Thursday, December 9, 2010

December 9, 2010 PM

Jim had another bad night. The pcas (personal care assistants) wouldn't help get him comfortable after he woke up with leg spasms. Then they decided that he had chest pains so they did blood gas tests on him in the morning. The tests were negative so he's okay. His leg ultrasounds were also good - no deep vein thrombosis.

The nurse and a pca got Jim into a big sling today and weighed him. He's lost at least 25 pounds in just these last 2 weeks.

His hips and kidneys were x-rayed today. We haven't heard the results yet. They took him to x-ray when he was supposed to have occupational therapy. I did some exercises with his arms.

The physical therapist came later. She can't weigh more than 120 lbs. but she was able to get Jim to sit on the edge of the bed. A pca had to hold up his back. Then she fitted him with a wheelchair that can be tilted back. He has to be tilted back every hour for at least a minute to prevent pressure sores.

He had more feeling in his feet today. He also was able to move his thumb slightly. We are told that these are big milestones for a spinal cord injury.

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