Visitors!

As Dacia has mentioned before, weekends at rehab are more relaxed than the weekdays. Today I only had an hour of PT and OT each. And the really good news about a lighter schedule is that I had more time to spend with visitors.

PT today was more stretching, balance, and shoulder work. Thanks to all of the hamstring stretching they’ve been doing with me I was able to sit up with my legs in front of me. From there I was able reach down, and after a lot of work and struggle, take my shoes off and put them back on again. Every day I’m getting closer to being able to dress myself without assistance, and it feels great.

Luke and Heather came to visit at lunchtime. They brought burritos, which were a delightful respite from the lovingly microwaved hospital lunches I’ve been eating for the last month. They also brought Girl Scout cookies, adding to the already overflowing snack/treat drawer in my room.

While we were eating the burritos, Jeff arrived with Mike and Chris. Sitting around the table and chatting with five great people was amazing—this was the most “back to normal” I’ve felt since the accident. Perhaps too “back to normal” because I forgot to drain my bladder before OT, and ended up with a mild case of autonomic dysreflexia (or maybe I was just sweating a bit and realized I could use that to get out of a very basic group class on fall prevention).

I spent the rest of the afternoon in bed hanging out with Jeff, Mike and Chris. I haven’t really talked too much here about what Jeff’s visits have meant to me during rehab. He moved to London last August, so it’s been an absolute gift that he’s been able to spend nearly every day with me for the past two weeks. Likewise, Chris came down from Seattle for the weekend to visit. All of this, along with the love and support I’ve been getting on the WhatsApp from folks far and wide, has been a great reminder of how amazing my community is.

Unfortunately, the most important people in my community were unable to visit today—Dacia spent the whole day waiting at home for the delivery of my new temporary hospital bed, which finally arrived around 8pm. Hoping to see Dacia and the kids (and Ché) on Sunday.