I bought my cell phone yesterday morning, and got my first spam message at 8:30 last night. I wonder how much of that's going to happen?

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Daily Life at 12:45 PM | Comments (21) | Add Comment
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Avamere Rehabilitation of Beaverton is where I spent three weeks doing rehab. It gets high marks from me, and I wanted to post a report so that anyone googling can find it.

I suffered a stroke that partially paralyzed my left side, just after my 59th birthday. When I arrived there, I wasn't really able to walk, and my left hand was mostly useless. When I left 18 days later, I walked out (with a cane) and I had regained the ability to type, among many other things.

I would never have believed I could recover so much, so fast. I had speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, totaling about three hours per day, and the therapists were generally excellent. They were all women, for some reason, and they worked for a sister company.

And they helped me enormously. It seemed like every day, I'd wake in the morning and realize that I had another thing back. For instance, one day I regained the ability to lift my left ring finger, which I couldn't use before that. Two days after that I was able to type again.

The nurses were generally very nice and caring. As in all such facilities they never responded to the call button as fast as you'd really want, but they did come, and they were always nice and helpful.

The food was generally pretty good, as institutional food goes. We always got meat for lunch and dinner (or chicken or fish, animal protein). They published a menu, and if you didn't like something there was a standard set of alternatives you could pick, if you put in a form in time. I found the "Beaverton Club" to be a good choice for an alternate. The meals didn't always fill me up, but it was OK to have snacks. (I had some cookies I ate for that reason.)

Like any nursing home, there were a few patients who were creepy as hell, but generally I was able to steer clear of them. Many of the rooms are doubles, but there are a lot of single rooms, too, and I recommend getting one of them if you can.

I was there in November and the weather was vicious, so I only went outside once. But there are patios which can be used when weather is nice.

If I had any complaint, it was the beds. A place like that always has a percentage of patients who can't control bowel or bladder, so the mattresses are covered in plastic. The beds are very narrow, and the sheets slide easily over the mattresses, and the first night I felt like I was going to slip off and fall on the floor. After that, I slept on top of the coverlet, which gave me more friction.

Obviously I was happy to leave and get back home again, but I found my stay to be very pleasant, and extremely encouraging and helpful. They treated me well, and helped me enormously. A big thumbs up!

UPDATE: Also! The place had five wifi nodes for guests to use. I had a computer while I was there and was able to browse the internet to keep myself entertained, since I don't watch TV.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Daily Life at 10:11 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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We left the place about 10:00, and drove to Fred Meyers to pick up prescriptions and other things. Unfortunately, the prescriptions didn't get phoned in, though they told me they had been. So my brother is going to chase that down.

We walked all over the store, and now I'm dead tired. But I'm home, and now I'm going to watch the Odette II arc of Mouretsu Pirates.

UPDATE: The problem with the prescriptions got straightened out.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Daily Life at 11:03 AM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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1 Welcome home!

Posted by: Douglas Oosting at December 04, 2012 11:14 AM (sdWdc)

2 Okaeri nasai!

Posted by: atomic_fungus at December 04, 2012 11:41 AM (7I+sl)

3 Okaeri nasai!

Posted by: Big_D at December 04, 2012 05:11 PM (dZQ+F)

4

I was extra careful this morning, doing stuff. The nightmare scenario was that with an hour to go for my release, I'd lose my balance and fall and break something, and have to be taken to the hospital again.

It didn't happen. (Whew!)

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at December 04, 2012 05:24 PM (+rSRq)

5 Glad you're back home, Steven... don't do that again, 'k?  Please?

Posted by: Wonderduck at December 04, 2012 05:55 PM (LbiZL)

6 I'm in favor.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at December 04, 2012 06:14 PM (+rSRq)

7 Solid viewing choice.

Glad you're back home.

Posted by: sqa at December 04, 2012 06:24 PM (iCuS2)

8
Great news!  Saten and the gang are probably chomping at the bit to grab the last two Girls und Panzer episodes.  Plus those beavers are going to need your moral support if they're ever going to properly dam that stream outside your place.

