Thursday Morning July 31
31 July 08 - 06:40
Sorry I have not updated since Monday. I am sick with a cold that is now moving into my chest & I have not had the energy to write.
Jim's trach was pulled on Monday & he is doing fine. He looks great with just a little bandage on his throat. No trach, no IV's! Prtaise God! He says it is easier to swallow now & his voice is stronger, too.
He has a new chair that he likes much better than the other one. This one was donated, so it is his! It is controlled with a chin joystick & he adapted to it quickly & does better with it also.
The ramps will be built free of cost to me, in concrete. The man who will be building them, Ben, says he builds all his houses handicapped accessible & people appreciate that. It does mean we will have to pull up the carpet in the Family Room, but that needed to be done anyway. The Hoyer lift does not move well on carpet of any kind, and it is tricky on linoleum or concrete, ... (more)
Monday Morning, July 28
28 July 08 - 07:16
I can tell from the recent comments that many of you do not know the injury Jim has to his spinal cord. His cord was not severed, it was bruised. When I first heard this, I thought it would heal as any bruise, but learned differently. Bruising of the spinal cord can be as permanent an injury as a severance; but I have heard many stories of people who did regain some functions after this happened. In Jim's case, which was a severe injury, the surgeon did not expect him to regain his hands, but perhaps his legs. And the surgery itself to stabilize his neck, caused further swelling, but had to be done. It will take a year or longer to know what he might regain if anything. It seems to me the doctor had it backwards as he has sensation in his hands but nothing below the nipple line on his trunk. If you want to learn more, just Google Spinal Cord Injury.
I have what some may think an unusual prayer request! It is for bugs. ... (more)
Friday Evening July 25
25 July 08 - 21:10
Things just keep happening. Today the Doc pulled the PEG tube - no more tube feedings. Monday they will pull the trach. Jim is pretty excited about all this & was especially glad I was there with him.
The OT - Occupational Therapist - came to his room to work with him since he had to stay in bed a while after the PEG was pulled. She attached electrodes to his forearms & turned on the "juice". His fingers moved - all ten of them, and the settings were below 30; she said she was pleased & surprised that it only took below 30 to get the muscle to contract. What this means is the pathway is still there, and something is getting through. Had Jim's cord been severed, nothing would have made the muscle contract. We encouraged Jim to watch his fingers & let his brain "rethink" what they were doing. He has also learned when his elbow is balanced in her hand, he can use his shoulder to throw the forearm and hand outwards. ... (more)
Thursday July 24 Special Request
24 July 08 - 06:53
I met with Pam, the Nurse Educator yesterday, then Jim joined us for a while. It was a special time for Jim & I as she talked about our future together. When she spoke of us going out to dinner or a movie, I burst into tears for I could not imagine this ever happening. I could only see Jim & I stuck in the house forever. She said it would happen; maybe not right now, but it will happen. As Jim's body adjusts to this new situation, things will calm down & we will be able to get out together.
She said I should put out the word & ask if there are any who would be willing to learn about Jim's condition so I could have some time away from home without having to pay for someone to come in to stay with him. She will train anyone who is interested & willing. No medical experience is necessary, just a willing heart. If there is anyone who would be interested, please call me.
I fed Jim his lunch & he did fine. ... (more)
Wednesday Morning July 23
23 July 08 - 07:17
Jim is doing well. No more blood sugar problems, coughing remains about the same. There was an incident on Monday when I was feeding him that he choked - bad. I had to help him clear his throat by doing a cough assist. What it was, he was eating fish, and he had a similar problem with the white meat of chicken, and it was just too dry for him to swallow completely and it stuck in his throat. The choking episode was very frightening to him - and me too. After much discussion with the Speech Therapist, it was decided to leave his diet the same but add more gravies & sauces so his food is kept wet. This seems to be working. He is also taking smaller bites & drinking lots of fluids to swallow.
