Appointments, appointments

Our weekend was a good one. We got to spend time with Ben's dad and my mom throughout the weekend, which was great. Ben felt up to getting out of the house on Saturday, so we headed to get some frozen yogurt. It was Ben's first time in a car since he rode home from the hospital, and I think he enjoyed it (despite my driving!!).

We also went out to a greenway to walk on Sunday morning while it was nice and sunny. We all enjoyed being outside.

The rest of our weekend was pretty lowkey. We rested and ate and watched golf on TV. I even snuck out for a mani/pedi on Sunday afternoon while my mom was still here. :-)

Today has been the day full of appointments.  Ben had a wound check at 11AM, where we were surprised to learn that he actually has no stitches at all! The nurse wondered why we were there because apparently for spinal surgeries they usually just use glue instead of stitches. We didn't know that, of course, and neither did the person scheduling our appointment. But it was great to go because we got to meet with both nurses in Dr. Asher's practice. They looked at his wound and assured us it was healing nicely. They left the steri-strips on for now...they said they would fall off on their own when they were ready. Ben is allowed to start showering normally at this point. He had been avoiding getting any water on the incision area at all, and he still isn't allowed to soak in the tub or go swimming, but luckily that's not usually part of his daily routine! :-)

We also got to talk with the nurses about the numbness he's been experiencing.  They told us that it was likely because of the irritated nerves, especially as he is tapering off of the steroids he began taking before surgery. They also checked in with Dr. Asher, and he assured all of us that this kind of numbness is completely normal because of the (his word) "huge" tumor that was removed. The nerves that were compressed by the tumor are hopefully re-expanding, and swelling may be coming and going as his body adjusts to the steroid taper. As long as Ben isn't experiencing buckling in his limbs (which he hasn't been...thank goodness), the numbness isn't cause for concern.

Next up was physical and occupational therapy appointments. His physical therapy appointment focused mainly on his legs at this point. The physical therapist wanted to talk with Dr. Asher before starting any real work on Ben's neck...to make sure there are no restrictions she should know about. Ben's balance is a little bit off (which we assumed), and his hips are a bit weak. He has plenty of leg and hip exercises to do twice a day at home.

His occupational therapy appointment tested his grip and pinch strength as well as his general coordination with his hands. The therapist noted that Ben was using his whole arm to do movements that really should just require his hand and wrist. She gave him LOTS of homework to do--special "thera-putty" to practice with and lists of small movements to practice. He is supposed to sit and focus for 30 minutes a day on various activities to improve his hand strength and coordination.

At this point, he will continue both physical and occupational therapy appointments twice a week. The physical therapist mentioned that he could need therapy for up to two months or so. The occupational therapist wants to meet with him twice a week for now, and then begin meeting with him once per week after a couple of weeks.

These appointments were very positive, and we're so glad to know what Ben can be doing to regain his strength.

We will keep you posted!