About Dave Kingston
Saturday, November 29, 2003
The Week in Review
This has been a good week. Dave was worn out every day from his new therapy schedule. Because of this, he didn't spend as much time sitting in the chair every day. Even though he was tired, Dave was a trooper through the additional challenges of his schedule.
Dave Jr. discovered that DaySpring has a whirlpool bathtub with easy access. On Wednesday night, he arranged for Dave to get his first bath since this started. Dave loved it. Hopefully, he will be getting into the whirlpool twice a week from now on. It has to feel great on his muscles and joints after all of the therapy.
Dave is working hard and making progress in all of his therapies. The progress is slower than he would like, and he gets frustrated occasionally. He really wants to come home, as you can imagine. In physical therapy, he is working on the skills needed to move himself from the bed to the wheelchair, and to prepare him to stand up. In speech therapy, he is speaking clearly but still in a whisper. With the dull roar of the oxygen equipment in his room, it can be quite hard to hear him. His voice is getting stronger, and with more practice the therapist believes his voice will return to full strength.
On Thanksgiving, the family spent time hanging out with Dave. His grandson, Andy, spent time playing catch with him, with football games on in the background.
I'll return to Phoenix on Monday, so look for more updates and a new picture after I return.
This has been a good week. Dave was worn out every day from his new therapy schedule. Because of this, he didn't spend as much time sitting in the chair every day. Even though he was tired, Dave was a trooper through the additional challenges of his schedule.
Dave Jr. discovered that DaySpring has a whirlpool bathtub with easy access. On Wednesday night, he arranged for Dave to get his first bath since this started. Dave loved it. Hopefully, he will be getting into the whirlpool twice a week from now on. It has to feel great on his muscles and joints after all of the therapy.
Dave is working hard and making progress in all of his therapies. The progress is slower than he would like, and he gets frustrated occasionally. He really wants to come home, as you can imagine. In physical therapy, he is working on the skills needed to move himself from the bed to the wheelchair, and to prepare him to stand up. In speech therapy, he is speaking clearly but still in a whisper. With the dull roar of the oxygen equipment in his room, it can be quite hard to hear him. His voice is getting stronger, and with more practice the therapist believes his voice will return to full strength.
On Thanksgiving, the family spent time hanging out with Dave. His grandson, Andy, spent time playing catch with him, with football games on in the background.
I'll return to Phoenix on Monday, so look for more updates and a new picture after I return.
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
New Therapy Schedule
Starting this week, Dave is on a more aggressive therapy schedule. He has an hour of physical therapy first thing in the morning, and again after lunch. In between, he gets occupational therapy and a speech therapy session. Together, he is getting almost three hours of therapy a day. This increase will help him to make progress quicker.
Three times a week, Dave continues to use "the box," a device that helps him to support himself while he stands up. It's pretty exhausting, but he is standing up longer each session. Once he masters standing up, he will begin using the parallel bars to begin taking steps.
Dave's speech therapy is moving slowly, but he continues to make progress. His swallow seems to be very strong. The challenge is relearning how to breathe while he is talking. It's just going to take more practice.
Late last week, Dave was evaluated for rehab unit at Grandview Hospital. They offer an intensive inpatient rehab program designed for stroke recovery. There is a similar program at Miami Valley Hospital. The folks at Grandview had evaluated Dave two months ago, when he was leaving Grandview, and they were very pleased with his progress since then. They have requirements for patient who enter their program, skills and endurance a patient must have in order to take full advantage of their program. At this time, Dave is not quite ready for their program. We are hoping that with the extra therapy time he is getting, that he can qualify for one of these programs soon. We don't know for sure what path the rest of his recovery will take, but we are thinking that he will attend an intensive inpatient program for a few weeks right before he comes home.
Starting this week, Dave is on a more aggressive therapy schedule. He has an hour of physical therapy first thing in the morning, and again after lunch. In between, he gets occupational therapy and a speech therapy session. Together, he is getting almost three hours of therapy a day. This increase will help him to make progress quicker.
Three times a week, Dave continues to use "the box," a device that helps him to support himself while he stands up. It's pretty exhausting, but he is standing up longer each session. Once he masters standing up, he will begin using the parallel bars to begin taking steps.
Dave's speech therapy is moving slowly, but he continues to make progress. His swallow seems to be very strong. The challenge is relearning how to breathe while he is talking. It's just going to take more practice.
