Bright Lights, Big City!

Okay, not really bright lights OR big city, but it is a change of scenery!! Everyone has made it safe and sound to Bakersfield! Ron and Jamie traveled down on Thursday in the van sent by CNS (Jamie’s new facility) and Kathy took her car down.  Ryan and I came down after work on Friday.  We are now all tucked away in the Morris Home – Bakersfield Campus! Thursday and Friday consisted of several meetings and evaluations for Jamie, Ron and Kathy.  The way CNS is set up is pretty neat.  Jamie has an apartment that she shares with one other patient.  Each patient has a "resident assistant" - their very own RA! The RAs are pretty much like the coaches/nurse's assistants that Jamie had in San Jose.  They are with Jamie to help her get stuff done and assist her in performing tasks.  There is a bit of a chaperone role for the RAs as well - making sure Jamie is safe and watched over.  The patients are picked up each morning at 9 or 10 (Jamie is in the 9 am group) and taken to the clinic to do the full day of therapy.  Jamie is there from 9 to 3, with an hour for lunch.  It seems like they get some breaks, but not the several hours that J would get in the hospital.  The focus of the clinic and the entire program is self sufficiency and independence, so they work really hard all day to do these intensive therapies.

Jamie's first two weeks will be extensive and exhaustive diagnostics.  Before her team forms a treatment plan, they will evaluate every tiny bit of Jamie and where she's at, and what she needs to work on.  Yesterday there was a lot of time paid to figuring out how her left hand is doing; measurements of her fingers and hand were taken, and they spent quite a lot of time figure out exactly how much range of motion she has and what the deficiencies are.  They also spent a fair amount of time checking her eyesight.  We have been curious about her eyesight for a while, and are always asking Jamie about it.  She always says that its not blurry, and will even test each eye individually to see if one is worse off than the other.  She has always maintained that its not blurry, but when she is asked to write in a specific place or point to something, she is usually off about an inch.  We learned yesterday that there is a reason for this and it does have to do with her eyesight - is "converging" about an inch off center.  (No, I don't know what converging means.)  At any rate, its already on her team's radar as an area to work on.  We think this might also be tied in to some of her balance issues, but we'll see!

 Yesterday Jamie was walking around the apartment on her own, and didn't have to be in the wheelchair.  She was opening the door for people and helping put all her stuff away.  I think she was even able to boss Ron around a bit, which is always good for him.  :)  We do think that she will need to be staying pretty much in the wheelchair for a little bit, even in the apartment, at least until physical therapy clears her.  She is a good walker, but she has enough balance issues that she is still at risk for a fall.  I do not want to be the one to deliver that news to Jamie!

Overall, Jamie has been handling the transition really well.  Ron said she had a great ride down, and that she has been very pleasant and attentive at all the meetings and therapies so far.  She seems so intent on showing that she is paying attention and really serious about getting better.  Its like she wants everyone to know how hard she is trying, which is so neat to see.  We have been warned that there is a "honeymoon" period - that the first few days, residents are really excited to be there and excited about treatment.  Sometimes that will wear off and the residents will get homesick and whatnot, but we are just going to take one day at a time and hope and pray for the best.  We take great comfort in the fact that Jamie is surrounded by a team and staff who know what they are doing and that this is what they do all day every day.  We are really pleased that the therapies are all day, and that she even has homework to work on in the evenings.  It seems like every moment here is focused on recovery, and that the last thing they want is residents just sitting around, not being stimulated.  We are so thankful for that mindset!!

We continue to praise God and trust Him for all that He has done and all that He is doing.  On the drive down, Ryan and I were going through some old videos and photos of Jamie when she first started "waking up" and doing stuff.  We are constantly amazed at how far she has come, and how much God has already healed her.  We know she has come a long, long way, and we continue to pray for a full recovery!! There is still a ton more information, but its breakfast time in Bakersfield! Hope you all have a wonderful Saturday!

God Bless!