Comments | maryosmanski: Steve update Dec. 21

maryosmanski

Steve update Dec. 21

Dec 21, 2011 08:17

My apologies for not writing an update sooner, but the past few days have been very busy ones for me as I try to get the house ready for Steve to come home this Friday. Complicating these arrangements has been the fact the hospital and the insurance will not actually make the decision that he can come home before Christmas until sometime Thursday ( Read more... )

Comments 7

sfmarty December 21 2011, 17:56:23 UTC

You are doing so well. I hadn't really thought about all of the things necessary in cases like this. My daughter in law has Multiple Sirosis and while she is doing fairly well right now, the handwriting is there to see.

aberwyn December 21 2011, 20:55:45 UTC

"The foods he doesn't eat now are only those they continue to serve him even though he has told them he doesn't like those "

That's hospitals for you.

I'm so glad to hear about the progress, though!!!

kateelliott December 21 2011, 21:41:33 UTC

klwilliams December 22 2011, 00:18:33 UTC

My best wishes for both of you, and that all the loose ends come together before Friday so Steve can be home for Christmas.

darcyjavanne December 22 2011, 03:54:32 UTC

Hugs! Having things up in the air is always tough.

Wheelchairs are usually rented throuh pharmacies or medical equipment companies and they usually work directly with the insurance company about billing once the request is received. The important bit is making sure it's been requested.

maryosmanski December 22 2011, 12:05:33 UTC

I've been told by the patient liaison case worker that the physical therapists will take care of ordering the chair and it will be delivered to the hospital for me to pick up when I go to bring Steve home.

I have expressed to her my concern about the weight of the thing and my ability to load/unload it from the back of our van as well as concern about my general klutziness and trouble with mechanical things in terms of getting it set up correctly so it won't collapse when he sits in it.

One of my worries is that my husband could end up having to stay in a nursing home for a while because I'm not able to handle my end of the wheelchair stuff. This would make me feel so guilty that I am letting him down.

darcyjavanne December 23 2011, 03:07:14 UTC

Wheelchairs aren't mega-heavy anymore, but they're not light, either, and they can be awkward to handle. There's a lot of removable parts (footrests, arms, sidewalls). If Steve doesn't need them, have them taken off. This will reduce the weight and bulkiness.

"opening" and "closing" the chair is easy - to close, grasp the front and back of the seat and pull upward. To open, place both hands on the seat and push downward.