Post from Bill, The One and Only!

Today I decided that I should tell everyone thanks and give you an idea on how I am doing. Christine has been giving all the updates, and kind of making it clean and rosy. The last couple of days need a bit more explanation.

Monday Feb 1 2010

I didn’t sleep that well. Some of it I am sure... was the nervousness of moving. I had a hint that I might move to the rehabilitation hospital. At 2:00 am I had some medications and back to sleep. Again at 6:00 for the morning drugs. From that point on I tried to nap but it seemed like an endless array of C.N.A. and nurses just coming thru. They were taking vital signs, introductions, delivering breakfast and generally getting me ready for the day.

My physical therapist, Jeff; came in and told me I was going to work on the bike today. Garth came in and worked on my hand for an hour, squeezing and pushing, generally causing abnormal amounts of pain to my hand. When Jeff came back, I got myself dressed, which if you ever tried it with a grabber stick, is a challenge itself. Wendy and Jeff, put on my support boots, which are clunky things, that hold my ankles from twisting, so they can heal quicker. I stood up first, and walked from my room, past the nurses’ station to the elevator, approx. 100 ft. For me walking is much different then walking for anyone else, I have two boots on that weigh about 5 lbs each. I kind of shuffle when I walk and it is with a walker, as opposed to a normal person. The walker provides me support and one arm is in a cradle. So if you want to try it, walk with a walker with one arm.

After getting in the elevator, we went to the rehabilitation room, and that made me sweat pretty good. I was sitting in a chair, with my feet strapped to the pedals. I made the pedals go around ten revolutions, but it took a while, I took breaks throughout and practiced breathing. Jeff suggested I walk back from the rehab room to my room. I begged him to only walk from the nurses’ station on my floor to my room. He agreed and I then walked from there back to my room.

The lunch was already delivered and my food ended up cold. It didn’t look that appetizing anyway. So I picked at it for a while, then Leslie (case manager) came in with what she said was good news. She said she was going to get me transferred over to SAC (St. Anthony’s Centura) rehab. We talked for a few minutes on how to do the move, whether it would be a wheelchair or gurney. Around 3pm, my ambulance crew, Frank and Chris showed up.

Frank has been studying to be a nurses’ aid, and looks at me as a specimen, and got really excited that I was moving to the rehab center. They loaded me on a gurney and helped Wendy carry my belongings to the ambulance. The same ambulance crew has driven me to several appointments. Sue, one of my favorite nurses, gave me my medications before I left. Wendy came in the ambulance for the short ride to SAC.

SAC is the hospital that saved my life, so I am back. After checking in, about 4 o’clock, the nurse came in with pain medications and checked vital signs and got me set up. I took what I thought was a short nap, and was actually a long nap. It was just after 6 pm that i woke, in time to eat a pot roast, then I fell back to sleep until about 9pm. Wendy was excited to leave, the nurses came in and gave me more medication and then tucked me in and I went to sleep.


Tuesday, February 02, 2010


6am came quick, pain drugs to start the day, synthroid, room service for the food. After about 8:15 am when the breakfast arrived, scrambled eggs and cinnamon rolls, which was good. A nurse named Tina, an Occupational Nurse, came by, after I was finished breakfast. She exercised me until approx. noon.

She got me up and had me get in a wheel chair and I pulled myself with my feet, down to the rehab room, about 200 ft. I then walked down the hall from one end to the other, then back to my room, approx. 350 ft in total. They then had me stay in the wheelchair until 2pm when my session resumed with the rehab nurses.

On one side I can bend my knee about 65 degrees, the other side I can bend it 77 degrees. Then they had me walk from the rehab room all the way to my room. I got to my hospital bed, and the nurse tried moving my limbs to find out how much movement I had. By 4 o’clock, they were done and it was quite a busy day. I was showing off to one of the nurses, Wendy snapped a picture, and is included in the blog.

I want to tell you how important it is to hear your thoughts, prayers and kind words. I love you all and am doing the best I can to come home. Some days they are very, very trying days, but I will make it. The surviving part is over, now is the recovering part. I am sorry that I will not have the chance to write more blogs like this, as it is difficult. I had to have Wendy type part of this, because it is hard to do it single handed with my left hand only. I really do love and appreciate the support each of you have given me and I hope it continues.

Thanks again,
Bill



P.S. Christine has the number to the hospital if you would like to call me.

P.S.S. Ask Christine about the accident photos, which are on the web and join facebook, because I am there too; under mr_b_bates at hotmail dot com.