About Dave Kingston
Thursday, February 19, 2004
Dave on His Feet
Dave has reached another milestone in his recovery. On Wednesday, his physical therapist strapped him to a platform. While Jan was watching, the head of the platform raised until Dave was standing on his feet. They left him standing up for about 5 minutes.
According to his therapist, Donna, he is now able to stand up because of the work they have been doing to loosen him up through the waist over the last few days. It's great for him to stand up like this because it puts his standing muscles back to work, making them stronger, too. All of this is leading up to him standing on his own.
Dave isn't too crazy about riding on that rising platform, but he did enjoy getting the chance to stand up. If you know him very well at all, he isn't much of a roller coaster or amusement park kind of guy. He tolerates these things, but he doesn't like them.
One more big accomplishment yesterday. When they move Dave from the bed to his chair, they use a slider board between the two. They don't expect Dave to help them. But yesterday, Dave surprised them by assisting them with his move. He is able to do more than they expected, and is doing it sooner than expected.
Last week, one of the evening staff shared with Dave Jr. that the whole place is talking about Dave and his surprisingly fast recovery. He's the star student in rehab, it appears!
Updated 5:30 pm: Dave stood again today in therapy.
Dave has reached another milestone in his recovery. On Wednesday, his physical therapist strapped him to a platform. While Jan was watching, the head of the platform raised until Dave was standing on his feet. They left him standing up for about 5 minutes.
According to his therapist, Donna, he is now able to stand up because of the work they have been doing to loosen him up through the waist over the last few days. It's great for him to stand up like this because it puts his standing muscles back to work, making them stronger, too. All of this is leading up to him standing on his own.
Dave isn't too crazy about riding on that rising platform, but he did enjoy getting the chance to stand up. If you know him very well at all, he isn't much of a roller coaster or amusement park kind of guy. He tolerates these things, but he doesn't like them.
One more big accomplishment yesterday. When they move Dave from the bed to his chair, they use a slider board between the two. They don't expect Dave to help them. But yesterday, Dave surprised them by assisting them with his move. He is able to do more than they expected, and is doing it sooner than expected.
Last week, one of the evening staff shared with Dave Jr. that the whole place is talking about Dave and his surprisingly fast recovery. He's the star student in rehab, it appears!
Updated 5:30 pm: Dave stood again today in therapy.
Sunday, February 15, 2004
Dave Enjoys a Day of Rest
It's been a busy week, and full of hard work. Today is Dave's only day off from his aggressive therapy schedule. Jan spent the morning with him, and let him get in an afternoon nap. Dave Jr. is spending the late afternoon and evening with him.
Dave Jr. took this picture last night, and commented that Dave looks like a healthy guy who is just taking a nap, not like a sick guy who is in bed. We are all amazed at how great Dave looks, and he keeps looking better. We believe that the bypass surgery did it's job, and that as Dave gets through the stroke recovery, he will be stronger and healthier than he was before the bypass surgery.
Jan Wooles continues to give Dave treatments of Healing Touch a couple of times a week, and we believe that is helping him, also.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by or emailed this week about Dave. We always tell Dave about the emails and phone calls we receive. The whole family appreciates your interest and support.
It's been a busy week, and full of hard work. Today is Dave's only day off from his aggressive therapy schedule. Jan spent the morning with him, and let him get in an afternoon nap. Dave Jr. is spending the late afternoon and evening with him.
Dave Jr. took this picture last night, and commented that Dave looks like a healthy guy who is just taking a nap, not like a sick guy who is in bed. We are all amazed at how great Dave looks, and he keeps looking better. We believe that the bypass surgery did it's job, and that as Dave gets through the stroke recovery, he will be stronger and healthier than he was before the bypass surgery.
Jan Wooles continues to give Dave treatments of Healing Touch a couple of times a week, and we believe that is helping him, also.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by or emailed this week about Dave. We always tell Dave about the emails and phone calls we receive. The whole family appreciates your interest and support.
