Daily Routine

I’m beginning my second week of rehab today so I thought I’d take you through a typical day. The nurses make sure I’m up by 7:00 a.m. at which time I take my bath/shower and get dressed. For the first few days, I took a sponge bath by myself but I’m now wheeling my wheelchair to the shower where I then transfer from the wheelchair to a shower chair to take a shower by myself sitting down. I get dressed and am eating breakfast usually at 8:00 a.m. During the day, I have 1 ½ hours of physical therapy, 1 hour of occupation therapy and ½ hour of recreational therapy.


Physical therapy is usually broken down to an hour block in the morning or afternoon and an additional ½ hour in the afternoon if my hour block is in the morning or in the morning if the hour block is in the afternoon. The goal of physical therapy is strengthening the muscles that I still am able to use and trying to regain movement in areas I currently am unable to use. The therapy consists of lots of exercises that concentrate on my stomach muscles on down as well as practicing getting up and walking with a walker. Today I met my goal of getting up and walking unassisted with my walker 100 feet. It was pretty strenuous!


The occupational therapy hour is broken up to a ½ hour in the morning and a ½ hour in the afternoon. The goal of OT is to work on things I’ll need to function at home and at work. We work on getting in and out of showers, getting off and on toilets, etc. I started off learning how to slide from my wheel chair to various items but have progressed to being able to stand with my walker and using the walker to get off and on the items I need to function day to day. St. Rita’s has an area on the rehab floor that simulates various situations. There’s a car to get in and out of and a kitchen with a fridge, oven, microwave and a sink to work on. There’s also a living room and an area with carpeted floor, etc to practice movement on.


To be real honest, I’m not quite sure what the goal of the ½ daily hour of recreational therapy is. We’ve practiced going up and down ramps, went outside and wheeled on a boardwalk type surface and played Wii bowling. They probably figure I don’t need any help having fun so they don’t know what to do with me!


I’ve appreciated the many comments and e-mails coming my way as a result of this blog. It means a lot.


Joshua 1:8 is one the memory verses I've been working on:

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall mediate on it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success"

Preparing the people of Israel to enter the promised land, Joshua proclaims that that the key to prosperity and success in life is simple: meditating on the Word of God so that the people will obey God's Word. Pretty simple formula when you think about it. I'd venture to say that all of us want prosperity and success in our lives. That is promised by God through the obedience of His Word. Of course the prosperity and success that is spoken of here is prosperity and success as defined by Him which, like God's definition of "good" in Romans 8:28-29, is usually different than ours. Prosperity and success in God's eyes is being transformed into His image through His gracious work. I hope that God's Spirit resides in you and that you are daily enjoying the prosperity and success that is promised through meditation and obedience of His Word.

Rob