Late last week, Dave was evaluated for rehab unit at Grandview Hospital. They offer an intensive inpatient rehab program designed for stroke recovery. There is a similar program at Miami Valley Hospital. The folks at Grandview had evaluated Dave two months ago, when he was leaving Grandview, and they were very pleased with his progress since then. They have requirements for patient who enter their program, skills and endurance a patient must have in order to take full advantage of their program. At this time, Dave is not quite ready for their program. We are hoping that with the extra therapy time he is getting, that he can qualify for one of these programs soon. We don't know for sure what path the rest of his recovery will take, but we are thinking that he will attend an intensive inpatient program for a few weeks right before he comes home.
Monday, November 24, 2003
Dave Plays Catch With Dave Jr.
I arrived late Saturday to spend the week with the family, and I'm really pleased to see for myself how great Dave looks. All of the physical therapy is giving him more independence. Overall, the amount of progress I can see since my trip last month is truly amazing. He hasn't been trying to talk very much this weekend. His speech therapist is still working with him to get his breath coordinated for talking so his voice is stronger.
Tonight, Dave starting tossing a ball back and forth with Dave Jr. They must have done it for 20 minutes. Dave's reflexes for catches are great, and his toss got stronger as they went on. And Dave had fun. It was a great thing to watch.
I arrived late Saturday to spend the week with the family, and I'm really pleased to see for myself how great Dave looks. All of the physical therapy is giving him more independence. Overall, the amount of progress I can see since my trip last month is truly amazing. He hasn't been trying to talk very much this weekend. His speech therapist is still working with him to get his breath coordinated for talking so his voice is stronger.
Tonight, Dave starting tossing a ball back and forth with Dave Jr. They must have done it for 20 minutes. Dave's reflexes for catches are great, and his toss got stronger as they went on. And Dave had fun. It was a great thing to watch.
Thursday, November 20, 2003
Another Big Day
This has been an amazing week for Dave. On Wednesday, he had another first -- he took his physical therapy in the therapy room. All of these weeks, he has been working at his bedside. In fact, until Saturday, he had not left his room at all. His therapy schedule now includes working in the therapy room every other day.
While he was there, Dave had another first. He stood up with the assistance of a device described to me only as "the box" for 15 minutes. While Dave has occasionally stood with assistance at his bedside, this is the first time he has stood for more than about one minute.
This has been an amazing week for Dave. On Wednesday, he had another first -- he took his physical therapy in the therapy room. All of these weeks, he has been working at his bedside. In fact, until Saturday, he had not left his room at all. His therapy schedule now includes working in the therapy room every other day.
While he was there, Dave had another first. He stood up with the assistance of a device described to me only as "the box" for 15 minutes. While Dave has occasionally stood with assistance at his bedside, this is the first time he has stood for more than about one minute.
Sunday, November 16, 2003
Two More Firsts!
It's a great weekend at DaySpring. On Saturday, Dave had two more important firsts.
Dave is learning how to use the new tracheotomy equipment and has started talking. It's going to take some practice and coaching from his speech therapist, but Dave is well on his way! Dave Jr. snapped this picture of Dave chatting away with two of his nurses on Saturday. After 6 weeks of taking care of him, he is finally able to talk to them.
Also on Saturday, Dave started getting dressed. It's the first time since he checked into Dayton Heart Hospital in July that Dave has worn clothes. Jan is sorting through his closet for smaller shirts that button up the front, a much easier dressing option than Dave's favorite pull-on shirts, and for sweatpants in a smaller size. It might not be his first choices for clothing, but Dave is thrilled to be wearing something other than hospital gowns.
It's a great weekend at DaySpring. On Saturday, Dave had two more important firsts.
Dave is learning how to use the new tracheotomy equipment and has started talking. It's going to take some practice and coaching from his speech therapist, but Dave is well on his way! Dave Jr. snapped this picture of Dave chatting away with two of his nurses on Saturday. After 6 weeks of taking care of him, he is finally able to talk to them.
Also on Saturday, Dave started getting dressed. It's the first time since he checked into Dayton Heart Hospital in July that Dave has worn clothes. Jan is sorting through his closet for smaller shirts that button up the front, a much easier dressing option than Dave's favorite pull-on shirts, and for sweatpants in a smaller size. It might not be his first choices for clothing, but Dave is thrilled to be wearing something other than hospital gowns.
Friday, November 14, 2003
New Trach a Success!
