A Homecoming

Yesterday morning we met with the physical and occupational therapists.  It was sort of a show and tell day.  We were shown what his rehab has consisted of, how it has progressed and how Benjamin has met or exceeded the goals set at the onset of his stay.  They practiced exercises and stretches.  They showed all the skills for independent living such as showering, getting in/out of a car, toileting, putting on socks and shoes, safely transitioning from a lying to sitting position and sitting to standing position.  It is remarkable what they've done for him in the last two weeks.  He's not the same person that was transported here by ambulance.  I've told you numerous times and I'll tell you again.  God is has been so good to us.  People have been so good to us.  Benjamin's therapists all gave him hugs on the way out, making him promise to WALK BACK IN one day to visit.  One therapist gave him a nice card, telling him she was praying for him and gave him some Scripture to stand on.  

It's been almost a month.  That's a long time.  I remember driving away from the hospital when we had our first baby scared to death.  I felt like I had a fragile cargo of eggs that I needed to be very careful with.  I checked the streets twice for on-coming traffic, so protective.  I felt the same way today.  I was nervous, like the first time I sat behind the wheel.  I pulled up to the doors of the exterior of the hospital and Benjamin, as he practiced many times, got into the car.  We stowed the wheelchair and walker in the trunk and started the 40 minute drive home.  Home!

We arrived to balloons on the mailbox, signs on the house and well-wishers.  He emerged from the car all smiles.

I'm sure we're going to cramp his style for a while.  He's used to living in Lake Charles in a house that he and Tanner and Owen (his roommates) rent.  Now he's back with us for a while.  He will start out-patient rehab three days a week here in Jennings starting Monday.  That will go on for four weeks.  In two weeks he has an appointment with his orthopedic surgeon.  Hopefully, at that point he will be deemed load-bearing on his right leg.  Then we have an appointment with his neurosurgeon in early November along with x-rays to gauge where he is in the healing process.

For now, though, he exhaled and was happy to be home.

Belle, his Great Pyrenees, was SO happy to see him.  In a later photo, that I wasn't able to capture, that big old dog tried to climb in the chair with him.

Then it was up the ramp and into the house.  What a homecoming!

He still has a lot of work to do.  Our next goal is to get him back to work.  With his mother following behind us in another vehicle, I had an opportunity (a captive audience) to talk to him on the way home.  He wouldn't have therapists working with him, pushing him every day, although he'll go 3 times a week.  The other days it would be incumbent on him to push himself and not slack off if he wants to continue the progress he's made.  

I told him to keep up the hard work and make it to the finish line.  I brought to his attention that he has four titanium rods in his legs and two in his back.  That's a lot of titanium.  I had googled the value of titanium per ounce and it ranges between $0.52 and $10.00 per ounce.  I told him that's a lot of money and warned him that if he starts slacking off, I'd sell him for scrap.  He laughed and promised me he wouldn't let us down.  I know he won't.

Home Sweet Home.

Two Left Feet - An Update on Benjamin

Tomorrow (Thursday) will be Benjamin's last full day of in-patient rehab.  On Friday, he will attend the morning session, and then he'll be released and - we'll go HOME.  He's excited.  He's made a lot of progress.  It's amazing, really - like witnessing a miracle.  A part of me doesn't want him to leave and lose the momentum he's got going.  I'm afraid he'll get home and take it easy.  It's easier to push forward when a physical therapist is challenging you versus mom & dad telling you to do something.  He will be getting outpatient rehab 3 times a week, though.

Tomorrow we're invited to his morning rehab session where they'll communicate more about his move home.  We ordered equipment he'll need for the home stay.  When Tricia got to the hospital yesterday, they were practicing getting into and out of a car.

I still don't know how they got this car up on the second floor.  Regardless, he's able to get in and out.  His mobility is getting better in his legs.  He got off of the muscle relaxer and most of the pain medication.  When he tried to get off of the Gabapentin (nerve blocker) medicine cold turkey, he experienced excruciating pain.  He didn't sleep a wink that night.  He's back on it and feeling better.  Benjamin is feeling lots of pain in his right leg/ankle/foot as they try to stretch it.  It is still swollen.  That's the leg that is not load-bearing, yet.  He'll have an appointment in 2 weeks.  Once he is load-bearing on the right leg, he'll start walking with a walker.  Things still have to heal up for now.

