home, sweet home

13 years 1 month ago #36546 by clueless
Replied by clueless on topic home, sweet home
Oh, I meant to talk about the walker.

The hospital issued a walker - one of these cage like things with two small wheels. He was very awkward with it and hated to walk at all. So I got him this thing: Rollator

It made a world of difference in the attitude towards walking as well as mobility.

He can venture outside and not worry about getting too tired to make it back - he can just sit down and rest anywhere.

He can fetch things from the kitchen, put them in the basket and take them wherever he wants.

The thing has a little learning curve - you have to work the brakes and the 4 wheels pivot and will go anywhere in any tight space almost like a bycicle. He has fun with this!

It makes it easy to carry the wound vac anyplace, just put it in the basket. It has a carrying bag - but it kept bumping into the old walker - it's a very sensitive little computer and that was no good.

With the hospital walker he was moving very slowly and laboriously, but as soon as he got this thing he started zooming around. The therapist was impressed and credits his (very fast) recovery partially to this walker.

I highly recommend this. I bought it locally and assembled and it cost a lot more than at Amazon, but I get to deduct it from taxes as medical expense, and when we are done with it I will donate it to the local senior home and can deduct it again.

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13 years 1 month ago #36545 by motomike
Replied by motomike on topic home, sweet home
George and Clueless are a great team.
Cheers to ya and for ya!

I'm 70, retired heat/air contractor. After 4 months of keymo ileal conduit (IC) surgery removed bladder & prostate May 2010

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13 years 1 month ago #36542 by clueless
Replied by clueless on topic home, sweet home
George finished up his physical therapy today, and the wound vac nurses say they expect to be done in two weeks.

He is getting much more independent, and all is looking good. I am finally relaxing...

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13 years 1 month ago #36462 by sara.anne
Replied by sara.anne on topic home, sweet home
That is a wonderful report!!

Sara Anne

Diagnosis 2-08 Small papillary TCC; CIS
BCG; BCG maintenance
Vice-President, American Bladder Cancer Society
Forum Moderator

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13 years 1 month ago #36458 by jimswife
Replied by jimswife on topic home, sweet home
So happy to hear that George is doing so much better. It's a long and often difficult journey but we all make it somehow someway! How are YOU doing? Are YOU taking care of yourself? We caretakers do need to do that as well. I got into a groove of not taking care of me and that wasn't good for either of us. So, don't forget to take care of you! Stay well and again, I'm so glad George has come so very far.

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13 years 1 month ago #36449 by clueless
Replied by clueless on topic home, sweet home
Just to update:
George is doing wonderful, he improves every day. Every day he does something he wasn't able to do the previous day.

Something curious:

Now he had his stoma on the right side, just above the pant line.

However, with the big cut from the later operation, which went from the chest all the way to the groin and is healing rapidly with a wound vac, something strange happened.

The stoma is walking towards the front and is now just an inch and a half to the right of his belly button, and it's closing in.

The wound from the other operation is quite small now, maybe an inch shorter than a butter knife and the same breadth (used to be as wide and deep as a fist).

What makes it a bit troublesome is that now the adhesive from the stoma baggie and the wound vac adhesive are colliding and want to overlap.

Thankfully the wound is now so narrow that not much more movement can happen.

He still doesn't like to eat solid foods, he drinks plenty of ensure and protein shakes and gatorade and eats ice cream - but anything he has to chew is still troublesome. We decided this is due to injuries to his throat due to the respirator intubation he had 4 times in a row, sometimes for a couple days.

But his voice is finally back full strength. So we figure the swallowing is soon to follow...

He gets around beautifully and is becoming more and more independent again. His energy is up, his spirits are up, his mobility is up - it's looking good!

Overall we are both very happy, and with the beautiful weather we have had since we got home we have spent much time out in the sunshine.

He's back to cracking jokes, and he's proud of all he accomplishes every day now.

What a difference from when we were in the hospital !

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