{Karlton Bontrager}

Monday, 23rd of September – a sunny and warm day again! Karlton is working on balance. Without realizing what he is doing, Karlton lets his right side take over and do a lot of the work when he is trying to stand up, sit down, or walk. And it’s payback time … his right foot and ankle hurt, and so do his leg and hip. The physio has been trying to teach him to put more weight on his left leg when he is getting ready to stand up. It’s such an easy thing for us to get up on one leg but watching Karlton try and try to stand up on his left leg and then lose his balance, makes me appreciate everything I take for granted. I never realized what all goes into being coordinated and balanced.

During the session, Karlton had to place one foot in front of the other and walk on a straight line. It was almost like a sobriety test when he had had way too much to drink. Walking side ways like a crab – but making sure his toes stayed behind the line went much more smoothly. And he did very well walking backwards in a straight line.

At his acupuncture session, the acupuncturists said they had seen improvement in his walking. They want to start strengthening his spinal column next. Yesterday was the first time he did not fall asleep during the massage, cupping, and acupuncture session. I hope his strength is improving and his fatigue threshold is rising.

In the evening we were invited out for dinner at J & R’s house. They had also invited a young Japanese couple who are working in Dunedin. The husband works as a chef at Tokyo House – Karlton had waited tables at Tokyo Garden – both establishments run by the same owners, so they had things in common to talk about. We enjoyed the home cooked Asian food and stayed way past Karlton’s bed time. It was 10:30 by the time he got into bed! I guess this shows that he has come a L-O-N-G way. He would not have been able to stay awake that late just a while back. Great progress!

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I would like to start off with special thanks and appreciation to the following people: Mary Jane, Pat, Helen, Maree, Nina, Sam, and Vailoa. Our thank-you also go to all of you who are making Karlton’s rehabilitation easier by sending us e-mails, prayers and positive energies, text messages and phone calls.

Sunday, September 22nd, was our catch-up day. Both Karlton and I took it easy and had a slow, relaxing day. We forget how our body and mind need time off from time to time – and just enjoy the time with no time worries. That’s just about what we did!

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Winter was back in Dunedin on Friday, the 20th. It rained hard off and on all day with strong gusts. It was just a very cold day out, but of course Karlton’s world at ISIS was the same. It is always warm here – in some instances, too warm.

Karlton has pretty much adjusted to the routine here, and now, with a fairly workable schedule posted in his room, he feels quite comfortable. He has also come out of his cocoon and eats in the dining room three times daily, makes conversation with other patients, nurses and staff, goes to PT on his own, and can find his way to the computer room. What a long way he has come!

The physiotherapist said she is challenging Karlton more and more, but he does not always want to go beyond his safety zone … quite a change from the old Karlton that we all know. He was always one to have no limits, always challenging himself to more and more until he reached his goal. He is now “fearful”. He wants to make sure he won’t lose his balance, fall and hurt himself. He does not want “pain”. He was never afraid that way, but I have witnessed some of the pain he was subjected to and had to go through over and over – that would make anyone wince and cry.

Nina and Sam stopped by in the evening and we decided to take Karlton for an all day spin and outing on Saturday. It turned out to be a beautiful day – sunny with blue skies! Otago is really beautiful. The country side is very hilly, and you see sheep everywhere. We had a marvelous day, and Karlton was very happy to get out of ISIS.

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Wednesday 18th & Thursday 19th of September, 2002. Both mornings, I have been working on clearing insurance (based in London) issues and have started to “wean” myself from spending 12-14 hour days at ISIS. Karlton is at a point where he is able to do a lot for himself and with some assistance shower and get ready for the day. I feel he will do more if I am not around as much, so have decided to wait until around noon to make my appearance. By then he’s had his breakfast, shower, physio, and speech.

