I thought it was time to catch everyone up on what's been going on in Tampa. Mark is doing very well and is starting to get things ready for his move. He will be discharged from the hospital at the end of September and moving into an apartment about two miles north of the hospital in an area called "New Tampa". It is near the junction of Interstate 75 and is a very nice area with shops and restaurants, etc. just south of a town called Wesley Chapel. This will give him easy access to the hospital for outpatient therapy and also lots to do.
He is still struggling some with his walking and having some hip pain. They are going to do a consultation to see if going back into Lokomat therapy will help with the walking. He developed a method of walking when he could not put his heel down and unfortunately, this gait has continued even though the surgery worked and he can lower his heel. Hopefully, the Lokomat therapy will retrain his brain to give him the proper stride. His other therapies are going along very well and he is very anxious to leave the hospital and live on his own with Jess in the apartment.
We are going to Florida next week to spend a week with Jess's parents who are flying in from Australia for the week. We will be meeting with Mark's medical team and with the Medical Evaluation Board doctor and team to start that process. As I mentioned before, Mark has to stay in Tampa until the MEB is completed and he is discharged from the Army, which has nothing to do with being discharged from the hospital. We also hope to see the apartment and help them pick out some furniture. Mark's household goods, which have been in storage in Virginia, will be shipped down so they can set up housekeeping
Please continue to keep Mark, and Jess, in your prayers that all of the details of the move and transition fall into place. As always, your support is very much appreciated.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
It has been an interesting week. My brother and sister-in-law arrived here in Strongsville with my nephew, Philip, to help him move into his new apartment. He is relocating from California (via Washington, D.C.) to go to law school here at Case (where Peter went). They stayed here at the "Lalliday Inn" while they outfitted the apartment and got him a car (with all wheel drive, of course). On Wednesday afternoon Jess arrived from Florida for a short visit. We had a great dinner all together on Wednesday evening. Philip left for his new apartment, my family left the next morning to go back to California, and Jess stays until early next week.
It has been wonderful to see everyone. My family met Jess two years ago in London when Philip and his brother, Robert, moved there for a year. She was able to meet up with the boys when all three were living in London for a while. Peter and Christy took Jess and Philip out last evening to the Italian festival in Little Italy and they had a great time. Jess and I have been enjoying our time together shopping and touring around all the various spots where I do my errands, etc. She especially enjoyed going to the Red Wagon Farm (yes, a real working farm) to buy vegetables. Being a "city girl" like me, it was quite fun.
Mark has been doing well in Tampa on his own. Yesterday, he had his first chance to ride his new bike in the park. It came while he was recovering from surgery and he hadn't been able to try it out. It's actually a trike with hand "pedals". He told us he had a blast. Today they have a mall outing and tomorrow lunch out at one of his favorite restaurants. He spoke with his Army command when they were down at the hospital a few days ago, and it looks like his promotion packet is finished and that it will finally go through.
That's it on the Lalli front for now. We will continue to keep everyone up to date as much as possible.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Yet again, it's been a while since we have posted anything. Of course, to me, this is good news because things are going smoothly and routinely. Mark, however, might tell you differently. After nearly two years in the hospital, he is becoming a bit tired and frustrated with it all. He is really looking forward to being discharged.
It appears that his discharge will be around September 30, so it's not very far away at all. He and Jess are now going to look for an apartment in the Tampa area. The Army has decided he needs to stay in Tampa until his Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) is completed. This could take up to six months to complete. He will be receiving outpatient therapy at the hospital, but will be living on his own with Jess at his side. They would have liked to have returned home to Ohio, but until he is discharged from the Army, that can't happen. He is currently assigned to the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Stewart, Georgia and they oversee him via Army personnel stationed right at the hospital. For them to move back to Cleveland, he would have to be assigned to Fort Knox, Kentucky and actually stay there at the fort, which is not desirable. On the bright side, spending the winter in Florida isn't the worst thing that could happen.
On Wednesday, Mark was finally able to get rid of the boot he has worn on his right foot since the external fixator was removed! Yay! He is now wearing athletic shoes that have a lift in the right one to even out his leg length. He is walking on it, but due to the injury and then being immobile for so long, his ankle strength needs to be built up. This is one of the primary focuses of physical therapy at the moment.
In order to alleviate some of his frustration, the hospital has allowed Mark to have a three day pass this weekend. He won a two night stay at one of the Tampa hotels at one of the monthly dinners they hold at the hospital, so he and Jess are taking advantage of a little getaway. They are also going to check out an apartment complex nearby. It will be such a relief to all of us when he can start his new life in October.