Posted by: wahsatchmo at December 04, 2012 08:26 PM (JPixt)

9 Let's celebrate with root beer and School Rumble reruns!!

Posted by: Jaked at December 05, 2012 12:32 AM (YqYGj)

10 Bill Whittle had some nice things to say about you.

Posted by: Mauser at December 05, 2012 03:07 AM (cZPoz)

11 It was nice of him to say that.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at December 05, 2012 08:24 AM (+rSRq)

12 Awesome! You've now graduated from catgirl nurses to catgirl maids!

Posted by: The Brickmuppet at December 05, 2012 03:56 PM (vp6an)

13 Back in the Four Horsemen of the Blogosphere days, someone said that Bill Whittle was Captain Kirk and you were Mister Spock.

Posted by: muon at December 05, 2012 10:53 PM (jFJid)

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I'm now approved to go home! My brother is going to pick me up Tuesday morning, and we'll go to Fred Meyers to pick up prescriptions, and some other things, and then HOME!

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Daily Life at 11:34 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 Woohoo!  Congratulations on your release!

"Next on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom: Watch as we release this Steven DenBeste into the wild after being treated..."

Posted by: ubu at December 03, 2012 01:23 PM (SlLGE)

2 Right, I'll rescind the ducks' "defend SDB's apartment" orders then...

Posted by: Wonderduck at December 03, 2012 02:15 PM (LbiZL)

3 Major Mallard, the duck in the command of the operation, told reporters "We had to destroy the apartment in order to save it".

Posted by: Siergen at December 03, 2012 04:57 PM (Ao4Kw)

4 Yay!

Posted by: Pixy Misa at December 03, 2012 05:32 PM (PiXy!)

5 Victory!  Or something.

Congrats, I hope the improvements continue apace.

Posted by: sqa at December 03, 2012 05:38 PM (iCuS2)

6 Congrats! Glad to see you're progressing...

Posted by: Mark at December 03, 2012 07:12 PM (i24Ag)

7 One hour to go!

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at December 04, 2012 09:04 AM (uNl21)

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And today, I put my shoes on and tied them without any help, and then I walked around outside for a while.

I know these things don't seem very exciting, but for me they're very important. I feared I might never be able to do them again. Now I believe I may get back to 90% of what I had. The nightmare was that I would be profoundly crippled forever, and now I know I've dodged that bullet.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Daily Life at 12:45 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Today I took a shower and I undressed myself, washed and dried myself, and dressed again afterwards, all without assistance. I'm getting really good at walking with a cane. And I've been acing the balance tests and the stair climbing tests.

This afternoon I'm going to talk to the Social worker about starting the process of getting discharged. I think I'm ready. But they'll probably drag it out.

UPDATE: I talked to the Social Worker and she said they're targeting next Wednesday for my release.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Daily Life at 12:20 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 They never do seem to want to let you go when you think they are ready.  Then again, they probably see more people with strokes and the like than you do, so they (hopefully) know best.

Posted by: RickC at November 30, 2012 02:58 PM (A9FNw)

2

I don't really think it's that, it's just that all bureaucracies grind at their own speed,

Parr of the problem is that the person I need is off today and won't be back until Monday.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at November 30, 2012 03:09 PM (uNl21)

3 Steven, if you haven't seen it, you might want to take a look at today's e-mail from Robert's Anime Corner Store... or did you approve it?

Posted by: Wonderduck at November 30, 2012 04:53 PM (LbiZL)

4 I won't have access to my email until I go home.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at November 30, 2012 05:29 PM (uNl21)

5 (It's this RACS blog post, which I think you knew about, word for word.)

Posted by: Mikeski at November 30, 2012 08:45 PM (DU6Ja)

6 Glad to hear of your progress, and I hope you go home soon.  Who knows what mischievous those beavers are up to without you to keep an eye on them.  And I'm still a bit concerned about those ducks... 

Posted by: Siergen at November 30, 2012 10:52 PM (Ao4Kw)

7 Sorry, I dozed off after dinner.

It's as Mikeski says, though I had no idea he had posted it on the RACSblog.  I thought you should know because of your "no get well cards" post, not knowing that the post was in reaction to Robert's blog.

Whoops.

Posted by: Wonderduck at December 01, 2012 01:00 AM (LbiZL)

8 Also, I'm not on Bob's mailing list.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at December 01, 2012 08:03 AM (uNl21)

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I am typing this post on my brother's laptop, using both hands. The speed is low, but that will improve with time and practice. Especially practice.

