A few days later, after knocking
on the door, a young man in his middle 20’s entered the room and, after a
momentary pause, asked for Dave. Dave raised his hand. “That would be me.”
“Hi, Dave, I’m Dillon. I will be
your physical therapist. I’m going to help you learn to walk on your
prosthetics.” He began, sitting in the chair next to Dave. “Over the next few
weeks, you’ll be in therapy 5 days a week for 4 hours. We’ll start slow and
gradually build up as your strength grows. Have you been fitted for your
prosthesis?” Dave winced then nodded affirmative. “What’s wrong?” he asked
Dave.
“It chafes like a sonofabitch.”
Dillon raised one eyebrow. “Seriously?
It’s not supposed to chafe. That’s what the skin is for.”
“Skin?”
“They didn’t set you up with a
skin?”
“What’s a skin?”
Before answering, Dillon checked
Dave’s chart. “A skin is a sleeve made out of a form of polyurethane. It goes
on your leg and then the prosthesis goes over the skin. It insolates your skin
from the plastic of the cup, preventing chafing.”
“No, they didn’t fix me up with
one.”
Dillon looked at him and said,
“We’ll see about that! I’m not about to start you on physical therapy without
one. It will be too painful.” He left in a huff, determined to find out why he
hadn’t been fitted for the skin.
Half an hour later, an orderly
walked in and checked the charts. “Dave Barton?” Dave acknowledged her. She
checked his wrist band and informed him that she was taking him to the
orthopedic suite to get fitted for a skin. He was greeted by Dillon and Dr.
Pearson.
“Dave, I’m Dr. Pearson. I’m
going to be fitting you with a polyurethane sleeve that will go under your
prosthesis to make it more comfortable. The process is completely
painless. It will involve applying
Teflon tape to your stump, then basically painting on the sleeve. It will take
approximately an hour to set then we’ll pull the sleeve off, remove the tape
and put the sleeve back on to make sure it’s comfortable.”
“Was this supposed to be done
before I was fitted with the leg?”
“You weren’t fitted with the
sleeve before you were measured for the prosthesis?”
Dave shook his head no. “Was I
supposed to have?”
“Yes, you were. I don’t know why
you weren’t, but trust me when I say I will
find out!” He handed the Teflon tape to Dillon and asked him to tape up Dave’s
stump, then stormed out to find out who screwed up. 15 minutes later he
returned and apologized to Dave, assuring him that the mistake will not happen
in the future. He proceeded to apply the polyurethane then made sure Dave was
comfortable in front of the TV with a call bell should he need anything.
He returned an hour and a half
later with a special device that had various adjustments and readouts. “I’m
doing this fitting myself to make sure it’s done correctly.” He placed first
the sleeve then the device over Dave’s stump and proceeded to make various
adjustments. Throughout the process he would ask Dave how it felt, if it was
too loose or too tight. Finally he was satisfied with the fit. Writing down the
various measurements he asked Dillon to call for an orderly to take Dave back
to his room apologizing again for the screw-up.
“Wow that was fast. How did it
go?” Greg asked as soon as Dave was back in the bed.
“It didn’t happen. They screwed
up. They were supposed to fit me with some kind of sleeve that would prevent
the cup from chafing and irritating my skin.”
“Hm. Never heard of that before.
So I take it that they’re going to give you a whole new leg then?”
“Yeah; the doctor himself took
all the measurements for the fitting.”
“Cool. So how long do you have
to wait?”
Dave thought for a moment,
trying to remember if the doctor had said anything about how long it would
take. “I don’t know. The doctor didn’t say anything, but I’m guessing it will
take as long as the first one did. They probably only have to remake the cup.
The rest of the leg should still be usable.”
“Well, I guess we’ll find out.”
~~~~~
Tommy looked up from the book he
was reading when he heard the kitchen door open and close. Andy was home. “Hey
baby; how was your day?” he called out.
