Join with me as I embark on a 31-Day Writing Challenge! Inspired by Lisa-Jo and created by the Nester, this exercise takes writers on a journey to write on one topic for 31 days straight.

Me? I’m attempting to go through our journey and countdown 31 things I used to have to do for Danny, that I don’t have to anymore. This exercise has already taken me down roads I haven’t traveled in my mind in quite some time. It has, and will allow me to be reminded just how far we really have come since August 16, 2005.

20. Getting Dressed

For those of you who are parents, do you remember how fun it was to dress the babies in all those little clothes? You’d gently pull the shirt over their little wobbly head, push and pull their arms in the sleeves, pick up their legs to pull their pants up, etc. It was so fun and they looked so cute before they’d puke on it or pee through it.

Changing a grown man’s clothes when he has no control over his body to assist you is not as fun or as cute.

We had to get Danny dressed on the bed.

We’d roll him to one side, pull pants up, and pull the shirt down. Then we’d roll him to the other side to do the same.
This was after we’d gotten the catheter and men’s brief on and secured.

Like babies, elastic waist pants or shorts always worked best, especially when you had a condom catheter come off. Then, we had to do it all over again and more laundry.

We also had to watch out for the lobster claw.

The first part of Danny’s body that he was able to move was his right hand. It was as if all the energy in his body was coming out in his right hand. He would pinch the fire out of us. Loida and I would have bruises up our arms from where he was showing us some love.

But, as Danny emerged, he started trying to help.

The first thing he did was lift his head off the pillow so we could get his shirt on. This progressed to him locking arms with us (one on each side) and him pulling himself to a sitting position so we could pull his shirt down.

The slight improvements were surprisingly helpful and there was less rollie-pollie action.

When he began Beyond Therapy, and was strong enough to stand while holding onto something, we helped him get dressed standing at the sink.

It was so much easier and he was standing, holding his weight!

I’m not sure how many times I’ve gotten Danny dressed over the last seven years, and while he still needs assistance, it’s not nearly as difficult as having to get him dressed in bed.

Plus, the only pinches I get from the lobster claw are sweet ones.