Bunk’s Status

Some reasonably good rest has been a blessing for Bunk these past few months, and with restful sleep comes productive and healthy days. When Dr. Xi arrived at noon for her therapy with Bunk, he was good to go and managed very well. Bunk’s good friend Kevin Traut arrived shortly after his therapy and they had a great visit; Bunk enjoyed perhaps a laugh or two! He always enjoys Kevin’s visits. They said goodbye just in time to get to his appointment at the seating clinic in order to get to the bottom of the issues with his chair pad and wheelchair. It looks as if they will be making some changes to the recommendations for his seat which will allow for insurance to pick up the costs - eventually - for these necessary changes. Back at home it was a quiet evening with the routine lengthy and much the same as every other night.

A very rainy day was on the horizon for Monday, unfortunate timing since the pouring of the concrete by McCarthy for Bunk’s new path and patio was scheduled for today and had to be cancelled. Bunk felt well enough to get through his day and complete all of his routines and therapies while maintaining his cool demeanor, although his request for hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles always counters it. Stephanie, his physical therapist, worked on his neck and shoulders since they continue to cause Bunk pain on and off throughout the day, but overall his general state of wellbeing has been positively steady. Mom stayed up late to watch a movie with Bunk, although he said she nodded off about 10 minutes into it; he enjoyed it anyway.

What on earth Bunk would do without televised football since his injury is beyond any of us. With college ball out of the way, Sunday was all pro ball, all day. Brooke, the sometime weekend nurse, was here again today, and aside from her nursing responsibilities, kept the football conversation going for a good part of the day with Bunk. The Eucharistic Minister from St. Norberts had arrived earlier in the morning - always a good way for the family to begin its Sunday - and from that point on it was a rather quiet day. Mom is beginning to feel the stress of Christmas preparations, mostly because it all falls on her. Her days and Bunk’s days never fail to exhaust.

It was Saturday, so college ball ruled the airwaves in the house for most of the day. It was a good thing for Bunk that a new nurse - a sometime weekend day nurse - likes football, too. It was a good thing for Mom that there was a nurse who agreed to come at all; the help makes such a difference in Mom’s day to day life, allowing time to get to the market, cook, prepare for Christmas, - even shower and rest. Tom Brand came by in the afternoon to watch some football with Bunk, which was wonderful because Tom is such a good friend and because he is actually interested in watching ball and having a conversation with Bunk about it. Mom worries that she’s never able to keep up that end of the deal. He was feeling well enough most of the day, and certainly enjoying his company. There is a buzz about the house as Christmas draws near and the happy preparations are made, not quite like when we were kids, but happy nonetheless.

Nights have been less difficult for Bunk lately, with needs more recently consisting of sips of water, scratching his face, or, if he is unable to sleep, changing the channel on the television. This has been a welcome relief, and hopefully a positive change that will hunker down and stay for a while. The TV staying on all night has taken the rest of the family some getting used to, but it has become Bunk’s constant, distracting companion through what, over nearly the last three years, have been very difficult nights on a regular basis. So with some decent rest under his belt, Bunk, Dad and Ruben headed off to the gym today. This allowed Mom to stay home and tend to the business of managing Bunk’s care and paying all the bills since she usually accompanies Bunk to the gym. Bunk returned home from the gym and was greeted by Dr. Xi, ready to begin his next therapeutic workout routine. He was tired after his first exercise routine, but with Dr, Xi’s infectiously positive and hopeful nature, he was inspired to work hard. The cushion to Bunk’s wheelchair seat continues to present problems, sometimes more serious than one would expect. There is really no safety net for a malfunctioning air / seat cushion, and, since this is the line of defense between Bunk and the development of serious pressure wounds, it is a rather important piece of his puzzle. This current one is leaking often and the cause of at least one of his pressure wound issues, so Mom retrieved the loaner cushion that will be used until a suitable replacement is ordered and received. With Christmas drawing nearer, Mom decided to get going on her errands and help Bunk with some of his shopping; lots to do between therapies, doctor visits, Bunk’s routine care and her usual household responsibilities.

Thursday was a cool, breezy day with time spent on the computer and enjoying the visits of a few friends later in the afternoon. He had a fine time chatting with Mike Flick of McCarthy Construction (they are building the new path and patio for Bunk around the house which will allow him access that he currently does not have); they have more than a few common interests and they always have a topic or two to cover when Mike stops by. Bunk always enjoys his visits. In the afternoon, he wanted to use his computer again. Megan has been a great help in getting this whole facet of his life up and running – it has taken a couple of years at least to get there (from the time that his friend Malak organized the selection and purchase of a computer two years ago from all of his Servite friends) and now with the use of the voice recognition and curser control attachment for his ball cap, things are really moving forward. Mom mentioned to me that the length of time that it takes for one aspect of Bunk’s life to come together is simply astounding. Over two years’ time to get him online – independently – was unbelievable to us all a few years ago; now it seems par for the course. It is impressive and notable to say the least that Bunk never gives up, and will continually try until something works for him. His buddies Jeff and Eric Woertink dropped by in the early evening for a visit with Bunk, and enjoyed dinner and some great conversation with Bunk. It is always great for Bunk to have his days and / or evenings dotted with friends and families; they consistently brighten his days.