I begin today meeting with the Nurse Educator to learn how to take care of Jim's personal needs. There is much for me to learn! Please pray for physical strenght & ability for me.
Now the big news. ... (more)
Monday Morning, July 21
21 July 08 - 07:00
There were a couple of things that happened over the weekend: When I arrived to see Jim on Saturday afternoon, he told me had "crashed" his blood sugar, they were unable to wake him up & when he did wake up there were about 10 to 12 people in his room & around his bed. He said his sugar was 34. Furhter questioning revealed this: When he made the switch from tube feeding all night, to regular meals with no tube feeding, someone did not think about adjusting his long-acting insulin, Lantus, that he receives at night. He was given 45 or 48 units. He said he was awake at 2am & told them he did not feel right & had them check everything, but no one thought to check his sugar. At 5am he was unresponsive & they either called a Rapid Response or a code, I am not sure which, and doctors from the main hosopital came over & pushed 50cc of dextrose in his IV. ... (more)
Saturday July 19
19 July 08 - 07:43
What a roller coaster ride this has been. Jim went from tube feeding to regular food in one day, as soon as he passed the swallow test! Of course he has to be fed by someone, but he is eating. Yesterday he said he wasn't very hungry but ate a small bowl of beef stew - no meat, too hard to swallow - and a salad. A salad! Can you imagine that? The staff was having a potluck luncheon for their departing boss & we could see into the room where they had everything laid out. Jim tried to get me to get him a cookie, but I wouldn't, of course! But the thing was, he wanted a cookie. Some things never change!
He continues to work in therapy & yesterday he had some movement in his right hand. It was turning the hand up & down - pronation & suppination. It was weak, but it was there! We were pretty excited about that! Jim is left handed, primarily, but he is also ambidextrous, so if he gets use of one hand, ... (more)
Thursday July 17 10 weeks post accident
17 July 08 - 06:37
Yesterday was wonderful! I went in the morning, Jim was up in the motorized chair with no collar! He looked so good & was so happy to have that awful thing off for good! The PT Assistant was making adjustments to the chair so Jim could "drive". And drive he did! Backed up, turned, drove down the long hall, around the corner, back up the other side & into his room! He did all this using his head - the back & sides .Different "taps" with either the back or the sides are different commands. Just to clarify, there is an extension, half-moon shaped, that cups near the back & sides of his head. Where he taps & how many taps tell the chair what to do. There is a little screen on his left side near the arm that allows him to see what mode he is in. He uses the same tapping commands to tilt back to relieve and shift pressure. This chair is amazing. ... (more)
Tuesday Afternoon July 15 SPECIAL Needs
15 July 08 - 18:37
Some things happemed today I need you to pray for:
Jim has MRSA in his sputum. MRSA is a strain of Staph that is very resistant & hard to eliminate entirely. You may have read about it or seen it in the news. He is only running a low grade temp at night & Saturday his chest xray was clear. However, he is coughing up a lot of "gunk" that is thick & nasty & has an odor. While he does not seem to have pneumonia, I am concerned about this. Now everyone entering his room has to gown, glove, & mask.
I was able to talk to his Occupational Therapist quite a while today & got some of my questions answered. Jim was in a special electric wheelchair he can control with his head. He has learned today to tilt backwards & forward to reduce pressure, but hasn't learned to "drive" yet. He was so exhausted he could not stay awake & would fall asleep in mid-sentence or thought, so I spent that time talking with the therapist. ... (more)
Tuesday July 15
15 July 08 - 06:08
Jim had his first full day at Rehab yesterday. It seems everyone wants to know how it went, so here goes. I worked until 1:30, got there about 2. Jim was in a wheelchair, but in what looked to be a most uncomfortable position. It seems he was "shifting" They had lain hin way back to take the pressure off his bottom; this is necessary to prevent the ulcers. He was rather vague about the day itself, at first, now I know it was because there were nurses in his room. When he was all settled & more comfortable, he told me the following.
