I Almost Had It...

My son, age 40, began needing more bathroom help after he broke his hand doing parkour in the bathroom and failed the landing.  (For those who don't know him, he was simply trying to use the facilities.)  Now at night, he normally needs assistance every two hours.  Last night was no exception.

It started with him trying to reposition himself in bed.  After a few minutes of lifting, pulling, and pushing his various body parts into a new configuation, he realized it was time for a potty break.  I pulled his legs over the edge of the mattress, lifted him into a sitting position, and transferred him into his wheelchair.  I pushed him into the bathroom, positioned the wheelchair, locked the wheels, and lifted him into a standing position, as I have done countless times.  This is when it all went wrong.

Usually after I lift him, I nudge his shoulder with mine until he is upright and then use my foot to move his left foot into place.  This time neither happened.  As soon as I lifted him up, he grabbed the side bar and began twisting towards the wall.  My grip around his waist tightened, as I struggled to hold him.  I heard a light thud, as his head hit the wall.  His twisting and resistance increased.  Turning my head, I saw that he had a death grip with both hands on the grab-bar.  This was completely throwing him off kilter.

"What are you doing?"
"I've almost got it."
"Uh... no.  I'm going to sit you back down (into his wheelchair.)"
"No!  I've almost got it!"

<----  (What he thought was happening.)

(What was actually happening.)  ---->


"Uh... no," I said laughing, knowing that proprioception is no longer his strong suit, "we'll try it again."  With that I forcefully guided him back into a sitting position.
We reinitiated the procedure, this time successfully.

"Is your head okay?" I asked.
"Yes."
"What were you doing?"
"I was trying to move my foot," he answered.  Sometimes when he stands, he'll end up on his tiptoes, as his feet cramp.  This combined with trying to move a leg that wouldn't move started the fail.  Still protesting, he said, "I almost had it."
"Uh, no," I said again, laughing.  "That wasn't working. You konked your head and were twisted and so far off-kilter I couldn't get you upright."
"Yeah, but I almost had it."

#parkour #proprioception  #wheelchair