Paul continues to get stronger. It is hard to believe that his surgery was just a few days ago. The surgeons, especially the head guy, Dr. Heiss, are very happy with his progress. In fact, when they come in to check on him they are suprised at how well he is doing. We've felt from the beginning that Dr. Heiss is very guarded in his prognosis. We know all doctors don't make promises but he plays it very close to the chest. So when we get a raised eyebrow and a smile from him we consider it a huge victory. He is a great guy and has been extremely pleased with Paul's efforts and what he is able to do already.
Paul's pain is minimal and is mostly due to the massive amount of PT he is ALREADY doing. He spent over an hour there yesterday riding the bike, working his arms and using the bands. His neck had been bothering him and when he pointed out the spot to Willy (one of the amazing PT guys), Willy identified a huge knot in his neck, probably a result of the anxiety and stress he is under. Willy worked it out and Paul felt like a new person. Paul's will and fortitude are amazing. He is a great advocate for himself. His nurses have been great.
Today PT will come to his room and tomorrow he gets a day off from PT. There is talk of him "checking out" early next week at which point he will move to a rehab facility for some intensive PT for a few weeks. We all still look at eachother and are amazed that his surgery was just on Tuesday. We are so lucky to have NIH literally in our backyard. I personally am so greatful to Brian Oliver, an NIH scientist, who found the study for Paul. But I have to think that Grandad (Paul's Dad) had something to do with all of this. He was our first family member at NIH and without his experience there we probably wouldn't be aware of all that is available at NIH. I swear he is pulling some strings up there in Heaven to make all of this work.
More later...
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