Things are moving right along. Looks like our wait to get into Quillen Rehab is going to be longer than what we thought. We're still on the waiting list and hope to get a call sometime in the next couple of months.

Things are going good at HMG Rehab though. Vicki can walk about 85 feet with her walker using only her finger-tips (that way she puts more weight through her legs and not her arms when using the walker) before she has to stop and take a rest. Last Friday was her first day using weight machines at therapy...we're moving up!! :) She uses the leg press, leg extension, and leg curl machines with weight varrying anywhere from 4 - 15 pounds. She can do about 45 pounds on the leg press though! Wooo Hooo! She also rides the stationary bike for about 10 minutes and goes about a mile! Her legs are really jell-o after that! We've also started something called e-stem (electronic stimulation) for her hamstrings. Unfortunately, those muscles just aren't kicking in the way the therapists want them to - largely due to nerve damage. The e-stem stiumlates the muscles as well as the nerves. After an hour of working out she then does e-stem for 30 minutes. It makes her muscles work, but she has to do the exercise along with it or it's quite uncomfortable. I'm so proud of her and the progress she's making! It's still going to be a while before she is wheelchair free, but she's working really heard. I'm kind of like her personal trainer...can't praise her too much...gotta be tough on her!! LOL!

Love to all...we'll continue to keep you posted!

Getting Back on Track

Vicki has progressed wonderfully since her hip replacement! She has been going to physical therapy 3 days a week at Holston Medical Group Outpatient Services here in Kingsport. They work mainly with ortho physical therapy (joint replacements, etc.). Sometime within the next month she will start going back to Quillen Rehab Outpatient Services in Johnson City three days a week. They work more with nerve damage physical therapy which seems to be Vicki's major stumbling block right now. She is continuing to gain strength and accomplish therapy goals, but the nerve damage is slowing things down. Nerve regeneration is a very slow process. Continued stimulation is the key. She stood for 3 1/2 minutes today with her walker and used only one hand to support herself. That's an accomplishment! What happens is her muscles (the ones that are getting nerve stimulation) get overloaded and become weak. She's working more on her ab strength and trying to control her balance.

She will be having minor surgery (Same Day) tomorrow to remove two pins from her right ankle. That should be the last of her surgeries. Yeah!! :) Working on her short-term memory is still an every day exercise. I'm going to try to start updating the blog more regularly because I

We're starting to feel like we're getting back on track from when her hip pain started prior to surgery. It's time to start helping her more at her house - cooking, minor cleaning, etc. - instead of hanging out at mom's. That's going to be an adjustment...everyone loves hanging out at mom's! :)

We continue to be grateful for the love and support of so many friends both near and far. Love to each of you!!

Becky

Surgery complete!

Just wanted to let everyone know that Mom's hip replacement was performed today. She went in to surgery around 9:30 this morning and we didn't get to see her until 4:30 this afternoon, so that was tormenting for us!!!! But her physician, Dr. Minter, said everything went well. She was awake and talking when I left. She is having quite a bit of pain in that leg, but hopefully that will ease over the next few days. They said they would be getting her up tomorrow!!! No rest for the weary! So glad it's over with, and hopefully now we can get back on the road to recovery and get her walking again. Love to everyone!!

Holly

Christmas Pictures

Just thought I would post a few pictures from Christmas so everyone could see how good Mom looks! Even though she remains in a lot of pain, she trucks right a long. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!! Enjoy the New Year!

Disheartening Setback

As Vicki has continued to progress in therapy her left hip has started giving her some trouble. That is the hip that was dislocated in the accident. The doctors told us from the beginning that she would eventually need a hip replacement, but she was too critical at the time to perform that type of surgery. We had hoped it may be a year or two down the road, but it looks like it will take place in the next couple of months. She visited her orthopedic surgeon last week and will be seeing him again next week. He's referring her to another specialist for the hip replacement and she is scheduled to see him the first week on January.

Her pain has gotten progressively worse over the past three weeks. Vicki is disheartened because she was progressing so much and now things have almost come to a screeching halt. The pain is so intense at times. We were almost ready to decrease her pain medication to an "as needed" basis - we would give it when she asked for it. Now we're having to give it to her around the clock again. Even though she's been in pain she has continued therapy on these cold snowy mornings and hasn't complained a bit when I go pick her up. However, this morning before she even got out of bed she said, "I don't think I can do it today." Vicki's not a complainer and has a pretty high pain tolerance. So she had to be in quite a bit of pain to not go to therapy.

It's hard on Aaron to see her take a few steps backwards. He knows how badly she wants to walk again and seeing her in pain breaks his heart.

We've been through worse...we'll get through this. I keep telling Vicki that this is just a small bump in the road - we can't let it get us down. She's come so far in 10+ months since the accident - we have to stay focused on the positive. Even though this is a disheartening setback we continue to count our blessings.

Love to all and Warm Holiday Wishes!

My...how time flies!

I can't believe it's been over a month! I'm not sure if we are still having many visits to this sight or not, but wanted to update the few who may still be checking.

I spent the day with Vicki today at her house. For the first time she cooked an entire meal for Aaron and Holly's family. She's still in her wheelchair and not steady enough on her feet to work around the stove and oven yet, but with assistance she's doing really good with everything else. Working in the kitchen is a big part of her therapy now. She can only stand for short periods of time before her legs become too weak, but she's giving it all the effort she can. Aaron came home from a long day at work and was greeted by his wife (and me and my 2yr. old son...HA!) and the aroma of cooked roast, mashed potatoes, green beans and rolls filled the house. One more step towards getting Vicki back to the things she loved the most. Right now our goal is cooking once a week. Her short term memory is still an issue, but days like today will hopefully help to improve that. She did the meal plan and told me how to do everything as we cooked together.

We've decided to stay in Johnson City at Quillen Rehab. The therapists there are just outstanding and finding a facility that is comparable isn't easy to do. She still has therapy three times a week. She enjoys pool therapy the most!

She's continuing to work hard and prayers are still needed for her continued recovery. Thanks to everyone for everything. As this season of Thanksgiving draws near we are ever mindful of the love and support that has continually been shown to our family.

Love to all!
Becky

One step at a time...

Hello everyone! I thought you might like a little update about Vicki! :) She continues to make good progress with a walker. In therapy this week she walked 80 feet with the walker before having to rest. Then, she walked another 50 feet! Last week she was able to walk on a treadmill (with assistance) for 5 minutes while resting approximately every two minutes! She even did the leg press for the first time! She did two sets of 10 reps! We're so pleased with her steady progress. She continues to improve with her Occupational Therapy (working with her right hand and arm which was broken in the accident). Her right hand doesn't really limit her daily living activities anymore so they are thinking on possibly releasing her from that therapy in the near future. We'll still have to continue strength and flexibility exercises at home though. They have been so good to her at Quillen Rehab, but due to the logistics of moving her home (from Holly's house) in the not too distance future, we may be looking at moving her physical therapy to a rehab facility in Kingsport. We're still working out all those details though. Vicki is still uneasy with change so we're taking it slow.

Her short-term memory loss is still an issue. It's improving, but it's just going to take time. We laugh with her and cry with her. The important thing is that we're together! Please continue to pray for Vicki and her family. Your prayers are felt and appreciated.

Love to all!