Between the Summer Solstice and the next full moon coming up on June 24, there are a few people who know what happens to me during this time. I tend to move heavy furniture. Not that I plan it but for some reason, it’s a time when I reorganize the space I live in, and if there is something weighing an insurmountable amount of poundage, I will move it. Somehow.
There is a lot of reorganizing to be done in our living space now that Yuri will be coming home. I had to clear out areas where the wheelchair he is fitted for will be able to pass through without hitting obstacles like the dining room table or getting through doorways with a quarter-inch to spare on either side. No matter. The fact that he is coming home after 20 days in rehab is a success story. It’s one that Kessler Institute asked if they can profile Yuri for their story.
Just as the Westchester Medical Center ICU doctors and nurses recount their first impression when they admitted Yuri to the ICU with his astonishing process of getting better, so are the staff at Kessler. Today, the respiratory specialist made a special effort to come in and take the trach out of his throat. The wound nurse took extra care in showing me how to care for it while pulling out the stitches, one thread longer than you would imagine, a tickle in his throat he couldn’t get rid of. His aide, who had four days off, is amazed at the strength and mobility from just a few days ago.
Adding to the cultural aspect, Yuri has shown so many of the aides, physical and occupational therapists, what music is all about and why he finds Mozart so fascinating as he does the operas, R&B, gospel, salsa swing, and jazz. They ask questions of the Professor. He takes in their curiosity in stride as he continues exploring all that’s available on YouTube, and moving forward all the while towards the goal of getting back to where he can do what he loves the most– making music.
Gaining his strength is the priority and while he isn’t walking yet, the progress he has made is what the doctor tells me is the reason why he is able to come home. Now, there are a lot of things I will not get into TMI is not for everyone. I’d say, “But, I’m not a nurse.” This is not my jurisdiction. However, this is where we are. While the training is beyond the first aid badge I got as a girl scout, I did get the pep talk in the hallway about getting past the tube feed the first time, and wound care will be a piece of cake.
I spoke with Doctor George about the appointments with doctors and specialists he will need and I just put that into the production schedule-timeline as I would have when I was a producer for low-budget indie films. You do what needs to be done and find a way to get it done, on time and on budget. The doctor noted that Yuri has found his mettle and that “he has you” along with the support of nurses from the institute who assured me they would not let us out if they did not think we will be fine. Yuri will be better at home. I know he will.
In the meantime, I continue in my alter ego as Spacial Cadet, moving the parts of the whole around during this week of the summer solstice and the full moon to make it work for us during the time of deliverables of medical equipment, outdoor chair lift, movable ramps for the two steps from the entrance into living space, additional supplies necessary for Yuri’s continuing progress in recovery. Actually, the place looks pretty good and we may keep it this way. Look out, Marie Kondo.
