It is now day 36 in a halo for Jan. Only 38 more to go, maybe less if the appointments work out to her advantage. Maybe more if they don't.
She is still sleeping in the lift chair loaned to her by her dean. She has not slept in a bed for the full 36 days. This is hard on her because she is a natural side sleeper. I'm trying to convince her she can sleep in her own bed with pillows propped around her body and head with a gap for her shoulder. That should keep any pressure points off of her arm and still allow her to log roll off the bed. Worst case scenario, she wakes me up and I help her. That's what I'm here for.
As handy as the lift chair is, it pretty much locks you into a position for the night. She was on the love seat while I sat in the lift chair. I drifted off to sleep for an hour, maybe two, and woke up stiffer than a board. I don't usually get stiff or have that kind of issue. No wonder her neck is so tight in the mornings. We apply heat to her neck every night and every morning to help ease the tension in those unused but stiff muscles.
Between the small reheatable bean bag type packs our dental hygienist gave us and the extra padding I clipped away, the little packs fit perfectly between the collar of the vest and her neck without a lot of extraneous shifting and fishing them in and out.
Her church sent over a full lasagna meal with salad and dessert for a Sunday meal. With all the gear she has on, eating is sometimes a problem. Since it naturally rests on her lower rib cage, she gets full quickly and then experiences gastric distress if she eats as quickly as a normal person. One of the side effects of the most powerful pain medication that she takes is the slowing of the gut. Peristalsis becomes sluggish and that exacerbates the condition. That lasagna was very good and she had to go rest after eating.
While Jan's niece, Emily, was visiting, I took the opportunity to partially reassemble my 39-year-old muscle car. It has been in some form of disassembly since Thanksgiving. I ordered parts before the accident and they arrived mid-week when we returned home from Bilkmore. It isn't finished but it at least has the steering gear reassembled.
Today is MLK Day and our daughter is off. Even though she won't be up before noon, she is in the house and Jan is having a good day so far. It is snowing but I have a 4x4 truck and I am going to work for a while just to get some things done that need on-site attention.
She is still sleeping in the lift chair loaned to her by her dean. She has not slept in a bed for the full 36 days. This is hard on her because she is a natural side sleeper. I'm trying to convince her she can sleep in her own bed with pillows propped around her body and head with a gap for her shoulder. That should keep any pressure points off of her arm and still allow her to log roll off the bed. Worst case scenario, she wakes me up and I help her. That's what I'm here for.
As handy as the lift chair is, it pretty much locks you into a position for the night. She was on the love seat while I sat in the lift chair. I drifted off to sleep for an hour, maybe two, and woke up stiffer than a board. I don't usually get stiff or have that kind of issue. No wonder her neck is so tight in the mornings. We apply heat to her neck every night and every morning to help ease the tension in those unused but stiff muscles.
Between the small reheatable bean bag type packs our dental hygienist gave us and the extra padding I clipped away, the little packs fit perfectly between the collar of the vest and her neck without a lot of extraneous shifting and fishing them in and out.
Her church sent over a full lasagna meal with salad and dessert for a Sunday meal. With all the gear she has on, eating is sometimes a problem. Since it naturally rests on her lower rib cage, she gets full quickly and then experiences gastric distress if she eats as quickly as a normal person. One of the side effects of the most powerful pain medication that she takes is the slowing of the gut. Peristalsis becomes sluggish and that exacerbates the condition. That lasagna was very good and she had to go rest after eating.
While Jan's niece, Emily, was visiting, I took the opportunity to partially reassemble my 39-year-old muscle car. It has been in some form of disassembly since Thanksgiving. I ordered parts before the accident and they arrived mid-week when we returned home from Bilkmore. It isn't finished but it at least has the steering gear reassembled.
Today is MLK Day and our daughter is off. Even though she won't be up before noon, she is in the house and Jan is having a good day so far. It is snowing but I have a 4x4 truck and I am going to work for a while just to get some things done that need on-site attention.
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