Sally's Update

Let the rehab begin!

Sally was moved to the Rehabilitation Unit on Friday afternoon. She has a beautiful room--large enough for an entire Viere Family renunion...and that's saying quite a bit! With 8 children, 8 in-laws, and a host of grandchildren and great grandchildren.....the space is well-used. Her daily routine is returning to a familiar note; gone is the lovely, ever fashionable hospital gown, replaced with Sally's own street clothes. Occupational therapy begins at sunrise, whereby, Sally is supervised as she is able to get out of bed on her own, wash her face and brush her teeth, and get dressed to go to breakfast at the Rehab dining room. Life is good!

Each day, Sally will have up to 3 hours of occupational and physical therapy. The color has returned to her smiling face and she is doing very well. Had it not been for the blood clot she experienced last week she would be very possibly be heading home! Amazing! Apparently, when the heart pump was taken out of her left leg artery (remember? the pump was assisting her heart's function early on)a blood clot developed at the location the tube was inserted. It seems when a blood clot disrupts the blood flow to any part of your body, cells and nerves die. Even when it is a short-term disruption. As Sally's blood flow was blocked for nearly 18 hours, her left leg and foot are not cooperating and she is still experiencing pain. We are told this is normal. One of her granddaughters is an Occupational Therapist and reports that the recovery process will include week's of exercise, exercise, exercise, encouraging the nerve endings to regrow. Seems no matter how old we get--we can't escape exercise! Still, Sally's spirits are high and she is ready to rock 'n roll!

We are all breathing easier this day; two weeks after suffering a massive coronary event, Sally is back! Saturday night we spent three hours as a family, sitting comfortably in her room with a view of the Mississippi River, talking about old times. With eight children, five of them boys--it was a very interesting discussion. It is no surprise she has survived losing 50% of her heart muscle--after all, she survived the antics of five boys growing up on the family farm!!!! Three hours of intensive rehab shouldn't be a problem! :)