Chapter 27 - Therapy Begins

Chapter 27 - Therapy Begins



         ”Now listen carefully,” Dr. Bernhardt said as he and Erick wheeled Crystal from the O.R. “You remember what I said about your enthusiasm, right?”

         ”Yes, doctor, I sure do, and I can assure you I’m not going to lose a single ounce of it!” Crystal said firmly, and smiling.

         ”Good! Now. Remember what I said about how you’ll feel when the anesthetic wears off?”

         ”Yep. I’ll feel like I’m getting poked with a bunch of needles at once, right in the end of each stump, and it could go for 2-3 hours.”

         ”Right, probably not that long, but it is a possibility. What else?”

         Crystal paused. The silence got Erick’s attention and he moved quickly to the side of the gurney as he saw the pain of her memory problem evident on her face. “It’s OK, baby, that’s why I’m here, you know,” he said, trying to sound a little upbeat. “The piece that goes with those needles you’ll feel baby, is that you can ignore them. You’re not going to hurt anything by just fighting your way past the nuisance pain they’ll give you and going on with your therapy. You can just ignore them and keep fighting.” He saw her face brighten up, and a smile cross it with his last comment.

         ”Thanks, honey, God I love you for this! That’s right. I remember now.”

         ”Thanks, Erick,” said Dr. Bernhardt. “I’d momentarily forgotten what you two had told me about her short term memory problem. I’ll try to make a note of that. And please feel free to remind me when you need to. It’s in Crystal’s best interest, and that’s the bottom line here,” he said, smiling warmly. “Now Crystal, I want you and Erick to both pay very close attention to the things Candice will tell you. Detail is important here. It can speed your recovery, and your use of the limbs. When your session is done, Candice will bring you back to my office and we’ll talk for a bit. Got it?”

         ”Got it!” Crystal squealed. “God I’m looking forward to this!”

         ”What was that you said a minute ago about her enthusiasm, doctor?” Erick laughed.

         ”Point taken, Erick!” Dr. Bernhardt laughed as they reached the recovery room.

         Then, he took on a serious tone. “Now Crystal, I want you to promise me that you will let yourself sleep if you feel tired. I’ll look in on you in about an hour. If you’re awake and feeling those pins nipping at your stumps, we’ll go to therapy. Erick will be in here the whole time, of course. Will you promise me you’ll let yourself sleep? This is really more exhausting to your body than you think.”

         ”I’ll try, doctor. I may be too excited, but I promise I’ll try to let it happen.”

         ”Good girl. I know you’re excited, but sleeping now will really help you in therapy. See you soon.”

         As he left, Erick kissed Crystal deeply and said, “I’m really proud of you, darling. You’ve handled this like a real trooper. And I love you!”

         ”Thank you, honey!” she wailed as the tears filled her eyes. Erick wiped them with his handkerchief. “I love you, too, Erick. Thank you for being by my side through all this. God I love you for that!”

         ”I had to be here, baby. I couldn’t be anywhere else,” he said, smiling. “Now you close your eyes and try to do what you promised Dr. Bernhardt you’d do, and sleep. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here. Promise.”

         “Okay, baby. I love you.”

         ”Dr. Bernhardt was right again,” Erick thought shortly thereafter, smiling to himself. Crystal had fallen asleep within five minutes. “Too excited?” Erick silently laughed. “Honey”, he whispered, “you’re more priceless to me with each moment that passes. Now all I have to do is remember to tell you that when you can hear me,” he laughed quietly.



         Just over an hour later, Erick saw Crystal, eyes still closed, try to reach over with her left hand to scratch the stump of her right arm. When her fingers touched the heavy gauge plastic of her new arm instead of that stump, her eyes opened. “Geez, Erick,” she said, mildly frustrated. “Those pins are hitting me and I just realized I can’t rub it to make them stop. That even if I could rub it they won’t stop until they’re ready. Now the leg is doing it too. Geez.”

         ”Right, honey,” Erick said, smiling. “Now you see what Dr. Bernhardt meant about how it would feel, and why you just fight through them in therapy today.”

         ”Yeah, I know. But the feel of them in my stumps is what woke me up.”

         ”I know, baby. Just remember this is the only time you’ll have to fight them. They’ll quit bugging you in a little while. Maybe even during therapy.”

