I took Kevin for an x-ray today, but the radiologist wants us to come back for a CT scan tomorrow. He feels there is probable cause for a break and wants a clearer picture. I gotta be honest, I have no idea how I am going to handle a broken foot. It took over a half hour of struggling just to get him into the shower tonight. (I would've let it go, but he didn't get one yesterday).
Now that he doesn't have his 'good' leg, I can see how truly bad his right leg is. I can't figure out how he can even walk on it. He cannot hold himself up on it, that's for sure. This basically means that I am lifting him up to get him into his chair. I am so glad we still have the van too. At least I can transport him in his wheelchair - making a trip out so much easier.
And I want to thank everyone for all the emails regarding Kevin's pain meds. There are so many that I am just going to put it all here rather than answer individually as there isn't time for me to do so. (and I truly thank everyone for all of their concerns!)
So basically, I want to say that I didn't make the decision to take away the oxycontin on my own. I did ask the pain mgmt doctor if I could do this. I should also say that Kevin is still on a high dose of oxy that is a sustained release pill so that it lasts all day/night. The ones I took him off of are just little 10mg tabs that are for breakthrough pain. Kevin rarely has breakthrough pain any longer so days went by when he wouldn't even need any. This means that he won't suffer withdrawal from me giving him Tylenol instead.
He also won't get the Tylenol too often. At the very most - it would be once a day. But truthfully, it won't even be that frequently.
And I have also heard of people dying from taking too much Tylenol. I keep a hawk's eye on Kevin and all his side effects, so we should be ok. Like I said, he really won't be taking it all that often anyway.
As for the suggestions of different pain medications that are better for you - I will keep a list and discuss them all with the pain management doc. I really liked the woman that we saw last week and she seems to really be on top of things, so hopefully we can come up with a new plan. We will be waiting until late Jan or Feb to start detoxing Kevin and I should insert that I doubt we will see her before then.
And now I am going to send a message to my girls at work - I promise to make y'all stromboli and stuffing balls when we come home (PA home) next summer, lol. I miss you guys so much!
And on this week of thanksgiving, I want to reiterate something I used to say often back in the beginning. ALWAYS tell those you love that you do love them. Tell them you appreciate them too! You just never know when you won't be able to see them anymore - whether it's through death or an emergency that takes them away for good.
First 2 from the Nov kit!
11 years ago
8 comments:
I hope that the break (if it is a break) heals quickly and that it heals properly. Foot bones are so tricky to deal with...
Hopefully the bike will allow Kevin to strengthen up his 'bad' leg.
Hoping for good news from the CT!
Prayers continuing...
A.
Leslie,
Bear with me - this is a bit long, but well worth the read! Looks like we're moving one step closer to caregiver support!
http://www.militaryfamily.org/publications/enewsletters/military-family-topics/caregiver-bill-passes-senate.html
Caregiver Bill Passes Senate
The U.S. Senate passed 98-0 the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009 (S. 1963) on November 19th. The proposed legislation includes provisions for caregiver support, women veterans’ health care, rural health improvements, mental health care, homeless veterans, and other related matters.
The caregiver provision includes a waiver of charges for humanitarian care provided by family members, family caregiver assistance, lodging and subsistence for attendants, and a survey of informal caregivers. The waiver allows for the Secretary of the Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide emergency care when an attendant is accompanying their veteran. The caregiver assistance provides a family member or other individual designated by the veteran basic instruction, preparation, and training in order to perform their duties. During training the personal care attendant will receive travel, lodging, per diem expenses and respite care for the veteran. Upon successful completion of these instructions the Secretary of the VA will approve the individual as the personal care attendant for the veteran. Additionally one family member or an individual designated by the veteran, who has been approved as a personal care attendant, may be designated by the Secretary of the VA as the primary personal care attendant for the veteran.
It is important to delineate between the two types of personal care attendants because eligibility for care and services is dependent upon the type of caregiver designation. A personal care attendant is a family member or an individual designated by the veteran who has undergone basic training and is approved by the Secretary of the VA. A personal care attendant qualifies for:
direct technical support
counseling
access to an interactive Internet website on caregiver services
A primary personal care attendant is a family member or an individual designated by the veteran who has been approved as a personal care attendant and then designated by the Secretary of VA as the primary personal care attendant. The primary personal care attendant is eligible for:
ongoing family caregiver assistance
mental health services
respite care of not less than 30 days annually, including 24-hour per day care
medical care
a monthly personal caregiver stipend
The women veterans’ provision includes a plan to improve health care services, training and certification for mental health care providers on sexual trauma, care for newborn children of women veterans, and a study, two reports, and pilot programs to address additional women veteran issues. For the bill go to: http://thomas.loc.gov and enter S. 1963 under bill number.
The National Military Family Association has been advocating for caregiver training and compensation for over three years. We have included caregiver concerns in our roundtable discussions with senior leaders within the Department of Defense, VA, and Members of Congress, provided written testimony in several congressional committees, and participated in the Meeting the Needs of Family Caregivers of Veterans hearing in the Subcommittee on Health of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Our Association has worked alongside many other organizations helping to move caregiver legislation forward. We are very excited the Senate has passed their legislation. The House of Representatives passed their caregiver proposal, Caregiver Assistance and Resource Enhancement Act (H.R. 3155), in July. The bills now go to conference. We stand ready to assist while the bill is being debated in conference. And, we look forward to the day the bill becomes law.
You are in my prayers as always.....will Breezy be home from SA for Thanksgiving?
Laura RL
Leslie, I hope you and all your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! We think of you everyday! Love ya-
Rick, Sherri and Girls
Well, if it is a break, perhaps it's a stress fracture or one which can be treated with a walking boot. The boot is cumbersome, may be challenging to take on and off and it may throw his balance off a bit, but it's better than if Kevin is required to be non-weight bearing for a while. Yikes.
Thoughts and prayers your way. Have a great Thanksgiving with your family!
Hi Leslie,
Sorry to hear that Kevin is having a problem with his foot. Got my fingers crossed that its not broken, or a stress fracture but maybe a hyper-extension of a ligament or muscle from the bike riding.
Hyper-extension is almost as painful as a break and just as difficult to walk on.
Been there.
DONE that.
Yep, I agree that it was...D U M B.
Miss Em
Austell, Ga.
Here a shout-out to you and Kevin on having a joyous and
full-filling Thanksgiving. Hoping that the football game is being watched though half-closed eyes as you are being that large snake curled-up on the couch digesting the feast.
Les,
We haven't spoken in some time but I keep track of you daily.
This Thanksgiving I am thankful for the numerous people that have actively helped you on this journey. I am very thankful for the courage and strength that you have been able to muster and the example that you have given all of us. Love to you, Kevin and Breezy
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