“No codes today. It’s always a
good day when nobody goes into cardiac arrest,” Andy replied, coming through
the door, being greeted by his husband with a huge hug and a kiss. “How was
your day?”
“Second day into my vacation and
I’m already climbing the walls. Now I know why I never went on vacation until I
was forced to. The only time I’m not bored out of my skull is when we’re
together. I clean and I read. That’s it until you come home.”
“Well, my vacation starts the
day after tomorrow, so we can start going places. What’re you reading?”
“Curiosity Killed Shaney by JC
Wallace. It’s about a loveable misfit who keeps getting into trouble, or should
I say trouble finds him. He got into trouble and has to do 200 hours of
community service and because of his insatiable curiosity can’t seem to stay in
one job long enough to complete his 200 hours. It’s really, really good.”
“What did he do to get into
trouble?”
“He broke into some warehouse
because he thought he heard kittens. His heart was in the right place, but
there weren’t any kittens.”
“Wow. Sounds good. I’d like to
read it when you’re done. Speaking of good, I
have some good news and some slightly not-so-good news.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Orthopedics screwed up
with Dave’s prosthesis. They didn’t make the isolation sleeve, so now his
prosthesis has to be refitted.”
“What’s an isolation sleeve?”
“It goes over the stump
underneath the cup. It prevents chafing and skin irritation by the cup.”
“So what happens now?”
“They made the sleeve and now
they have to refit the cup. They don’t have to redo the whole thing, just the
cup. It has to be bigger.”
“Is that the good news or the
not-so-good news?” Tommy asked.
“The not-so-good news. The good
news is that Greg’s eyesight is starting to return. He’s starting to see
shapes, but they’re blurry. He’s seeing colors, though. That’s a very good sign
that his eyesight is returning. He may need glasses to get his full sight back.
We have to wait and see how much of his sight returns. At least it’s
returning.”
Tommy jumped up and practically
crushed Andy’s ribs in his exuberant hug. “That’s awesome. I gotta call Kyle
and Jay.” Putting action to his words, he grabbed his cell and speed-dialed
Kyle.
“Hey Tommy, what’s up?”
“I got great news. Greg’s
eyesight is starting to come back!” He heard Kyle call out to Jay and tell him
the news. “That’s really great. Jay and I are going to head out to the hospital
and visit them. Want to meet at Ruby Tuesday’s later?”
“Why Ruby Tuesdays? Haven’t you
done enough damage to their salad bar?” Tommy asked, jokingly. Kyle’s raids on
their salad bar were legendary.
"Hey! I have a rep to
protect." Kyle said, snickering.
"Sounds good. Andy and I
are getting ready to head out to the hospital."
"Great. We'll see you
soon."
A few minutes later Kyle and Jay
snuck into Dave and Greg's room, mindful of the hospital's policy of only 2
visitors per patient. Since Dave and Greg were in a bariatric bed, they weren't
sure if the policy still applied, but they weren't taking any chances. Greg's
eyes seemed to follow Kyle as he approached Greg wordlessly.
"Kyle!" Greg exclaimed. "I can see you. You're blurry, but
I can tell it's you!" Greg cried, excitedly. Kyle bent down and they
wrapped their arms around each other; Greg's body cast having come off the day
before.
Dave hurriedly pressed the call
bell. When the nurse replied Dave practically yelled, "Greg can see! He can really see!"
The nurse replied that she'd notify the doctor. True to her word, they heard
the doctor paged. Dave pulled Greg into a fierce embrace.
Once they separated, Greg took
note of everyone in the room. "Jay!
Tommy! Andy! Ah can see y'all. Y'all are blurry,
but ah can see you" Overcome with emotion, Greg broke down. His
southern accent was more pronounced, as it tended to be when he was highly
emotional or excited.
The doctor came in and sent
everyone out of the room so he could examine Greg without distraction. Taping
an eye chart to the wall, he asked Greg to read the lowest line on the chart
that was clear. Greg told him that they were all blurry. The doctor replied,
"Don't worry Greg. I pretty much expected that.
