Finally a little sunshine!

Well, let's start by talking about the mood around here lately: ugh. It's just been so gloomy outside (umm, hello, I thought this was southern California, not Seattle). So for those of you who haven't been out here these past two weeks, take it from me, it's been downright gross. And as my luck would have it, we have so far been experiencing one of the two extremes of this fall's weather (a balmy 110 degrees OR 60 degrees and pouring rain) at the exact moment I have to get Dad loaded up in the van and over to therapy. Which means by the time we arrive I am either a) red-faced, sweaty and swearing under my breath, or b) soaking wet, frizzed out and swearing under my breath. Oh who am I kidding...I swear out loud. Seriously. And I'll be honest, as of late I've upgraded to the F word...that's right, mouth like a sailor on this one here.

But the important thing is that Dad always gets to therapy on time and right to work. Lately we've been putting him in a standing frame, which helps him with balance and gets him to bear weight through his legs again. His ankles are extremely tight (the Achilles tendon shortens really easily when someone is off their legs for an extended period of time, imagine pointing your toes), but the standing frame will help stretch them out. Working in the standing frame has also started changing his tone, which is good in some ways, bad in others. Now instead of one leg bent, one straight, they are both very straight. He's also been straightening out his torso, which makes it difficult for him to sit in his wheelchair for longer periods of time. After about an hour he begins straightening his legs and torso and sort of slides out (best analogy would be an unhappy toddler sliding out of his highchair). It's not purposeful, we think as he gets tired, the spastic tone kind of takes over. As frustrating as it is for us, it must be infinitely more frustrating for him. It's like over time he's just getting wound tighter and tighter.

Another source of frustration has been his arms and hands. At this point they are incredibly tight. To put it into perspective, it takes two arms and all of my body weight to straighten his arm at the elbow when he's at his tightest. It's become increasingly difficult to bathe and dress him and there are times I worry I'll dislocate his shoulder. That would be bad...

But the good news is that we have new braces for his elbows and wrists, and when we can get them on him, they seem to be helping. We also got to see this new physiatrist a little early, and he's doubled Dad's dose of muscle relaxer and started him on ambien at night. Honestly sometimes the only time Mom and I have peace of mind is when we've knocked him out with a huge dose of muscle relaxers, ambien and melatonin. I know that sounds bad but he sleeps so soundly. His arms relax down to his sides and sometimes he even snores. Seems almost normal. At least we know he's not in pain or uncomfortable. Makes it much easier to enjoy a nice glass of wine and DWTS (I assume no one reading this lives in a cave so you are familiar with the acronym). Yes, I watch that crap now. And Bristol should have been booted off last week. I was enraged.

As far as Mom and I go, we are doing the best we can. People like to ask what we are doing to take care of ourselves, and although each day the importance of that is more evident, what are we supposed to do? Short of pulling a "Thelma and Louise" in the minivan, I'm at a loss. As of late, the routine goes: tranquilize Dad, crack open a bottle of wine (red for me, white for Mom) and queue the bad TV. A solid sense of humor certainly helps! ;)

*A note for those of you who didn't receive an email:

Send Tom a letter! Mom has started something of a letter writing campaign to Dad. We've noticed that when we read letters and cards to him he pays close attention and seems to really enjoy it. So if you're able, send us a letter that we can read to Dad to keep him updated on what's going on in your life. Even if you don't know him that well, it's always nice for him to hear about people other and me and Mom (we've gotten some cute ones from former students and friends; he really does enjoy it). And by letter I mean email of course. You can send it to me or Mom:

allisoncomstock@gmail.com

acomstock@roadrunner.com

Thanks!

But are you taking care of yourself??

Oh, hi there! Long time no see! You look fantastic, what's new??

Well, there's a lot new here! Okay, not that much really, but there is some stuff. I've been avoiding the blog because I've been in a crummy mood the past couple of weeks. I hurt my back putting Dad in the car, and was pretty shaken by that (I hope by this time you've deduced that if I were to really hurt my back, well, we'd be screwed). Luckily I was just a little sore for a week or so. But that put me in a funk and then there's the whole never leaving the house except for class twice a week. I'll put it is way: I knew this was going to be tough, but I didn't completely realize how it would take over my life. Okay, now that I've reached my whining quota for the day, let's get down to the update.

So we'll start out where we left off. I actually don't know where that was, but I'll take you back to three weeks ago when mom and I sucked it up and bought something she surely thought she would never own again...a minivan. Now, for those of you who don't remember, we Comstocks were once proud owners of a stunning green Ford Windstar affectionately named Phyllis. Once her days of carpooling and family camping trips (the only time Dad would dare drive Phyllis) were over, Mom traded her in for a sexy little Jeep Liberty (okay, not exactly sexy, but certainly a step up from the minivan). But here we find ourselves once again, with a minivan in the driveway...albeit a super tricked out minivan this time. She's no Phyllis, but she's made my life a lot easier so far. And I guess the royal blue is nice. I'm thinking she's a Barb. Thoughts?

Now that we have a way to transport Dad (that doesn't involve me having to physically pick him up and shove him into the front seat of the car), you may be wondering "Where do they take him?" Well, this leads me to another piece of news. Dad has now started twice weekly occupational therapy sessions at the Los Robles East Campus Rehab Center. It wasn't easy to get him in, and it's not nearly as much as he needs, but it's a start. Luckily we are working with some really talented occupational therapists (who are sneaking in a little physical therapy where they can), and we've discovered a lot of changes that need to be made. We're now working on getting a customized wheelchair, he's been fitted for new wrist and elbow splints, and Dad will be in the care of a new doctor starting in November, a physiatrist. I'm ashamed to admit, I'd never heard of this type of doctor, but I can assure you, he's real and seeing as he specializes in "physical medicine and rehab" he's exactly what Dad needs right now. I'll keep you updated.

Another thing that has put me off from writing is that I worry I'm giving you all the wrong impression of Dad's true condition. I know the picture of him in the car looks good (that's why I put it up here), but I'm not entirely sure it tells the whole story.The best way for me to describe exactly what he's like right now (without a positive spin) is to direct you to something called the Rancho Los Amigos Coma Scale:

http://www.waiting.com/rancholosamigos.html

Just so you know, Dad falls almost exactly at a 3 on this scale. He's definitely working his way up, but in order to be eligible for the acute in house rehab we're hoping for, he needs to be at a 4 or better yet, a 5. Clearly, this is going to take some major improvement. Mom and I are not naively optimistic, but there comes a point when planning for the worse just makes things worse. So we choose to stay in the moment, keep our expectations low and be pleasantly surprised by his progress.

Sorry if this update has been at all a downer; it's been a rough month, but life goes on. AND Halloween is coming up, so that's pretty exciting!! Don't worry, I won't dress Dad up or anything...okay, maybe just a hat ;)

Hopefully I'll have something really great to write about next time. Goodnight!

P.S. Just so you all know, these are the wristbands that Dad's triathalon team wore during the Nautica Triathalon they dedicated to him. If you want one let me know!

Thanks for the picture, Ahelee! See you Monday morning!