"I was the worst case there. I saw people walking, people moving themselves around in wheelchairs, therapists working with people's hands & arms. I thought, good. They will get me functional & I will learn to use aids so I can at least use my arms & hands. Then I got some disturbing news. A therapist told me I would only be here three or four weeks. ... (more)
Saturday July 12
12 July 08 - 08:37
The first day in Rehab was really only half a day as we did not arrive until about 1PM. We met several people & doctors & got a beginning orientation to life in rehab. Jim will be working on another floor for three hours per day. The therapies are not back to back as that would be too tiring. In between PT, OT & Speech, there is recreational therapy. Jim can do several things, including use a computer. He is excited about being able to log into the blog himself & send out messages; He will use his mouth to do this. There are various other activities he can do as recreation, but it also is a therapy for he will be learning to use other functioning body parts instead of his hands.
I have decided not to update the blog every day, but every couple of days or so. I want to be able to share Jim's progress & that progress is going to be slow. Now the acute phase is past & Jim is much more stable medically. ... (more)
Friday Morning July 11 REHAB!
11 July 08 - 07:50
Friends, Sorry I have not updated. To be quite honest I was to tired to write. I was at the hospital until late on Wednesday & then very early on Thursday. Jim saw the Neurosurgeon yesterday. We dressed him in his own clothes instead of a hospital gown for the visit to the doctor's office. Everyone at the hospital had to come in & see Jim all dressed up & it meant a lot to him.
The doctor did an exam & asked that he we get more films with the neck flexed so he can be sure the fusion is complete before allowing the collar to be removed. This "simple" visit to a doctor's office, only a few miles from Promise was a three hour ordeal counting the dressing time. The ambulance crew, including an ICU nurse stayed with us this whole time.
The good news is, Jim goes to Rehab today at Banner Samaritan. The neck films will be done there & sent to the doctor for review. ... (more)
Wednesday July 9th
09 July 08 - 05:00
Tuesday July 8 Special Prayer Need
08 July 08 - 05:47
Jim had a bit of a setback yesterday. When I arrived I knew right away something wasn't right. For one, he was on a trach collar instead of nasal Oxygen. When he is on a collar, his trach is unplugged & he cannot speak without me placing my finger over the trach opening. Second, he did not look right, looked very tired. He said he was too dried out from the nasal oxygen & could not clear his throat. His Oxygen Sat level kept dropping into the 80's even on 40% O2. He coughed & coughed, with & without assist, but he continued to complain of "something there"; various things were tried with no success. When his Pulmonary Doc came in, he, too, said Jim wasn't looking well. Jim was also irritable & nothing was right for him. He ran a bit of a temp at 99.9.
The doctor decided to do a bronchoscopy, where a fiber optic cable is put into his lungs, fluid is introduced & suctioned out. ... (more)
Monday Morning, July 7
07 July 08 - 07:17
I just spent a good 20 minutes or more on a new entry for today & all at once it disappeared. Maybe some of you have experienced the same problem.
Jim had a good day again yesterday, up in the Cadillac Chair for several hours. But most important, we were able to talk about the future. Jim said he could deal with the collar - remember what an issue this was - but he has high expectations for Rehab. He said if his expectations were no realized he would be very devastated. These expectations are to regain the use of his hands & arms so he can be productive. Remembering the grim picture the dsoctor painted to me after the surgery, I suggested he accept the way things are now & be thankful for any progress he makes, rather than setting himself up for disappointment. Jim thinks the spasms are his muscles firing, but it is my understanding it is the nerves firing & the impulses not getting through. ... (more)
Sunday Morning July 6
06 July 08 - 06:47
I just came in from being outside & I wonder how many people never SEE. Never SEE the beauty around them God put there just for pleasure, never SEE the majestic work of the Hand of God, never SEE God in the faces of people around them, never SEE God's work in their own lives or the lives of others. What a pitiable existence! Like Romans tells us, the evidence has been there all along but they will not SEE.
