PT & OT

Friday, July 15, 2022

PHOTO: Here I am engaging in occupational therapy in bed this afternoon.

As with every weekday, I engaged in both physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) this afternoon.

In recent weeks, for PT, I have been strengthening my legs by walking with a walker and performing leg exercises with ankle weights while lying in bed. For OT, I have been strengthening my arms with exercises while lying in bed. One day this week, I played the piano for my occupational therapist while seated in a wheelchair here at my physical-rehabilitation facility.

Today's activities were mostly different. I performed basic tests to prove that I am able to return home. I am expecting to go home sometime next week, but nothing is definite.

I was discharged from care by an associate physician of my plastic-reconstructive surgeon on July 11, 2022. The eight deep wounds are basically healed, so I am good to go in that regard. I still have a Foley catheter installed. I assume that I will go home with it and then make an appointment with a urologist.

For PT today, I pushed myself up from a flat, lying position to a position sitting on the edge of my bed. I then walked to the gym with a walker; walked up and down two stairs; walked both ways on an uneven surface; and got into and out of the passenger seat in a fake car. For OT, I again pushed myself up from a flat, lying position to a position sitting on the edge of my bed. I then showed my occupational therapist that I could take off and put on my socks and my special padded, Velcro shoes for people with wounded feet. (I am still dealing with lingering diabetic ulcers on both of my feet.) I then engaged in arm exercises with a two-pound dumbbell while lying in bed.

Yesterday, I did well with another PT test. I was able to stand from a position sitting on the edge of my bed eight times in 30 seconds without using my arms. My physical therapist and I were surprised that I did so well.

The following is a bit of background information. I post this explanation with all of my posts to let new readers of my posts know what has been going on with me.

Prior to arriving at my physical-rehabilitation facility on June 3, 2022, I was in the hospital since May 13, 2022, enduring and recovering from two (more) surgeries.

I had quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery on March 9, 2022, and two plastic-reconstructive surgeries in/on my chest in May 2022.

For my surgery on May 19, 2022, my plastic-reconstructive surgeon removed metal sternal plates from within my chest due to an infection. The plates were installed during my initial heart surgery and were not replaced due to my chest infection.

For my surgery on May 25, 2022, my plastic-reconstructive surgeon cleaned out the remaining infection from within my chest. He then partially closed my chest by first clipping off the tips of my ribs and then by reattaching my chest muscle flaps to my body.

My surgeon used seven spaced-out sutures to close the eight-inch-long, vertical incision in my chest initiated by my open-heart surgery in March 2022 and made worse by my two subsequent surgeries in May 2022, leaving me with eight deep holes in my chest to heal. He attached an electric wound vacuum to suck discharge and infected blood from within my chest and from the wounds. My sutures (and my wound vacuum) were removed on June 20, 2022.

July 1, 2022, was my last day of receiving intravenous-antibiotic infusions every day for six weeks for a staph infection within my chest, a blood infection, and lingering osteomyelitis (a bone infection) within my left foot. I received three bags of the antibiotic every day in the hospital and one bag every day in my rehab facility. The antibiotic was administered through one of two ports of my PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter), which was about 53 centimeters long (about 21 inches long). It ran from the upper part of my left arm through my veins close to my heart. The other port was supposed to be used for extracting blood for testing and for flushing the line with saline solution, but it was only used once in the hospital for blood extraction. Blood was extracted here at my rehab facility every few days using a needle stuck either into one of my arms or into the back of one of my hands. I haven't had blood extracted in a short while.

My PICC line was removed on July 8, 2022.

In recent years, I have endured many of these six-week-long regimens for many cases of cellulitis in both of my legs individually and for the lingering osteomyelitis in my left foot.

Thank you for your prayers, well-wishes, and support. I will continue to pray for everyone who is going through rough times.