Jeff did ok again today. He's still uncomfortable but the promise of getting off the medication to go home really motivates him to push himself. The prolonged hospital stay is really getting to him, and because he doesn't really have any concept of time, nor of how badly he was injured and how MUCH treatment he was receiving initially, it's hard for him to have much perspective about the insignificance of a couple more days in the grand scheme of how far he's come. If it were up to him, he'd get up and walk out tonight, and he's having a hard time seeing the long term goal of rehabilitating himself as thoroughly as possible before moving on.
That being said, 6 of his friends drove out today, including Becky and Chris, so that should really lift his spirits. The other 4 haven't seen him since before this all started, so I am praying the reunion really lifts his spirits. He has such wonderful friends.
However, with all that said, the doctors are talking about a release date of this Sunday! He was really hoping for tomorrow, but his Physical Therapist called in sick today and the rest of the unit was short staffed anyway so he couldn't do the walking they need him to do first, so the plan is to do that tomorrow and if all goes as planned, release him on Sunday. The extra day really upset him, but again, we're trying to help him see the perspective of the grand scheme. If he goes home on Sunday, it will be exactly 3 weeks since this all started. I just can't believe how quickly things have progressed. God has indeed been merciful and generous in His healing of Jeff's body. Even the doctors have been surprised at how quickly Jeff has been healed.
He still has a long road in front of him. He can't expose his burned skin to sun for at least a year. Since all of his limbs were burned, that means long pants and long sleeves. Fortunately, it's fall and not overwhelmingly hot. The doctors said that for the first couple of weeks that he's home, he'll feel like a truck ran over him as he tries to regain his strength and continues to re-sharpen his motor skills. He'll likely have to undergo Physical Therapy and when he returns to work, he'll have to start out slowly, on light duty. Plus, as the pain continues to subside, it's likely that he'll focus more on the psychological trauma of the fire so he will have that to deal with as well. But coming home is such a HUGE celebration and we're so grateful for that.
Tomorrow will be a busy day. His friends moved all of his stuff from California to his new house so tomorrow will be a mixture of unpacking in preparation for his homecoming and visiting him in the hospital. I'll try to update tomorrow night but maybe the next time you hear from me, he'll be home!
Praise God for His generosity of healing and His provision of great friends for Jeff. Please pray for extra protection around Jeff's spirit as he enters the next phase of this journey.
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