He's had his sights set on returning home and sleeping in his own bed and eating home-cooked meals.  I wanted to set his sights on a more ambitious goal.  As I passed his place of employment in Westlake, LA, I took a photo of it and told him and his physical therapist that his new focus needs to be on getting healed so he can get back to work.  He's ready to work toward getting back to gainful employment as fast as he can.

So two left feet.  I'm not a good dancer.  I've never been a good dancer.  I always say I have two left feet.  Tricia, on the other hand - that little lady can dance.  Tricia always wants the boys to kick off their shoes and dance around the kitchen with her.  The boys are always not too thrilled with that idea.  After much coaxing, they'll dance with their momma, but it takes a lot of arm-pulling.

Earlier this week Benjamin received a text from my brother.  Tricia asked Benjamin about it.  My brother told Benjamin to keep up the hard work - that he'd be up and dancing in no time.  After Benjamin told Tricia about the text, he got real quiet.  Tricia looked over and noticed Benjamin was real emotional.  Up to that point he'd been real stoic throughout this whole ordeal...  until now.  He told Tricia, "Mom, I'd do anything to be able to dance with you right now!"  

So in addition to getting home and into his own bed and eating home-cooked meals and getting back to his job, he's got another goal - to dance in the kitchen with his momma!  Get your dancing shoes ready, Benjamin!

Running Out of Time

The rains have been few and far between this summer.  Shrubs and trees have died in the yard.  It has been an unusual time, to say the least.  We started four different varieties of pumpkins back on July 4th.  After watering them every day for a month and a half, the pumpkins at first gave a valiant effort.  One by one they wilted, drooped, waved a white flag and slumped into the mulch.

The fall garden deadlines to get the seeds planted are quickly arriving.  Broccoli, Cabbage, and Cauliflower had to be planted by September 1.  I think I was five days late.  Here we are.  As soon as they have their first true leaves, I'll transplant into bigger pots and water with some diluted fish emulsion to get them jump started.

Next, I focused on snap beans.  We just love snap beans.  They must be planted by September 10th.  We usually try plant so that we pick the first fresh snap beans on Thanksgiving morning.  We pick them whole and arrange them in bundles, wrapping them in bacon, putting a pat of butter on top and then topping with some brown sugar.  Bake them in the oven and you've got a beautiful and delicious side dish fresh from the garden.  (Of course you wrap most anything with bacon and it would be good.)

The problem is, the snap beans have to be direct seeded into the rows.  With no rain, and us being with Benjamin in the hospital.  That's risky.  Would the snap beans suffer the same fate as the pumpkins.  Well, we've been praying for rain.  I was thinking about holding off planting UNTIL we got rain, but what kind of faith is that?  We prayed for rain and I planted.  Looking back, I should have planted with an umbrella in my hand.  We were running out of time, but we got two rows of snap beans planted.

After planting, I watered them in with a hose.  I did the same the next day, too.  And the next.  And the next after that.

Pretty soon...  You see the little sprout pushing the soil upward.  Once I had sprouts, I'd water in the morning AND the evening.  I'm planting into homemade compost.  It is full of organic matter, but it dries out quickly.

The seedling struggles to push the soil out of the way, arching its "back," with its cotyledon visible.

The soft, early morning sun coaxes the first leaves to emerge, bright and green.  The seed coat holds loosely to the leaves before dropping off.  The stem, once hunch-backed, is erect and ready to thrust itself upward.  If we could see beneath the soil, we'd see a developing root system, stretching out in the ground.  I've layered some composted chicken litter a couple inches below.  Once those roots hit that, they'll jump out of the ground and the leaves will turn so green, they'll almost be blue!

The new leaves will soon open and will seek the warm of the sun.  The wonder of photosynthesis will begin to occur and continued growth will happen.

If growing conditions cooperate, the little plants will flourish and will put out blooms that will be visited by our honeybees.  Those blooms will yield fresh snap beans.

And those snap beans will make a great side dish for Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving will be extra special this year.  We have A LOT to be thankful for!  Thank you Lord for your blessings on me and my family!

Benjamin - Three Weeks After the Accident - Update

In a couple of hours, it will mark three weeks following Benjamin's "great fall."  Fortunately, all the king's horses and all the king's men (and women) were able to put him back together again.  Praise be to God!  We still don't know fully what limitations he'll have, but we feel so blessed that he has made as much progress as he has.  This afternoon after church, we drove from Jennings to Lake Charles to visit him.  We brought a large Tony's Pizza, and he wolfed it down.  It's only a 35 minute drive and that allows us to spend most of the day with him each day.  

