prayforPuella

hey look, a webpage.. guess I better update it.

The botox injection for my shoulder didn't happen.  It was postponed until this Tuesday.

I took a vision test for driving and it didn't go so well.  while my reading was okay, my field of vision is still diminished on the left side and my depth perception was off.  I've been playing driving games on the xbox and if it's any indication I'm not ready to get behind the wheel.

I have enjoyed a few showers.. my toes are all healed and the hot water feels fantastic.  

Our dog, Puella, had surgery this week and is recovering now.  She had a small lump removed... nothing life-threatening ... just something boxers her age are prone to.  It will be a week or so until she's back to normal.. for now she's kind of slow and pathetic.  I can sympathize with her and the pains of post-surgery recovery.  

Therapy continues slowly.  My walking is improving.. My cadence is picking up and I'm getting very close to using a cane.  My therapist wants me to take over therapy for my left arm.  I'm trying to find activities I can manage with an immobile left hand.. hitting light switches and opening doors.  We also have to keep my shoulder stretched which means letting dad inflict pain on me frequently.

Please add Puella to your prayers and hopefully she'll be back to her old playful-self soon. Thanks.

sunday post

That's another busy week done.  Tuesday was hopefully my last trip to the ER.  I had a seizure in the morning.  We were warned it could happen when I got out of the hospital.  So I had a quick ambulance ride, got a few injections and was home that afternoon.  The medicine should prevent it from happening again.  The wound on my big toe has shrunk to a fraction of a centimeter in size.  Hopefully, this will be the final week that I have to go to the hyperbaric chamber and I can get into the bath at the end of the week.

Tomoka sent me a very thoughtful package with a cool new shirt and some pictures.  It's not much, but I cooked up a simple webpage with some of the pictures at http://jamie.animink.com/

Therapy continues slow and steady.  I get botox injections this Tuesday to help my left shoulder mobility.  There's been some talk of driving evaluations but nothing concrete yet (I'm a bit apprehensive about driving again) so I'm not sure when that will happen or if I'm ready for it yet.  I'm planning to practice with video games first once I get to GameStop and do some shopping.  That's all for now.

overdue update

As a few of you have kindly pointed out, it's time for an update.

Things are progressing slowly but surely.  I'm using the walker to get around the house more.  

My balance has improved enough that I can stand by myself and brush my teeth, wash my hands and make a pot of coffee.  Going to the bathroom is much more private now.  

I had one unfortunate and painful fall so I'm not ready for a cane yet though I want to move up to one eventually.

I've been getting daily treatments in a hyperbaric chamber for the surgical wound on my foot.  The good news is that it's working; the wounds on my smaller toes are healed while the ulcer on my big toe is getting smaller.   the wound may be healed by next week.  Once it's healed, the first thing I'm planning to do is to hop into the bath tub and take a nice long soak.

We've decided to get botox injections to help my left shoulder.  I was weary of this at first but the doctor convinced me it's safe and will help.

I get to see Tomoka on the computer almost everyday.. talking to her is usually the best part of my day.  I sent her some silk pajamas for Valentines Day.  even better, she's coming to visit April 16th!  she'll be here for 2 weeks and we're excited.

I have some wonderful friends.  They take me out to eat occasionally (when I get stir-crazy) and give me advice about married life and immigration procedures.  I'm looking forward to visiting Frank and Rosa's next.  Jacob (another wonderful friend) is being generous and giving me a kilt which should be awesome.  I begged Justin and he's sending me a one-handed keyboard.. I hope it's easy to learn.  Markus is giving me some work to help keep me occupied and ensure I don't forget everything.

So basically that's what's happening in my life right now.  thanks for reading

- jamie

happy new year and big news

Wow! that week went by quickly.  A lot has happened so I'll get straight to it.  Christmas was a joyous affair. Tomoka likes the diamond earrings I gave her and the platinum doesn't trigger her metal allergy so that's good.  I'm enjoying my presents (xbox!) very much.  Everyone was very generous and I feel blessed.  We managed to get out of the house a few times.  The Smiths were kind enough to host a party with great food and company including a few people I hadn't seen in years.  We visited Sarah and Marc and the boys a few times.  Henry is simply adorable and Oscar is sweet too -  though I'm a little worried he wants to steal Tomoka from me.

I did accomplish my goal to get up the stairs.  It's wonderful to sleep in my own bed again.

The other big change happened last night.  I proposed to Tomoka and SHE SAID YES!  We still have to work out all the wheres and whens.  I'm feeling euphoric and a little overwhelmed.

Animink is sending me some work to do at home and I'm looking forward to it.

