July 9, 2014

Maybe Bigger Is Better After All

Several posts ago, I wrote about our decision to travel in the RV that we already owned – a Class B Sprinter van.  Although the RV is tiny, we thought we would give it a try and decided that a bigger RV may not be better for us.  Well, we have discovered that when one is recovering from neck surgery, a small RV like ours just does not work.

For many reasons, we decided to check into a hotel when Tim found out that he had to have surgery.  For the next month or more, our home is the Residence Inn by Marriott in Loveland, Colorado.  We are in a studio suite with a king bed, sofa, desk and kitchen, so that we can prepare our own meals.  A hotel certainly wasn’t in our full-time budget, but I guess that’s what an emergency fund is for.  Here’s what led to this decision.

The electric sofa in our RV converts to a surprisingly comfortable bed. However, the only way in and out is at the foot of the bed – you can’t walk around it.  Normally, that’s not a big deal, but after neck surgery, this is a real concern.  Tim cannot BLT – bend, lift or twist – and getting in and out of the RV bed would create an unacceptable strain on his neck.  Staying in the RV was just not worth the chance of slowing down the healing process or even creating additional problems.  Strike one!

Our tiny wet bath with its built-in shower is also an issue.  Manipulating in the shower without bending or twisting would be difficult, if not impossible.  Campground showers, which we frequently use, are not the most sanitary places, especially after surgery, and they didn’t seem to be a good option.  Strike two!

Tim’s activity is extremely restricted for the month following surgery – he cannot drive, and even sitting in a car as a passenger is to be minimized for the next three weeks.  He is supposed to lie down when he is not up and around (which he’s supposed to ease into).  Sitting is not advised.  These restrictions do not lend themselves to staying inside a small RV like ours for a month.  Strike three!

Since the surgery happened so quickly, we didn’t have much time to find a place to stay.  We looked for short-term and vacation rentals, but most were already rented for the summer.  The ones we did find were either extremely expensive or not pet-friendly.  We finally settled on an extended stay hotel.  However, even finding a hotel that had availability and that would accept a cat was a challenge.  We therefore considered ourselves fortunate to check into the Residence Inn on the day of Tim’s surgery, and we’ve been here for the last week.  Tim is very comfortable here and is able to follow doctor’s orders.  The kitty has also adjusted to her new surroundings.

Our Temporary Home

Kitty Makes Sure Tim Follows Doctor's Orders

Tim’s first follow-up appointment is on July 29, and he then will have twelve sessions of physical therapy to look forward to.  It appears that we’ll be in the Loveland area for the rest of the summer, and possibly into the first two weeks of September.  Northern Colorado is known for its excellent medical facilities, including physical therapy, so it only makes sense to stay here.  It’s certainly not where we planned to spend our summer, but one does what one has to do.  The only thing that’s important is that Tim gets better.

1 comment:

  1. Holy Crapoly Batman!! No wonder you haven't had time to post. Thoughts and prayers going up for Tim's quick healing and for you as the caregiver. We loved the pic of Kitty at the hospital! And yes, the only thing that is important is that Tim gets better. Much love and many hugs! LaVonne

    ReplyDelete

We love hearing from you and reading your comments.

To leave a comment, type what you'd like to say and then click on the arrow next to "Comment as:". You can select "Anonymous" if you'd like. Finally, click "Publish." That's it.