{Karlton Bontrager}

Wednesday September 11th was moving day for Karlton – just the third time at ISIS and 9th time overall! When I arrived that morning, Karlton announced that the nurses had told him he was moving to another room, but the nurses would do all the moving. I was relieved to hear that because I just did not have the energy to get ALL the cards and decoration off the walls and clean out all the drawers, shelves, etc. Normally, I would have started packing right away, but I think I was too tired to even think about moving again.

And Karlton, too, was sluggish. He had slept in until 9:40! He then had a leisurely breakfast, and when the physio came to get him at 11:00, he wasn’t dressed or had his shower yet!! Helen’s massage and energy work really did a number on him! And Karlton said, “I guess I’m letting my body do the healing.”

Room 3 is home for now, and we look at it as a step forward in his progress. The previous Room 5 was visible from the nurses’ station, so they use it for patients that need constant monitoring. Karlton’s room is bigger and has its own private toilet and shower and a storage room. He used to complain about the heat in the other room, but now it is much cooler and more comfortable.

In the afternoon Karlton went for a long walk with the physio, and then I took him down to see the acupuncturists. He had a session of acupuncture and massage. He couldn’t tell if the acupuncture did anything for him but said the massage felt good. He will need some more sessions before he sees/feels any difference. We are trying all modalities of healing – doing the best we can for Karlton.

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Tuesday, September 10th started out on a slow note. The cranial-sacral treatment must have really relaxed Karlton, for he was able to sleep till about 9:00 am. After his shower routine and breakfast, he was ready for the physios.

He walked to the gym and got on a stationary bike. This time he was able to maintain the 65rpm better and rode 3km in about 9 minutes. Karlton said he could continue but the physios said they did not want him to be worn out. They had other things for him to do. He stood in front of a mirror and had to correct his posture and make sure he was standing straight with his weight distributed equally on both legs. Karlton tends to put all his weight on his right leg and lately has been complaining of pain in his right foot.

The next exercise was climbing up and down some steps. Then he went up the steps and he had go down a small slope. It was a little difficult to stay balanced so he started with hesitation but was able to get down. Once he was down, he had to turn around and come up the incline and then down the steps. All in all he did a great job in deciding which foot to use.

Later in the day, the doctor in charge of ISIS Center stopped in his room. Karlton had wanted to make a quick trip to Queenstown for the weekend but the doctor thinks he should wait a few weeks yet. He thought a four hour drive one way would be too exhausting for Karlton at the moment.

Helen popped in a wee bit later and this time Karlton asked her to massage his back. Helen started working on him and by golly! he went out like a little kitten. She asked me to massage his foot and toes while she worked on his hand and fingers. Both of us felt the energy flowing … and Karlton was out like a babe.

A nurse woke him up after an hour and a half because she was afraid he would not be able to sleep later. He ate his dinner and shortly after announced he wanted to get ready to go to sleep. He asked me to raise the top of the bed to an almost vertical position and get the nurse for his meds. After he had his medication, I asked him if he was ready for me to put him down – meaning the bed. Karlton said: “Please don’t put me down. I might look like poor Sounder, but I’m not a dog and I’m not ready to go down yet.” The nurse burst out laughing and said, “Where does he come up with all this?!”

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Monday morning I stopped in at Mei’s Traditional Chinese Medical Center in north Dunedin – not too far from the motel I am staying. I talked with the acupuncturists and explained to them of Karlton’s accident and his present condition. They were quite certain they could help Karlton in his recovery and encouraged me to bring him by. So when I got to ISIS, I spoke with his doctors, and they said they had no objections, so I will set up an appointment and get him started.

Karlton walked with no physical assistance all the way to the physio room. He stood balanced and had to put his right foot up on a platform, bring it down, up and down, twelve times. It sounds easy, but it took a lot of concentration and hard work to remain balanced. He also had to stand on two separate balance scales that showed him if he was putting the same weight on each leg. Then he had to walk sideways – lifting his left leg – not just sliding it over. And on top of that, he had to stay on the line! Karlton had to keep rearranging his left foot (and sometimes his right, too) so they would be on the line. When he finally finished the “crab” walk, he had to walk backwards! He protested at first, but he was able to do that with relative ease.

