Posted 2018-09-01T01:50:56Z

8/31/18

Transfer, transfer, transfer. That's what much of the work I'm doing has lead up to: the ability to safely move myself from my bed to my wheelchair, from my wheelchair to a couch/chair/sofa and back, onto and back from the toilet seat, into and out of a car, etc. I've finally gotten down the mechanics of the transfer, but there are still a few more moving parts, as it were, such as positioning the feet properly so the feet/ankles don't get twisted, or making sure one's junk is kept out of harm's way, but it is coming together, finally, after weeks of baby steps. I had another motor strength assessment today, and have gained some function in several upper body muscles, but there are others that need beefing up, and so I'm getting targeted exercises in the gym from my exercise physiologist, who know just how to hone in on my weaknesses (in a good way). Hard to believe, but they say I'll be ready to graduate from the inpatient unit to outpatient rehab in just two weeks. It seems like there are still so many things I have to master before then, but I'm taking their word for it. Following 3-4 weeks of 8 hour days of OT and PT we will then be heading back to Virginia, hopefully in time to catch some of the fall colors.

I continue to marvel at the dedication of the staff with whom we deal 24/7. Without fail, they remain encouraging, friendly, and genuinely concerned about how we, the inmates, are doing,. Changing sheets in the middle of the night, fetching fresh ice water, delivering the abundance of cards and mail, bringing meals, cleaning the rooms, and dispensing our piles of pills are but a few of the seemingly infinite number of actions that go into the mix of providing superb care, and I will try to use what I've learned as a patient to make me more attuned to what it is that my patients need from me and my co-workers. I've always believed that health care providers need to be on "the other side of the exam table" from time to time in order to be reminded of what it feels like, and, although I wouldn't have chosen this particular experience to re-teach me this lesson (I would've been more than happy to settle for a sprained ankle or a case of severe hemorrhoids), I'm not going to let it go to waste.

A quick shout out to three med school friends, John Petersen, Yahno MInasi and Brian Wilder, who made the trek to Atlanta last Friday, and took me out for my first meal "off-campus", as well as Ed Ricardelli (another from the legendary class of '85) who flew himself to Atlanta this morning for a delightful two hour action-packed session of catching up as only Ed could provide. Our son, Alex, arrived this evening, and Jordan will arrive in the morning to help celebrate my birthday. How lucky am I?

Thanks again to everyone who has left posts, and/or sent cards, juju, karma, care packages, CDs and love.You'll never know how much it means to me.

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