Home from the Hospital on Sunday

We came home from the hospital on Sunday and we were able to enjoy a relaxing afternoon on the porch! We deserved it!

As with all hospital stays we had some ups and downs but overall Kevin was in good hands and we are glad to be home. On Friday evening, Kevin's blood pressure was elevated and they continued to be concerned about his left leg swelling. Kevin was agitated and it's difficult to determine if he was in pain, tired, wants to move, all of the above. He eventually closed his eyes and slept well the rest of the night. My mom and I slept better too that night. The epidural was turned off early in the morning. The resident orthopedic doctor came in first thing in the morning and decided to split the left cast from top of thigh to knee due to swelling. A couple spacers were added in the split and then taped up. It should be okay the remaining 4 weeks until the cast comes off. From there, things moved quickly, Kevin's IV line was removed, the epidural, his heart monitor stickies, and the catheter (ouch!). What a difference it makes to get all those wires and connections removed. I got some coconut oil on Kevin's skin because he had been irritated and itchy the night before and then he got to wear a t-shirt.

On Saturday, after the wires were removed it was a good time to practice transfers. It was  overwhelming. There are so many things to think about before you move him. Then thinking through the logistics of how to get him home in a vehicle (his legs don't fit in our car) and into the house (with steps and doorways too narrow for the width of his legs). Kevin's surgery was on a Thursday so when they started the process to order us a wheelchair, bed, and bedside commode on Friday, nothing was resolved or confirmed before the home health care company closed for the weekend. Jon was able to get access to a van with a wheelchair lift from work but we needed a wheelchair. Kevin was upset, maybe having some pain because he was due for some medication, and probably feeling a little scared not knowing what to expect when we were doing transfers and this made me feel awful and this mama was tired, stressed, and needed a time out. I sent an update to my Monday night group and one of my friends said her (young adult) son, Nick was willing to help us with transfers and that he has experience. God is Good, God Provides! The day wore Kevin out too because he took a nap for about an hour and fell asleep again after dinner for an hour. I figured he needed some extra rest...but then it backfired when he had trouble getting to sleep for the night and when he got his medication at 3:00am he couldn't go back to sleep. I ended up letting him watch the Polar Express movie and he eventually slept, but it was a restless night.

Fortunately, we not only had access to Jon's work van but also to the wheelchair his Dad used. We were able to make the wheelchair work for Kevin and now we had a way to get Kevin home. I said both of Kevin's Grandpa's came through for him...because it was Grandpa H's wheelchair and Pap G. got it lubed up and working well. Our new best friend, Nick was able to meet us when we arrived home to help transfer Kevin into the house. I instantly trusted Nick and he and Jon worked well together to get Kevin transferred and it all went very smoothly. Nick even stayed to help Jon get Kevin's bed downstairs to the office since we weren't getting the hospital bed in time. We set Kevin up on the front porch for the remainder of the afternoon. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed a very relaxing day home from the hospital on the porch...some wine may have been involved for us adults. We had a little extra drama as we put Kevin to bed because he had an upset stomach, but afterwards he slept well his first night home in his own bed in his new downstairs office/bedroom.

I am so thankful that we didn't need to stay in the hospital until the home health care company reopened on Monday and we are able to make due without their wheelchair and bed that were ordered for us but I was still in need of a bedside commode. Kevin doesn't fit into the bathroom to administer his enema and we would need extra room to find a way to prop his legs up while he was on the toilet. I posted on Facebook that we were in need a bedside commode and one of our old friends from Kevin's early program days was able to provide for us. She was even able to drop it off soon after we arrived home. But when we assembled it, it didn't have a slide out bucket, which was the kind we used in the hospital. Having the slide out bucket from behind enabled me to take the bucket out to clean him up before lifting him off the seat. On Monday, I spent hours calling and recalling more than a dozen places and waiting for the home health care company to return the two messages I had left asking if they carried this type of bedside commode. My parents eventually went to the business but they didn't have the kind we needed and no one did. I was very confused why no one offered it when it was the kind we used in the hospital and I was feeling very frustrated and frazzled after spending hours on the phone calling over a dozen different places. I even had friends out checking stores and thrift stores for me. When I gave up defeated, I soon realized Kevin's left leg was swollen and I never gave him lunch...making me feel awful (even though he was fine)...but I was upset how much time I had spent on it and felt like I was neglecting Kevin's care. After Jon got home from work, he helped me with the enema process on the bedside commode we were given and he did the extra lifting so I could clean Kevin up. So the first day, had some extra challenges on top of figuring out our new routine. There's still a lot of thinking and planning and moving stuff around to make room before transferring Kevin. It will get easier. God will continue to provide for us the help we need to get through each and every day...and sometimes that includes a little wine at the end of the day. I am so grateful that my parents are here with me to get me through these first couple days and the friends that have offered to help me at home once they leave.