Normally I am able to get to his room around 11 AM.  I go and watch him in his physical and occupational therapy sessions for a while then I go back to his room where I work until he comes back and we have lunch together.  Then he naps and they wake him up at around 1 PM and he goes back for more therapy.  I'll do more computer work and then head home.  Tricia comes to the hospital and is there when he gets out of therapy and she'll stay with him until bedtime.  Then she comes back home.

If all goes as planned, Benjamin will be released this Friday to come home.  What they've been able to do with him in this short time is nothing short of miraculous.  We're so impressed.  He is making improvements day by day, and I think he is proud of the progress he's made so far.  To be honest, he's ready to come home.  He tells me he's tired of being asleep and being awakened to have his vitals taken at all hours.  He's tired of being awakened at 4:30 AM to get dressed for the day.  He also tells me he wants to sleep in his own bed.  He's just tired altogether.

Benjamin and Tricia

We've tried to encourage him to push through it for one more week - five more days, really.  We tell him that if he went home now, he'd miss out on valuable therapy time that would slow or limit the success of his recovery.  I've talked to the wonderful staff here, and they all assure me that he's doing great and that what he's feeling is normal.  I don't want his discouragement to hamstring his continued progress.  Please pray that he'll power on through this week and finish strong.

This past week they worked on building stamina in being able to stand on his load-bearing leg.  They also worked on going from a lying position to a sitting position without help, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, putting his back brace on/on by himself, going from a sitting position to a standing position with a walker. They even worked on getting him into and out of a car!  They have a Volkswagen sedan up on the second floor (I wonder how they got it up here) and have been working on this.  He'll leave in a car this Friday, so by then he'll be ready.  They have been doing an electric shock therapy on his right leg.  I know that's not the right name for it!  They are trying to stimulate the nerves so that he regains the feeling in the sole of his right foot.  He's starting to feel tingling.  They say that's a good thing.  The nerves appear to be 'waking up' in his foot.  His right hand/fingers/arm is still asleep.  They have been working with him in typing exercises.  We're praying that in time the feeling comes back.

Although he and his roommates rent a house in Lake Charles, he'll come home to Jennings for a while.  He will continue to get rehab, but it will be only three times a week and will be out-patient.  Benjamin will have appointments with his neurosurgeon and orthopedic surgeon in Lafayette.  The next big step will be getting clearance for his right leg to be load bearing.  Then rehab will ramp up in earnest.

Speaking of ramps...  Some wonderful and thoughtful friends of ours dropped off a ramp that they built in order to make our home wheelchair accessible!  I'm telling you, we have been overwhelmed with the prayers, compassion, and generosity of so many people.  I don't know how people make it through the tragedies of life that don't know the Lord and that don't have a wonderful family, friend and neighbor support system.

This photo doesn't show it, but later I put the "Home Sweet Home" door mat at the end to welcome him home at the end of the week.

The ramp was key to getting him into and out of the house and will be instrumental in getting him to rehab.  On a related note, our fall garden progress is three weeks behind.  The ramp will help get Benjamin outside.  He needs some sunshine, and I'm working on designing an apparatus that will hook a hoe or some type of cultivator to the back of his wheelchair so that he can help me get the fall garden crop in with quickness.  (I kid, I kid!)

Overall, a great week and a great report.  I look forward to telling you more good news as we get it.  We love you all and appreciate your faithful prayers.  Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow!

The Good Old Days

NOTE: I will be bringing regular updates on Benjamin's continued progress along with specific things to pray for as needs change and as we get more news.  For now, he continues to work hard and make improvements each and every day.  Praise God!  We are ever so thankful to our merciful Lord.  

 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

I'm a hopeless nostalgic.  I was born in 1966 and grew up in the 70's and 80's.  Those felt like the best days of my life.  To me, it seemed like the best of times, although the 50's look great, too.  I guess it's all perspective.  I almost feel guilty for having the childhood I had.  My mind is littered with memories of good experiences, simplicity and happiness.  That's not to say that things were perfect.  They weren't - we live in a fallen world.  But the memories I have of the past evoke a sense of longing for better times in the present.  

I read a quote last week that in the Greek, the word nostalgia literally means "the pain from an old wound."  What an odd, but perfect way to put it!  Memories of the past bring back times we call the 'good old days' that create an aching in your soul, an intense longing to go back to a certain place and time in your past that no longer exists.  It is a weird, indescribable emotion.  It is sadness and happiness mashed up all together in a rich gumbo of emotion.  Does that make any sense at all?