Thursday, February 12, 2004
First Meal in 204 Days
Late this afternoon, Dave was served a meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, and lemon pudding. Dave enjoyed a few bites of each. He made a face when he got to the lemon pudding -- apparently it was a bit tart.
At the end of a hard day, and with a full belly, he nodded off to sleep soon after. It's been a truly wonderful day for Dave.
Late this afternoon, Dave was served a meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, and lemon pudding. Dave enjoyed a few bites of each. He made a face when he got to the lemon pudding -- apparently it was a bit tart.
At the end of a hard day, and with a full belly, he nodded off to sleep soon after. It's been a truly wonderful day for Dave.
First Driving Lessons
This morning in therapy, Dave learned how to drive his new wheelchair. For his first spin, he was cautious and stayed with his therapist. But what fun is that?
When Dave Jr. arrived at lunch time with his camera, hoping to see Dave eat his first meal of mashed potatoes and gravy, he came across Dave in the hallway with his therapist. Apparently, Dave was convinced that his driving lessons were complete, and thrilled with his new-found independence, he was taking off and going where he wanted to go, at the speed he wanted to go! (Doesn't that sound just like him?) His therapist had a different idea. Dave Jr. ran across them in the hallway where they were working out their differences of opinion.
You can really see the effects of this week's therapy on Dave's sitting posture in these pictures. It's been just about a week, and these folks have done a fabulous job with him in such a short amount of time. We are excited to see what he accomplishes in his second week with them.
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This morning in therapy, Dave learned how to drive his new wheelchair. For his first spin, he was cautious and stayed with his therapist. But what fun is that?
When Dave Jr. arrived at lunch time with his camera, hoping to see Dave eat his first meal of mashed potatoes and gravy, he came across Dave in the hallway with his therapist. Apparently, Dave was convinced that his driving lessons were complete, and thrilled with his new-found independence, he was taking off and going where he wanted to go, at the speed he wanted to go! (Doesn't that sound just like him?) His therapist had a different idea. Dave Jr. ran across them in the hallway where they were working out their differences of opinion.
You can really see the effects of this week's therapy on Dave's sitting posture in these pictures. It's been just about a week, and these folks have done a fabulous job with him in such a short amount of time. We are excited to see what he accomplishes in his second week with them.
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Another Great News Day
There is so much good news, I'm not sure where to start.
The infamous swallow test was done today. Jan got to watch while they gave Dave some barium to swallow and videotaped it. He did three swallows, and while there was a little bit that didn't go quite the right way, the therapist watching it decided that it was more than good enough to pass the test. She told Dave right then that he was having some mashed potatoes and gravy on Thursday. Dave's eyes got very big. After all of these months, over 200 days, he's on the road to resuming solid food.
You might remember several months ago that Dave Jr. got a wheelchair for Dave when his physical therapist at the time couldn't get through the red tape. When he arrived at Miami Valley, his therapist said it was a good chair, but said that it needed to be adjusted to fit him. We didn't even know such a thing was possible, and we were very happy that she was taking care of it. Today, the company that provided the wheelchair arrived, but they brought him a new wheelchair. This one is motorized, and can be operated with a joystick. There is a switch so it can go from a manual/non-motorized operation to motorized. Dave's therapists believe that he will learn to operate this very soon.
Dave is doing great in physical therapy, and continues to surprise his therapists with what he can do. He's improving more quickly than they expected. Today, they laid him on a platform on his back and rolled his hips from side to side, loosening up his waist. They said this tightness is what makes him lean when he sits, and Jan says the improvement in his sitting posture immediately is amazing. I hope to have new pictures in a few days.
Dave was also seen today by a new cardiologist. He is going to look at reducing Dave's heart medications, either changing the dosages or taking him off some of them completely. He's going to review the records from Dayton Heart Hospital and run some tests. We hope to have good news on this front in a few days.