Late this afternoon, Dr. Cain replaced Dave's existing tracheotomy equipment with a newer, larger one that will let Dave talk. It was done at Dave's bedside, with an assist from a DaySpring nurse. In the middle of the procedure, Dave Jr. got involved because they needed another hand. Jan and Michelle were waiting in the hall for them to finish, and were grateful that no one else was needed.
Dave's speech therapist will begin working with Dave on actually TALKING starting Monday, but he is off to a roaring start. He can speak single words now, and with some assistance he can speak longer things. The first thing he said when the whole procedure was done -- he wants to get up and start walking!
Overall, Dr. Cain was pleased with Dave's progress. Dr. Cain has been with Dave since Day 2 of this ordeal. He was called in the middle of the night when Dave first developed his complications at the Dayton Heart Hospital. He told us today what he is watching to determine when the trach can be removed. It could be as soon as a month, but mostly likely will be longer, perhaps even two months. We aren't pushing for things to happen any sooner than Dr. Cain feels is appropriate, but we are very excited to realize how soon that day could be!
Also, Dr. Cain left some instructions for Dr. Hunter, the house physician at DaySpring, for some test that could get Dave off of the oxygen completely within a very short time. The blue tube will remain even after the oxygen is gone, because it provides moisture into the trach that helps Dave to breathe.
All of this is very good news!
Late this afternoon, Dr. Cain replaced Dave's existing tracheotomy equipment with a newer, larger one that will let Dave talk. It was done at Dave's bedside, with an assist from a DaySpring nurse. In the middle of the procedure, Dave Jr. got involved because they needed another hand. Jan and Michelle were waiting in the hall for them to finish, and were grateful that no one else was needed.
Dave's speech therapist will begin working with Dave on actually TALKING starting Monday, but he is off to a roaring start. He can speak single words now, and with some assistance he can speak longer things. The first thing he said when the whole procedure was done -- he wants to get up and start walking!
Overall, Dr. Cain was pleased with Dave's progress. Dr. Cain has been with Dave since Day 2 of this ordeal. He was called in the middle of the night when Dave first developed his complications at the Dayton Heart Hospital. He told us today what he is watching to determine when the trach can be removed. It could be as soon as a month, but mostly likely will be longer, perhaps even two months. We aren't pushing for things to happen any sooner than Dr. Cain feels is appropriate, but we are very excited to realize how soon that day could be!
Also, Dr. Cain left some instructions for Dr. Hunter, the house physician at DaySpring, for some test that could get Dave off of the oxygen completely within a very short time. The blue tube will remain even after the oxygen is gone, because it provides moisture into the trach that helps Dave to breathe.
All of this is very good news!
Monday, November 10, 2003
Haircut Day
It's been another great weekend for Dave, and the week is off to a great start. Dave sat in his new chair for over 4 hours today, which is getting closer to the goal of 8 hours a day. The progress is starting to come faster.
Late last week, Dave had a chest x-ray, the first one since he left Grandview about 6 weeks ago. It showed only small amounts of congestion, the remaining bits of his bronchitis. He's not over it yet, but he is getting there. The more Dave sits up in the chair, and the more he moves in physical therapy, the faster his lungs can clear up completely.
The big event of the day was purely cosmetic. Jan arranged to have Michael Cheney of Strands for Hair, her beautician, visit Dave to give him a haircut and take care of his sideburns. Jan and Dave Jr. have been shaving Dave, but his sideburns were getting out of hand. Michael asked him when he "went hippie" on all of us, and took care of the hair problems. Dave looks gussied up for his visitors now. If you know Dave, you know that he keeps his hair cut short, so seeing him with long hair just didn't seem right to us.
Dave is down to 1/2 liter of oxygen through his mask. When he arrived at DaySpring, he was at 6 liters, so this is quite an improvement. The next step will be to remove his mask during the day, and then, to remove it completely. Another recovery milestone is coming closer.
Again, thanks to everyone who stopped by this week. There are two times of the day when Dave is most likely to be awake, late morning and early evening. He generally naps between his various therapy sessions which start around lunch time, so during the afternoon it's harder to predict when he will be awake. If you want to call first, use the DaySpring number (posted to the right) and ask to speak to one of Dave's family members.
Looking ahead -- Dr. Cain visits Dave on Friday to replace his trach with the talking trach. We are not sure how long it will take Dave to master talking with this device, but we are sure he is quite motivated to resume talking! His speech therapist will work with him on it next week as necessary.
It's been another great weekend for Dave, and the week is off to a great start. Dave sat in his new chair for over 4 hours today, which is getting closer to the goal of 8 hours a day. The progress is starting to come faster.