I sometimes view a website that has an on-going thread called "Pictures from Days Gone By" in which people post old photos.  For a nostalgic, looking at those photos is akin to someone suffering with diabetes eating an entire box of Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies.  Here is one I saw the other day:

Note the attire, the work ethic, the joy on the kids' faces, the family togetherness.  I don't know the people and the time of the photo is a little before my time according to the farm equipment, but the subject matter of the photo hooked me like a channel cat.  The harvest meal.  Harvest time was a busy time.  It was hot.  Equipment would break down.  Rain would cause delays.  There was a skinny window of time you had to get the crop out of the field and so you worked and you worked hard.  The entire family was involved.  But you still had to eat.

Most of the time, we brought our lunches packed in igloo coolers that we would eat on the tractor, while we worked and listened to Ronnie Milsap on the radio.  The main course would be Olive Loaf lunchmeat sandwiches on Evangeline Maid white bread with mustard.  I haven't eaten an olive loaf sandwich in years, but thinking about it just now gave me a hankering.  There would also be a Dr. Pepper or a Shasta flavored soda in the cooler, a Little Debbie cake of some sort, a small bag of chips, a dill pickle, and some sunflower seeds.  Mom would make sure there was a banana or some grapes in the lunch box, of course.

Those lunches were great, but there were special farm lunches - the harvest lunch I anticipated.  At about noon, we would see a car turn down the dirt field road accompanied by billowing clouds of dust following behind it.  As the car got closer, we knew this was gonna be good.  My mom with my little sister in tow, or my grandpa or grandma would emerge with bags of food.  The combines kept harvesting, but those on the carts or the rice truck shut it all down!  

There was a burger joint in Oberlin called the Frostee.  They made great cheeseburgers, french fries and coke floats.  It was a red letter day when that was in the bag.  We always had homemade oatmeal cookies with raisins, too.  There were a couple fried chicken places in town that made great fried chicken with a thick seasoned batter.  We were happy with anything, though.  There was a little country grocery store called "Buddy's" right off Cottongin Road from which we purchased a multitude of honey buns and Dr. Peppers.  Dad had a charge account there and would settle up at the end of each month. 

We would eat our meal in the shade underneath an old tree or beneath the bed of the rice truck.  After eating we'd lie back in the grass all fat and happy and talk while my grandpa sharpened his pocketknife.  The soft scraping of the Case pocketknife against the brick lubricated with spit created a rhythmic sound that would lull you to sleep.  On cooler days, we'd drop the tailgate and eat right there with our legs swinging underneath.  Life seemed slower, unhurried, simple and innocent.  I'm sure there were worries, but I was unaware of them.  Here is another photo from that thread.  I don't know the people, but the scene is oh so familiar!

What in the world happened?  I don't know.  Why am I waxing nostalgic about something as foolish as an olive loaf sandwich forty-something odd years later?  Why do photos of people I don't even know pull a metaphorical scab off and create a "pain from an old wound?"  Those are questions better answered by deeper thinkers than someone such as I.  You probably don't have the same affinity for things or times that I described, but something tells me that you have similar memories and longings, no?

We certainly can't go back to those times.  They are gone.  We don't want to conform to a world whose values have seemingly left us behind.  I certainly don't want to adopt the values of a world that seems so at odds with mine or a world that's moving way too fast for this guy.  Finally, we feel powerless to change things around us that have made the world so complex, fast, impersonal and unforgiving.  In a small way, however, we can affect change in small ways on a local setting with those in your sphere of influence- making conversation with that soul you come into contact with.  Sharing a smile and a laugh with someone who is having a bad day.  You might even share an olive loaf sandwich with someone! 

So, this hopeless nostalgic will sign off tonight.  But one more thing.  I learned a new word last week.  It's called "postalgia."  Postalgia refers to a longing for a heavenly future, a feeling that when tomorrow comes, we want it to be like the good old days in the past that we spend our quiet moments pining for.  I think the Apostle Paul puts it best - this old world is fallen and should not be where our hopes lie.  No, our citizenship is in heaven.

