabby- no hurts
Kate- what hurts?
Gabby- legs. Tight hurt walk
Kate- your legs are sore from the walker?
Gabby- ya
Kate- that's normal, you did a lot of work. I know stretching hurts but it will get worse if we don't stretch you, can I keep going?
Gabby- ok
She finishes the stretches and they lift me into the chair to practice sitting. I'm doing pretty well at sitting, sometimes I lean over sideways and someone has to push me back up and sometimes my head falls but I can lift my head up by myself unless it's fallen backwards, I can't get my head back up if it falls backwards, that's why I need a headrest but in PT I don't use one so I can practice keeping my head up.

Kate- so today we're going to try doing other things while you're in that chair to see if you can stay sitting while your distracted.
Gabby- ok
And my head goes backwards, great start. She helps me get my head back up
Kate- so that's what we're starting with, just talking, if that goes well we'll try moving your arms while staying up.
After a few minutes of Kate constantly picking my head up as soon as I try to do anything she tells me to wait a minute and goes to get something. She comes back with the headrest for the chair.
Kate- how about we use this for now, this doesn't seem comfortable for you or good for your neck.
I let my head fall forward so she can attach it easily
Kate- ok, pick your head up so I can check that it's in the right spot
I do then I feel her moving it a bit.
Kate- there you go, that will be easier
Gabby- thanks. Can I have eye gaze
Kate- sure
She just holds it for me
Gabby(📱)- I think it's the same problem as sitting. My muscles spasms and try to go straight and my head pushes back.
Kate- ok, there are some things we can try, different ways of positioning you but you can also just use a headrest for now.
Gabby- ok
Kate- it's good to know things like that, how it feels for you and what your body's doing. That helps us figure out how to help you best. We're the specialists, we've learned all about all kinds of stuff but it's your body, you know the most.
Gabby(📱)- ok I'll try to tell you more but I don't know what my body's doing half the time
Kate- I know. Are you ready to keep going? Can I put this away?
Gabby- ya

Next morning
April's just brought me to speech
Lisa- good morning
Gabby- hi
April- I'll see you later Gabby
Gabby- ok bye
Lisa brings me in and gets me set up
Lisa- ready to try some food?
Gabby- ya
I've gotten a bit better at eating, it's really slow and hard but most of the food stays in my mouth now. She starts feeding me the yogurt while reminding me of different things to help me swallow.

Lisa- look
She shows me the empty yogurt cup, I've only been able to finish it twice before.
Lisa- do you want to try to eat more?
Gabby(📱)- sure
Lisa- ok, I'll go get more for you
I ended up eating one and a half cups of yogurt then we scheduled another swallow study for next week. Then April brought me back to my room

Gabby- can I have a new shirt
April- sure which one do you want?
I pick out a shirt and she starts taking the tray off and unbuckling me so she can change my shirt
April- what's wrong with this shirt, I like it
Gabby- yo-urt
April- oh, I didn't notice until you pointed it out, that's not a big spill
She got me changed then made sure I had everything to go out since Janet was coming to get me to go see the house soon.
Antonio came to pick both of us up, he'd borrowed Hermann's van again. He put me in the car then Janet gave him a few tips on how to get me in and out of the car and how to position me so I'd stay sitting then they loaded the wheelchair and we headed to Matt's new house.
Gabby- Shay?
Antonio- you'll see her in a few minutes, she's with Matt
Gabby- ok

Matt brought Shay out to meet us. Antonio carried me inside and put me on the couch then went to help Matt bring my wheelchair in. We looked around the house and figured out what would need to be changed and what equipment I'd need.

A month later everything was set up fo me to be discharged. The house was ready, nursing was set up for overnight and PSW hours for when Antonio was working and 51's on shift. I'd had the scope and gotten my trach capped so that might come out in a few weeks, I had to switch to c-pap at night when my trach was capped but that's still something I can have at home. And the second swallow study showed some improvement, still not liquids but I can eat outside of therapy. Everyone's been trained on everything, including feeding me since I can eat more now. Nat comes in, it's the morning of discharge day.