246 days in the hospital takes it’s toll on the human body. The human body is not meant to lay in bed all day, every day. It needs to move, be active, sit up right, ect… When it lays in bed all day; day after day, the muscles begin to shrink and deteriorate. The joints get stiff and hurt to move. Pressure sores become a problem.
These are all things Chris is dealing with since he’s been in the hospital for so long. Physical therapy has only been by a handful of times during this hospital stay. They did give me a few exercises to do with Chris to help his muscles. I have been doing them daily. It has helped, but he’s still losing muscle mass.
I came in during his bath and got to actually see his body. Most of it I see throughout the day while they take care of him, but I hadn’t seen his calf muscles for months. They had stopped doing his bath on day shift and started doing them in the middle of the night. He wears the SCD leg cuffs all day and padded boots. These two things keep him covered from the knees down.
Anyway I came in while they were bathing him and was shocked to see the state of his lower legs! The first thing that popped in my mind was he looks like a holocaust survivor. His calf muscle have shrank so much they are no bigger than my forearm. I can almost reach my hand all the way around his ankle. I’m only about a half inch short of my fingers being able to touch.
No One had mentioned the state of his lower legs to me. I asked the hospitalist doctor if they knew and was told, yes. She went on to explain this happens with lack of movement. I asked about having physical therapy work with him more and was informed physical therapy won’t work with him until he can assist in his therapy. I find this to be discussing! A patient that has been bed ridden should be a priority for physical therapy. Not only to prevent muscle loss but to help prevent blood clots.
I now have expanded the physical therapy I do with him to cover his lower legs, ankles and toes. As his wife and advocate I will do whatever he needs. I must say, find it sad that it is left to the family to do things like this for their loved ones instead of the medical professionals staying on top of all health issues.
If you have a loved one in the hospital take note of all their needs. Don’t rely on the doctors or nurses to point out anything. Check them over with your own eyes, research what they need and if it’s something you can do, do it. If it’s not something you can do stay on the staff to get it done. No One cares about your loved one like you do!
Keep the prayers and good vibes coming.
-Lori Hulett