Settling in at Home

Saturday was a decent day. 

We washed his hair with this no rinse shampoo my friend brought us. Not gonna lie, it was pretty awesome. I love how friends are prompted to bring us products, supplies, food etc. It's like my communication with Heavenly Father is clear and strong. I think of something we may need and then someone beautifully brings it to us.  And other times people bring things that are so helpful and we didn't even know we needed it. I'm trusting in God's plan each step of this journey.

We are trying to figure out all the tricks to helping Brig feel comfortable. He is liking the combo of one pillow under the knee and 2 pillows under the foot with a blanket wedged under the side of the foot pillow to prop the foot into an upward/straight position. 

Throughout the day we bend his knee and rotate the ankle and flex the foot.  He tells us when the stretch is good and when it is too much.  Brigham says it feels to to have it moved since he can't do it himself.

He has a much better appetite since he has been home. 

I am impressed with the things he can do. There is little to no control in his right leg right now.  We assume some of this is due to the swelling besides healing his upper thigh. He has this cool blue stick with a loop on the end.  He loops it around his foot and then guides it to wear he wants his leg to go. It is his favorite.  

With the help of the stick he can get in + out of bed. Once he is to the edge of the bed he can use the walker to walk. He carries the wound vac pump over his shoulder as he walks so the tubing stays out of the way.  He can go to the bathroom by himself. He can get into his wheelchair from the walker.  Unfortunately the leg extender on the wheelchair is not quite long enough. It is hard to explain but pretty much the wheelchair is not helpful right now. We are going to talk to Home Health tomorrow and see what can be changed. 

It takes a lot of energy to move and he tires quickly but he is a fighter and wants to move by himself everyday.

If you didn't know already, Brig wears glasses/contacts. Quick story....after his life saving surgery on Friday the 7th we had been home for maybe an hour.  When the thought struck me....his contacts!  I called the ICU nurse and told her that Brigham is most likely wearing his contacts because he wore them to work that day.  I wasn't sure if this was something they needed to know but either way it reminded me to take solution, glasses and case to the hospital the next day.

Here is a video of him getting back into bed this morning (Sunday the 16th) after visiting the bathroom.

Notice that liquid moving through the tube?  That was a decent sized one in the video.  That is the wound vac that is directly placed in his fasciotomy and pumps out fluids all day long into the machine. FYI: Wound vacs can reduce the incidence of infection and aid in the healing process.