I'm rather surprised at how fast I'm improving. Seems like every morning I wake up and realize that I've gotten something more back. Today, it was this.

UPDATE: Bill and I just had a meeting with the person who plans discharges, and the consensus was that I will probably be ready to go home in about a week.

I have been "doing laps", going up and down the hall in my wheelchair as exercise for my left arm. It tkaes me past the dining hall. The TV there is tuned to "Animal planet" and when I went past just now it was running an ad for "Amish Mafia", and I think I don't want to know any more. (Shudder)

Typing is a secret pleasure. I'm already typing about twice as fast as I could one-finger. A bedside table beside a hospital bed isn't the optimum, though, and I'm sure I'll do much better at home. In about a week.

I want to go home. But I can't yet.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Daily Life at 09:04 AM | Comments (20) | Add Comment
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1 Great progress.  Keeping working at it and, hopefully, it'll all be back in time. 

Though I guess that also means we need to find a way for you to clip enjoyable screen caps from questionable series while you recover.

Posted by: sqa at November 28, 2012 10:08 AM (iCuS2)

2 And the OT person had me do my own hair today. I brushed it, and aaalmost tied it back, but couldn't. A few moredays. Another thing is that I needd a cane, and I'll tell the PT person this afternoon.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at November 28, 2012 02:22 PM (uNl21)

3 No cane yet. I have to qualify. I've told them I want to, and it'll take a couple of days, probably.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at November 28, 2012 03:33 PM (uNl21)

4 Had the same thing when I did Very Bad Things to my ankle lo these many years ago.  I was on crutches for a couple of months, but before I could move to a cane, I had to prove to the Powers That be that I could walk with one without going arse over teakettle.

Posted by: Wonderduck at November 28, 2012 05:21 PM (LbiZL)

5 Glad to hear you're doing well, Steven, and my best wishes for a continued speedy recovery.
 
You may have already heard this, but it looks like Dog Days Season 3 is in the works, so more stuff to look forward to in 2013.

Posted by: wahsatchmo at November 28, 2012 06:29 PM (JeUF0)

6

New first: This morning I tied back my hair without help, and during my OT session I was able to climb into and out of a bathtub without any help.

I know that doesn't sound like much, but they're steps on the path to normalcy.

Oh, also, I can shuffle cards now. I taught my speech therapist how to play Casino.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at November 29, 2012 10:41 AM (uNl21)

7

Stu the Alpaca is going around visiting those who wish to be visited (not me).

Strange looking animal, about the same height as a Shetland Pony at the shoulder, but with a long neck, and covered with fleece like a sheep.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at November 29, 2012 11:19 AM (uNl21)

8 I think Llama and Alpaca are about the same thing, and there's a character Llama in Polar Bear Cafe, brilliantly coiceived, and voiced by Daisuke Ono.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at November 29, 2012 12:42 PM (RqRa5)

9 "Oh, also, I can shuffle cards now."
Excellent! Could you shuffle cards before?

Posted by: David at November 29, 2012 03:06 PM (+C5m6)

10 There's a doujin game, Paca Plus, that deals with the protagonist's girlfriend turning into an alpaca. J-List has the sequel, Paca Plus ~ minus.

Posted by: muon at November 29, 2012 03:33 PM (jFJid)

11

My brother just bought me a cane, and I'm goung to be practicing walking witth it.

Home,  there's no place like it. I can't wait to go there.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at November 29, 2012 04:36 PM (uNl21)

12 Sword, flask, umbrella, blowgun, irish blackthorn, bull penis, or plain old boring "cane"?

-j

Posted by: J Greely at November 29, 2012 05:07 PM (fpXGN)

13 Actually, it's aluminum.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at November 29, 2012 05:31 PM (uNl21)

14 I think I mentioned that before, but one of my ninjutsu teachers, Mr. Albright, was very big on improvised weapons, like keys, pencils, etc. He could be a killing machine with an aluminum cane. Didn't even need a sword cane.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at November 29, 2012 05:48 PM (RqRa5)

15 *coughalpacacough*

Posted by: Wonderduck at November 29, 2012 06:07 PM (LbiZL)

16 Steven's right.  Alpacas/Llamas became the new pyramid scheme about  10 years ago.  "Hey, you can breed them!  Hey, their wool is amazing!"  Bull.  They're tough to care for, they take a great deal of space, and most people won't eat them.
Thus, Stu's probably a cynical jackass at this point.  Despite being a llama.

