I'm Coming to AZ

I received clearance from my doctors and have a plane ticket to Phoenix for this Saturday. Everything has been as good as it could be. But both Lori and I are excited to get back to the west side of the country.

All in all, we have been very blessed. The staff at both hospitals have been very nice and attentive. The church members have been helpful in bringing each of us a Book of Mormon to read during our "down" time. We've felt the power of everyone's prayers. We've been surprisingly upbeat and peaceful about everything. We are really grateful that we are both on the mend and are going in the right direction.

I'll be flying to Phoenix but then spending time at my parents' home near Tuscon. That way they'll be able to help me while I continue outpatient rehab therapy. I'm still taking it one day at a time.

Stapleless

More good news.....I no longer have staples in my leg. They were taken out today. Yeah!! Also Lori received clearance to go home on Saturday. She's excited to get back home to her family.

The team is going to meet and discuss my release date tomorrow. I kind of feel like I'm the subject of an IEP meeting to see if I've met my goals. Weird being on this side of things.

Therapy is going good. I am doing leg lifts, leg kicks, hip raises, side kicks. It's coming along slowly. I don't think I'll be replacing the Rockettes any time soon.

Tomorrow I should know when I'll be heading back west. I'll keep you posted.

Upgraded to Orange

Well, Lori and I survived our first full day of therapy. Thursday we didn't have therapy - we were just checking in. Friday was evaluations. Saturday we had a group session for just 1 hour. And Sunday there was no sessions. So today was 4 sessions. We dealt with walking, putting pants on, putting socks on, getting in and out of tubs, and strengthening exercises.

Well the hard work is paying off. We have been upgraded from yellow to orange status. Yellow meant that we were at high risk of falling and needed assistance for every time we walk. Orange means we can get out of bed by ourselves and go to the restroom by ourselves. Yeah, small miracles.

I also talked with the doctor. He says that my staples should be coming out in the next few days. So more good news there.

I'm feeling pretty good. I feel great after I take a Percocet. I feel ten times better than the night of the accident, with or without drugs. Nothing was as painful as that night.

The staff here I guess haven't dealt with Mormons before. For the first 3 days, we had coffee on our menus. I asked the nurse to change the order due to religious reasons. She said "oh okay" and then we started receiving decaf coffee. I then made a call to the dietician and explained the situation. Now we've been coffee free for 2 meals. :)

Also, they aren't used to seeing Mormon missionaries. We have 2 Elders visiting every few days. One nurse thought that it was cute guys visiting me. Another nurse thought they were from the CIA or FBI. Another nurse asked if they were our lawyers. I just have to laugh. Trust me, I would not hire 19 year old lawyers.

Anyway, that's it for an update. Thanks for your prayers and calls and e-mails. Keep them coming. I hope to come back to Arizona soon. :)