"However, I am encouraged
by your progress. We'll give it a few more days then we'll check your eyesight
again. If there's little to no improvement, I'll take you to my office and
we'll see if eyeglasses will help. Do you have any questions for me?"
"Will I regain my full
sight?" Greg asked with some trepidation in his voice.
"I can't say for sure at
this point. However, like I said, I'm encouraged with your progress. If you
notice any changes, no matter how slight, have the nurse call me. In the
meantime, I'll prescribe some eye drops that should help."
"Thank you, doctor. I
appreciate it more than I can say."
"You're welcome Greg.
Remember, any changes notify the nurse." The doctor left after another
quick look at Greg’s eyes.
~~~~~
“I’m not going to lie to you. It will be
painful at first until you get used to the prosthetic leg. Progress will go
slow in the beginning, so you are not over-taxed. I assure you though; you will
be making progress, even though it may seem to you that you’re not. I have a
lot of experience helping people learn to walk again and I’m looking forward to
working with you. Do you have any questions for me?”
In a show of nervousness, Dave
licked his lips. He had one request, but he wasn’t sure what the physical
therapist’s reaction would be. I guess I
won’t know until I ask it. “Can Greg help? He’s my boyfriend who’s a cop
that was shot several times and had to learn how to walk again.”
Without even a moment’s
hesitation, Dillon answered his question. “Of course; it will make it easier
for you getting help from someone who’s been through it themselves. However,
you’ll be alone with me for the first couple of weeks. It’s imperative that we
get you into a routine and the right mindset. Greg, however well intentioned,
will be a distraction.”
He glanced briefly at Greg,
shooting him a warm, open smile before turning back to Dave. “I’m sure he’ll
help you in any way he can. Patients do much better with a loved one around for
support.”
“Dave,” Greg began, “I’ll be
right by your side throughout the course of your therapy as soon as they allow
me to. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If I can learn to walk all
over again, so can you.”
“That means a lot to me baby,
but to be honest, I’m scared. What if it doesn’t work?”
“With a positive attitude I
guarantee it will, baby. You just have to trust Dillon and believe in yourself
as I believe in you.”
Dave gripped his hand. “Thank
you baby. I love you.”
“I love you too.
“When do I get started?”
“I have you down for 2pm this
afternoon. This way your lunch will have settled. I know you’re going to be
nervous, but try to relax and remember, when you’ve finished with the therapy
you will be able to do everything you could before you lost your leg. This I
promise you.”
“What can I do to prepare myself
for this?”
“The best thing you can do is
remember that Greg had to go through the same thing you’re about to go
through.”
“Not the same thing. Both of
Greg’s legs were intact when he started his therapy. Mine are not.”
“The difference is only in your
mind. I know you can do it, and I’m sure Greg knows as well.” Greg nodded.
Dillon turned to him and asked, “Would you mind telling me why you had to learn
to walk again?”
Greg drew in a deep breath and
let it out slowly. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell his story to a stranger
or not, but if it would help Dave in any way, he would. “A few years ago I was
with the Boston Police Department. I was shot 17 times during a drug bust.
“My left leg was badly shattered
and my right hip was basically turned into a baby rattle. It took me fourteen
months to be able to walk again, but I did. At first it was extremely painful,
but that was mainly because my leg had been shattered in 5 different places and
I had to have a total hip replacement, which is why I walk a little funny.
“I doubt your rehab will be as
painful, since your hips and legs were not broken.”
“But I lost part of my leg.”
Dave countered.
“Yes, but with the exception of
that, the bones are intact.”
Dave shrugged, “True.”
The lunch trays arrived, which
signaled Dillon to leave. “I’ll see you guys in a couple of hours. Remember
that old adage “When the going gets tough, the tough get going. You’re tough,
Dave, and there’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll make it through just fine.
I’ll see you guys later.” As he left he gave them a friendly smile and a
thumbs-up.
Thus began Dave’s
rehabilitation, something he wasn’t really looking forward to.
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