There was a question of moving Karlton out of his single room into a 4-bed ward, so he would have more interaction with others. He was not too keen on moving, so we talked, and he said he would go to the dining room for every meal. He said he would try to be sociable and talk with other patients. We thought Karlton was on the right track and thus avoided the move. When I arrived Thursday, a lot of his belongings were on his bed, and cards and pictures were taken off the walls. I asked him what was going on, and he said the nurses want him to move so “I just do what ‘they’ tell me to,” but he was not happy. He said he tried to talk to the charge nurse but had not had an opportunity yet. So of course I went to the nurses station, found her, and explained what was happening. No move for now.

This incident underscored some of the changes in Karlton I had been observing. What happened to his assertiveness? He was not happy with what was going on, and yet he was not able to tell the nurses. Was he afraid of the repercussions if he went against their wishes? He was able to tell me he definitely did not want to move. Did he not know what to do next? I have no answers. He is still quite vocal in other matters and in other instances, but this time he just said, “I just do what I’m told.” That is NOT the Karlton we all know.

Wednesday afternoon was acupuncture and massage day. He slept during most of the treatment. The acupuncturist came in and took his pulse and said it was good. Karlton was told to stand and try to shift all his weight on his left foot, rest, and do it over and over. He was also asked to try to see in his mind moving his fingers of his left hand. Time. Practice. Patience. Exercise. I’m sure he is tired of hearing all these words, but they are the steps he must take to his healing.

Thursday afternoon Helen came and did a reflexology session. She was going to do cranio-sacral too, but Nina and Sam stopped in with pizza and garlic bread, and you know Karlton and food … so Helen will come back another day.

We put a castor oil pack on Karlton’s back tonight. We hope the pain in his back will subside and go away for good! Thank you, Helen, for the water bottles!

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Yesterday Karlton had physio in the afternoon because of the meeting in the morning, and the PT noticed a big difference in his energy level. He was definitely fatigued and did not perform at his best, so we decided it would better to have physio in the morning. I had asked at the meeting if Karlton could have a regular schedule that he could follow, and all agreed it might be beneficial for Karlton.

Karlton had been complaining and some staff members have agreed that “Wakari” time is unpredictable. When someone says, “I’ll be there in five minutes”, it can be five minutes, thirty minutes, several hours, or the following day. There was one day when we waited and waited ALL MORNING and JUST ABOUT all AFTERNOON for a staff member to come get Karlton for a session. So now I wrote up a large sized schedule which is up on the wall on Karlton’s room, and hopefully, he can follow everyday.

During physio, his shoulder and arm muscles were stretched and exercised. He had to try to control and hold up his wrist and hand and then try to raise them to his face. He also practiced turning onto his right side while holding onto his upper left arm so as not to hurt his left shoulder. Then he sat at a table with a pen under his left fingers and tried to move it in all directions – pushing and then pulling it with his arm and shoulder muscles.

Karlton will be riding an exercise bike everyday in the afternoon to strengthen his leg muscles. He is willing and eager to get this going, so I hope the written schedule will hold. He then worked with a speech therapist for thirty minutes. Later, he walked outside around the grounds with an assistant in the late afternoon, so he had an active day.

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Monday, 16th of September, sunny and warm. Karlton was weighed today, and he has gained two more kilograms to 72kg. His face is filled, and he no longer looks gaunt.

We had a “family meeting” with the director of ISIS, a nurse, PT, OT, social worker, speech therapist, and the case manager from ACC. The doctor explained the severity of Karlton’s injuries and all that had taken place since the accident. Each person gave a brief summary of what is being done/worked on at present, and the general consensus was that Karlton has done remarkably well at breakneck speed and hopefully, he will continue to heal and improve steadily. There will be another meeting in a month’s time, and at that point, the team hopes to be able to set a time for Karlton’s expatriation to the states.

In the afternoon during physio, Karlton had to take his shoes and socks off by himself and then try to cross his left leg over the right. The PT did not want him to use his right hand to lift the leg; instead he had to raise his left leg up as far as he could and place it over his right. It was a struggle at first, but after a few tries he was able to do it. Then he had to put his socks back on … which he did, and then his shoes. He needed help with his left shoe because of his ankle brace.

Next, the PT randomly placed six cones on the floor and Karlton had to place a ball on each one. The last time he had to bend down to do a similar exercise, he had lost his balance and got his legs in a very painful position. However, he had no trouble balancing himself, bending down, and placing all six balls. Hurray!

