The Start of Another Week

Caitlin finished up the week with another trip to the therapy pool on Thursday. She smiles with exhaustion when it is finished. The trip to the pool is quite a big outing as Caitlin has to go out of the hospital and across the street which means getting a coat on and off and then getting changed out of wet swimming clothes in the locker room. I am not sure any of us ever thought how much work all the every day stuff is. I am very hopeful that the water therapy continues this coming week as well. Caitlin's right arm seems to be more relaxed afterwards and she definitely points it out to me with a smile. The muscle tonicity in that right arm causes it to be very tightly clenched to her chest. This week she also began wearing an air splint on the right arm. This entails straightening her arm out and encasing it in a tube that is the length of her arm. The tube is blown up around her arm and holds it straight. She wears it a few hours each day until it becomes uncomfortable. Her arm gets hot inside this and you can see the frustration on her face while this is on. You definitely know when it is time to take it off.
Caitlin has enjoyed reading text messages on her phone but hasn't really done much as far as responding. She smiles as she reads each one but then turns her phone off. We will continue working on the texting but it seems to be a more difficult task than I thought it would be. In the meantime she is having fun with the DynaVox. Caitlin's fingers are moving quickly over the keyboard that has now been attached to the machine. She will type messages for people and then when they walk by in the hallway she hits the talk space. They always seem to be wondering where the voice has come from. This has been fun for her and gotten many laughs from others.
Weekends are hard in that the whole acute rehab floor is very, very quiet in comparison to the week's activity. Yesterday Caitlin and I took a walk down the hallway and it really felt like we were in a morgue. She had tears running down her cheeks and the loneliness was very overpowering for both of us. We try very hard to keep things going to cheer her up but still that quiet seems to take over. Today Kim, a CNA who Caitlin adores, is having a beauty day with Caitlin. They are doing her nails and straightening her hair. I will attempt to take her outside for a walk in the wheelchair. The temperatures are in the 50's and it is just beautiful in the sunshine. In my heart I just wish so badly that I could put her in the car and drive her up to Tahoe. The snow on the mountains paired with the blue sky are a favorite of Caitlin's. I know this is definitely something to look forward to! Monday begins Caitlin's 13th week in the hospital and I am beginning to look at more than just today. I have to look at what adaptations to our home that we will need to make to bring Caitlin home when the time comes. We are also researching and looking at what will be the best decisions for Caitlin's recovery when she does get released from the hospital. Those decisions will be huge when the time comes. But for today I am taking a deep breath and headed out to make it the best day possible! Have a good one too!