New Walking Record

Cancer wasn't part of our stroke recovery plan. But God knew.

Before surgery the medical team marked an arrow to ensure that the correct ear was worked on. That big mole there was the cancerous culprit. Tuesday Russ' lovely nurse, Sato San, wheeled him from the 16th floor to the 4th floor where the surgery was performed. I sat out in the waiting room and had an amazing time talking to the Lord about our lives and then writing my last post.

Thankfully the surgeon was able to do the surgery with local anesthesia rather than knocking him out completely. This made his recovery so much easier. During the operation it was tough lying there still for two hours with a cloth over his face making breathing hard, but he said they let him have a breathing and wiggle break partway through. He looked chipper from the first day!

One of the more challenging aspects has been sleeping. He is not allowed to lie on his left side because it could mess up the skin graft that is getting accustomed to its new home on Russ' ear rather than his chest. He has trouble moving to his right side because that side is paralyzed. That leaves one sleeping position–face up...on a very hard bed in a hot room. After a few restless nights I took him a foam egg crate mattress pad which seems to help.

Another blessing is that another bed in his room opened up and he was able to move to that spot. This position allows him to swing his paralyzed leg up onto the bed without hitting anything. Now he's by a wall rather than in between two other beds. The extra six inches really make a difference.

And now...ta da! Russ is up walking around. Since his stroke Russ has progressed to the point that while he spends most of his time in a wheelchair due to stamina issues, at home he often gets around using his cane. He has even taken steps without a cane. The hospital corridor offers new possibilities. To make a long story short, Russ broke his record for how far he can walk without a cane! See that hallway behind Russ? There's a parallel hallway to it with short connecting hallways on the ends. Russ walked all the way around that circle (about three times what you see!) without any assistance. The hallway has a railing that he can grasp if needed and I walk behind him to grab his gait belt when he gets wobbly.

In the adult day care Russ attends, their concern for Russ keeps them from allowing him to try daring ventures. Our home obviously does not have a long hallway like this with a railing. The nurses here don't know what he "can't do" so give him freedom. By sending us to this hospital God opened up the way for this new adventure. Isn't God amazing?!