Posted by: wahsatchmo at November 29, 2012 11:01 PM (HKneV)

17 I was at a harvest festival just a few miles from Steve's digs last year, and they had a pen of Alpacas, with all sorts of literature and example crafts out on display in the hopes of getting more people to raise them.  There is a pretty decent vertical economy here, from the raising of Alpacas, trading around raw wool, making hand crafted goods, and then selling them to various stores locally and internationally.  But I have no doubt that it is in fact a pyramid, and the pointy profitable part is long past.

Posted by: David at November 29, 2012 11:08 PM (vyRm+)

18 Alpaca stew?  Yum!

Oh, wait...

Posted by: Pixy Misa at November 30, 2012 01:35 AM (PiXy!)

19 I keep trying to come up with something witty to say about alpacas, but all I can manage is, "Was Winamp following it around with a whip?"

Sigh. Just not good enough material for the Tonight Show..  Maybe prime-time TV comedy, but nothing, you know, actually funny.

Posted by: ubu at November 30, 2012 06:55 AM (SlLGE)

20 What a coincidence. They are discussing Llama and Alpaca in PBC #30.

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at December 02, 2012 08:54 PM (RqRa5)

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I get asked that several times a day, and I answer, "I'm not in any pain."

Seems like a lot of people here are suffering chronic pain, though. I got a new neighbor, and she spends a lot of her time moaning. Or calling "Help! Help! Help!" given how slow they usually are responding to the call lights.

I've taken to spending a lot of time sitting in the lobby.

Anyway, I ache a lot from the exercises they have me doing, but that's not the same.

I can walk without support now, and my left hand is useful now, though I still can't type.

Girls und Panzer 7 revealed Miho's trauma, and it wasn't all that bad. She did what she thought was right, but got cussed out by her Mom for it.

There's an interesting symmetry with Hana.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Daily Life at 09:27 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I appreciate the thought, but let's not go there, OK? You can leave them here instead, please.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Daily Life at 04:43 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 Get Water Main.  They're better than wells.

Posted by: Mauser at November 27, 2012 02:15 AM (cZPoz)

2 This one certainly was.

Howsabout we send get-well-catgirls?

Posted by: Pixy Misa at November 27, 2012 04:19 AM (PiXy!)

3 That would be fine!

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at November 27, 2012 07:03 AM (uNl21)

4 Hmm, I can't seem to find a cat-girl service in your area.  I did find several "cat-sitter" services, but I don't think that's the same thing...

Posted by: Siergen at November 27, 2012 06:00 PM (Ao4Kw)

5 That picture is from UFO Princess Valkyrie.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at November 27, 2012 06:54 PM (uNl21)

6

Howsabout we send get-well-catgirls?

That would be fine!

This one seems to be gung-ho for physical therapy.

Posted by: The Brickmuppet at November 28, 2012 10:26 AM (vp6an)

7 That picture is... mesmerizing.

And hey, if this finally posts, your progress is terrific!

Posted by: ubu at November 28, 2012 10:38 AM (SlLGE)

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So I went to the hospital 13 days ago. I figured I would have to wait a while, but they whisked me right in. Apparently stroke victims go to the front of the line.

They decided I needed a CAT scan and an MRI. So the machines were busy, and they admitted me. I got my CAT scan about 5. It didn't takevery long, but they told me later that it didn't see anything. It was about 10 when they did the MRI, and it took about half an hour. It foynnd the problem, an ischemic stroke in my Pons, which is part of the brain stem. And  that's why it didn't affect my mind; nowhere near.

MRI is strange. I knew it would be loud, but I had no idea it would sing so many different songs.

Some people get claustrophobic in there, but it didn't bother me.

I didn't actually need to spend three nights there, but my insurance required it before they would cover rehab.

They put an alarm pad on mybed, so that an alarm would go off if I got up. I hated that. Fortunately, this place hasn't done that. But if I ever fall, I better lie about it.

Not much of a worry. I'm getting more steady on my feet all the time.

When I first started using the walker, I would shift it, then take a step, then shift it, thentake another step. Now i walk smoothly, and the walker moves continuously. I don'tlean on it at all. Of course, it's there if something goes wrong, and I don't do as well without it.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Daily Life at 02:45 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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