Back to work

So yesterday was Josh's first day back at work, he was pretty nervous. He went for 2 hours in the middle of the day because we had appointments in the morning. He did really well, he seemed happier yesterday too. When he got home he told me all about his "day". He said that it didn't feel like enough time and that he would like to be able to stay a little longer if he feels up to it, something to talk to the doctor about next week. I think it has been really good for his emotional health so far, I know he is still worried about his limitations but he will continue to heal. It is mostly his left shoulder and arm that concern him, it is still very weak and his range of motion is not all there. It is hard to say at this point if it will ever be the same as it was before, only time will tell. I am glad that he was doing so well after he went in to work. I was a little nervous too. It almost felt like the anxiety of sending your child to school for the first time, weird I know. It was a relief to see him happy about it. He also found his knife that he keeps in his pocket, he thought it was lost after the fall. Someone had picked it up and put it in his tool belt for him, he was super excited to find it. He really has come so far and it is good to see him start doing some of the things he used to do again. I am grateful that he is here.

He is still seeing doctors for his back issues, he is still having a lot of pain. Not sure if traction is working yet, to soon to tell. He has seemed to slow down on the pain meds though so maybe that is a good sign. His regular doctor has adjusted his meds, some more and some a little less. One good thing is that he was able to cut his blood pressure meds in half. He may get to the point where he won't need them anymore and that would be good. I remember in the ICU one of his nurses saying if after all this he only ended up needing to take a blood pressure pill the rest of his life he would be happy. He may not, we will see. The good news is Josh continues to heal in every way. He is done with he therapy other than what he is doing for his back. He still has work to do on his own to continue to heal. He will be retested at therapy in March to see how he has done on his own.

I didn't get to far the other day with the shovel, I started and then had to clear a spot for the dirt. I didn't think about how much dirt I would be removing, not sure where to put it all. Kind of frustrated at this point. Earlier this week I spent a day and a half cleaning out the boys bedroom, I removed 3 bags of garbage and one bag for DI and probably at least one bag of stuff that didn't belong in there room. I have no idea why they collect so much trash! It is nice to have a little more time to start doing the things I used to do, my entire house needs an over haul! Life is slowing down little by little. I have been attending less appointments. He can go to some of them without me as long as they don't need any new information he is fine. I still go to new appointments and follow ups, wound care now and then and our weekly therapy. It is good to spend more time with Asher at home during the day, he is so fun. Thanks so much to everyone who came to celebrate Josh's progress the other night at the Carter's. And thanks to Anna for making it happen and to her family. I am so grateful for all of the wonderful friends we have. It was really good for Josh to remember how loved he is. Also thank you to everyone who has helped to get him this far in any way. Love to all, Denise