We started with breakfast this morning, in which Shannon ate French toast and I shared the tale of hauling this giant panda (named Po- but not for the reason you are probably thinking) up to Shannon’s room. Of course by the time I got to her room with it, she didn’t even want it. Obviously.
She was still in what I call her ‘night’ gown, since she only wears it at night. She calls it ‘the piece of cloth that covers up my naked.’ It’s not a gown. Or pajamas. Or anything of the sort. Says she. Anyway, there is system to getting someone dressed who cannot feel or use their legs, and I am trying hard to learn how to do it in a manner that takes less than 500 years. ‘One and done!’ That’s what they nurses keep saying. The trick is to do it all in one turn.....says the person who’s been doing this for yeeeeeeaaaaarrrrrrsssss. Some of the nurses are all about teaching and helping me learn. Some are about getting it done and moving on. We had a combo today. But she was in a gown, and 20 minutes (and a lot of help) later, she was dressed. :) Go us!
In PT, we did transfers, and YOU GUYS!!! I didn’t even drop her. Or kill her. Or make her fall through the space between the bed and the chair, or tangle her legs up in the footrest. She was on the bed, then nudge over, nudge over, nudge over, pull out the arm rest, don’t fall in the crack...and BAM! She was in the chair. Magic. Rachael the PT is the transfer bomb.com (that was for you, Jake). She told me exactly what to do and Shannon did almost all of the work. Of course if you ask Shannon how it went- she’ll spin a more dramatic tale. I mean:
She needed to rest after tossing her feet off the bed. So obviously there was some extenuating circumstances that she had to endure. After the transfers, we met with the wheelchair vendor and she ordered her custom wheelchair :D She will have a loaner from the hospital for 3 months until her own arrives. So you will have to wait until late August to see what she chose.
We had time to kill before lunch, so we went on the roof and waved at our friends two blocks away.
Wawa turkey club for lunch- with Chickie’s and Pete’s crab fries chips. Yum!
After lunch was occupational therapy- and since Shannon can go wherever now- we went to the kitchen to learn how to safely maneuver around and use the kitchen. Shannon said she feels very short, like her 3 year old nephew’s height in the kitchen. BUT. She made quesadillas!
And the cheese has taco seasoning it it, which was pretty
Then we went through the art studio and she worked on a project for one of her nurses.
And I snuck out on the roof to sit and take in the fun view!
Speech therapy was next and we talked about brain injury and how Shannon is doing. She’s making great progress- remembering and understanding more. She struggles with executive function (Look it up) and memory the most. I have seen a lot of improvement in both areas since her accident. Her brain injury is completely separate from her spinal injury. A lot of what she struggles with that you can physically see are from the spinal injury, but not all. So it’s not just coping with her new limitations, but also her mental limitations while this all heals. It’s a process, and it will take time.
Shannon mummification time was after that. AKA Shower. I was really hoping to be more involved in the process- but her nurse was finishing up a 5 day shift and was ready to book it out of there- so we used the lift, and she did most of the work. It’s frustrating because I only have a couple of more times to learn what to do, and if they don’t let me do it, I won’t be able to at home.
And after that we wrapped her tight since she’s freezing after showers, as I’ve mentioned. She was also exhausted, so we are back where I found her this morning: wearing the cloth that covers her naked, under a mountain of blankets, with a giant panda.
But while she slept- I pulled an old trick out of that bag I haven’t used on her since she was a baby. I trimmed her toe nails, and painted them. She hasn’t let me trim them because she’s afraid I’ll cut her toes off and she will bleed to death since she’s on blood thinners. Since she can’t feel anything, and she sleeps through everything, it was the easiest time ever. A few involuntary leg twitches, but no worry of tickling her feet and waking her. :)
My favorite part of today, was when she was asked how much she weighs, and she confidently declared loud enough for the entire gym to hear ‘76 lbs!!!’ And we all looked at her like she was crazy- and she realized that she meant 106 lbs- which she truly is proud of. Up 4 lbs since she arrived. She’s lost a lot of weight and has been trying hard to eat so she will gain a healthy amount back.
Please continue to pray for Shannon’s strength and endurance which are improving every day! Pray for her confidence in her abilities to continue to improve, and for her spinal cord to keep healing! Thank you for the love and support- and the mail and packages. Shannon loves them! She is feeling very loved.
Today’s Meme:
Shannon is going to be racing around like Lightning McQueen in no time with her custom wheels, paint and power assist, kids....get off the sidewalks!!
Lightning McQueen: In your dreams, Thunder.
Chick Hicks: Yeah, well..."Thunder"? What's he talking about, "Thunder"?
Lightning McQueen: Oh, you know, because 'Thunder' always comes after Lightning! Ka-chow!
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