X-Rays!

Jason went in to get his x-ray done today to see if he can get the brace off. I overnighted the scans to his neurosurgeon in Reno, so, hopefully, we'll find out tomorrow whether he can take it off. During the x-ray, he had to take the brace off and get images of him moving the back around. I HATED this part! Jason was fine with it all-said it didn't hurt or bother him, but it made me so nervous that he might injure himself by moving around. After all, he's spent the last 8 weeks keeping his back essentially immobile. I eventually had to stand behind him in the x-ray room, because I was starting to make him nervous with all my hand-wringing and nervousness :)

My dad arrived safely from SC yesterday, and he has been put to work already! He and Savannah have had lots of time to bond, due to Jason and me being out most of the day with the x-rays and other errands. We're very happy to have him here with us :)

So, everyone keep your fingers crossed-I'll let you know tomorrow what the verdict is regarding the brace!

A Trial Run at Independence

Jason's mom and brother, who have been here in CA with us since the day after Jason's accident (8 weeks ago on Saturday!), flew back to Virginia last night. There can be no doubt that their presence made this process so much easier. Gail and Nick took care of Savannah and Sonja (our dog who, for those who don't know, is now on Prozac due to the shock of this situation...). This took a lot of pressure off of me, and allowed me to focus my attention on Jason and his recovery. My dad is flying in tomorrow and will be staying through the end of September, Jason's dad and stepmom are taking on October, and then my brother will be here indefinitely. We certainly have a tremendous support system!

But, for the first time since the accident, it was just the 4 of us at home last night. It has been good to see where we are in terms of being independent. We really want to get back to the point where people are coming to stay with us because they just want to see Savannah, not because we need them here in order to function. We're not quite there yet :) We can certainly manage for a few days, but we still need help, particularly in the mornings and evenings. The days aren't too bad at all, since Jason can do pretty much everything for himself. This brace, though, prevents him from being able to get in and out of bed on his own. He also still has 6 broken ribs that are not totally healed...

In brace news, he goes in for the X-ray on Thursday to see if the back is stable enough to take the brace off. The scans have to be mailed to Reno so that his neurosurgeon can approve this, since no neurosurgeon here in the bay area will work with another neurosurgeon's patient on follow-up care (rather annoying actually). Hopefully, he'll get the okay sometime early next week...so, keep your fingers crossed :)

Jason also started outpatient PT yesterday. It was a really great session. He was evaluated and then spent some time on stretches and trouble-shooting some issues he has with spasticity (his leg spasms are crazy at times). Spasticity is normal in SCI patients, though Jason seems to have stronger than normal spasms. At times, his legs seem to want to do what he would like them to. For example, when getting out of bed into his wheelchair, his legs will lift up on their own onto the foot plate. His therapist acted like she hadn't heard of something like that happening before, so I'm guessing that means we should be encouraged? He also got to use the standing frame for about 15-20 minutes. We're hoping to get one of these for the house, since it helps with digestion/circulation/swelling/muscle tone...it's just an all-around good piece of equipment. He has to use it a bit longer in PT before we can begin the process of asking insurance to pay for one.

Many thanks for all of the great suggestions for the sofa. I think we're going to try putting a piece of plywood under the cushion to give it a bit more firmness, as the main problem he's having is that the cushion is too soft to really give him any leverage to get off the sofa. I'll let y'all know how that works out.

Since we got so many great suggestions for that problem, I'll run another one by y'all. We've put down bamboo chair mats over our carpet, in order to make it easy for Jason to wheel around the house. They are very helpful, but we're having a hard time keeping them from moving all around due to wheelchair and foot traffic. We've tried taping them together and using the grip material you put under rugs, but haven't really had any luck. Any suggestions?

Love you all,

Ashley

Who's tired and cranky and (soon to be) red all over?

Savannah! After a long visit to the doctor today, we learned that Savannah has roseola-a virus that is apparently making the rounds amongst the under 5s here in Northern California. Thankfully, once the fever breaks in the next day or two, she should be back to her normal self. This will be a welcome change, as she has been nothing short of a terror the last 2-3 days. It's also good to know her bad temperament is due to her being ill and not (as I feared) an early bout of the terrible twos. The pediatrician said she contemplated selling her children when they had roseola-it's like teething on steroids in terms of how she's behaving. The only moment of real peace we had earlier today was when she snuggled up with Jason in our room. Even that was short-lived: it ended with her dumping chocolate protein shake all over the quilt on our bed!