The last exercise was to stand on two scales. They showed that Karlton was putting more weight on his right leg. The PT told him to look up in the mirror and straighten himself up putting weight on his leg while keeping the left knee straight. It wasn’t easy, and he needed constant reminders to stand straight while he had to stretch his right arm over his head to the left.

Acupuncture and a massage appointment came next, so we “jumped” into the car and headed to north Dunedin. Four needles were inserted into his left shoulder and arm, down to his hand and six needles from his thigh and calf to his toes. Then electric current pulsed through his arm and leg. Later, an assistant did “cupping” on his back (a glass dome is heated and then placed on the body. The skin is pulled up into the glass vacuum and it is glided over the oiled skin). The session ended with arm and leg massage and “reflexology” on his left foot. Karlton slept through most of the session, relaxed, and letting his body heal.

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Sunday, the 15th of September was a very warm day here Dunedin. I went to a health food store to get primrose oil to put on Karlton’s scars and to check out Manuka honey hand lotions for Jef. I also got some Bach flower essences made up for Karlton, since I didn’t bring my kit with me.

I thought Karlton would be sleeping in because he had been out late the previous evening. When I got here, Karlton had already had a walk around the grounds with a nurse and another patient. He said another nurse had awakened him up at nine, but he didn’t know why.

Many of the patients had gone home for the weekend or were away for the day, so it was nice and quiet here. We took it easy, and while Karlton was on the computer, I made apple crisp since some friends would be coming by.

While Karlton visited with his friends, I took a walk around the Wakari Hospital (ISIS is part of it) grounds with the wife of a patient. She had heard that there were nice paths and a pond hidden somewhere. It was great getting out and walking down the paths and finding ponds, a vegetable garden, a greenhouse etc.

Karlton still complains of back pain – especially in the area where he had the lumbar puncture and the two shunts put in – so I put a castor oil pack (Thanks Helen!) on him – warming the area – for two hours. He was very tired by then and ready to snooze! And “gracias a dios” he was not as negative or down today.

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Karlton was very despondent and down when I arrived at ISIS Saturday morning – 14/IX/02. He did not want to do anything and just sat in his chair. Even one of his favorite nurses could not get him to budge. Finally, another nurse was able to talk to him, and he started talking to her. He was very depressed, negative, and downright sad.

Since it was a very beautiful day, we decided to go for a short ride. He showed me where he used to run, the rugby field where they practiced, and the sand dunes he had to run up and down. We went by some beautiful beaches – St. Kilda – and then we decided to go back to town so he could get his hair trimmed. Karlton wanted to go to Arc cafe first, saying he would just stay for 15 minutes, and then he could still get his hair trimmed. Well, the 15 minutes turned into two hours. He was happy talking to Nina and Gabriella and soon Sam came back from soccer practice, so Karlton was very content being there. By the time we left the cafe, the hair salon was closed, so we will have to go another time.

We all know Karlton is a big eater. He had a vegetarian pizza and a spirulina smoothie at Arc, and then 15 minutes later, he had macaroni and cheese at ISIS. A short while later, a friend called and invited him to a dinner party. I got directions from the nurses and dropped him off at the house around 8:20. I said I would call him around 9:30 to see how he was doing. It wasn’t until 10:00 that I was able to pick him up. I was surprised to see him enjoying himself and wide awake sitting by a fire in the back yard. He said he ate his third dinner, enjoyed chatting with all the young people there – especially a prominent Kiwi rugby player he’d known from before.

I was glad to see a happy and talkative Karlton, but he was quite concerned that he had ingested a very small amount of champagne by mistake, thinking that it was a glass of water. I tried to tell him not to worry, but he had to ask a nurse to make sure everything was going to be all right. He is serious about staying away from alcohol until his injuries have healed, and he said he does not want to take a step backward.

