Week One Done And Dusted... An update on Dee's progress

Thanks for your messages of support!  Loads of people are asking for updates... we have been here for just over a week now... but honestly, it feels like we have been here for months!  

I'm not gonna lie... it's pretty crap. He is suffering down here... he feels like it is prison, Covid rules mainly. One visitor and one dependent at a time. But, we are allowed to sit in the gardens together. Visiting hours at 11am - 7pm and they announce at 6:30pm that visitors have to leave, then patrol the ward and lock the doors at 7pm. He is really hating Burwood... they are very strict and he is quite the home body, but he will get used to it! And it is the best place for him right now. It is good for his recovery here. I know that it wont be long before he has learnt all the rules and routines, gotten to know what is expected of him and starts to feel good again. Plus, he will get to know people better. New things and places are always hard to adjust to and everything feels better after a good sleep!

He continues to get worse... his hands are starting to tingle now and he is losing strength in the

m.  He cant grip with his right hand, can't play his guitar properly, can't cut his own fingernails, can't lift himself up with his arms on his chair, can't lift his arms above his shoulders etc. It is like all the fine motor skills are restricted.  He has lost 17kgs since Nov... (easier ways to do it!! 🤣) The weight loss is muscle mass because he is not moving like he used to. He is feeling pretty useless and frustrated by the
whole situation. It is hard to watch. 

They have told us they plan to send him to the Christchurch main hospital next week for more testing. (He just rolled his eyes!) More of the same. Again. However, it will be good to see if things have changed since the first rounds of testing back in Palmy. And, another new set of eyes and specialists. We will continue to wait for results to see what they decide will be the best treatment plan (if any), how long he will stay here, what they think his new baseline will be, what drugs to give him for the spasms,  etc. He is also having appointments with the urologists frequently to decide what happens with his catheter. A lot of spinal patients get a surgically inserted catheter, straight into the bladder and out through the belly, rather than up the urethra. This is due to constant risk of infections. Palmy were planning to do this, but he actually had an infection the day it was meant to happen, so it was postponed. Burwood are doing testing to see if his bladder is functioning at any level, before making decisions around this. I think they will likely try him without any catheter before making a decision on this. 

However, it is good that he is here. Burwood is the right place for him.  They make him work really hard. It's 2 physio sessions and one occupational therapist session per day (so 3 x workouts).  He is SO tired and working hard to rebuild his strength. He was sweating and struggling with 4kg weights yesterday. He was so mad at himself because it is just not who he is... 4kg... seriously?!!!??!   He is getting better at doing things for himself down here. They are super strict on him!! He hates being told what to do... but it is making him want to work hard to get home! Still a long road ahead.   

He is getting out and about in the beautiful Burwood gardens in his wheelchair each day between his sessions.. (It is fairly hard to manage getting in and out of bed... he is full hoist with 2 assistants, and it takes a minute!)  He is building up his endurance to be up and in his chair during the days. When he was in Palmy, he basically just lay in bed all day!  The chair they have given him here is WAY better... easier to maneuver, more comfortable to sit in, better designed for spinal injury, props him up better for core support. And they have a lot of specialized equipment that helps him to be more independent here. We have seen massive changes in the way that he can manage himself because of these things. 

Prayers, messages, and blessings are most welcome! 

Please don't expect a response to your message... there are simply too many to manage and we have limited data available for internet access.  We are SO GRATEFUL for the love and support that has been shared with us from family, friends back home, the locals in Christchurch, and the wider SDA community. It has been such an overwhelming lesson in trusting God to provide what we need (Isaiah 58:11 Where God guides, he provides) and it has been an extremely powerful witness to my children, especially, seeing God's love in action!  In fact, when I actually reflect on the ways God has been seen through this journey, it doesn't feel real at all! So many miracles!! (This is a whole other post!) Please know that we are very grateful for everything!

Dee is missing his people. He is so isolated here. He has, however, made some new 'friends'.  Ironically, there are 3 patch members in Burwood currently, all different gangs, all from car accidents, all from lower North Island (Whanganui, Levin, Hastings). There is something weird that happens here, the common spinal cord injury that bonds them together, regardless of their background. God can use anything! When Dee compares himself to some of the others here, it makes him grateful for his situation. It's all a matter of perspective. My teaching experiences at LAC over recent years, and some of the girls I have taught (some of you will know who I am talking about) meant I was really prepared to engage with the partners of these men. Their lives are so different to ours and they desperately need to know the love of Jesus! God's timing is so perfect! Again, I can really see him working in our lives.  

To all the Christchurch peeps out there, Dee is especially going to need support after me and the kids go home on the 13 February. His mum will stay here with him, but I will only be able to visit occasionally because I have to work. He will need people to pray with him, bring him the odd combo, etc... 

It's going to be a long slow road getting him home, but God is here with us. I don't know what it is that God is gonna do with all this aye, but he will have a plan! Dee is going to need to get real tight with God so he can hear his voice clearly! Time for his Christianity to rage hot instead of lukewarm. God is calling us home!!