Chapter 8 – The road home, it is a long road too
The morning of my actual release the nurses all were nice. In the morning the nurses came in and got me out of my night diaper, and put me in my wheelchair and took me down to the whirlpool room. I just love being in the whirlpool, well the part of me that can feel it does. The therapists say that it is good for my circulation in my legs, which I sadly miss being able to feel.
Before my bath I got a haircut, my hair had been getting a little long. I had them cut it really short. Now time for the next part; I got a nice refreshing bath.
I try to do as much of my personal care that I can do, it makes me feel good that I can at least wash myself, my hair, shave my face.
Back in my room I got re-diapered and then dressed. I was not going out on the town dressed like this. Sweatpants, t-shirt, and tennis shoes, oh and under it all a nice thick crinkly diaper. Time to transfer to my chair.
To get from the bed or anywhere to my chair, or vie versa. I have to pull myself up into a sitting position, and keep myself there; which is not easy seeing that I have no feeling or control in my lower back to keep me upright. Now that I am sitting up. I got options.. I can use a transfer board and slide across it, and hope I don’t do a face plant. Option 2 is using what is called a trapeze, which takes a decent amount of upper body strength. Option 3 and my preferred method – use both; ever since I fell and cracked my head open with just the trapeze.
I use the trapeze over my bed to sit up, then jam the transfer board under my rear. Now There is another trapeze right overtop where my chair should be. I have a rope attached to this one so I can pull it close to me. Time to rock!! I grab the second trapeze and take a swing. OK, so it is not as glamorous as the tarzan movies. It is more like a quick bump up and down… I actually don’t leave the transfer board by much.
Ok, I am in my chair and ready to roll. My parents have been running in and out taking stuff out to the new vehicle, which I hear is a van.
The discharge nurse comes in and says “Here are you walking papers”
Laughing I say “yeah if they could only do just that”
Mom comes back, “well are we ready to go, your father is loading the van up.”
“I’ve been ready for a week or two. Let’s Roll” I said as rolling past mom and the nurse. Only been out of the hospital maybe 2 times in the last 6 months, I did not know how to get out of there. I just knew where the rehab room was, the gift shop, and the cafeteria (late night muchie runs LOL) was. “Ummm a little direction here please”
“Just like a man, thinks he knows where he is going even when he hasn’t a clue” Mom said
“Uh huh I hear dat” the nurse said
Finally out to the awaiting van. Well at least I don’t have to transfer out of my chair to get into it; it has a wheelchair lift.
This whole time I have been in a hospital in Louisville, KY; so there is a long ride back home, and I plan on catching some sleep too. I had mom help me transfer to one of the captains chairs and lean it back.
About 3 hours later mom shook me awake “hey we are going to stop off and get something to eat. Lets get you changed first”
It then dawned on me… where would I change at, it’s not like at the hospital where I was taken to a private location or back to my room to get changed. The look on my face must have told mom what I was thinking
“Don’t worry, the van has curtains and nobody can see in them, just help me and we can get this done quick” She laid me back and with some help from me; I was in a clean diaper in no time.
After dinner, I decided to stay in my wheelchair, and just have the back reclined a bit; I soon fell asleep.