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:13-14

The State of the Rehab Address

Tonight's post will be short, but informative.  I promised a report after our Family Meeting this morning at 9:30.  Benjamin, below, with a spoiler alert as to how the meeting went:

The three of us were led to a large conference room and were invited to sit at the head of the table.  The objective of this meeting was to communicate Benjamin's progress, set goals for continued rehabilitation and recovery, and discuss the projected release date.  I'll let the cat out of the bag on the last point.  Benjamin will be released from in-patient rehab in 10 days - September 29th.  There were reports from each group:

Physical Therapy:    Goals were as follows: By the time he leaves, he'll be able to get into and out of the bed with no help, Put back brace on/off while lying down in bed, Stand and turn on walker on load-bearing leg without hopping, get into/out of a car, Begin electrical stimulation on right foot and ankle.

Occupational Therapy:    Will take a shower today.  First time in over two weeks.  Benjamin said, "Dad, I stink!"  Goals: to continue to get independent in self care, bathroom, bathing, etc.  We talked about the numbness/pins and needles in his right (dominant) hand.  They want to give it more time, but there are therapies like an EMG nerve study (I think?) to help as well as doing a C spine MRI to locate potential areas causing this.  We communicated that he doesn't have a lot of fine motor skills in his dominant hand, so writing with a pen is hard as well as typing.  They were happy to add those skills to his training regimen for the next 10 days.

Speech Therapy:    The rigorous testing on cognition is over and Benjamin did great.  No brain injury.

Dr. Alyson Jones:    Overall, Benjamin is doing great, improving every day and motivating others in the gym.  Still watching his ankle that is oozing.  He will go home on September 29th, but so as not to lose momentum, will get out-patient or home health therapy 3 times a week along with exercises/homework.  He will have an appointment with his neurosurgeon and orthopedic surgeon in Lafayette two weeks after discharge from rehab.  Once orthopedic doctor gives the green light to bear weight on his legs (~ 6 weeks) he can resume rehab with learning to walk, gait, etc.  We asked about pain meds.  He is not needing near as much as he did previously.  He'll go home with pain medication and other prescriptions, but said he could experiment weaning down.  We asked if he would have chronic, long lasting pain/arthritis.  They said perhaps his ankle would tell him when the weather was going to change, but they foresee a good recovery and are optimistic.  Benjamin asked if he would ever be able to run again.  Dr. Jones quickly answered, "Yes."  Generally, the Return to Work date is 3 months post accident date, but she said they would assess that as time goes on.

All in all it was a very encouraging and positive meeting.  We thanked the entire staff and thanked the Lord.  As I type this, I'm overwhelmed by the last two weeks.  God has been so good to us.  You prayer warriors have been so faithful.  We love you, from the bottom of our hearts, we love you!

.

Are You Squeamish?

This will be the first post on our Family blog that will revert back to the original purpose of the Our Maker's Acres Family Farm blog.  Tonight's episode is about things that make me squeamish on our little homestead.  We have a bonus at the end of the post about Benjamin and things that made us kind of squeamish today in his hospital room.

If you've followed the blog, you know that LuLu, one of our Jersey cows, recently gave birth to Nicky.  Nicky is a little Jersey bull calf and is a cute little guy.   The plans for Nicky are two-fold.  We'll raise him for about 18 months and let him breed our cows.  Then, he will be processed and put in our freezer.  It is an incredible cycle.  The sun grows the grass.  The cows poop and fertilize the grass, making it grow.  The cows eat the grass, transforming the energy of the sun and the fertility of the soil into milk.  We drink the milk and the calf drinks the milk.  The milk that Nicky drinks, and later grass that he eats, is transformed into protein that ends up on our plates.

Jersey bulls can be very dangerous.  It is a fact that Jersey bulls kill more farmers than any other breed of cattle.  That is a strange thing because Jersey cows are so docile.  The bulls are a different story altogether.  We want things as safe as possible out in the barnyard.  It is still burned in my memory (you'll know why I said that in a minute) an event in movie history that I still think about today.

In "The Song of the South" movie from my childhood that I think is now censored, I recall little Johnny running across the pasture, calling for Uncle Remus.  A bull with horns runs after little Johnny and to everyone's shock, the bull gores little Johnny with his horns.  I wonder if that is where the old saying "You mess with the bull, you get the horns" comes from?  We want to prevent that from ever happening in our pasture, so after every calf is born, at about 10-14 days old, we de-horn the calf.  Click this link to see the tool we use on both calves and baby goats (kids).

This is the way we do it:  We put the calf in the barn, lay him down and sit on him.  Then we use clippers to shave the hair on his head around the horn buds, exposing them.  Then we use an electric dehorning iron to burn and kill the horn bud.  If the procedure is successful, the horns don't grow and your chances of ending up like poor little Johnny are greatly reduced.

