Ty was doing so great they kicked us out. Which is good. But we had no idea how to get him home. Now that his legs are 3 inches shorter, he no longer fits his custom-fit wheelchair - add to that the complication of keeping his legs extended straight out without being at angle greater than 45 degrees to his back.
We racked our brains trying to figure that one out. We talked with Physical Therapy, the Discharge Planner, and the Car Seat Team. The only thing we could come up with was to strap him to the top of the van in a Lazyboy Recliner...that or send him home in an ambulance (do you know how MUCH that costs???? And how much insurance doesn't like to pay for that? They hardly pay for an ambulance to take you TO the hospital, nevermind paying to take you FROM it)
He is my height and could not bend his knees or bend at his waist, so there was no way he was going to fit lying down in the back seat of the van. But! Trust grandma to find a way. She suggested that we pull out the middle seat, fold the back seat all the way back, and strap in the largish ottoman. Brilliant I tell you!
The ottoman was a little bit lower than the seat so we just threw my pillow under his legs to make up the difference. Getting him in there was quite the adventure. We wheeled his bed all the way to parking pull-through - OUTSIDE, the hospital bed was outside! (it turns out he wouldn't fit in any wheelchair). That is how badly they wanted us to go home.
It took four of us - the dude is heavy and tall and unbendy (have I mentioned that yet?), and it looked like a three-ring circus with three large adults and one teensy tinesy one maneuvering him in. I wish I had that on tape. Can you see the strap right next to my knee?
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See that yellow thingy between his feet? It is strapped on at the thighs and ankles - think Kramer in his really tight jeans. Once we got him settled, he had a very comfortable ride home, getting him out went much smoother than putting him in. Oh and before I forget, thank goodness for seat belts (note the sarcasm -if we would've wrecked I'm sure he would've slipped right under that strap like a bar of wet soap or maybe like a really, really skinny, unbendable greased pig).
Life with Ty is never boring. For your entertainment: The video tour of our Home-made Ambulance.
Don't you wish you had one?
