Post by Kristen Gamauf on Nov 11, 2005 9:47:01 GMT -5
Mike has started his therapies this week at the White Pond Edwin Shaw facility. We are finding that it is necessary for us to make sure he works on skills at home. It is difficult though, because we just want to be lazy with all this cold weather.
Mike had his first appointment with our family doctor the other day. He has been having ongoing digestion problems so his doctor recommended over-the-counter pills of acidophilus. It is a freeze-dried form of the beneficial bacteria found in yogurt. The theory is, since Mike was on SO MANY antibiotics, it killed all the good bacteria in his system too. This should help replenish them.
Mike is scheduled with an ear/nose/throat doctor to have a look at his ear. He also has a followup appointment with his neurosurgeon.
Apparently a protective ballcap looking head gear is on order for Mike at Edwin Shaw. It is less cumbersome than a helmet and looks like a baseball cap but will protect his hole in his skull.
Mike's physical therapist is encouraging him to walk without his cane (lift it off the ground) sometimes, to see if he can do it. His right leg is so sore from favoring the left. He is getting better at walking though, and we hope the remaining balance problems will decrease with practice and after his ENT appointment.
The latest development in this ongoing saga is the insurance company's reluctance to cover Mike's outpatient occupational and speech therapies. It is as if they purposely force you out of your inpatient arrangements so that they can screw you as an outpatient. Well let's just bend over and grab our ankles everybody!! Mike needs OT to return his right arm to useful function, and without speech he might never work out those bugs in his language and thinking skills. Um, don't get me started on insurance companies. All's I know is countless helpless Americans pay into their money pool all their life for a service, and then God-forbid you need it and all Hell breaks loose. This is solely my opinion and in no way necessarily reflects anyone else's, but I overall think insurance companies as an entity are evil and I don't care who I offend. You can bet that if this would have happened to one of George W.'s dingy daughters, or any rich local politician's son, no insurance company would even question their coverage. But now we have to endure the ongoing headache of always having to defend why the Hell Mike needs this therapy! Are you listening big CEO's!? Mike is not back to normal yet! No one can afford the huge cost of therapy several times a week. If he doesn't have therapy, then he might not make it back 100%. It's like, "Okay, so you saved his life that's good enough, who cares about his quality of life - that's trivial." Something's wrong with our society. Bastards I say.
To end on a brighter note, I forgot to mention this earlier. One of the first days Mike was home, we took him outside to see his car. He sat in it, even started it up. And then Mom and Dad decided to get gutsy cause he was doing so well. They told him to go ahead and pull it out of the garage. He did! He had no trouble and said clutching didn't hurt much at all! All four of us are pretty fairly confident that Mike will one day be able to drive again. For the longest time, we weren't sure if he ever would. He is not allowed to for awhile yet though.
Mike had his first appointment with our family doctor the other day. He has been having ongoing digestion problems so his doctor recommended over-the-counter pills of acidophilus. It is a freeze-dried form of the beneficial bacteria found in yogurt. The theory is, since Mike was on SO MANY antibiotics, it killed all the good bacteria in his system too. This should help replenish them.
Mike is scheduled with an ear/nose/throat doctor to have a look at his ear. He also has a followup appointment with his neurosurgeon.
Apparently a protective ballcap looking head gear is on order for Mike at Edwin Shaw. It is less cumbersome than a helmet and looks like a baseball cap but will protect his hole in his skull.
Mike's physical therapist is encouraging him to walk without his cane (lift it off the ground) sometimes, to see if he can do it. His right leg is so sore from favoring the left. He is getting better at walking though, and we hope the remaining balance problems will decrease with practice and after his ENT appointment.
The latest development in this ongoing saga is the insurance company's reluctance to cover Mike's outpatient occupational and speech therapies. It is as if they purposely force you out of your inpatient arrangements so that they can screw you as an outpatient. Well let's just bend over and grab our ankles everybody!! Mike needs OT to return his right arm to useful function, and without speech he might never work out those bugs in his language and thinking skills. Um, don't get me started on insurance companies. All's I know is countless helpless Americans pay into their money pool all their life for a service, and then God-forbid you need it and all Hell breaks loose. This is solely my opinion and in no way necessarily reflects anyone else's, but I overall think insurance companies as an entity are evil and I don't care who I offend. You can bet that if this would have happened to one of George W.'s dingy daughters, or any rich local politician's son, no insurance company would even question their coverage. But now we have to endure the ongoing headache of always having to defend why the Hell Mike needs this therapy! Are you listening big CEO's!? Mike is not back to normal yet! No one can afford the huge cost of therapy several times a week. If he doesn't have therapy, then he might not make it back 100%. It's like, "Okay, so you saved his life that's good enough, who cares about his quality of life - that's trivial." Something's wrong with our society. Bastards I say.
To end on a brighter note, I forgot to mention this earlier. One of the first days Mike was home, we took him outside to see his car. He sat in it, even started it up. And then Mom and Dad decided to get gutsy cause he was doing so well. They told him to go ahead and pull it out of the garage. He did! He had no trouble and said clutching didn't hurt much at all! All four of us are pretty fairly confident that Mike will one day be able to drive again. For the longest time, we weren't sure if he ever would. He is not allowed to for awhile yet though.