Karlton’s physical progess has been uphill, but now the mental and psychological challenges must be conquered. He realizes that the road ahead is monumental and and although he stays pretty focused and in pretty good spirits, there are times when he very down. Please continue to support him with your e-mails, cards, phone calls, prayers, and positive energies. A special thank you to Helen, Becci, Nina and Sam.

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Friday, the 13th. The day started looking nice and sunny, but soon it was pouring rain outside. Then the sun came out, then rain, and later hail, and by the time I left ISIS at 9:30 pm there was a coating of slush on the car.

It was prearranged that I should meet Karlton and a Rehabilitation Assistant at the Otago Museum at 10:45. That way I would not have to run up the hill and then come back down again. I did not realize that Allan Court Motel was just a block away from the museum, so I dashed out the door to find myself way too early, so I walked to DPH and up to the ICU. Some of our favorite people were there … Jane, Maree, and Ellie, who was the nurse that went on the helicopter and brought Karlton from the mountain. It was great to catch up with them again.

As I headed back to the museum, it was raining cats and dogs, and it was very windy. I saw the assistant taking Karlton’s wheelchair out of the car, and by the time I got to the entrance, it had stopped raining, and I was able to get Karlton out of the car easily. First we had to go see “Eric”, a very big pale colored fish from Indonesia. Apparently, the museum had rescued it from a pet shop where it was kept in an aquarium too small for it to move at all.

A new permanent exhibit called “Southern Land, Southern People” had opened at the museum, and that is what we had gone to see. What we enjoyed most was the film of Dunedin and the environs which was speeded up. The history/time line of the fauna and flora were all there, but it seemed poorly lit for my eyes. Karlton was not overly excited. Instead, he was telling me how hungry he was, and wanted me to get some pizza for him. I told them to go back to ISIS first, and I would pick up the pizza for him.

Karlton said that before he left for the museum outing he had physio, but all he could remember was that he went on a trampoline. He said it was very difficult to keep balanced. I asked if he did anything else; he said: “When I have to concentrate on doing something physical difficult, I can’t think of anything else, and I have a hard time remembering.”

By the time I arrived at ISIS, Karlton had finished a bowl of soup and a salad platter. He was quite indignant that there had been some bacon bits and some slices of salami on his “vegetarian” plate. He did not hesitate to dig into the pizza and was half way through when Lee, a nurse, came and told us it was time to go to the dental department downtown. Karlton got his bright yellow mouth guard which he had been waiting for very impatiently.

Karlton was exhausted by the time we returned. I could tell by looking in his eyes that his energy was completely gone. He fell asleep instantly, and although he asked me to wake him up in half an hour, he just could not wake up when I told him it was time.

Thank goodness Helen came by after dinner. She is so wonderfully giving … and she gave Karlton a back massage and worked on his feet. Thank you, Helen, for all you do for Karlton.

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Thursday, 12th September, I stopped by the bank to get a certified deposit slip for ACC and also got an add on phone card for Karlton before I went up the hill to ISIS. When I arrived, a student nurse was with Karlton asking him all kinds of questions – I must ask her what sort of questionnaire she was going through when she comes back on Monday.

After lunch, Nina and Sam stopped in for a visit. Both Karlton and I were pleasantly surprised to see them so early in the day. After some time, a PT came to work with Karlton. She wanted to take him outside since it was a beautiful warm day. The visitors and I went along and watched Karlton step up on curbs, walk across grass, make his way between/through trees and walk on uneven terrain. Once after Karlton had gone up the curb and onto a grassy area there was this great THUMP and a BANG! It was Sam! He had fallen flat – face down. Apparently he was trying to copy Karlton and somehow tripped and fell. What a relief to know he wasn’t hurt, and we all had a big laugh.

I am always reminded that we take everything for granted when I see Karlton stop and think to see which leg he must use when going up or going down a step/incline. Sometimes he makes a mistake when he is not concentrating, and he loses his balance and almost falls. That’s why he wants someone near him all the time.

Karlton was very tired in the evening. I think fresh air and the unfamiliar exercise exhausted him. He asked for his medication fairly early so he could go to sleep for the night. He is steadily getting better and stronger, but there is still much room for improvement.

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