Then the PT brought out the Swiss ball (huge exercise ball) and told him he had to walk while bouncing it in front of him. He said there was no way he could walk and bounce the ball at the same time and went into a long discourse, but the physio would not take a “no” for an answer. Finally he stood up and did as told with no trouble.

Next, he was told he had to walk and bounce the ball three times and pass the ball to the PT and she would do the same thing. Karlton had little trouble doing that, too. I think he just likes to argue and procrastinate … or is it that he doesn’t want to fail at a task and if he thinks he might not be able to do something well, he tries to get out of it.

Late in the afternoon, Karlton received a wonderful cranial-sacral treatment. He was so relaxed he fell asleep right away. Thank you, Helen, for all the great things you give him!

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Weekends at ISIS are very relaxed and slow. So on Saturday Karlton spent time in the dining room shooting the breeze. After lunch Holly (a friend from Queenstown) and I took Karlton to the Botanical Gardens in the north end of Dunedin. We pushed him in his wheelchair for a while but decided it would be easier for Karlton to walk up a sandy/gravel incline so that’s what he did. He had no trouble walking up the path. There were many species of plants and flowers that were exotic to me and these were all on a hillside, hence the walk up the path. After a short rest, Karlton climbed down some steps and into his wheelchair. This was his first time doing steps in an uncontrolled environment and I think it was quite grueling for him. We had just gotten his wheelchair put away in the car when it started raining so we returned to ISIS.

Much later in the afternoon, three flatmates from Queenstown came to visit. Karlton really enjoyed talking with them. They laughed about silly things they had done and shared their past experiences. They were having a good time and didn’t realize how late it was. They had wanted to get back to Queenstown before midnight – a three and a half to four hour drive – but I doubt that they made it home before 1 or 2 a.m.

Karlton had a full day but was not sleepy after his friends left. He is getting better at staying awake longer … or was it all the excitement from being with friends that pumped up his system … anyway, he wanted to check his e-mail one more time so I asked a nurse to take him to the computer room and I got ready to go back to my motel. I had a full day and I was ready to crash for the night! But Karlton is improving slowly but steadily and I am very grateful for that.

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Sunday started as a beautiful day. I was hoping to take Karlton for a drive as soon as his friends came to visit him but by noon, dark clouds had moved in and soon it was raining quite heavily. Nina and Sam and Karlton had plenty to talk about while I came to the computer room to type up some updates. I had made a bunch of “norimaki” (sushi) in the morning and when I got back to the room, they were all eaten up!

In the late afternoon, Helen came bearing a birthday gift for Karlton. She had gone to Port Chalmers a couple of times to get fresh fish for him but each time they had been sold out. This morning she was successful, and brought him some fresh fillet of sole. Helen gave him a reflexology session and promised Karlton that she would be back the next day.

ISIS Center arranged a movie outing for the evening. Karlton had been wanting to see “Rabbit Proof Fence” – a documentary on how Australians had treated aborigine children who were half white – so we decided to go. It was very well done and very educational for me. However, Karlton could not keep his eyes open even before the movie started so I told him to take a wee nap and I would wake him up. Although I kept trying to wake him, it turned out that he slept through the whole movie!!

Karlton told me that he weighs 70 kg (155 lb) now. He has gained 3 kg (6.6 lb). Just 10 kg (22 lb)to go! He also showed me he can take off his own shoes and socks. And he can stand up from a sitting position all by himself.

Thanks everyone for your encouragement, e-mails, prayers, cards, and presents. Special thanks go to Robyn, Nina & Sam, Vailoa, Jenni, Lee, Helen, Jenna, Chris, Nathan, Gabriella, Dave, Becci, and Aidan.

