{Karlton Bontrager}

I object when nurses refer to Karlton’s “good arm” or his “good leg.” My problem is that such terms imply that his other limbs are somehow “bad.” If the purpose of rehabilitation is to make those limbs functinal again, we defeat our efforts when we use negative language and mental images. At ISIS I confronted several of the staff about my concern. One nurse responded good-naturedly by naming Karlton’s left arm Tim and his left leg Tom.

Yesterday Karlton was talking to a friend about his two sides. He said something like, “It’s my strong side, or my good side. But Dad doesn’t like it when I talk about my good side. You know how he can be sometimes.” Enough said.

In my last posting I referenced a joke Karlton had made and his ablilty to laugh at it painlessly. He shared the joke with another visitor last night. And this morning he made reference to it again. He does not always get all the PTA questions right (yesterday he thought he was in Queenstown, not Dunedin), but his short-term memory is showing marked improvement.

The shunt for the CSF is draining well, and today the bubble on the side of Karlton’s head is not noticeable. Yesterday he stayed awake longer and was more alert than he has been since his return to hospital. Today he was able to take a shower while sitting in a rolling chair, and I washed his hair. He’s looking pretty flash.

Recently, whenever Choy-Lang and I talk about going somewhere, Karlton assumes that he’s going along with us. Then we have to clarify that our plans did not include him. It’s almost sad the way he takes the information in a quiet, resigned way. He’s fed up with being in hospital, and we keep telling him that he has to stay. Having his blood drawn is the thing that vexes him most. He’s on anti-seizure medication and high levels of antibiotics, so I suppose that twice daily monitoring is necessary. The improvements in his prognosis are encouraging, but it hurts to see him have to endure so many pain-causing procedures.

A local reflexology therapist has offered her services to Karlton. She stopped by yesterday and showed us what she called the Brazilian technique, a simple procedure that we can do ourselves. We made an appointment for her to come back and give Karlton a treatment.

Wishing you a restful weekend.