Dodd Hall has a New Resident!

Jon’s bone scan results came back Thursday afternoon with no indication that an infection had gone into the bone so his case manager called Dodd to see if he had the okay to be admitted. The answer: “If you can get him here before noon tomorrow we can admit him.” Mind you this was around 3:30 in the afternoon. She came to me and said if she could get an ambulance to take him around 9 the next morning would it be okay with Jon and me. We both said yes although I think we were both in shock at the suddenness of it all.

We set out at 9:35 and my first surprise was when they turned north. I thought we were going to take the bypass around Fremont and head south on Rt 53 but no--we turned east going through Clyde, Bellevue, all the way to Norwalk and then turned south to Ashland heading to I 71! All in all, what should have been a 2 hour trip at the most turned into an almost 3 hour trek.

Once here they really put him through the ropes. A 4 page inquisition, whoops, medical history and then 2 or 3 doctors all asking similar questions, poking here and there. They left and he was trying to get a nap and along came an x-ray machine and technician wanting a chest x-ray. I commented that he just had one yesterday and she went right on about her business--later it dawned on me that each place likes to have their own base line of information with their own equipment. Then supper came and half way through it 2 gals came with a gurney and announced he was going to get a CAT scan...now! at 6 o’clock or so… He was pretty much too tired to eat by the time he got back and only ate about a third of his chef salad and half a carton of milk.

Today he has had an evaluation by both the speech therapist and the occupational therapist. The physical therapist was in sometime during yesterday afternoon. Even though the therapists at Green Springs and I were disappointed in the amount of effort he gave and frustrated by the slow progress he was making the staff here seems pleased with what he can do. They are thinking of setting him up with a power wheelchair so he can drive himself where he needs to go. He is having trouble with their call buttons though. The call button at Green Springs was easy to use, the slightest tap sending a call for the nurse although the call wouldn't necessarily be acknowledged for some minutes. Dodd doesn't have one that sensitive. They tried every kind they had and he couldn't hit it hard enough to register. However, with their system a call is answered immediately by someone at the switchboard. In the meantime, they will have someone posted nearby to check on him regularly to see how he's doing. Jon has also had low blood pressure today and if they can't get more fluids in him they may start an IV. Nothing seems simple anymore.

It seems they weren’t through taking pictures yesterday. They needed an x ray of his spine and then several hours later they turned up with a gurney and hauled him off for a CAT scan of his spine! ..again at supper time. I went with him and we went through three separate clinics down through a tunnel, up to the second floor of another clinic and possibly another elevator and floor to the radiology department! This is only a slight exaggeration--and I do mean slight!

He has a phone by his bed that they will be teaching him how to use. My guess it will be best at least in the beginning for making calls out since it looks pretty much like a regular phone. He will have to use an adaptive hand piece with a pencil to dial and then he will be on speaker phone so no one has to stand there and hold the receiver. We will put the phone number with his other information as soon as we have it.

It’s a good thing we came on a Friday; he needs the rest and hopefully no one comes in on a Sunday to do more tests. The CAT scans and x-rays of his head and spine will be sent to a neurosurgeon on Monday so we should soon find out how the vertebrae are healing.

Thanks for tuning in and we’ll try to keep you posted more often. Keep those warm thoughts and prayers coming our way. We appreciate them.

P.S. Will change the address and list of phone tomorrow....