Day 63

Once again, sorry to all for the lapse, we are trying to regularize the posting again. At the moment both Stern brothers are out in LA, leaving Connie to hold down the fort for a bit. So, today we have a special word from the man himself.

Burt has been at the nursing facility for about two weeks and is adjusting well., Though the first couple of days were a little grisly, as Burt was initially put in one of the regular nursing wings rather than the rehab one. The halls are full of the aged and infirm with an emphasis on senility, dementia, psychologically impaired. The staff do their best but ut is not a place you want to be if you still know the difference. As Burt said, "As long as they stay out there and I stay in here, I'll be all right." He was only partially kidding. Thanks to the facilities extraordinary director of social work and the championing of his PT and OT people Burt made the move to the rehab wing a day and half later.

Burt and the nursing and PT/OT staff work out his care

watching baseball in the new room

Now, he is as comfortable as one can be when not able to go home. He has TV, DVD, internet, books, music, furry friends, winged friends, and exhausted family. All told, it ain't so bad.

Assisted standing and weight bearing

working with Becki on his 'guns'

e-stim with Peter

He is still working hard everyday in rehab. The new people are great and Burt's determination, humor as well as Connie's cookies win everyone over. He has been getting e-stim on his shoulder to pull in the subluxation, as well as on the different muscles of the legs.

One of the physical therapists has been using a method on Burt where she twists and bends the foot until the muscles of the leg engages to yank it out of her grip. At that point, she can use that muscle movement to engage other muscles in compound movements. he results have been striking at times. The only drawback is that the initial wrenching of the foot causes Burt a lot of pain and it is this pain impulse that causes his brain to activate the muscles and pull the leg away. It is literally a case of no pain, no gain. Burt was fitted for a new brace the other day which will provide him with some much needed support to improve his walking. Everyday he is making strides.

In other news, Burt has finally passed his swallow test and is eating more, trying to build up his swallow and chewing muscles to be able to get all his sustenance from food rather than the g-tube. He is beginning to transition to a soft-mechanical diet from pureed. This is the first time real food starts getting integrated into his diet and it feels like eating. It is a slow process and not as satisfying as a cheese burger, but it is another step on the road.