Silver lining with flecks of gold

Our middle son’s recovery is going as well as could be expected, but we are most pleased and excited for his attitude about getting well. He told us he looks at this as an opportunity he will not squander and has firmly decided to take better care of himself going forward. 

He is a very large man, and is probably 100 pounds overweight. He also smokes just a bit and self-care has not been on his radar for a long time. In the hospital he was asked if he wanted a nicotine patch since he was confined to his bed for a week but he declined and told me he is done with that habit. It wasn’t difficult for him to give up because he only smoked a little in the evenings, but it is still important for him to give up on his new journey.

He is also determined to eat better and lose weight, and has already lost around 8 pounds. Remarkable considering he is mostly lying or sitting. He has begun therapy to improve his walker skills and will also work on using a knee scooter at some point. He’s trying to order better meals and today was receptive when I suggested he limit carbs to one per meal, if that. 

When he was in the hospital and I was tasked with trying to wash his hair, I tried dry shampoo and a shampoo cap.  (By the way, I stink at that task so his sister came in and really took care of the situation.) His hair was very tangled because it was quite long and hadn’t been trimmed in several years. Very dry and split. I realized I wasn’t going to get through the biggest tangle and told him I wasn’t sure what to do. He told me to cut it. I told him if I cut out the tangle it would leave a hole in his hair and he said, “No, cut my hair.”  So I did.

His sister left him a little box of art and craft supplies and included a pair of hospital scissors (think the ones used for cutting off bandages) so I grabbed those and began.  I gathered up handfuls of hair and took off about 9 or 10 inches. Given the crude equipment and the fact he was sitting in a recliner and I couldn’t even things up without getting hair everywhere, it looked pretty good!  He said he needed his hair to be more manageable as he recovers and he definitely looks better. Self care!

We ordered a portable ramp for the front of our house and borrowed some mobility equipment for him to use. When you are large and cannot put weight on your right leg for 6 weeks, getting around takes a village. He is working SO hard on his therapy and we are SO proud of him! He is delighted to relay his victories to us and we can see he is proud of himself.

But the gold flecks? He began drawing again to pass the time in the hospital. He is an extraordinarily gifted artist and also incredibly creative. His sister gave him a sketchbook, pens, and pencils and he is doing what he loves and is good at. He hasn’t drawn in a long time so we love to see him filling pages with his magical drawings.

He asked me to get him some ultra fine pens which of course I’ll get later today. R will visit him after work (I went at noon) so maybe we’ll go together since I’m sticking around for the ramp to be delivered. I have had a lot of worry and anxiety about how he would do, but he is making the most of the opportunity and making his parents so very proud!