I can't tell you how wonderful it is for the family to have so many good things piling up these last two weeks. After so long with good things happening very slowly, it's wonderful to be in a place where the good things are starting to snowball.
The therapy schedule is really wearing Dave out. He is sleeping a lot between sessions, and is sleeping through most of his evening visiting hours. When this changes, I'll update you here.
There is so much good news, I'm not sure where to start.
The infamous swallow test was done today. Jan got to watch while they gave Dave some barium to swallow and videotaped it. He did three swallows, and while there was a little bit that didn't go quite the right way, the therapist watching it decided that it was more than good enough to pass the test. She told Dave right then that he was having some mashed potatoes and gravy on Thursday. Dave's eyes got very big. After all of these months, over 200 days, he's on the road to resuming solid food.
You might remember several months ago that Dave Jr. got a wheelchair for Dave when his physical therapist at the time couldn't get through the red tape. When he arrived at Miami Valley, his therapist said it was a good chair, but said that it needed to be adjusted to fit him. We didn't even know such a thing was possible, and we were very happy that she was taking care of it. Today, the company that provided the wheelchair arrived, but they brought him a new wheelchair. This one is motorized, and can be operated with a joystick. There is a switch so it can go from a manual/non-motorized operation to motorized. Dave's therapists believe that he will learn to operate this very soon.
Dave is doing great in physical therapy, and continues to surprise his therapists with what he can do. He's improving more quickly than they expected. Today, they laid him on a platform on his back and rolled his hips from side to side, loosening up his waist. They said this tightness is what makes him lean when he sits, and Jan says the improvement in his sitting posture immediately is amazing. I hope to have new pictures in a few days.
Dave was also seen today by a new cardiologist. He is going to look at reducing Dave's heart medications, either changing the dosages or taking him off some of them completely. He's going to review the records from Dayton Heart Hospital and run some tests. We hope to have good news on this front in a few days.
I can't tell you how wonderful it is for the family to have so many good things piling up these last two weeks. After so long with good things happening very slowly, it's wonderful to be in a place where the good things are starting to snowball.
The therapy schedule is really wearing Dave out. He is sleeping a lot between sessions, and is sleeping through most of his evening visiting hours. When this changes, I'll update you here.
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Dave's Busy Days
Since Dave arrived at RIO in Miami Valley Hospital, his calendar has been chock-full of people and appointments. He has therapy 6 days a week, with only Sunday for resting up. In between therapy sessions, he has been seen by a wide variety of medical practitioners and received a battery of tests.
On a daily basis, Dave has 2 or 3 sessions each of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Physical therapy works on his muscles and mobility, working on exercises for strengthening and stretching muscles, and preparing him to stand up and walk. Occupational therapy teaches him how to perform daily living tasks, such as washing his face, feeding himself, etc. Speech therapy works on talking, on developing the muscles used for talking around his face and in his mouth, including sucking sticking out his tongue, and swallowing. Each session lasts at least 30 minutes, and he goes straight from one to the next with only a few breaks during the day. During those breaks, he is usually napping. It's an exhausting process for him, and it's even tiring for those who are just observing!
We had our first family care conference on Monday. The case worker assigned to him met with Jan, Michelle, and Dave Jr. to go over the status of his progress. There wasn't anything new. The therapists and nurses have been great about providing immediate feedback, about how Dave does during therapy, or about test results. This case worker is the person who will work with us to help schedule things when he comes home.
We still don't know how long he will stay at RIO because there are several factors involved. First, he has a limited number of Medicare days remaining. We have some options here, but that is a limiting factor. Second, because Medicare is footing the bill (along with his insurance), the hospital has to justify his continuation by reporting his progress. As a family, we have decided that Dave will stay as long as he is making good progress, even if he runs out of Medicare days.
Eventually, Dave will hit a plateau, which doesn't mean that he has peaked, only that his body has grown as much at it can during this spurt, and it needs some time to integrate. When that happens, we will bring Dave home. Jan will get supporting services to help take care of his special needs at home, and Dave will continue to get therapy, either from therapists coming to the house, or by returning to the rehab unit for outpatient therapy.