My next goals are to continue working on balance and walking.  I want to thank you all for your prayers and concerns.  I've been blessed with more support than I deserve and owe a debt of gratitude to you all.

With much love,

-Jamie

Saturday update

Today marks 5 months since the accident.  This week's accomplishments  
include getting into Dad's SUV, increasing my left knee's range of  
motion to 125 degrees, and getting a much needed haircut.. babysteps.   
My next goal is to get up the stairs... I'm concerned about keeping  
Tomoka entertained during her visit as I might be confined to the  
first floor.  Other issues, of course, persist.  This week I struggled  
a lot with balance.  I'm doing a lot of standing exercises in therapy  
and the therapists insist on good posture.  We're experimenting with  
walkers and canes so I can finally get out of the wheelchair.  My poor  
posture results in poor balance and makes canes dangerous.  It looks  
like I'll start with some sort of walker and graduate to a cane once  
my balance improves.

We've been eating real well recently and the other day, in a moment of  
StephenColbert-esque brilliance, invented a new word: garlicious.

Carollers came by last night to spread Christmas spirit and Pastor  
Mike impressed us all with his eerily accurate singing of Alvin and  
the Chipmunks.  Our tree is up and looks great.. there aren't any  
presents under the tree yet as I'm still trying to think of gifts  
for everyone. 9 shopping days left to figure it out.  I hope holiday  
cheer finds you all in this last frenzied week until Christmas.
- jamie

howdy

We're trying something new today. As part of my therapy I will be  
contributing to the blog from now on.
Yesterday was kinda tough.  Despite lots of effort and pain, the range  
of motion in my left knee is below expectations. Any bending past 100  
degrees is incredibly painful.
The stitches from my toe surgery were finally removed yesterday.  The  
good news is that I'm healing very quickly.  The downside to that was  
new skin had grown over several stitches and cutting them out was  
bloodier than expected.
Everyone seemed to have the same answer to problems yesterday: do more  
at home.  As a result, I will be in charge of updating this blog.   
Feel free to email me if you think it's gone too long without an  
update.  Improving range of motion in the left knee will be another  
responsibility for home.  Dad feels as though he's picked up enough  
over the past 4 months to be a physical therapist and had me doing  
exercises before I even got out of bed this morning.

Despite the prospect of torture at home there's a lot to look forward  
to.  It's Christmas time and there are plenty of annual joys: Charlie  
Brown, Christmas Story and the Grinch. I'm sure there's a wonderful  
Sam Adam's brew for the season that I can't partake.  I'm hoping I'll  
be able to visit the Animink crew this week.  I've yet to see the new  
house and there are new people working there I haven't had the chance  
to meet yet.  Everyone is looking forward to Tomoka coming to visit.  
It'll be exciting to share the Holidays with her.

-jamie

Happy Thanksgiving!

Back in the summer, when things were really bad, I dreamed of Thanksgiving, and prayed that Jamie would be sitting at our Thanksgiving dinner table with us. I am so thankful that this prayer, along with many others, was answered. I am thankful for all of Jamie's friends and family who shared their love and support these last four months. I am thankful for my son-in-law Marc who took the burden of dealing with hospital bills and insurance and medicaid off our shoulders, and created order out of chaos. I am thankful for the skills and the incredible compassion of all the doctors, nurses, nurses aides and therapists at Carolinas Medical Center and Carolinas Rehabilitation. And I am thankful for our church family, whose caring support has been boundless.

Today, the day after Thanksgiving, Jamie is having therapy. He is being fitted with an orthotic to wear on his left foot/ankle. He no longer has to wear the big brace on his left leg - hooray! It will take several more weeks for his toes on his right foot to heal--this kind of wound has to heal from the inside out - the doctor says to eat lots of protein - we've got lots of turkey leftovers! :-)

I pray that your Thanksgiving blessings, dear reader, are many.
Love and Peace,
Brenda

Home Again

It's Thursday night, and we're home from the hospital. Jamie's sitting in front of the fireplace, eating chocolate chip cookies just out of the oven, and watching CNN's Democratic debate in Nevada. It won't be long and he'll be back in his bed - at home! This last hospital stay (and I hope it's the last hospital stay) was very good - CMC is awesome - BUT, there's no place like home!

One More Night

Jamie is doing very well after his surgery Monday. He's still in the hospital - they are managing his pain with medication by IV, but he needs to have it under control with pill form before he can come home. They are going to start alternating a pill with his IV meds, and plan for him to come home tomorrow (Thursday).

We appreciate all your thoughts and prayers. His vascular surgeon said it was amazing how good Jamie looks, and how different he looks than he did in the ICU in July.

