Surgery--sitters, meals, recovery!

Wow, looks like I'm gonna get a little bit of time to do some updates on my blog! I can't relax until Andrew gets home from work safely which I am guessing will be about another 2.5 to 3 hours! (about 1AM)...

Once again, I sit here to blog and don't even know where to begin...Today's snow day was great...you see how many things we got up on the blog? Not having to go anywhere, no phone calls to make -- almost an actual "vacation" day for me...

So I ended up going back to the post I made on the 17th (almost two weeks ago?!) where I said..BBL and listed some things to talk about...At least some of the items I have more information on so this won't be quite as stressful of a post as it would've been had I wrote it two weeks ago...

I think I've already touched on some of the issues, but there are even updates to those:

Harley's behavior plan--update is that we had another meeting..He has an official behavior plan in place now and a health plan that includes his psychosis and seizures. I am so happy that I had Patricia in our corner to help us through it. I have to admit that I dropped the ball...feeling so overwhelmed about everything else that has been going on. I'm sure most of you know how hard it is to admit that you are overwhelmed, but at this point I don't think I can hide that fact.

I think i've already blogged about my surgery date...November 20th...I have a bunch of pre-op appointments on Thursday! It's getting closer and closer! In this whole process I've had so many logistics to work out. Andrew managed to get 5 days off work starting the day of my surgery. Marion (the lady we gave a car to in March?) is coming over to help him out so he doesn't get too awfully stressed out. My teens will be home (and not in Wyoming after all) and that will give Andrew some help as well.

I managed to get my resourceful mind working and asked for, got approved additional respite for Harley. He will get 4 hours a DAY from the 20th to the 25th--so that should reduce some of the stress on the family as a whole. I hated to do it, but the more I can keep him on routine the better off everyone will be. It will be hard enough on him to not have me around...who knows his schedule and routine better than even himself! I was also able to get him approved for 8 hours a week for 4 weeks after surgery. I am trying to arrange those so that it is on Saturday and sunday at Zachary's naptime so I can get some quality rest. We have our first interview on Friday afternoon. It was this request that made me ask for a 'letter of necessity" from my neurosurgeon...when I received it I completely freaked out because I was not aware of the restrictions they would be placing me under...of course I knew about the no driving...but...Here, I'll let you read it for yourself...
Tracy has received treatment from this office on 10/9/09. Tracy is scheduled for surgery on 11/20/09 and will need additional assistance in caring for her 12 year old son. Tracy will not be able to drive for at least two weeks after surgery while in a cervical collar. Tracy will need to have several follow-up visits scheduled after surgery. The first one is 10-14 days after surgery for a nurse visit to assess incision. Following is 4-6 weeks after surgery for a post-op visit. And then 3 months after surgery for a final follow-up.

Tracy will have the following restrictions after surgery: no bending, lifting more than 10 pounds, or twisting. No lifting anything above the level of her shoulders. No driving for two weeks, while using narcotics or muscles relaxers or wearing a cervical collar.

Now, I was NOT aware of the need to wear the cervical collar, the lifting restriction nor the bending or twisting. This even knocks me out of diaper duty for a little while.

Since I cannot drive, it is creating a unique situation...after all I do so much driving on a daily basis and trying to cover those areas won't be easy...that I am still working on. I have asked the owner of his behavior therapy group for special consideration to have them pick Harley up at home for therapies. Typically they pick him up from school but their policy is that if the child is not attending school for that day, you must provide transporation to the center. I am still awaiting a response from her. Then I have to figure a way for him to get home. He will start going til 5pm instead of 4pm (oh yeah, we got approved to increase his behavior therapy hours from 2 to 3 a day for 3 days a week)....and Andrew has a client at 6...in bad weather he will be late to his client. Legally Kelly can't drive for us, even if I am in the van because the rule of an underage provisionary licensed driver is that they can have only one passenger under the age of 16 in the car (including siblings). So if the owner does not approve transportation for both ways...I still have quite a bit of footwork to do...I actually have two options -- but can't say I am comfortable with either of them...(1) Find a respite worker who can do transportation, but then we are wasting 3 hours of the day while the worker is waiting for Harley to finish with therapy. (2) There is a special medicaid transportation service that-because of my medical restriction on driving - will provide service...somewhat like a taxi or cab service. It would be door to door--but we are talking a time of year when the weather could be bad and that I don't know either of these people?!

One of the moms from Tyler's school is willing to drive Tyler to/from the bus stop each day while I am on restriction. She doesn't live far from us...she also has five children (ages 10-4).

Babysitters, meals, general household help and other assistance...
Friends I've met through freecycle are bringing over meals while I am gone and a church has 'adopted' us for a time (not sure how long) after surgery where the women's guild will make meals and have them delivered to our house. Marion contacted some of her friends and we will have coverage here at home 24/7 while I am not home--and when I am home in recovery if that's what I choose to do. I am also hiring a 19 year old boy to help with the boys (babysit) during the day who is a friend's son. She does foster care and he comes highly recommended by another friend. He is charging us only $6 an hour but we haven't decided for sure what hours we are going to ask for him to come over...I'm still trying to nail down an "at home schedule" But we figured even if we have him here for about 50 weeks the kids' first week back at school it would cost us less than $300 for the week. That's really not bad at all! The church who is getting their ladies' guild bring meals has offered to help with part of the cost. I had also applied for some emergency funds from Harley's caseworker (but was denied, thanks budget cuts!) just in case I ended up having to hire an official 'nanny' which would be double that cost I am sure...This is all help I am assuming I will need and am preparing for when I return but am still on restriction--I definitely don't want to take chances on overdoing it and ending up hemmoraging in my brain!

Oh and we've been "adopted" by that same church and Tyler's school to help out with the Christmas gifts so that means I only need to really shop for my two older children...and that is something I can do online or send Andrew out :))

Whew, that was a lot more to say about that than I realied! I may write more tonight, but I'm gonna take a break for now.