         I hope you’re right, darling,” she said as Dr. Bernhardt walked in.

         ”Well, I see we’re awake, Crystal,” he said, smiling. “Are you ready to start learning how to handle those two bionic limbs of yours?” he asked, grinning widely because he already knew the answer.

         ”Yeup, I am, doctor,” she said, grinning back. “I think those pins in my stumps woke me up a little early, though.”

         ”Just be honest with yourself, and Candice, and let her know when you’re feeling too tired to continue. OK?”

         ”Got it. Let’s go!” she said, eager now to get moving.

         Dr. Bernhardt laughed. “Erick, let’s get her moving before she chides us for being too slow!”

         ”I’m right with you, doctor!”

         All three of them laughed as Dr. Bernhardt and Erick rolled Crystal’s gurney out of recovery. A short, one-floor elevator ride and they’d arrived at the therapy unit.

         “Good afternoon, Candice,” Dr. Bernhardt said, smiling. “Erick and Crystal Metcalf, this is Candice Lincoln. She’ll be working with Crystal all the way through her therapy.”

         ”Nice to meet you both,” Candice said, smiling as she shook Erick’s hand.

         ”Same here,” Erick said, smiling himself. Then he watched, smiling even wider, as Candice reached down to Crystal to shake her hand.

         ”Nice to meet you, Crystal. Can you raise your arm far enough to reach my hand and give me a handshake?” she said smiling.

         ”God you’re priceless, Candice!” Crystal squealed as she slowly raised the new arm to shake Candice’s hand. “Don’t worry, Candice, I’ll be careful with the fingers, she laughed. “Stay where I can see you Erick, so I can stop it.”

         ”I’m right here, baby,” he said smiling. “Go for it!” He and Dr. Bernhardt smiled as they watched Crystal’s first real effort with her new limbs. A few wonderful seconds later, Crystal had raised the arm to meet Candice’s, and even slowly closed the fingers as a first effort toward a handshake.

         ”It feels funny to feel myself shaking hands again,” Crystal grinned. “But it feels great!”

         ”I’ll bet it does,” Erick said, smiling. “Teach me, honey. Other than seeing the handshake, how can you tell that’s what’s happening?” he asked, looking knowingly at Dr. Bernhardt.

         ”I can feel the motion in my upper arm, silly,” Crystal grinned at him. My whole arm feels the motion, you know,” she teased him. “I may not be able to feel anything in the fingers but I can feel the motion. Trying to catch me, were you?” she grinned again.

         ”Just trying to see how well you were doing what Dr. Bernhardt asked you to do, dear. You know- pay close attention to everything Candice says, remember?”

         “God I love you, Erick!” she sputtered. “You’re even going to use my therapy to watch over me and my recovery, aren’t you, darling?” she cried as her eyes filled with loving tears.

         Erick just smiled warmly, leaned down and tenderly kissed her, then looked her in the eye and said simply, “Yeup.” He knew he didn’t have to say any more.

         ”Thanks, my love,” she sniffed.

         ”I’m beginning to see what you mean about these two lovebirds,” Candice said to Dr. Bernhardt. “And you’re right. Many of our other patients could learn from them,” Candice said, releasing Crystal’s hand. “OK, Crystal. Let’s you, me and Erick get down to business. Roll the gurney in here, Erick, then we’ll get her off there and put her to work,” Candice said, smiling.

         ”Oh, oh!” Erick said, grinning.

         ”What’s up, Erick?” asked Candice, seeing his grin.

         ”You just said the magic word,” Crystal piped up. “Didn’t Dr. Bernhardt say anything to you about how much of a fighter I am?” she asked, smiling broadly.

         ”Oh, yeah,” said Candice. “Um.. I just pushed your fighting button, did I?” she laughed.

         ”Yeup,” Crystal said, matching her grin.

         ”Good! I’m glad I did! Now let’s see just what you can do!” Candice countered. “Ready for directions?”

         ”Let’s have ‘em!” Crystal, Erick and Candice all laughed.

         ”Erick, help her sit on the side of the gurney, with her legs hanging over the side. Good. Crystal, see how your right leg is still sticking straight out but your left one is down in what we consider a normal position? Lower your right leg so it’s hanging evenly with your left one. Stop it right at that point.”