In other news, Jason began outpatient occupational therapy yesterday. It was the first visit, so the whole time was spent discussing goals and what Jason could hope to work on in OT. It seems the main purpose is to trouble-shoot and problem solve any difficulties that arise at home. So, the first goal is to work on getting off the couch! We contemplated putting risers under the sofa, but decided against it since Savannah is definitely in an exploratory phase and I can see her knocking the risers out or hurting herself in some other way (she's quite creative in the ways she can demolish things and/or injure herself).

We also went by the wheelchair vendor to finalize the order for Jason's permanent chair. It'll definitely be nice to get rid of the loaner-it's very bulky. If we're traveling in our car, only Jason, Savannah, and I can be in the car. The chair takes up the trunk and the two passenger seats in the back. The one Jason is ordering is MUCH more compact, so all of it should fit in our car's trunk. We're looking at buying a new car sometime next spring. Jason is already beginning research into the best options. We don't want to do too much right now, though, since we don't really know what the extent of his injury is just yet. We're both committed, however, to doing all that is necessary to avoid purchasing a minivan :)

On the new sensation front, Jason can feel some tingling in his bottom if he sits in one position for too long. This is great, because, at the very least it means he'll be reminded to move around and will avoid pressure sores. Hopefully, it means maybe he'll get more sensation below the waist? He can also feel when his ankles swell, which tends to happen towards the end of the day since his circulation is impacted by sitting in the wheelchair most of the day. Again, any feeling is good, even if it doesn't ultimately mean regaining full sensation. We're cautiously optimistic, though.

We're trying to focus on the silver lining with this injury, and for sure one of the positives about this whole experience is the way our family and friends have rallied around us. It's been great to hear from everyone, both old and new. Thank you :)

All my love,

Ashley

A Quick Update

Sorry that it has been a few days since my last post. I'm home more often now than I was when Jason was in the hospital, but I find that I have much less time to spend on the computer. I'm quite busy trying to keep up with all of Jason's medical info (calling doctors, setting up appointments, etc, etc). Jason just bought me a new laptop (MacBook Air...it's amazing!), though, so I should be able to update more at night.

We've been getting out and about as much as possible over the last several days. On Monday, Jason and I took Savannah to her first day of school in the toddler room. We were worried that she would be a little nervous being in a new room, but, after a moment or two of hesitation, she blew us kisses and said "bye bye." 2 out of 3 of her teachers from last year have moved up with her, which has made the transition a lot easier for her. After that, we went to Ikea to look into storage ideas for the kitchen. Right now, Jason can't access our plates/glasses, so I'm trying to find something to put in one of the lower cabinets that will allow him to do so. Unfortunately, the cabinets are odd shapes and have shelving in them that can not be removed. Jason liked Ikea-nice, smooth floors that were easy to move around on! After Ikea, we headed over to Google for lunch with some of the members from Jason's team. I think it really was good for him to see everyone and have a chance to talk shop, so to speak. I couldn't keep up with much of the conversation (I do try to understand what all he does at work, but much of it is beyond my understanding), but I could tell Jason was really enjoying himself. He's gotten back into programming the last few days. After 5 weeks of virtually no computer access, he's gone back to the computer with a vengeance. :)

Today, we had a lazy morning. Gail took Savannah to school and Jason and I slept in. I had some errands to run this morning, so Jason hung out with his brother, Nick, and played Starcraft (another thing he missed while in the hospital). Afterwards, we walked over to our chiropractor's office (my appointment, not his). Walking/wheeling over took a lot out of Jason, especially as it was very hot (by bay area standards) today. So, he got his exercise in, which is good.

Tomorrow is a big day. Savannah has swim lessons. I'm hoping Jason will come along for that. And we're planning on heading to San Jose so that Jason can use the adaptive gym in one of the community centers there.

Keep all of the prayers and good thoughts coming. As we're learning, we've only just begun the recovery process.

Much love,

Ashley

Adjusting

Today is a week since Jason left the hospital. For the most part, things have been going pretty smoothly. We're definitely still trying to figure out how to do some things (the couch remains a difficulty...), but every day is getting a little easier.

