Out of the hospital!

Craig finally left Duke University Hospital and is now at a rehabilitation center at Durham regional. There he will have physical therapy and occupational therapy and prepare to be able to go home! His number there is: 919-470-7313.

Room Change

Craig is making slow and steady progress. I keep thinking I need to make him do an entry here, but then it just doesn't quite happen. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure everyone knew he switched rooms. He is right next door in 8124. It is a bigger room and better situated to move his wheelchair around in, etc. He still goes to dialysis, etc but if you want to know if you can stop by, just call him and he will usually answer the phone and let you know if it is a good time.

Photos!

Yesterday when I went to visit Craig, I was able to wheel him down to a garden area just outside of the cafeteria at the hospital, and we took these photos. I thought everyone might want to see just how good he is looking now. What a difference from a few weeks ago!

Doesn't he look great!?!


Here's one I took of both of us.

Enjoy!

-Tiffany

Lots of improvement

So back in NC and had a good day with Craig, he looks almost like his former self, I'll try to summarize his status as best I can:

Pros:

1. Can move around in a wheelchair and we went outside at the hospital for lunch. He is eating almost anything now and he needs fattening up like a Thanksgiving Turkey. 

2. Kidney function slowing improving, there is hope he may recover from that. Still going for dialysis three times per week.

3. Wound is healing well.

4.  Brain is back to normal and he is looking forward to going back to work, getting fitted for a prosthesis...etc. He can talk about his situation with "ease" and is actively involved in his treatment.

5. Discussing the next phase of treatment...rehab centre.

Cons

1. Phantom pain is frequent and hard

2. Leg and foot are very swollen but hopefully soon that will go away

3. Still looking at a very long time before a prothesis can even be considered as the wound has to be completely healed...months perhaps.

4. Craig gets agitated and angry at times but it doesn't last for long and he cracks a joke again. Of course that is to be expected as well.

That's all for now....talk to you soon!

Coming Back to NC

I know it's been a while since I last updated the blog...sorry for that but when I return to Canada, family and work commitments don't afford me much time. Further to that, Craig's recovery is moving forward but slow as anticipated, so things are not changing as quickly like before. I am looking so forward to seeing Craig and the next phase of his rehab will be finding a facility for him. Maybe I will get to help in that this week. My mother-in-law is returning with me again and I am very grateful for that as she is a huge support to both Craig and I.
Anyway, I hope to see some you this week and once again, thanks for checking in on Craig these past weeks I know how much he enjoys visitors! I'll be updating the blog again regularily while I'm in NC.
See you soon,
Barb

Craig's approximate schedule...

I am headed out of town for 1 1/2 weeks starting tomorrow. I thought that I'd post Craig's current schedule so that people know it and can visit him. Of course, this is subject to change any time the hospital decides. Right now Craig has physical therapy every morning (Monday-Friday) in his room. I'm not sure how long it is, but I don't think it's terribly long (I doubt more than 1 hr.). You will know he is doing physical therapy if the door is closed and you can hear them making noise inside. Then in the afternoons on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday he goes for dialysis. It is hard to know when they are going to take him because it seems kind of random, but they will probably take him sometime between 12pm-2pm. He is usually gone for around 4 hours, but this also varies. If you get there and his room is completely empty, you may be able to look at the book at the front of the hallway and see what time they took him off the floor. You can use that info to estimate when he will be back if you want to return later. On the weekends he doesn't have much at all, so this is a good time to pop in if you are in the area. Weekends are also great because a lot of his co-workers pop in before work, during lunch, or after work if he is there (which is wonderful, and I know he really enjoys it). The weekends tend to be slower for visitors as people aren't around campus. You can also call him and see if he is there and available before you come over. He has both his cell phone and the hospital line, and can usually answer them if the phone is near his bed, but give him plenty of time to get the phone picked up and answered. I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy your visits with Craig!

Tiffany

Staying Alive..Staying Alive..ah ah ah ah..Staying...Aliiiive

A bit of humor, courtesy of Craig! It's Saturday night and Carole and I are just finishing our "Spa" treatments for Dr. Bennett; facial, full body massage, Reiki healing...etc. He will certainly miss this pampering next week. We leave tomorrow at 6:00 am to go back to the "real" world of taking care of kids, work, cooking, laundry...and so on. He is doing better each day and we will certainly miss watching his progress. I will miss terribly. I haven't spent this much time with my brother in years. How sad it takes such an event to reconnect. For the next stage, the doc has told us that he will prescribe "live-in" rehab which is wonderful and will give Craig and us more time to plan his permanent future. Once again, for all those who have called, emailed, vmailed, visited and all of the above, thanks so much. It means EVERYTHING to us. If I could ask yet another favour, if you are able, while we are back in Canada, please pop in for a few minutes to chat with Craig once in a while. It will make our absence less difficult. He is a very busy boy, however, during the morning and all day if dialysis is scheduled so be patient if you miss him. Take care and I'll keep the blogs up-to-date as needed. Bye for now,

Barb