New Photos/Ashley home for visit

Just a few pics of Ashley at her home visit 2 days ago..it was so great to have her home, even for a few hours..The first pic was taken on my cell phone. Her therapist had her transfer from her wheelchair to the couch..She said that she wished she could cross her legs, like she use to..Her dad said, 'well, let's do it..' And he positioned her legs and she said she felt 'normal'..she looks so good and her spirits are so great..In the second pic, Ashley is doing her pressure release exercises..The last photo is of our daughter, Jessica and her husband Stephan, with Dad preparing to make pancakes..

Ashley's Home Visit

Ashley came home yesterday morning for a 2 hr home visit evaluation..so excited to have her back home, even if it was only for 2 hrs..She also was thrilled to be here..didn't want to leave, but she knows that she has a little over 2 weeks of rehab and to continue to learn the skills she needs to be able to care for herself and lead a normal life..She was able to go everywhere in the house in her wheelchair, except for the bedroom and bathroom..which we are working on making the doors wider..She loves the kitchen because it is so big and open and she can reach everything and will be able to cook.. The one thing that happens to a person when they are wheelchair bound is the sense of uselessness...She feels like she won't be contributing to her and her boyfriend, as she use to work a full time job with overtime..I have told her over and over again that being a housewife and homemaker is a full time job and that is contributing..her boyfriend agrees..She is so happy to know that she will be cooking again...The one thing that they are trying to get her to do in rehab are 'wheelies' in her chair..it's the only thing that they have asked her to learn that she is balking at because it scares her..but they are working on it today..She continues to get stronger every day and we are so proud of her..Looking back at pictures at her first few days in rehab, remind me of how far she has come in just a month..even with the set back of the infections and 3 additional back surgeries..The first few days of rehab, we sat there watching her with her therapist, not having any 'balance' with tears in our eyes, because we knew how far she had to go..And also tears because we knew how hard she was trying..Now her balance is almost perfect and she has learned to do so much for herself..she still has so far to go, but I know that she will continue to get better and stronger every day...

Update on Ashley...

Wow..so much has happened since my last post..My computer went down during the last storm, so I had to have it fixed..not in a big hurry to do that since I have had no time to be on my computer anyway..lol..
Since my last post of Ashley's first few days at rehab, she got 3 infections..bladder, uti, and Mersa..which is a form of staff..the dr. at Methodist also had missed a staple in her lower back, when he took out all of her staples and the infection was seeping out of that area..She was so sick and they took her back to Methodist and had to re open her back and try to remove as much of the infection as they could and put in a pump and a black sponge to suck out the infection..she had to have her back reopened 2 more times and be on a heavy duty antibiotic, which she is still on..The poor girl has been thru the ringer, including being dropped by 2 RN's after the first surgery, when they tried to transfer her from her bed to the chair..That's a whole other story that I will get into at a later time..She had so many blood test that her veins continued to 'blow' that they had to put in a pic line, which was much easier on her, as they can just draw blood from there and also do her antibiotics..The 12 days that she was back at Methodist, was just a nightmare and we are so thankful that she is back at RHI, rehab, and is doing fantastic..She has learned to transfer herself from the chair to the bed, has been in and out of a car, that they have there, and onto a commode and on to an actual bed..they will also teach her how to get up off the floor in case she ever falls, which we all know she will..lol..as her step son was pushing her outside and went over a huge crack in the sidewalk and she came out of her wheelchair and landed on the pavement..which is another long story..but luckily she was fine..but we all laugh and tell her that we will need to get her some knee pads, and elblow pads and a helmet..Her spirit is good and her sense of humor is still as great as ever..
We have alot of things to do to our house, as she will be coming home on Oct 1st. She finally decided that it would be best to come here for a few months..So we are renovating our house with a deck and ramp and new sidewalk..The inside doors are all 28" doors and her wheelchair is 30"..so, we have to have someone come in and fix that problem..The 2 spare bedrooms that I used for my paint room and storage for my painted items have been cleaned out, (which took about a week, because I am a pack rat and have been painting the last 8 yrs and they were packed full..lol) We are going to put an archway in between the rooms, so she will have a small master suite..french doors going out to the deck..still have to figure out how to redo the bathroom so it is suitable for her..So much to do and time is running out..I am working my shift at work and another woman's shift and getting about 40 hrs of o.t. to help pay for all of this..and we have a church that is going to build the deck..and I'm hoping they will be able to do the inside work, if I pay for the materials..otherwise, I guess, I'll just take my circular saw and make my own door ways larger and the archway..hahahahaha..one way or another, it will get done..
We are still taking every day, one day at a time and remembering how thankful we are that Ashley is with us and getting better and stronger every day..I can't tell you all how happy I am that my daughter has the best sense of humor and we laugh together every day..I am so thankful that her personality is still the same and her determination is so great..I am so thankful for all of my 5 children..they are all strong and loving and have great determination..We are truly blessed..
I will say, that I did have a hard time cleaning out my paint room and putting all my paints away..I will paint again and that also keeps me going..my passion and love for painting is still there, it's just been put on hold for awhile..when Ashley does move out and starts her life with her boyfriend, then I will have a new painting room..a master suite, with french doors and a new deck..lol..
Ashley will be coming home to visit this Tuesday, along with her physical therapist, to do a home inspection..The therapist, Katie, will be able to give us advice on how to make the home suitable for Ashley..it will be so good for Ashley to be able to come home, even if it is just for a few hours..She's so tired of Drs, and nurses, and aids, ect always being in her room..she says that she just wants to be in 'her room' here and be able to 'be alone' and have peace and quiet..I can't wait for that day either..It's been a long 2 months..So until next time, thank you for your prayers and have a wonderful day..