All of the news we are getting so far has been positive. Dave is responding well to the therapy, and has surprised them more than once with what he can do. He is worn out by the therapy schedule, and while it is hard work for him, he told us today that it isn't too hard.
Dr. Cain, his pulmonologist, doesn't visit this hospital, so they arranged for a different doctor to review his lung health. Today, we heard that after reviewing a chest x-ray, listening to his lungs, reviewing blood oxygen test results, and examining his healing trach wound, Dave no longer needs a pulmonologist. He has gone from being on a ventilator (at Dayton Heart Hospital) to this, and it's a huge milestone.
Dave also has a new neurologist. Today, we got the report about his recent CT scan of the brain. It confirms the findings of Dr. Merriman, his original neurologist, in August. Dave had a large stroke (only a massive stroke would have been worse), and it was on the right side of his brain, effecting the left side of his body. Also, it appears that he had a series of small strokes on the left side of the brain around the same time. They are scheduling an MRI which will give them a 3-D view of his brain so they can explore the situation more.
Tomorrow, Dave is scheduled for the infamous swallow test. This will show them how he swallows, and if there is any damage to his throat from the stroke. If he passes this test, he can begin eating right away, and they will plan out the transition from the stomach tube. If he doesn't pass the test tomorrow, speech therapy will continue to work with him to improve the muscles used for swallowing, and he can take the test again in about a week. Based on the food he was eating at DaySpring, we expect he will pass it the first time.
Thanks to everyone who has stopped by to visit Dave. As you can see from this note, if he isn't in a therapy session, he is most likely napping. He spends a great deal of time in the common area, and family and friends are encouraged to participate.
Thanks, again, to everyone who has supported Dave and the family through this time. We appreciate it more than we can say.
Since Dave arrived at RIO in Miami Valley Hospital, his calendar has been chock-full of people and appointments. He has therapy 6 days a week, with only Sunday for resting up. In between therapy sessions, he has been seen by a wide variety of medical practitioners and received a battery of tests.
On a daily basis, Dave has 2 or 3 sessions each of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Physical therapy works on his muscles and mobility, working on exercises for strengthening and stretching muscles, and preparing him to stand up and walk. Occupational therapy teaches him how to perform daily living tasks, such as washing his face, feeding himself, etc. Speech therapy works on talking, on developing the muscles used for talking around his face and in his mouth, including sucking sticking out his tongue, and swallowing. Each session lasts at least 30 minutes, and he goes straight from one to the next with only a few breaks during the day. During those breaks, he is usually napping. It's an exhausting process for him, and it's even tiring for those who are just observing!
We had our first family care conference on Monday. The case worker assigned to him met with Jan, Michelle, and Dave Jr. to go over the status of his progress. There wasn't anything new. The therapists and nurses have been great about providing immediate feedback, about how Dave does during therapy, or about test results. This case worker is the person who will work with us to help schedule things when he comes home.
We still don't know how long he will stay at RIO because there are several factors involved. First, he has a limited number of Medicare days remaining. We have some options here, but that is a limiting factor. Second, because Medicare is footing the bill (along with his insurance), the hospital has to justify his continuation by reporting his progress. As a family, we have decided that Dave will stay as long as he is making good progress, even if he runs out of Medicare days.
Eventually, Dave will hit a plateau, which doesn't mean that he has peaked, only that his body has grown as much at it can during this spurt, and it needs some time to integrate. When that happens, we will bring Dave home. Jan will get supporting services to help take care of his special needs at home, and Dave will continue to get therapy, either from therapists coming to the house, or by returning to the rehab unit for outpatient therapy.
All of the news we are getting so far has been positive. Dave is responding well to the therapy, and has surprised them more than once with what he can do. He is worn out by the therapy schedule, and while it is hard work for him, he told us today that it isn't too hard.