The de-horning iron gets cherry-red.  You put it around the horn buds while holding the calf down.  When you have a copper-colored ring around the horn bud, the job is done.  I always feel sorry for the calves and it makes me squeamish to do it.  I'm sure it is painful, but in about 5 minutes, the calf is up and running around like nothing happened.

Well, to segue into a status report on Benjamin today, I saw something today in his hospital room that made me squeamish.  If you don't have a strong stomach, this might be a post to not continue.  I don't know how doctors do what they do.  I just don't have the stomach or fortitude for it.  Today was the day that the doctor would be removing staples from Benjamin's many incisions.  Here are the staples on his legs from where they put rods in both bones in his lower legs and patched up the compound fracture.  The wounds have healed nicely.  His knees and right lower leg, ankle and foot are still swollen.

This is where the compound fracture was.  These staples will be staying in a while longer and a fresh dressing was put on.

Dr. Jones told Benjamin it wouldn't hurt, but he grabbed a pillow and held it tight.  He braced himself.  The doctor told him, "Do you feel it?  I've already pulled out 5 of them."  He didn't feel any pain and let go of the pillow.  They came out quickly and with ease.  He was smiling and laughing by the end of it.

This photo makes my stomach get tight.  This is the incision from the spine surgery (laminectomy), where they put rods in his back.  We counted the staples.  There are 45 of them.  The incision is clean and healed.  This was scheduled for tomorrow, but the doctor said, "Let's get it done today!"

Not that you requested it, but here is a close-up.  I am a grown man of 56 years and this makes me want to cry.  But you know what?  He's alive.  He's not brain-injured.  He's not paralyzed.  I can look at these scars and have gratitude to the Lord for His Goodness in saving my son.  A scar can be a testimony to point to a compassionate God.  That's the way we're gonna look at it.

Dr. Jones asked Benjamin if he wanted the staples as a souvenir.  "Absolutely," he said.  We even dug in the trash and retrieved the staple puller, too.  Being the goofy people we are, we counted all the staples on the tray.  For those interested, guess how many?: (The answer is below the photo)

There were 126 staples that were removed from his legs, hip and back today.  There are still some staples remaining in his right lower leg.  Tomorrow we have our big meeting.  I'll have a report tomorrow night.  Thank you for all your prayers.  They mean the world to us!

Benjamin - Two Weeks Post Accident Status Report

In about an hour and twenty minutes, it'll be two weeks since we learned that our 22 year old son, Benjamin, fell from the third story of a parking garage in Lake Charles.  He suffered terrible injuries, but is recovering.  We thank God for His Goodness.  We thank you, family, friends, and readers for your prayers.  What we've seen is nothing short of a miracle, and God's not done yet.  We thank all the doctors, nurses, ER staff, ambulance drivers, surgeons, and support staff that have been wonderful!

We are currently at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital In-patient Rehab where Benjamin has a team of doctors and therapists working on him, assessing speech and cognition due to the skull fracture.  He undergoes a couple of hours of occupational therapy each morning in which he is being taught to put on a back brace and use a slide board to move from bed to wheel chair, from wheel chair to commode and back.  He also undergoes a couple of hours of physical therapy in the afternoon where they work with him to regain strength and mobility in his damaged legs, pelvis and back.  He is EXHAUSTED in the afternoon when all that is done.

Matters are complicated due to his two badly broken legs.  One of them is non-load bearing, so he cannot put ANY weight on it while it heals.  This could be anywhere from 6 to 10 weeks.  We have a family - treatment team meeting on Tuesday morning at 9:30.  I'll give another update Tuesday night as we'll know more about prognosis, goals, treatment plan moving forward.  You would not believe the improvement we've seen in the last week.  Here he is in the wheel chair.  The tape on his right arm is for nerve damage - numbness and pins and needles from elbow to fingers.  Feeling has not returned.  We're still praying about that.  

Staples in his left leg and right leg, except where the compound fracture was, come out tomorrow.  Staples in his spine come out Tuesday.  They are trying to figure out how to accomplish teaching him to shower with the restriction of no weight on the right leg and no hopping - only pivoting on the left leg.  Other than the numbness in his right arm and numbness on his left forearm, his upper body strength is really helping his recovery.  

He wanted to get out of the room for the past two days, so he pushed himself all over the hospital in his wheelchair.  His brother, Russ, was there to assist should he get tired.  Tricia wanted to avoid being in the photo.  She's hiding behind the door.

