Been in my new home for almost three months now. Updates are in order. For starters, I have lost over 50 pounds since Labor Day. My blood pressure is stable enough that I need pills only once a day. I sleep mostly in the afternoons as it’s quieter in the overnight. I’m on good terms with most of the staff.

I’m probably going to start physical therapy to get to walking again in December. I’m kind of upset that they haven’t started me sooner. My pain is manageable with one dose of Tylenol per day. Most of my swelling is gone. The pain in my ankles and feet is gone.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I’m guessing the home will serve traditional Thanksgiving dinner. My brother is hosting Thanksgiving at his house this year. My mobility is still limited enough that I won’t be attending. I plan on being there next year.

I’m proud of the fact that I lost over 50 pounds in less than three months. At the rate I am going I probably will be able to walk again and even get in a car this time next year. Now that I know what I am capable of, my long-term goals are to get back to my old college weight. It will take a couple more years. It can be done.

I do miss home cooking like bratwursts and cheese soup. I miss Pizza Hut pizza too. I don’t miss being stuck in my own filth. For about a year between October 2024 and August 2025 I couldn’t walk well enough to get to the bathroom in my mom’s house. I’m going to be upset if all I had to do to regain my mobility was manage the swelling, manage the blood pressure, and lose a bunch of weight. All three I have done in the last three months.

And I have pretty much done it all on my own. My home wouldn’t even use the lift to get me out of the hospital bed the first six weeks I was here. My nurses never listened when I complained about pain. No one would let me do therapy. Of course, can’t do therapy if you are in pain all the time and the nurses won’t give me anything for pain no matter what. The call button is on a cord that is too short for me to reach from bed on my own, at least until I lost enough weight to get flexible again. About the only dam thing this new home has done for me is allowed me to have controlled portions and help me clean bowel movements. I got none of that at home. Mom and Dad are too sick and elderly to help me in that regard.

In short, it looks like all I had to do was get my swelling down, manage my pain, and lose a bunch of weight. I’m now kicking myself thinking I could have done all of this back home had the house been even a small bit handicap accessible.

The home didn’t believe I could recover. Neither did my parents. For a short while I had my own doubts. But I can accomplish almost anything if I have the right tools and enough time. I didn’t have the right tools at my parents’ house. Now I do.