         ”God that vibration feels wild, but nice,” Crystal said as she lowered the leg. “I can use that to tell me when it’s moving.”

         ”Right,” said Candice. “Noticed that in the O.R. did you?”

         ”Yeup,” said Crystal.

         ”I see I have a very perceptive patient on my hands,” smiled Candice. “Good. Now. Raise BOTH legs till they’re straight out. Try to move them at the same pace.”

         Needless to say, Crystal had no problem.

         ”OK, lower them again.” Once they were both down, Candice said,“Erick, we need to get Crystal into this armchair,” as she indicated one just a few feet away. “Do you think you can pick her up and sit her in it?”

         Erick and Crystal both laughed. “He’s been carrying me everywhere at home for months, Candice, I don’t think this will be a problem. Ready, honey?”

         ”You bet!” Erick said as he leaned over to put an arm behind her back.

         ”She’ll weigh about six to eight pounds more with the limbs on, Erick. Just so you know.” But by that time Erick had lifted Crystal up and was turning toward the chair. “So much for my concern here,” Candice laughed.

         As Erick leaned over to sit her in the chair he said, “It feels funny to feel two legs of yours in my arms, honey, but I like it!”

         ”Thanks, baby, I love the way it feels too!”

         Candice smiled. “You two really are priceless, you know that? Never lose that special closeness that you share. Too many couples never learn what it’s like, much less ever have it,” she said, a little emotional. Erick and Crystal looked warmly at each other, both remembering Professor Parker’s words earlier that term.

         Regaining her composure a moment later, Candice continued. “Okay. I want her to see what it’s like getting up and sitting down now. She’ll be able to do it, but she has to get used to some special considerations since the motors are slow for safety.”

         ”Got it,” Crystal and Erick said together.

         ”God, I can see now what Dr. Bernhardt meant. You two really do think alike. This is great,” she said, smiling. By then Crystal was in the chair. “OK, now, you two. Erick, get ready to steady her. Crystal, I want you to slowly stand up when I say ‘go’. But here’s the key. You’ll support yourself with your arms and left leg. You can lightly use your right one for balance as you get up, but don't put any reasonable weight on it until it's more than half way straight. Are you good at math?"

         Erick and Crystal both laughed. "I'm an accounting major," Crystal laughed again." Candice blushed.

         "Sorry," she laughed. OK. Then look at it this way. Keep most of your weight off the right leg until it's at least at a 45 degree angle. THEN you can put decent weight on it. You don’t want a lot of weight on it as it’s trying to move the leg from a sitting position. Too heavy a load on the motor and it’ll slow you down. You can go at any speed you're comfortable with, especially after you've done it a while. Just remember to keep most of your weight off of the right one till it's at least at that angle. Got it?”

         ”Got it.”

         “Good. Now before you can start, you need to move your right arm to a different position. Notice you can’t bend your wrist to turn your hand over and use the palm to push yourself up.”

         ”Geez, you’re right, Candice,” Crystal said as she realized what was suddenly involved here. “How do I do this?”

         Lift your arm away from the chair, turn your fingers till they’re at a 90 degree angle to your arm, then bend the elbow so the fingers are resting on top of the chair arm. When you start to stand, you can lean on both arms to push yourself up. Just be sure you remember to open the right elbow to help lift you as you push.

         ”Geez, that’s wild,” said Crystal as she moved the fingers into position. “But… wait a minute. That’s going to hurt my knuckles, isn’t it?”

         Erick quietly grinned. He loved seeing her normal instincts coming back so soon. “Baby, normally you’d be right,” he said, hugging her one-handed. “But you don’t have any feeling in these knuckles, remember?”

         ”God, Erick,” she said, turning beet red. “You’re right. God I’m sure thinking normal really quick here, aren’t I?”

         ”Yes, you are, Crystal,” Candice said. “Look at me. Now I know you can do all you need to do to conquer this, young lady! How? Because you’re one of a select few patients I’ve had who got so used to their limbs being there so soon that they started thinking of them as real ones. Keep that up. It’ll be awkward at first, but you’ll see bigger gains later. OK?”

         ”You bet!” Crystal shouted as she got the fingers into the final position. “I’m ready now, Candice. Fingers, elbow, knee and all!”