Benjamin had not been outside in 13 days, so we went out to the butterfly garden so he could get some sunshine and fresh air.

We anticipate being released to home for a number of weeks until his leg is load-bearing.  At that point, he'll be back in rehab.  This week I'll be moving a bed from upstairs into his old downstairs bedroom.  That bed is shorter.  I'll also be building a small ramp to enable him to get into the house over a four inch threshold.  We'll also remove the door from the bathroom in his room for easier access.  We will also be figuring out how to get him back to work as quickly as feasible.

Stay tuned for a "normal" post tomorrow night and then another update on our patient on Tuesday following the big meeting.  You'll never fully understand how appreciative our family is of your prayers, love, encouragement, and concern since this occurred.  Much love to you from the Sonnier's.

A Change of Scenery (Benjamin's Move to In-patient Rehab)

Yesterday we received the news that there was nothing medically keeping Benjamin from starting in-patient rehabilitation.  An ambulance transport was scheduled for Thursday at 7 am.  We decided it would be a good idea to dress for success and get a clean shave so he would look all spiffy for the trip.

Physical therapy got him situated in his wheelchair and we went for a spin around floor 10.  He pushed for most of the way and then I took the wheel for a while.  I must admit I was a little cautious.  I didn't want someone to come around a corner or out of a door and hit his legs. 

The ambulance arrived and loaded our guy for the trip from Lafayette to Lake Charles, a hop, skip and a jump down 1-10 westbound.

Benjamin really got good service and care in Lafayette.  They were all great.  He was excited about starting his rehabilitation.  We arrived at the hospital in Lake Charles and met with the director, doctor and staff.  They were welcoming and had been praying for Benjamin.  A speech therapy assessment was done along with a meeting with a counselor to ensure that he was psychologically ready.

Dr. Jones showed us the x-rays of his legs PRIOR to the surgeries.  This is the tib-fib fracture on his left leg:

And this is the tib fib fracture on the right leg.  You can tell why his right leg is classified as non-load bearing for 6-8 weeks.  He won't be able to put ANY weight on this one for that long while it heals.  OUCH is all I can say.

Amazing work was done today.  First, he met with Occupational Therapy.  He was changed out of his gown and into shorts and a t shirt for the first time since September 4th.  He moved from the bed into a wheelchair and from a wheelchair to a commode.  The plan is to work with him intensely for two weeks to get him to be able to go to the bathroom, dress, and move into a wheelchair and back to bed on his own.  Once those goals are met, he will convalesce at home until his right leg is load-bearing.  Then, we'll return for learning to walk and regaining tools he needs.

Then he met with Physical Therapy where he was assessed for areas of numbness/nerve damage all over his body.  He was taught to use a slide board to go from wheelchair to bed and back.  He will undergo cognitive testing to ensure that there is not a brain injury that has not been detected.  His days will be filled with therapy and, yes, pain.  But he will get better.

From today until Tuesday, he will get a thorough screening to evaluate all injuries, current status, prognosis for recovery, set goals and formulate a plan to best achieve those goals.  We are invited to meet Tuesday for this presentation.  We are happy to be here.  Everyone seems professional, caring, and very capable.  He worked hard, was in pain, and showed grit and determination.  We're very proud of him.  By this afternoon he was exhausted.  

Tricia has been sleeping at the hospital in Lafayette all week.  Tonight, he's on his own.  Tricia will be coming home.  We'll see him tomorrow at lunch.  Which reminds me, from now on, he was told no more eating in bed.  He has to get up, sit in a wheelchair and eat.  We told him we loved him, prayed with him and told him good night. 

In the meeting on Tuesday with the staff, we'll get an idea of how long his recovery will be, what that recovery will look like, what lingering, long-term effects of the injury will be, and when he can return to work.  We pray that he will fully recover.  We wanted to thank all of you for the emails, comments, texts, cards, and prayers that you have offered on his (and our) behalf.  We have learned a lot about how to care for others by watching your example.  You mean the world to us and we thank the Good Lord for you.  He is so good to us.

Getting Ready for the Next Phase

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  James 5:16 KJV

Your prayers have certainly availed much!  Since 2013, this has been a homesteading blog of sorts, primarily the rambling of a foolish man who loves the outdoors, old-fashioned ways, and living an agrarian, country, God-fearing lifestyle, close to God and nature.  Since Sunday night, the blog has taken a different direction, but we'll return to our regularly scheduled programming at some point.