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Thursday was a busy day for Karlton. He went for a walk in the building with a different PT in the morning because his PTs had a workshop to attend. Then Karlton had a dental appointment at the hospital. The dentist thinks Karlton grinds his teeth at night and that’s why he has pain in his molars. They took a mold of his upper teeth and will make a guard for him. The dentist asked him what color he wanted and because he had to preference, he wrote down “bright”. It will be a pleasant surprise to see what color it will be.

After we finished with the appointment, we went up to 5A – the Intensive Care Unit. All the nurses there were surprised to see him walk and talk!! They could not believe he was doing so well in such a short time. Then we went over to 5B and the nurses there, too, were surprised that he could walk so well. A bit of show and tell.

Karlton had been asking for pizza since the time he and a friend had ordered one from ISIS so we decided to go to Pizza Hut. He ordered his vegetarian pizza and his nurse and I shared a carnivorous one. It was a warm afternoon so we ate outside on the picnic table. Karlton was talking so much and not eating so we had to remind him that it was almost time to get back to ISIS. When we got back the charge nurse said she thought we had gotten lost and had called the dental department!!

After Karlton ate his second lunch and had a short break, it was time for us to turn around and go back to the hospital downtown for his eye appointment. This department is notorious for making patients wait … and true to it’s reputation, the nurse assistant pointed out to me where it said the wait for the day was 60-90 minutes. Fortunately for us, the charge nurse had already called and told the receptionist that we had to be out by 4:20 because 4:30 was the latest the mobility van would wait for us. Karlton’s appointment was at 4:00 and we were whisked into the examination room. We did have to wait for the doctor a wee bit and the driver did send word asking when we were coming out, but all in all, everything went smoothly.

The doctor thinks the muscles, nerves, and the bones all around the optic nerve and the eye socket are still in the process of healing but felt things were moving in the right direction. He explained to Karlton that the body does its own healing and did not want to interfere yet with any surgical procedures. Karlton has another appointment in a month.

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When I arrived at ISIS, the PTs were getting ready to take Karlton to the gym. He walked all the way there by himself, that is, not holding onto anyone’s hand. A PT walked close to him in case he lost his balance but Karlton did all the walking by himself! Yeah!

Karlton sat on a raised mat and stay balanced while a PT raised his legs and pushed him. He said this was to build his abdominal muscles but Karlton later told me that the PTs don’t know how strong his abs are. Then he sat on a Swiss ball, maintaining balance with his left leg while he had to put his right foot up and down on a platform. It was a little difficult to keep his left knee still but with perseverence and a lot of patience, he was able to do the required amount.

Next, the PT showed how she wanted him to climb some steps. First, he placed his right foot on a step and then brought his left foot on the same step, and so on. Coming down, he had to put his left foot down first, make sure the knee was straight so he could put his weight on it before he could place his right foot down. He was able to do this easily so the PT told him to place one foot only on each step. With a little more effort, he was able to climb up and down the steps. Another accomplishment!!

Late in the afternoon, a very good friend from Queenstown showed up! Karlton did not expect her until Saturday so he was quite surprised and pleased. They had quite a chat and we decided to take him out the following day.

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Wednesday, September 4th was Karlton’s 23rd birthday. He was looking forward to going out to lunch in the center of town with his friends, but first, he had to complete his physio work out before being released from the center.

The PTs spread out plastic cones with a ball on top of each one and had them placed about four feet apart. They also placed obstacles between the cones. Karlton had to walk between two cones and at the same time could not step on the obstacles. Once his left foot kicked a cone and the ball fell down. He had to stop, bend and pick it up. It wasn’t quite that easy. While he bent his left knee on the floor, his left knee gave and he ended in a funny posture causing a lot of pain to his left thighs. The PTs helped him to get on the floor and he picked up the ball but he now had to figure out how to get up by himself. It took some doing – the PT telling him what position to get into – but eventually he was able to pull himself up. He then had to step onto a three inch high foam cushion and still maintain his balance as he finished walking between the cones. He walked about 36 feet of this obstacle course.

Afterwards, he had to sit on a Swiss ball and stay balanced. He had a little difficulty maintaining his left knee in position but after a while he sat for a wee bit by himself!