         ”Then GO!”

         As Erick and Candice watched, Crystal started slow, using her arms to balance her as she stood. She stumbled just a bit as she let go of the chair, and Erick caught her, supporting her till she was standing.

         "That's fine, Crystal," Candice said. "Something like getting up and down will be the things that take the longest to get used to. Because the leg goes through almost its whole range of motion, and your weight will be involved. Now, I want you to try sitting down. I know you won't be able to reach this chair right away, but Erick will support you till you can. Just reverse what you did, and remember to get most of your weight off that new leg by the time you're halfway down so we don't load that motor and to keep your fingers pointed that way to support you as you go down. Are you ready?"

         Crystal took a deep breath. "I'm ready, Candice."

         "Are you ready to support her, Erick?"

         "You bet I am!" Erick saw Crystal smile. Just what he hoped for.

         "Then go."

         Erick put his arm behind Crystal, supporting her as she began bending her knees. She put her arms behind her, looking over her shoulder for the chair arms. Once she had them, Erick slowly let go, and he and Candice watched as Crystal lowered herself the last half of the way. She dropped the last couple inches at one time, but she had done it. "That is going to take a while isn't it?" Crystal said, surprised. "It's not as easy as we always felt it was, is it?"

         Candice smiled. "You're learning how much of our body's work we all take for granted, Crystal. But don't let this get you down. You, of all people should know that you're going to get this done eventually. I just proved that to you with the way you thought your knuckles would hurt, right? And how soon that happens will depend totally on how much and how hard you're willing to work at it."

         "Gotcha," Crystal said thoughtfully. "I'm beginning to see now why Dr. Bernhardt said what he did about my enthusiasm."

         "Right, honey. And just remember that I'll be here with you every step of the way. You can take longer than a year before trying all this on your own if you want. You know I'll be right here no matter how long you need me to help till you're comfortable with it." He leaned down and kissed her.

         "OK, you two," Candice said, smiling. "Now I'm beginning to see what Dr. Bernhardt said about the way you two work together. It's priceless, just like he said. Crystal?"

         "Yes, Candice?"

         "Dr. Bernhardt's right. You are a very lucky girl to have someone like Erick supporting you. That tells me right now that you'll do fine. That unlike many patients, in your case it's all up to you. I know I just said that, but I mean it. You can handle it all. I have no doubt of that now. It's up to you how fast you progress here. Just remember that that brings one warning with it. Don't wear yourself out. Don't try overly hard. Because that can frustrate you. As you found out just now, there will be a lot more exertion in learning these things than you thought. And if you keep trying when your body is too tired, you'll make more mistakes and get frustrated. It's not worth the way it will make you feel. So. You can go at your own pace, but NEVER keep going once you start to feel the least bit tired. Will you promise me that?"

         Crystal didn't have to think long. "Yes, Candice, I will. I see what you mean. It would actually slow my progress, wouldn't it?"

         "Yes, it would. Because it would be harder to get yourself to try again."

         "Erick, honey, will you do me a favor?"

         "Name it, baby."

         "You've done wonders with helping me up to now, and I've admitted that to you. Will you add this to the things you make me stick to doing the way I should? Like exercising my arm? Not let me slip on the idea, or the promise to Candice?"

         "You bet I will baby!" He leaned down and kissed her.

         "Thank you, my love. What now, Candice?"

         "Well, do you two want to try walking, or are you tired yet?"

         "I'm... a little tired, I have to admit," Crystal said.

         "Good girl," Erick smiled warmly. "I'm proud of you for admitting it, honey. That's part of what we're talking about. So what do we do now, Candice?"

         "OK. Figure on being back here tomorrow at 2:00 PM for your next workout. Right now, we'll go in my office and I'll show you how to take these off and put them on. Erick, if you'll help her into this wheelchair, we'll get started. My office is the first door on your right, straight ahead. I'll see you there in a few. Don't worry about the gurney. That will be picked up in just a few minutes for another patient."

         As Candice walked down the hall, Erick helped Crystal from the chair, into the wheelchair, and followed just a couple minutes behind Candice.

Chapter 28 - Off and On  (E) Erick and Crystal find there's a lot to learn about her new limbs #790003 by Incurable Romantic