The cold weather seemed to have arrived full force today, seemingly seeping through all the thin, old glass and undressed windows in our parents old home. It just comes right in and stays. They heater has been on nonstop in order to keep Bunk’s temperature regulated and him comfortable; it makes the rest of us feel the need to dress in shorts and shirts, but today was cold enough even for the rest of us to enjoy having it on all day. The wound care nurse visited Bunk earlier in the day and decided to change his treatment, which is becoming what seems to be a weekly standard. It was the big day for beginning to get the lights and at least some of the ornaments on the Christmas tree. Getting the tree trimmed for our family has often been a week long process. Today this endeavor was wildly successful and completed in one day in large part due to a timely visit from Mike and Norma Toohey, who made putting up the lights and ornaments look like child’s play. What a great visit and help for Mom. Bunk enjoyed all the activity, and the delicious lunch that they brought with them to share. He was also happy to have a nice visit with Mike Flick of McCarthy Construction, who have been so helpful and generous with services and donations in order to get things up and running for Bunk’s apartment. Today they specifically discussed the pathways they will be constructing around the home in order to make the property accessible to Bunk, something about which he is quite excited. Many, many thanks to Mike and everyone at McCarthy Construction.

With the morning routine out of the way, Mom, Bunk and Ruben headed to the gym before noon today. Ruben assisted Bunk with his workout today, while Mom got the little luxury of being able to workout herself alongside Bunk. Mom and Bunk tried the “2 Man Exit” from the van today upon returning home, which met with limited success. Mom rocked Bunk back and forth to get him over a bump, and upon hearing a yelp and seeing Bunk slumped over realized she had rocked him a little too hard. Fortunately, he held up well and Mom righted him quickly. Bunk spent a good part of the day being heard throughout the house giving his verbal commands to the computer. He played chess for some time, but decided to call it quits because, as he said, “the computer keeps killing me.” He decided to move onto some sites to look into possible Christmas gifts and yet more options for his shoes and sweaters. Mom managed to find a little time to begin Christmas shopping of her own, and with only 9 days to go, she felt a little under the gun. We are all looking forward to being together just after Christmas this year.

It’s not easy for Mom to get me all the information I need to write these updates in a timely manner – often so much of everyday, every week is dictated by the ups and downs of Bunk’s state of health and its particular needs of the moment that it is difficult to stick to a schedule for anything other than his daily routine. I used to call every night to gather the information needed to write about Bunk’s day, but too many late night calls and a few cantankerous conversations later and Mom prefers to write it all out, fax it or email to me in order for me to rewrite completely what happened that day. Not the most direct route to the finished product, but it is what works best for Mom at the moment. She is helping me out with catching up by writing the last week’s information in an abbreviated manner – I asked for one paragraph for each day and got it! She is underwater at the moment with Christmas anyway, so hopefully that request was welcome. How she gets it all together for Christmas while managing Bunk’s care and routine is beyond what most of us can imagine. She and Dad managed to get out and find a tree that was just right for Christmas this year, but not before first working with Bunk on getting up into his standing frame, which is currently down in the garage. A hard rain and some serious cold didn’t keep Bunk inside, and his work on getting up in the frame is always admirable. Later in the afternoon Bunk headed to St. Jude for his GBP (guppy breathing) therapy and a visit to the seating clinic to do some more work on fine tuning his wheelchair. They are even discussing an appropriate time to request a new one through insurance, which is quite something. Apparently they evaluate his situation every three years, which would be in about 3 month’s time. The wheelchairs are so costly that I would be surprised, but the one that was originally specified for him was never really appropriate. Back at home in the afternoon, he spent more time on the internet looking for some new and workable clothing ideas. He is anxious to do his own shopping and determine what works best for his physical limitations, so the internet seems like the perfect solution at the moment. It’s great for him to be not only interested but also capable in doing things for himself more and more each week.

On what was a long day for Mom and Dad – they were Bunk’s only caregivers for 24 hours straight – it was wonderful when Bunk began his day on his typical positive note by saying “It looks like a beautiful day”. The regular visit from one of St. Norbert’s Eucharistic was gratefully welcome; it is a great gift for our family to pray and receive Holy Communion together each Sunday and on Wednesdays with Mr. Honikel’s regular visit. All enjoyed a nice visit with Carolyn Butler, Charlie’s mom. She brought ginger snaps and, since she is from Texas, some opinions to share about Cowboys football with Bunk. It was a lively visit! It was an all-day pajama day for Mom as she fussed with the furniture in the house in order to find room for a Christmas tree, which is always a challenge these days. Dad busied himself with hanging the lovely flag that was give to Bunk by Todd Sharbutt. It will – hopefully someday soon – hang in the Tipsy; in the meantime it has found a happy home in Mom and Dad’s kitchen along with all of Mom’s favorite collection of artwork by her kids and now her grandchildren. Billy Seitz arrived with his dog Walter, and Dave Baxter showed up a bit later. Their day of ball games, good conversation, and dinner was great for everyone, especially Bunk. Thank you to everyone for your heartfelt and regular prayers for Bunk, his healing and his recovery.