Thank you, prayer warriors, for lifting up our Benjamin.  Our Lord has strengthened him and we're seeing marked improvement.  As I finished up my work today and drove to the hospital, I didn't even turn on the radio.  I thanked God.  My baby boy is alive and will begin rehab soon.  We have a long ways to go, but we have a plan.  I'll talk to you about that more in a bit.  

Before leaving to head to the hospital in Lafayette, I fed the chickens and cows and goats.  It was quiet and peaceful.  Still no rain, but the morning temps were in the 60's.  It feels so nice after weeks of 100+ weather.  It still rises to the 90's in the afternoon, but we have so much to be thankful for.  As I got off of I-10 on Ambassador Caffery and veered off onto Bertrand Drive, I passed in front of the Borden Dairy.  I always like murals painted on the side of buildings.  This one on the side of the Borden's Dairy building is exceptional.

The whole cow family is there for the family portrait.  They give you the Dairy best.  I'll be telling you about our own Elsie and Rosie and LuLu and her little bull calf, Nicky, maybe later this week. 

I couldn't wait to get up the elevator and make my way to the 10th floor to Benjamin's room.  He's out of ICU and in his own room now.  Tricia has been sleeping on the couch in his room.  From his window you can watch Acadian Ambulance Air Med helicopters land on the roof.  They counted 6 or 7 on Saturday night into Sunday.

Benjamin ALMOST rode in one over here from Lake Charles, but a more life-threatening case arose and he got the regular ambulance instead.  What a blessing it is that those in need of life-saving help can get to the hospital in expedited fashion.

Before heading to the hospital, I took a photo of Benjamin's cat, Ginger, to show him.  I think Ginger misses old Benjamin.  He was happy to see his kitty cat.

Okay, I'll cut to the chase.  Here's what's been happening:

Physical therapy has been coming to his room every day.  They put a brace on his back, sit him up in bed and using a slide board, put him in a wheel chair.  The plan was to sit for 2 hours, but the pain was severe, he got light-headed and couldn't make it.  They got him back in bed.  That is normal - when you've been in bed and get up quickly and your legs aren't toned, all the blood rushes from your head and you could pass out.  They tried it again today and it was better!  He was able to sit for 2+ hours!

He then pushed himself down the hall in the wheelchair.  Soon, he'll be wheeling himself out of the hospital!

His pain is getting better or more bearable.  Today, he made it 8 hours without needing it.  We had asked you to pray for urination.  They took the catheter out yesterday at 2:30.  They gave him until 8:30 to pee before they put it back in.  He was feeling pressure down there and began trying.  He was working so hard because he didn't want that back in.  After much straining and effort, he was successful in peeing a little bit.  They did not have to put the catheter back in.  He continues to pee a little at a time and he is worn out from straining, but he is peeing.  Answered Prayer!

We had asked you to pray for #2.  Remember, it was a secret.  I hope you've told no one.  Well, last night after an enema, he was successful.  Today, without an enema, he was successful.  It was a moving experience - both literally and figuratively.  As I cleaned him up, he apologized, "I'm sorry, Dad, you have to do that."  Are you serious?  I've never been so happy to clean you up, Benjamin!  Answered Prayer #2!

The doctor's made their rounds today and have cleared Benjamin to be released to an in-patient rehab hospital.  We don't know for how long, but we've been prepared for a long recovery process.  We had asked you to pray about direction in where to go.  After much prayer and hours of telephone calls, texts, and emails, we have chosen Lake Charles Memorial In Patient Rehab hospital.  I called them two mornings ago at 8:03 AM and introduced myself.  The manager who answered my call said, "Mr. Sonnier, I'm so glad you called.  We have been praying for Benjamin."  We think God has gone ahead of us and prepared the way.  She spent an abundance of time with me and answered all of my questions and has a wealth of knowledge as well as personal experience with Benjamin's injury.  I emailed her when I got back from the hospital late last night and she was answering my emails at 10:42 pm last night.  Wow!  We have peace with our decision. The paperwork is being processed now and Benjamin is ready to be transferred (hopefully tomorrow if all goes well) to begin the next phase of his recovery.  Answered Prayer #3

God, You are SO good to us.  Family and Friends, you have been so faithful to pray.  We talked about change.  One day things are normal and then all of a sudden, they aren't.  Change is inevitable.  When change comes, we have learned that it is imperative to remain anchored to One that does not change.