🐌 Little by Little 🐌Austin’s Progress & Homestead Blog Hop 440

🐌 Little by Little 🐌

When the boys were younger, we used to listed to a song by Patch the Pirate.

Little by little

Inch by inch

By the yard it’s hard

By the Inch, what a cinch

Don’t stare up the stairs

Just step up the steps

Little by little

Inch by inch

How fitting that is for recovery. It’s inches, not miles, where the progress is made. Slow, painful, inches at a time. But progress is still progress, and the inches do make up the yards eventually.

One day Austin will look back on this–right now, he’s staring down the road of recovery and seeing the miles.

Yesterday (Tuesday), I am happy to report, was a little better than Monday. See Over It, Austin’s Recovery Update He did not get any sleep thru the night, but caught a couple little catnaps here and there during the day. The leg swelling was less, so the pain was a bit more manageable.

Physical therapy did not come, which aggravated Austin a little, since he’s become restless of the bed. We did a lot of position changes, and I helped him up once. It’s tricky since he can’t use one whole side of his body. Well—he can use that broken leg technically, but it hurts!

We took matters into our own hands in the afternoon and found a strap which Austin looped around his foot, so he could work on little lifts and stretches. So he did his own therapy.

They are talking about discharge to a rehab hospital for ten days. That’s good news, and sounds like progress. Insurance is working on details there.

Austin’s right arm still does not work, and I’m not willing to transfer him until we can get some answers, so right now that is part of the holdup. It’s been a week, and I’m tired of being brushed aside. Maybe it’ll just take time, but I would like to have the orthopedic doctor actually address it. They said yesterday (trauma team who doesn’t work with bones) that if it’s still not moving in a week, come back for a MRI. Once we transfer, this could get tricky, though, so I’d like a plan before we leave. Have you ever heard of Mama Bear? She has come out a little over this last week.

Small progress in the eating department–Austin actually did eat a yogurt and part of a protein shake. I had to laugh inside–the dietitian keeps trying to sneak nutritional shakes onto his tray, to which Austin has only raised an eyebrow so far.

Last night his tray came with a different drink–a plant-based drink that I’m familiar with, and that I believe actually contains good-quality nutrition. So I reacted positively to that, but still figured he’d ignore it. They also snuck in a cup of ice cream, which Austin has refused before when offered to him.

“Why’d they send me ice cream? I didn’t order that!”

I very casually mentioned that it might make a good milkshake if mixed with the nutritional shake, then left it. I’ve learned that Austin had to think it’s his idea, but sometimes he will take little hints if I don’t push it.

Awhile later, he decided he might like to try a vanilla milkshake, so could I mix it for him? But of course!

He did drink a decent amount of that, so that’s calories! Nibbling on fruit only gets you so far!

👏🏼

We are moving in the right direction!

Little by little–remember?

I just got here Wednesday morning in the wee hours. I’m trying to catch that orthopedic doctor when she rounds. I was mentally grumbling at getting up at 4:30, then I remembered that Austin does this four days a week and doesn’t complain. His work day starts at five, so he sees darkness heading in every work day. It’s amazing how many people are actually up and about at this hour!

Anyway–what I meant to say was that Austin said he did get some sleep last night, and he’s resting now with his eyes closed, so that’s a great start! 👏🏼

I can’t think of anything else right now!

Thank you again for all of the prayers and encouraging words.

Laurie

UPDATE: the orthopedic doctor actually just came in and mama bear didn’t even need to roar a bit. She’s going to consult with the others in the orthopedic team and they will come to see Austin this morning. They may or may not do an MRI. Austin actually did exhibit a little bit of weakened movement in that arm when she asked him, so perhaps it’s not as bad as it was before. 🤔

Welcome to the Homestead Blog Hop!

Homestead Blog Hop will take place every Wednesday and is for all things homesteading: real food recipes, farm animals, crafts, DIY, how-to’s, gardening, anything from-scratch, natural home/health, self-sufficiency, self-reliance, natural remedies, essential oils, & more! Basically anything related to homesteading.

Meet Your Hosts!

Follow Their Blogs

Natasha – Houseful of Nicholes (Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram)

Laurie – Ridge Haven Homestead (Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram)

Liz – The Cape Coop (Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram)

Kelly – Simple Life Mom (Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram)

FEATURED POSTS from the Last Homestead Blog Hop

Each week we take turns choosing three posts to feature. Each post will be shared on all social media platforms by all of the hosts! Here are the features from Last Week’s Hop:

1. How to Attract Bees to Your Garden from Road to Reliance

2. 8 Great Sheet Pan Dinners from Homemade on a Weeknight

3. 17 Ways to Start Apartment Homesteading from Milk Glass Home

Congrats! Feel free to grab the featured on button for your post.

Just right click and ‘save image as…‘

Guidelines for this Get-Together:

1. Click on the “Add your Link” Button below and add a great image of your project or recipe. Make sure you link to the page of your family friendly post – not the main page of your blog.
2. Link up to three posts each week.
3. Try to visit at least a few other blogs at the party. Be sure to leave a comment to let them know you stopped by.
4. Link your post back to the Homestead Blog Hop. If the hop isn’t linked to your post then you cannot be featured. All featured posts will be shared on all hosts’ social media channels.
5. Please link up posts that you haven’t linked to the hop before. You are welcome to link old posts from your blog.
6. By joining the party, you are giving the hosts permission to use one photo from your post with a link back to your site if it is selected as one of next week’s Features.
7. This is a family-friendly link up meant to inspire and motivate the homesteader in all of us.

Let the Party Begin!

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Follow all your hosts on Pinterest and send me a message that you’d like to be added to our Homestead Blog Hop group board. The only rule is to only add posts that you’ve also added here.