I talked with the therapy coordinator at Park West on Monday and she was quite encouraged by the progress Mike made last week. He still needs approximately 75% assistance when standing up or walking. He can use a walker for transferring from a wheelchair to the parallel bars but is not yet able to use the walker in place of the parallel bars. Walking the length of the bars is one accomplishment but an additional accomplishment is being able to turn around to walk the other way. He can stand for approximately two minutes using the walker or bars and they are also working on his upper body strength. He is still on mostly soft foods but they will be testing other foods. They are being cautious because if he aspirates food he could develop pneumonia. .
I also talked to his nurse. The news on the biopsies is that they were inconclusive. While there are some atypical cells, the cancer has not come back. I guess that's a case of no news and good news.
As I said last week, Mike is on the waiting lists for both the Pioneers Home and
Wildflower Court. The progress he made last week shows he is working hard to gain strength. Some days he is more confident than others
and when he is discouraged, he becomes uncertain and/or unrealistic about his
options. We are working hard to keep Mike realistic and
his options open. It's clear
that the good wishes and visits from his many friends mean a lot to him and help to boost his morale.
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