Late last week, Dave had a chest x-ray, the first one since he left Grandview about 6 weeks ago. It showed only small amounts of congestion, the remaining bits of his bronchitis. He's not over it yet, but he is getting there. The more Dave sits up in the chair, and the more he moves in physical therapy, the faster his lungs can clear up completely.
The big event of the day was purely cosmetic. Jan arranged to have Michael Cheney of Strands for Hair, her beautician, visit Dave to give him a haircut and take care of his sideburns. Jan and Dave Jr. have been shaving Dave, but his sideburns were getting out of hand. Michael asked him when he "went hippie" on all of us, and took care of the hair problems. Dave looks gussied up for his visitors now. If you know Dave, you know that he keeps his hair cut short, so seeing him with long hair just didn't seem right to us.
Dave is down to 1/2 liter of oxygen through his mask. When he arrived at DaySpring, he was at 6 liters, so this is quite an improvement. The next step will be to remove his mask during the day, and then, to remove it completely. Another recovery milestone is coming closer.
Again, thanks to everyone who stopped by this week. There are two times of the day when Dave is most likely to be awake, late morning and early evening. He generally naps between his various therapy sessions which start around lunch time, so during the afternoon it's harder to predict when he will be awake. If you want to call first, use the DaySpring number (posted to the right) and ask to speak to one of Dave's family members.
Looking ahead -- Dr. Cain visits Dave on Friday to replace his trach with the talking trach. We are not sure how long it will take Dave to master talking with this device, but we are sure he is quite motivated to resume talking! His speech therapist will work with him on it next week as necessary.
Tuesday, November 04, 2003
Dave to Get Talkie Trach
The big news this week is that Dave is going to get a different trach. As you know, Dr. Cain, his lung doctor, wants to wait a few more weeks before he does the swallow evaluation, a big step towards getting rid of the tracheotomy and getting Dave back on solid food. Dave's speech therapist asked Dr. Hunter, the DaySpring house physician, to look into getting rid of the trach because she sees signs that Dave's swallow is strong. She also wants to get Dave started on talking as part of his speech therapy.
The trach allows Dave to breathe easier, which is important for his bronchitis recovery. It places a small balloon in his throat so he can't swallow. Until they do the swallow evaluation, the balloon is critical to make sure that Dave doesn't accidentally swallow into his lungs, which could lead to serious pneumonia within hours. A side effect of having the inflated balloon is that Dave can't speak because the air from his lungs doesn't reach his vocal chords.
Dr. Hunter followed up with Dr. Cain, and Dr. Cain decided to replace Dave's trach with a larger model that will let him speak and still keep the balloon inflated. Being new at all of this medical stuff, we didn't even know this was an option. Dr. Cain will visit Dave on 15 November to install the new trach at his bedside. Dr. Hunter told us this is a first step towards removing the trach completely.
Dave continues to make great progress in his physical therapy, using the chair that Dave Jr. found for him. It's been a long time since Dave has had any sort of setback or complication, and we are optimistic that he will continue like this until he is well enough to come home.
The big news this week is that Dave is going to get a different trach. As you know, Dr. Cain, his lung doctor, wants to wait a few more weeks before he does the swallow evaluation, a big step towards getting rid of the tracheotomy and getting Dave back on solid food. Dave's speech therapist asked Dr. Hunter, the DaySpring house physician, to look into getting rid of the trach because she sees signs that Dave's swallow is strong. She also wants to get Dave started on talking as part of his speech therapy.
The trach allows Dave to breathe easier, which is important for his bronchitis recovery. It places a small balloon in his throat so he can't swallow. Until they do the swallow evaluation, the balloon is critical to make sure that Dave doesn't accidentally swallow into his lungs, which could lead to serious pneumonia within hours. A side effect of having the inflated balloon is that Dave can't speak because the air from his lungs doesn't reach his vocal chords.
Dr. Hunter followed up with Dr. Cain, and Dr. Cain decided to replace Dave's trach with a larger model that will let him speak and still keep the balloon inflated. Being new at all of this medical stuff, we didn't even know this was an option. Dr. Cain will visit Dave on 15 November to install the new trach at his bedside. Dr. Hunter told us this is a first step towards removing the trach completely.
Dave continues to make great progress in his physical therapy, using the chair that Dave Jr. found for him. It's been a long time since Dave has had any sort of setback or complication, and we are optimistic that he will continue like this until he is well enough to come home.
