But today, they communicated to us that it is this coming Monday....only 5 days away!
We had been hoping to keep Adam there as long as we could to benefit from as much therapy as possible. Our insurance year started over on November 1. We are covered for 45 days of inpatient rehab. We had been advocating and making it very clear that we wanted him to stay as long as he possibly could....even all of it if possible, which would take us to mid-December. Our outpatient coverage is not as good and is limited to 30 visits per insurance year.
Well, fact of the matter is, Adam is just doing too well to be able to stay there inpatient.
That's good.....right? We've been praying for him to make great gains....right?
Our sudden release date is just taking us by surprise. We kinda feel like we are being kicked out (maybe Adam shouldn't have given the staff such a hard time?!). And we also feel rather unprepared. We were not happy about the decision at first and after talking to the insurance company and Mary Free Bed, there is just very little that can be done. The attending doctor would have to appeal for him to stay there longer. And at this point, that really can't be justified. Adam is doing too well. And we get that.
So....we have to figure out what sort of assistive equipment may be needed. Buy, rent, borrow? We are waiting to figure out where insurance will play a role. We don't think we will need anything long-term, but we just don't know yet. Definitely in the short term, we may need a walker, a wheelchair, a cane, etc. We'll know more in the next few days. Don't start offering your equipment that is sitting around in the basement just yet. We'll make it known if there are items we are seeking.
Some have asked about if anything is needed to be done to the house. Typically, MFB sends a team on a home evaluation prior to being released and recommendations are made on what sort of things should be done to the house to aid in the person being able to get around and function. We've been told they won't even be doing that for us based on how Adam is getting around. Our bedrooms and full baths are all upstairs. Adam can do stairs. Up better than down, but he can do them. He's been home a couple of times now and was able to get around without any hitches. A few days at home will probably reveal anything that we may need to alter, but we aren't real concerned about it at this point.
Bringing him home does cause a bit of anxiety. He'll have been gone for almost 8 weeks by the time he comes home. What will this look like for us? He'll be home, but we'll need to adjust to family life again....and a somewhat different family life. He can't carry a baby. The fine motor skills it takes to change a diaper aren't quite there yet. He can't do buttons or tie shoes still. Can he open food containers? Use a kitchen knife? He is not driving yet. Many things he was relied on for around the house will not be on his plate anytime soon. And this girl has been handling head-of-the-household responsibilities and parenting on her own. I'm not unprepared for some hiccups/tension as we bring Adam back into all of this and figure out ways to make this work.
BUT, the more I've had the chance to let this settle in, the more excited I am!
I've missed my best friend a lot. Even to have him here to talk to when the day is over will be so wonderful. Phone calls are not the same. And for the first month after his injury, we didn't even do that since he couldn't hold his phone. I cannot wait to lounge around and watch a movie with him. Hold hands. Cuddle. Being able to go to bed at the same time. That other side of the bed has been dreadfully empty. It will feel so nice to have him there again. The boys will love having dad's attention again and not just for an hour visit. He'll be great at reading stories, playing games, and talking through their day with them. We'll all be able to sit down and enjoy dinner together again. Go places together. We'll feel like a family again.
And that's very good.
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| (August 2013) |