I am not sure what got me on this track except perhaps a clearer revelation, a seeing, yesterday of how small Jim's world is now. I can walk around in his room, walk to the window & view downtown Phoenix, examine anything there to determine what it is & why it is there, see my own toes if I lift myself slightly when reclining, see the things behind me if I twist my body. Jim cannot do any of these things. I do not say these things that you or I might pity him, but that we would understand how his world has been reduced & ... (more)
Friday Evening, July 4th
04 July 08 - 19:20
I just returned from spending the afternoon with Jim. He was in the Cadillac Chair over three hours today. He got a shampoo & shave, and really liked being up so long. When I left he had oxygen on for the night and was ready for a long nap. We had a precious time of prayer together, thanking God for the progress he has made thus far & asking God to guide us through the next steps with His wisdom.
We had a bit of a disturbance yesterday. It seems when the Case Manager spoke to our Insurance Co. about transferring to Good Sam Rehab, the reply was "He only has 15 days of SNF". SNF stands for Skilled Nursing Facility, or a Nursing Home. Our Case Manager replied "What about Acute Rehab"? She should hear back on Monday. In the first place, we have 30 days per year of SNFs, not 15. And Acute Rehab is different from SNF. But, I caould not find anything specific in our benefits about Acute Rehab. It is a hospital setting, not ... (more)
Thursday Morning, July 3
03 July 08 - 07:07
They were able to reduce Jim's oxygen to 1/2liter. I tried, at Jim's insistence, turning it off completely, but again his sats were all over the place & his heart rate was going up, so it was put back to a low setting. For some reason Jim was very anxious last evening to the point of asking for medication for anxiety. He told me he did not think he could stand it 8 more days and nothing I did was right enough - pillows, head, upper body, etc. When we position him it takes anywhere from 8 to 12 pillows. He is having more sensation; yesterday he could feel his forearms. It seems that as sensation returns it makes him more uncomfortable. Still no voluntary movement.
So, today pray for: Patience for Jim, peace as the days wear on & the reality of this situation becomes more & more "alive" to him, pray he will regain the ability to swallow, pray for the his acceptance of what is now yet not give up on what can be, ... (more)
Tuesday Night - Good News!
01 July 08 - 21:24
What a day today. Jim has been approved to move to Good Sam Rehab. He could have gone as early as tomorrow, but due to having to travel to see the Neurosurgeon on the 10th, he will have to wait until then. He will leave Promise, go to the Surgeons office & then to Good Sam Rehab from there. This is tremendous news & a definite answer to prayer. Jim was so happy & tears of joy were shed. He so wants to move forward & get to work on learing to do all he can.
Today they removed his plastic trach, called a Shiley & replaced it with a metal one called a Jackson. The Jackson fits flush against his neck, is smaller & can be plugged. He tolerated the procedure very well & immediately said he could swallow easier. We tried some ice chips & some pieces of crushed Popsicle & he did seemingly fine. Then, he started coughing & coughed for over 2 hours requiring almost constant suctioning. ... (more)
Tuesday Morning, July 1
01 July 08 - 06:34
Some days I wonder what to write. So much of Jim's recovery now is more of the same each day. But then I remember that you who read this are praying & you want to pray for specific needs. The sprcific needs now are the pressure ulcers. There is a new one on the bottom, and some thought it was a tear from pulling on his hips to turn him; the doc says it is a pressure ulcer. It is a catch-22 situation: If he lays on his side, on his hip, too long, there is a danger of an ulcer there, too. Due to these ulcers, which can be a serious problem, he can only stay up in the cadillac chair for two hours per day.
Joey, Jim's daughter, left this morning & I know he will be a bit depressed. Joey is wonderful with her Dad, spending hours taking care of his feet & hands, and just caring for him. Michael & Tomo (and baby Zumi) will leave soon, also, & I am preparing now for Jim's reaction. ... (more)
