On Friday, Ryan officially graduated from rehab! He was given a certificate and a t-shirt to celebrate.
We were able to leave the hospital around 10:30am, earlier than originally anticipated. So Ryan and I drove to Rexburg to pick up our girls instead of having someone bring them to us in Idaho Falls. It was a nice surprise for the girls to see their daddy walking to the door of Grandma's house to pick them up!
I was a little worried that the drive would be overwhelming for Ryan, with all of the sensory input from objects blurring past the windows of the car. While it was a bit confusing, he handled it really well! After visiting with Ryan's mother for a while, we all went to lunch at Panda Express. YUM! Quite a few people gave us gift cards to restaurants, which was a huge blessing this summer (being able to grab something to eat on-the-go without having to worry about how much money was in our bank account at that moment relieved a lot of stress)! Ryan's fortune from his fortune cookie was amusing, considering the doctor told him that he wouldn't be able to drive until he received clearance from a neurologist and an ophthalmologist. 😂
After lunch we drove to Blackfoot to see Ryan's primary care doctor and catch him up on all that happened in the last two months. All he had received was Ryan's discharge papers stating that he had suffered a global hypoxic ischemic brain injury. His doctor said they usually only see something like that when someone tries to hang themselves... 😢 so he was particularly worried about Ryan. But he felt better when we explained that was definitely not the case!
Working with his primary care doctor, Ryan will have a lot of appointments over the next {insert currently unknown amount of time here} while. He needs to get a sleep study, see an audiologist, ophthalmologist, neurologist, pain specialist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and a speech therapist. (There may be more, but I don't have the list handy right now, so that's all I can remember...) Some appointments will be scheduled for right away, while others will be a few weeks or months down the road as we wait to see what other healing will take place under God's watchful care.
After Ryan's appointment, we drove to Walmart in Pocatello to pick up a bench for Ryan to use in the shower. Ryan was pretty tired, but he wanted to go into the store to see what options they had. On the way there, he told me that he felt pretty confident that he would be okay driving, but that he would still wait until he was cleared to do so. While in Walmart, he pushed the shopping cart for a while, and it was crazy-busy with people coming at us from all directions. After we got back to the car, he agreed that he definitely was NOT ready for driving yet!
Walking into our home was wonderful! Great friends had worked hard to finish up projects, clean up our home, and stock our fridge and freezer with food. We feel so incredibly blessed!!! We don't even know who all helped, but we thank you with all of our hearts!
Walking through our home was very helpful for Ryan, because he had had hallucinations that they turned our home into a hospital. Those vivid memories, for him, were much easier to reconcile and re-classify as hallucinations when he could see our home with his own eyes. He hasn't had any trouble remembering where things are located -- it definitely feels like home!
After only a couple of hours, Ryan decided it was easier for him to walk around without the assistance of the cane that his mother let him borrow, and his walking has been getting smoother all weekend! He needs the railing to get up and down stairs, but even that is getting easier for him. But when he goes outside, he will use a cane or walker just to be safe on uneven ground.
We're still working on finding the right combinations of medicines to help with his pain and anxiety, but I think we're getting close. One of the main troubles is that he no longer has his spinal stimulator to help with his low back pain (he broke his back as a teenager, and has dealt with severe chronic pain ever since).
Yesterday Ryan invited his parents and his brothers and their families over to our house for a welcome home party. His dad wasn't able to be there because of work, and he was sorely missed. There was quite a bit of noise and confusion with everyone around, but Ryan was so grateful for all of his family! He especially loved surprising them by showing them how well he could walk now. :)
I'm sad because my phone storage was full and I wasn't able to take any pictures. I need to get photos and videos transferred to our external hard drive so I can start taking more! :)
This morning we had some brothers from our ward bring Ryan and I the sacrament. We really appreciate that service. It allows us to feel closer to our Savior, and recommit to keeping the covenants we have made with God. Nicole and Becca got ready and walked to church together. I've been so amazed by how well Nicole has stepped up to be so helpful and responsible this summer! Our sweet girls mean so much to us!
This afternoon Ryan will be giving Nicole and Becca priesthood blessings. As a father, and a worthy holder of the Melchizedek Priesthood, he has the privilege of blessing his family members. Words cannot express how grateful I am that he is still here and able to do that! 💜💜💜
Later today my parents and younger brother and his wife will be coming to see Ryan. They will be bringing our dogs home, so we will finally have our entire family together again! Two months is such a short time in some respects, and such a long time in others!
Thank you for your continued prayers and faith on our behalf! They truly are felt and appreciated!
1 comment:
Hello Ryan, it is Peter Fabrick RN from Bingham Memorial Hospital ER. I tried to see you at EIRMC but missed you as you had been discharge...CONGRADULATIONS.
Just wanted you to know you are missed and we talk about you and read your wife's blog to see how you are progressing.
While I can see and feel the work is hard and that you want to move faster, remember how amazed we are at BMH for your progress.
Take care, you are much loved and respected here at BMH
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