At noon Karlton, Vailoa (one of the nurses), and I got into a car and followed his friends Sam and Nina to “Minami,” a Japanese restaurant on lower Stuart Street, just off the Octagon. There we met six more friends and celebrated Karlton’s birthday. The food was good and reasonably priced and we had a good time. Nina had baked a fantastic apple/nut/chocolate cake and had placed 23 thin sparkler candles on it. Karlton had trouble blowing out three candles that kept lighting up as soon as he would blow them out, but soon he had them out.

Since it was a very warm day (for Dunedin) we decided to go for a drive down to the beach. I was following Aidan, but as soon as I got past the Octagon, there were too many cars between us and I lost him so I turned around and went back to ISIS. Karlton, Vailoa, and Aidan did eventually come back and said they had a great time!

All in all, it was good for Karlton to have been able to leave the hospital grounds and celebrate! In the evening he received many phones calls, opened presents, and was quite content.

Thanks everyone!!

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Karlton’s physio session was quite intersting today. The PTs told him to get into a kneeling position as he sat on a mat about the height of a chair. Ever so slowly and with much complaint about his quads hurting etc. he eventually got both knees in the right angle and the right place. He then had to move forward on his knees for about six feet trying to maintain his balance and not putting all the weight on his right side.

Next, he was asked to get down on all fours – hands and knees. He had a bit of trouble keeping his left elbow straight and had to be reminded constantly but he was able to maintain that position for quite a while, putting his weight equally on both hands. After he was able to maintain his balance, the PTs brought out a raised platform of about five inches. He had to put his weight on his left hand and stay balanced as he raised his right hand to put it on the platform, still in the hands and knees position. The PTs had him lower his right hand to the floor, then up on the platform several times and Karlton was able to do that. After that he had to get himself into a sitting position on the raised mat and then stand up. He even walked all the way back to his room after the session. Karlton is certainly getting stronger everyday.

After lunch Karlton walked with me to the computer room to check his e-mails. I can’t believe how much he is able to walk – he even walked with an aide to the rec room and back much later in the afternoon.

Even though Karlton seems to be functioning well most of the time, there are times when he just can’t remember or recall certain things. And today a funny thing happened. He was talking to his Dad on the phone in the rec room. After a while I went to ask if he was comfortable when he said he didn’t know why he couldn’t hear anything on the phone. Apparently he had put down the phone to do something and was holding it upside down. When I pointed that out to him, he just burst out laughing!!

Life goes on here at ISIS …and every day a little improvement. Karlton has a good attitude about the whole thing and he says he is ready to keep working. He enjoys hearing from his friends and appreciates all the e-mails and good wishes that are sent his way. Thank you all!

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An “anti ISIS dining room” Karlton is slowly emerging out of his cocoon and letting himself be seen there from time to time. And that’s where I found him Sunday morning when I arrived. Soon Robert and Vailoa had him walking down the halls into the recreation room and back to the room – perhaps two-tenths of a mile. Karlton’s walking is improving everyday, and as long as it’s not with Mom alone, he doesn’t mind walking several times during the day.

Karlton has taken up texting on his mobile phone. He seems to enjoy sending and receiving messages. In fact, when he is doing that, he has yet to complain of any pain in his eye. Is it mind over matter … pleasure covering pain … whatever it is, it keeps him from boredom and the occasional complaining.

Late afternoon, a nurse decided to take whoever was interested to the movies. Karlton said he would go depending on what show they were going to go. It was decided the group would go watch “About A Boy” starring Hugh Grant – and at first Karlton said he wasn’t going, but after some persuasion, he changed his mind. I think it was a great learning experience for him because he realized that sitting still in a fairly comfortable chair at the movie theater for two hours was much too long and much too painful for him. We helped him stand up for a while, put sheepskin cushion on the chair for him, and I even massaged him a bit, but it was still not comfortable. Now he knows that it will be a wee bit yet before he can go watch rugby games with his mates and we won’t have to be the ones to try to discourage him from going.

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