Posted by Jodie on June 29, 2009, 10:31 am, in reply to "Re: Gibbons update: "Captain Hook's" sense of humor"
66.215.57.194
OUT OF THE HOSPITAL!!!!!!!!!!!! Jason was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon. He will be at Kathy's while he is an out-patient. This physical therapy is quite intense so he is exhausted when it is over. He has a power chair and he learned all the controls inside of a short morning. Now we have trouble keeping up with him. Kathy rides her bike next to him and together they "motor" about the campus. Kathy does all the dressing changes, meds, etc., while he is busy telling her how to do them "his way"! She just smiles. I keep waiting for the gauze or tape to be stuffed in his mouth! They finally have their own life back, somewhat. He must continue to be very careful of the grafting on the left hand. He is quite proficient with his hook. The legs are in shrinker socks. It will be a few weeks yet before he learns to walk. We watch him work out in the PT unit and marvel at his tenacity. His brain is learning or relearning so many new things. We are just amazed at how hard he works. Thank you so very much for all your support. Jay often mentions how much all your thoughts and prayers have meant to him, to all of us. Kathy is the Queen! Thanks be to Kathy.
Jo and I talked and we decided that this e-mail would be our last for several weeks and/or a month or so. It looks like the left hand is going to do well and regain a range of use close to 90%. This is my estimate and of course subject to a margin or error. I perfer to think I may be in error on the down side and the percentage will go higher towards 95+%. We will probably not know the final outcome for several months and maybe a year. His right arm now has his hook and he is mastering it rapidly. In approximately 3 to 4 weeks he will most likely finish the fitting for his leg prosthetises and will be learning to walk. Getting out of the hospital has been an exhausting process and he and Kathy are slowly recovering. They are busy arranging all his medications and especially the dressings for his stomach. They change these dressing twice a day and are keeping a close eye out for any hint of infection. They are only 1/4 mile away from the hospital and they have 24/7 access to the nurses and personnel at the burn center so they are still in good hands but free to begin to live their life with a degree of privacy and independence. They are both very excited to conquer these new challenges. The Kiwanis House is being fabulous to them and of course it is all set up for disabled access and so if much better than coming straight to our house. They will probably move here after he has his bionic legs and can handle the stairs and other features of this house that are not so disabled friendly.
This big day of checking out of the hospital has been a great accomplishment for the two of them and they deserve the vast bulk of the credit. All of you also deserve a great deal of credit because your Love, Positive vibrations and your prayers have pulled us all through this crazy time. He was in the hospital approximately 70 days including the time in Nook Greenland and it has taken a toll on his muscle mass. He will be working dilligently to rebuild all of his muscles over the next weeks and months and regain much of his former physical stature and control. We have watched the early physical training sessions and the therapists are wonderful and helpful to him. We look for small results each day and so far we are noticing that he is making progress every day. He will be going to out-patient rehab two or three times a week and working on his own every day to make this continual progress. Josephine and I would like to thank you all for every thing you have done for us and the kids and we struggle to know a good way to do that. The outpouring of love, thoughtfulness and human caring has been a wonderful experience for all of our family. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we send our Love to each and everyone of you. May God bless you and keep you!!! The joes
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