Jason's Road to Recovery: Settling In

Hello everyone!

Sorry that it has taken me so long to update you all on the move back home. Jason did leave bright and early (by hospital standards) on Saturday morning. The first day and night home were a little rough, to be honest. We've gotten use to the hospital and how things are done there, so it is taking us some time to figure out how everything is going to work at home. For example, Jason enjoyed watching some TV on the couch Saturday afternoon. It was super easy for him to get on the couch, but getting off of it (the couch is a couple inches lower than his wheelchair) was not an easy proposition at all. It took me standing on the couch behind him, lifting him up, while he pulled himself forward to be able to get him back in his chair. Thankfully, that has gotten a little bit easier since the first time, but it just goes to show you that we're going to have to learn to do things a bit differently now.

Yesterday, some friends came by to help us set up our bedroom. We've rearranged the furniture to make it easier for Jason to get around, plus we bought a new bed that had to be put together. It looks really great now. All that's missing is some artwork/pictures on the wall and a new TV (Jason is currently researching that purchase).

Last night went MUCH better than Saturday night. Jason got a shower. In the hospital, he only got a real shower once a week.....and that was only after the staples in his head/back came out 2+ weeks after his accident (when he got that first shower, they were washing off bits of dirt and road debris from his biking event...). We did sponge baths every morning, but those are only mildly effective. So, he really enjoyed getting a "real" shower last night. The only downside of showering now is that he must wear the brace in the shower....which means the brace gets wet, which means he's stuck in bed afterwards until the brace dries. Life will be much better when that brace goes away....

Today has felt somewhat normal. We sat in bed, drinking coffee (Well, I drank coffee. Jason had a super healthy fruit smoothie) and reading the news. Savannah would run in every now and again to give hugs and kisses. It was really lovely. Later today, I'll begin making phone calls to get outpatient rehab set up, as well as his gym classes at the local junior college. But, for now, it's nice to just sit and relax together. There hasn't been much of that over the last five weeks, so we're really enjoying it now.

Here are a few pictures from the last two days in rehab and the first day at home....