2 month mark

friday was the 2 month mark since our accident so probably a good point for an update on our recovery. we are basically doing well and recoving, slowly. we can do most things we need to around the house, but it takes longer and the results aren't as great. we eat out more often, and we've lowered our standards slightly about house cleaning, projects and entertainment - which is watching a movie while trading off on the exercise bike while the other does pt exercises.

we are both in physical therapy and have been told that during this time it is crucial to push yourself to get back full range of motion. you have the rest of your life to develop strength, jeff's pt told him. i got my cast off a month ago and just a few times at physical therapy improved greatly what i could do with my hand, though it hurts more than when it was actually injured. the first day i went in, it was sort of stuck in a claw like position & they asked me what i couldn't do with my hand. i told her it would be easier to list what i can do...hold a very light object, like a pen, and use it as dead weight. after a month i can almost make a fist, and i can almost get my palm flat on a surface. but i can do alot of daily activities i couldn't for the first month, such as tie a shoe or buckle a buckle, connect a bra behind my back, do up buttons, make a pony tail, type, open bottles etc.

but it feels like recovery has sort of taken over our lives... for me it's medicine 4x/day, anti-inflammitory gel 4x/day for 1 hour, wash it off, wear the compression glove as much as possible, use the hvg (electric impulse glove) 2x/day for 30 minutes with ice. pt 3x per week for 2 hours each. 3x per day warm it up, stretch it out, exercise. then keep it elevated & iced. keep it moving all day. you need to heal so let it rest, eat the right things, get alot of rest. and this is all for 3 little fingers! jeff has the same sort of routine, but just so much more to work on with so many injuries, including cardio for his lung. they never got around to diagnosing what sort of muscle injuries he might have but his pt has been working on his left shoulder quite a bit and his right hand. jeff's medical care has been less than par...dr tyroch wrote jeff off without ever seeing him, so he did go back to the one orthopedic surgeon to get prescribed physical therapy and has been managing his care more.

jeff got the tire and has taken it to some experts who confirmed it wasn't a puncture from driving over something. he still wants to go see a lawyer and needs to get the bike back soon from the guy who stored it for him. well, got to go ice the hand after all this typing...