We've been very lucky in having a lot of help with this transition. Jason's mom, stepdad, and brother have been here since the accident (Danny has been in and out) and I can honestly say that this would have been an impossible situation without their help. Savannah's daycare has also been a huge help. Normally, she only goes to school on Monday and Tuesday, but, while Jason was in rehab, she was bumped up to full time, so that I could be with Jason in the hospital. Additionally, different families and teachers at the school have provided us with dinner (every night for 2.5 weeks!). They're also making the school wheelchair accessible for Jason, adding books to the classrooms that feature parents in wheelchairs, and they also now have a doll in Savannah's classroom that is in a wheelchair. To say they've gone above and beyond is an understatement. Throughout these last six weeks, we've been overwhelmed by the love and support of our families and friends: the prayers, cards, visits, food, and the offers of help have been so wonderful and instrumental in Jason's recovery process. I hope everyone knows how genuinely appreciative we are.

Jason was suppose to start outpatient rehab this week, but apparently Valley Med is a bit full at the moment. So, he'll start OT on Thursday and PT the following Monday. To compensate, we're going to do 3 days at an adaptive gym in San Jose (the Ohlone class doesn't begin until 8/30). Last week was his "vacation." Now it's time to get re-focused on therapy and regaining his strength :)

He's begun walking Sonja at night...here's a photo of him walking Savannah as well. This is one of the things he was worried about not being able to do anymore, but where there's a will, there's a way, right?

I asked Jason if he wanted me to add anything on here for him. He said just to tell everyone that he is "feeling good and doing well."

Love you all,

Ashley

A little optimism goes a long way...

Jason has been home for four days now and things seem to be getting a little easier. At the very least, we're getting into a routine and are learning how to do some activities faster and/or more efficiently. Like going places in the car....on the way home form the hospital, it must have taken me 10 minutes to break down his wheelchair and get it in the car. I can do it in just 3-5 minutes now (and am getting quite the workout by doing so!).

Jason visited his primary care doctor today. After catching her up on all that has been going on...which took a long time in and of itself, she told us that she felt Jason would walk again. It was nice to talk to a doctor who is so optimistic. Of course, we also feel Jason will walk again someday, but the neurosurgeons and physical therapists thus far have been rather tight-lipped. They won't really say much one way or the other, beyond cautioning us that if Jason does walk, more likely than not, he won't be riding bikes again. Though this last bit wasn't much of an issue. Jason and I have already discussed the end of his going 45 mph down a hill in a bike days...

There's not too much more to update on. We're trying to find normalcy again in our daily lives, especially in this week long break from therapy that Jason has. I imagine we will be VERY busy again next week when outpatient therapy begins....

Settling In

Hello everyone!

Sorry that it has taken me so long to update you all on the move back home. Jason did leave bright and early (by hospital standards) on Saturday morning. The first day and night home were a little rough, to be honest. We've gotten use to the hospital and how things are done there, so it is taking us some time to figure out how everything is going to work at home. For example, Jason enjoyed watching some TV on the couch Saturday afternoon. It was super easy for him to get on the couch, but getting off of it (the couch is a couple inches lower than his wheelchair) was not an easy proposition at all. It took me standing on the couch behind him, lifting him up, while he pulled himself forward to be able to get him back in his chair. Thankfully, that has gotten a little bit easier since the first time, but it just goes to show you that we're going to have to learn to do things a bit differently now.

Yesterday, some friends came by to help us set up our bedroom. We've rearranged the furniture to make it easier for Jason to get around, plus we bought a new bed that had to be put together. It looks really great now. All that's missing is some artwork/pictures on the wall and a new TV (Jason is currently researching that purchase).

Last night went MUCH better than Saturday night. Jason got a shower. In the hospital, he only got a real shower once a week.....and that was only after the staples in his head/back came out 2+ weeks after his accident (when he got that first shower, they were washing off bits of dirt and road debris from his biking event...). We did sponge baths every morning, but those are only mildly effective. So, he really enjoyed getting a "real" shower last night. The only downside of showering now is that he must wear the brace in the shower....which means the brace gets wet, which means he's stuck in bed afterwards until the brace dries. Life will be much better when that brace goes away....

Today has felt somewhat normal. We sat in bed, drinking coffee (Well, I drank coffee. Jason had a super healthy fruit smoothie) and reading the news. Savannah would run in every now and again to give hugs and kisses. It was really lovely. Later today, I'll begin making phone calls to get outpatient rehab set up, as well as his gym classes at the local junior college. But, for now, it's nice to just sit and relax together. There hasn't been much of that over the last five weeks, so we're really enjoying it now.

Here are a few pictures from the last two days in rehab and the first day at home....

Love it :)

Ready to go!!

Sweet Daddy-Daughter Moment

Back on the Bike!

Wheelies!