Dr. Cain, his pulmonologist, doesn't visit this hospital, so they arranged for a different doctor to review his lung health. Today, we heard that after reviewing a chest x-ray, listening to his lungs, reviewing blood oxygen test results, and examining his healing trach wound, Dave no longer needs a pulmonologist. He has gone from being on a ventilator (at Dayton Heart Hospital) to this, and it's a huge milestone.
Dave also has a new neurologist. Today, we got the report about his recent CT scan of the brain. It confirms the findings of Dr. Merriman, his original neurologist, in August. Dave had a large stroke (only a massive stroke would have been worse), and it was on the right side of his brain, effecting the left side of his body. Also, it appears that he had a series of small strokes on the left side of the brain around the same time. They are scheduling an MRI which will give them a 3-D view of his brain so they can explore the situation more.
Tomorrow, Dave is scheduled for the infamous swallow test. This will show them how he swallows, and if there is any damage to his throat from the stroke. If he passes this test, he can begin eating right away, and they will plan out the transition from the stomach tube. If he doesn't pass the test tomorrow, speech therapy will continue to work with him to improve the muscles used for swallowing, and he can take the test again in about a week. Based on the food he was eating at DaySpring, we expect he will pass it the first time.
Thanks to everyone who has stopped by to visit Dave. As you can see from this note, if he isn't in a therapy session, he is most likely napping. He spends a great deal of time in the common area, and family and friends are encouraged to participate.
Thanks, again, to everyone who has supported Dave and the family through this time. We appreciate it more than we can say.
Friday, February 06, 2004
Pictures of the Big Event
Dave Jr. snapped these pictures as Dave and Jan were preparing to leave for Miami Valley on Thursday morning.
Because it was so cold, Jan did her best to pull out Dave's warmest shirt. You can see a bit of Dave's leg brace on his right leg. It's designed to stretch out the muscles and his knee joint to keep him more flexible. You can also see the spiffy travel pillow Jan found to help support Dave's neck.
Normally, Dave would have a pillow or two propped into the chair for support. For this trip, he had to support himself in the chair since the pillows were not authorized to go along for the ride.
It was icy cold, so Dave was bundled up. He's wearing a sweatshirt jacket, a gift from his new son-in-law, Ron Jordan. The throw was a Christmas present from one of the best aides, Rose, who took care of him many evenings. There were many fine people who took of him that he (and we) will miss. After four months, you start to feel like they are part of the extended family.
Still, it did my heart good to see him exiting that building, knowing that he has beaten most of his medical complications and going to a place that can really help him to achieve his rehab goals.
Here sits Dave, not knowing about the bumpy ride ahead of him. He wanted to take the ride sitting up, and Dave Jr. and Jan made sure that happened for him. But when he arrived at Miami Valley, Dave Jr. asked him how the ride went, and he gave it two-thumbs down.
Dave will have therapy six days a week, only having Sunday to rest up. Jan will be there from the start of visiting hours each day until about dinner time, when Dave Jr. will arrive. Since Dave Jr. works so close, he expects to stop by for short visits throughout the days, also. And while this is closer for Michelle, too, she's just getting into tax season, the busiest time of the year for her work. I'm hoping to make a return trip soon, even if it is a short one.
We hope to have lots of news about various things over the next few days, and we'll keep you posted here.
Dave Jr. snapped these pictures as Dave and Jan were preparing to leave for Miami Valley on Thursday morning.
Because it was so cold, Jan did her best to pull out Dave's warmest shirt. You can see a bit of Dave's leg brace on his right leg. It's designed to stretch out the muscles and his knee joint to keep him more flexible. You can also see the spiffy travel pillow Jan found to help support Dave's neck.
Normally, Dave would have a pillow or two propped into the chair for support. For this trip, he had to support himself in the chair since the pillows were not authorized to go along for the ride.
