Mackenzie Update - 2024-Nov-22 at 03:55 PM

 2024-11-22 -  Mercy CR IRU - Cedar Rapids, IA -  ~3 Minutes

Ok, good time now for another update…

Mackenzie is snoozing, and snoring, again, after a hard day of therapy and too little sleep from being poked and wakened every 2 hours or so, 24/7. I’m not sure how all her therapy was today because it was all done outside of her room, but it sure wore her out.

Please don’t ever share this with Mackenzie, it would really piss her off, but it sounds like they might have released her earlier than Tuesday had next week had not been Thanksgiving. They worried that she might (would) go more than a few days without outpatient therapy due to the holiday, and they don’t want that. They stressed that this early therapy needs to be frequent and regular. So they are keeping her here in the run-up to the long Turkey Day weekend. I think it will be our family responsibility to keep pushing her through the long weekend and hopefully she can engage with GRMC Physical Therapy on Monday, December 1, or shortly after. The really good news is she will get a full-day (8:30 AM until after 3 PM) of therapy tomorrow, Saturday, November 23.

There will be little or no therapy on Sunday apart from numerous family and friends who expect to visit. Our job is to keep her busy and engaged as much as possible.

Monday looks like another full day of therapy but we don’t have a schedule yet. She’s getting mostly speech therapy and Jessica, her ST, is really wonderful. The IRU has swapped most of her PT time for speech which is also helpful.

So, our plan is to have Christine come here with Morgan and Justin, and I will ride back home tonight with M&J. Chris will stay with Mackenzie through early Monday morning, then she returns directly to North Tama for school. While I am home, I’ll travel to Grinnell on Saturday to pick up some vision prescriptions for both Mackenzie and me, and get in some much-needed work-time in my office.

Kayla or Liz: I’m assuming I can use the front door at Burling with no alarms, and use my key to enter Tech Services without tripping anything. Does that sound right? I have to also pick up prescriptions in Toledo at 9 AM so I probably won’t get to GC until around 10 AM or so, and I will be sure to depart before any alarms reset at 5 PM.

I’ll be back home Saturday night and returning with Christine’s car on Sunday. Lots of family and friends are also planning to visit Sunday when Kenzie won’t have much, if any, therapy.

I’ll be at the MT Hotel (Mark and Teresa’s, the “MT-nesters”) on Sunday night (and maybe Monday) so I can return here before Chris leaves on Monday morning. I’m here all day Monday and Chris returns here that evening after school. We ALL leave for home on Tuesday, hopefully by around 10 AM so Chris can go back to work that afternoon.

We should have Kenzie’s out-patient therapy schedule by Monday so I’ll share some of that when I can.

I did manage to sneak away today for lunch with old geocaching friends in North Liberty. It was especially nice to see Dee, she’s a nurse at GRMC where Kenzie will receive therapy. She gave me lots of pointers and supportive advice.

More later. Take care.

-Mark M