Another bright spot was seeing his pole (it holds all of his IV medications on it--sorry, can't remember the proper name for it) without one of the PCA units and the big Ketamine box. What a glorious site that was! Jake told me that they removed the Ketamine late last night and boy, are we all happy with that. It is a great pain medication, but some of the side effects are hallucinations and nightmares. The doctors also removed one of the two drains that are on his left leg. These drains help take out the excess fluid/blood buildup around the incisions.
The day was an easy going one. Because it is the weekend, the hospital is much quieter and there seems to be a more relaxed atmosphere about the place. One of the physical therapists came in this morning and worked with Jake on both of his legs. They don't wait very long after surgery to begin the exercises. In fact, she came up yesterday (a day after surgery) to begin working with him, but because he was already in his wheelchair, she decided to wait an extra day. She was very impressed with how well he is doing with his right leg. So impressed that she gave him more exercises to do. :) She then began to work on his left leg. This worried me a bit because of how much pain he's been in with this leg. But, she was gentle and stopped when Jake told her it was getting too painful. I, too, was impressed how strong and determined this man was--he wants to work hard, but at the right pace.
After they were done with his exercises, she wanted to see how well he could get into his wheelchair. He succeeded with that task without having the usual two people helping him. He still has to have someone help move his legs because he can't bend them or put any weight on them. We then took a stroll outside to enjoy the sunshine and a stroll inside the hospital. We had the hallways all to ourselves which we don't during the week. It was wonderful to just stroll and talk.
He napped throughout the day and enjoyed trying to beat his ol' mom at playing Phase 10. He almost did, but, the sun was shining down on me right then! :)
Before I left for the night, he asked me to get his camera out. I was wondering what he wanted to take pictures of. He told me that the doctors come early in the morning on their rounds and they redo the dressings on his legs. He wants to take pictures of his left leg when all the dressings are off so that we can see what the incisions look like. He wanted to have pictures of the left leg to go with the ones taken of his right leg (which are posted on here). He was pretty tired tonight, so I got him all settled and his legs all propped up, gave him a hug and kiss goodbye and by the time I reached the door of his room, he was sound asleep. :)
Every day, to and from the hospital, we pass a Chinese restaurant called "The Lucky Ginger". This has some significance because the soldiers that he was with over in Afghanistan called him "Ginger" because of his fair complexion and his red hair. So, every time I see "Lucky Ginger", I think of how lucky--no, how blessed Jake has been with this whole horrible event. His life was spared and his injuries are not as severe as what they should of been. Each day, each little step he takes with his healing, is truly a miracle. He is a miracle. The sun seems to shine brighter each and every day. :)
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