It was icy cold, so Dave was bundled up. He's wearing a sweatshirt jacket, a gift from his new son-in-law, Ron Jordan. The throw was a Christmas present from one of the best aides, Rose, who took care of him many evenings. There were many fine people who took of him that he (and we) will miss. After four months, you start to feel like they are part of the extended family.
Still, it did my heart good to see him exiting that building, knowing that he has beaten most of his medical complications and going to a place that can really help him to achieve his rehab goals.
Here sits Dave, not knowing about the bumpy ride ahead of him. He wanted to take the ride sitting up, and Dave Jr. and Jan made sure that happened for him. But when he arrived at Miami Valley, Dave Jr. asked him how the ride went, and he gave it two-thumbs down.
Dave will have therapy six days a week, only having Sunday to rest up. Jan will be there from the start of visiting hours each day until about dinner time, when Dave Jr. will arrive. Since Dave Jr. works so close, he expects to stop by for short visits throughout the days, also. And while this is closer for Michelle, too, she's just getting into tax season, the busiest time of the year for her work. I'm hoping to make a return trip soon, even if it is a short one.
We hope to have lots of news about various things over the next few days, and we'll keep you posted here.
Thursday, February 05, 2004
The Adventure Has Begun
Dave arrived at Miami Valley hospital about noon. At his request, he rode sitting up in a wheelchair in an ambulette, instead of laying flat on a gurney. It was a bumpy ride, but he made it just fine. Dave Jr. got pictures of Dave being wheeled outside, and I'll post one later.
According to Jan and Dave Jr., the rehab unit is a great place. The unit is triangular shaped, with the patient rooms around the perimeter. In the center is a large open area that is used for a common area and some therapy is performed there. The staff, doctors and nurses and therapists, have been wonderful, collecting a family medical history and talking about their preliminary goals for this therapy, and what comes after this.
I've got a bit of information about his location. The rehab unit is located on the 4th floor northwest. Visitors should use the Apple Street parking garage, and take the skywalk over Apple Street. The elevator takes you right to the rehab unit. Dave is located in room 4205 A, a semi-private room. There is a phone in the room, but we don't have that number yet. Visiting hours are 11 am to 8 pm.
The family is quite excited about how the staff has treated them since they walked in the door, and have very high hopes that this place is going to be a wonderful experience for Dave and the family.
Dave arrived at Miami Valley hospital about noon. At his request, he rode sitting up in a wheelchair in an ambulette, instead of laying flat on a gurney. It was a bumpy ride, but he made it just fine. Dave Jr. got pictures of Dave being wheeled outside, and I'll post one later.
According to Jan and Dave Jr., the rehab unit is a great place. The unit is triangular shaped, with the patient rooms around the perimeter. In the center is a large open area that is used for a common area and some therapy is performed there. The staff, doctors and nurses and therapists, have been wonderful, collecting a family medical history and talking about their preliminary goals for this therapy, and what comes after this.
I've got a bit of information about his location. The rehab unit is located on the 4th floor northwest. Visitors should use the Apple Street parking garage, and take the skywalk over Apple Street. The elevator takes you right to the rehab unit. Dave is located in room 4205 A, a semi-private room. There is a phone in the room, but we don't have that number yet. Visiting hours are 11 am to 8 pm.
The family is quite excited about how the staff has treated them since they walked in the door, and have very high hopes that this place is going to be a wonderful experience for Dave and the family.
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Dave is Moving Thursday
Late this afternoon, we heard from Miami Valley that they have a bed waiting for Dave. He will be moved sometime on Thursday to MV to the rehab unit. That's all I know right now. I promise to update this website when I have information about when he is moving, and again with information about his location, visiting hours, etc.
Late this afternoon, we heard from Miami Valley that they have a bed waiting for Dave. He will be moved sometime on Thursday to MV to the rehab unit. That's all I know right now. I promise to update this website when I have information about when he is moving, and again with information about his location, visiting hours, etc.