Post-Surgery Update

Jamie's surgery went well yesterday. The Doctors cleaned up his toes on his right foot. They debriefed all of the damaged skin and tissue on 3 of his toes and ended up taking off just the tips. This should not affect his balance or ability to walk at all, so that's good. He does have a lot of pain and he will hopefully heal quickly over the next 4-6 weeks. He spent last night in the hospital and should be coming home soon!

And then it's back to therapy next week!

Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers.

Halloween at Carolinas Rehabilitation

PT Sarah, PT tech Dave, unknown poor soul who didn't do his stretches, and PT Andrea with Jamie on Halloween. This was taken after Jamie's hour session on the parallel bars.

Jamie's working hard, 3 therapies 3 times a week. Michael and I have been working hard, too, practicing transfers with Jamie. He is scheduled to have surgery on his toes on Monday, November 12th, and will probably be in the hospital for a couple of days. We'll let you know details as we know them.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support during Jamie's recovery!

Catching Up

Jamie started his out-patient physical therapy Monday. He will be having physical therapy and occupational therapy three times a week, and speech therapy (which is working on visual scanning and higher level problem solving) two times a week. This week he has walked the length of the parallel bars (with the help of his therapist) several times. He says he feels "like Robocop" when he's walking - he still has the brace on his left leg, plus a couple of orthotic boots. Today he visited his vascular doctor - had ultrasounds on his legs. The good news is the clot that was in his right leg is gone, and the clot that is in his left leg is smaller than it was.

The doctor looked at his toes on his right foot. They are healing, but it's time for the dead tissue to be cleaned up. He will have surgery in a couple of weeks to remove the dead skin and see what's underneath. This will probably involve a night or two in the hospital. We'll let you know as soon as we do when this will happen.

And again, I must report that Jamie's spirits are wonderful - he is an inspiration to me. I hope you will all continue to pray for Jamie's recovery.

Another Milestone reached

Jamie's had 3 doctor's appointments in the last 2 days. Everyone says he is doing very well - one doctor called him "a Star!" The best news is this: the femur is healed, the pelvis is healed, and the tibia is healed; he can now start putting weight through his left leg. He will start outpatient therapy soon, where he can get upright and walking! God is good!

There's No Place Like Home

Jamie has been home a week now, and we're all getting into a good routine. He has been visited by his nurse, his physical therapist, and his occupational therapist, and is making good progress in his range of motion. The week coming up he has several doctor visits. We hope he'll be cleared to bear weight on his left leg soon; this will make all his transfers much easier. And then he'll transition from home health care to outpatient therapy, where he can really work, with parallel bars and all their equipment.

Thanks to Will and Danny, Jamie's IMac has been moved downstairs, so he can talk to Tomoka and his friends. We're all eating very well - Jamie's gaining back the pounds he lost in the hospital, and is growing his beard out. It is so wonderful to have Jamie (and Puella) home. As soon as Mom finds the cable for her camera, and figures out how to do it, there will be pictures posted. :-)

We're Home!

Jamie came home midday Thursday - rolled up the red-carpet ramp amid LOTS of balloons that mysteriously appeared there! We've had a couple of good days, with excellent food and good sleep at night. Mom had the best birthday ever on Friday, surrounded by Sarah & Marc and Oscar & Henry and Michael, and the miracle sitting beside her - Jamie at home!

Thank you for all your prayers and support. We'll keep you posted about his continued recovery. He'll have nurses and therapists coming beginning Monday. He'll have home care for awhile, and then transition to outpatient therapy.

One More Day

We are SO ready for Jamie to come home! Only one more day! He's working very hard--he stood up five times (with all his weight on his right leg) on a large walker yesterday, and worked his range of motion of his left knee and left shoulder to their edge of unbearable limits. Every time he stands, or sits on the edge of the bed, or makes a transfer, he is visibly stronger and straighter. He keeps his therapists and techs laughing with his dry sense of humor, altho more than one has said they will cry when he leaves . . .

Sunday Pass

Jamie had a good visit at home. We were able to get through all the doorways; found some "trouble spots" that will require some furniture shifting, but could get everywhere we needed to. Of course, the first thing he did was call Tomoka - she was just getting off work, and went home so that they could talk via skype. They had a good visit on the computer, and she is planning on visiting again between Christmas and New Year's. We also had good food and good company - Sarah & Marc and the boys came and ate dinner with us. It was difficult to go back to the rehab hospital, but the next three days will go by quickly, and then he comes home for real!

Working Hard

We're definitely in the "getting ready to go home" mode at Rehab. Thursday afternoon Jamie practiced car transfers - getting himself in and out of my Jetta three times. It's not easy, but doable. The first time in, Jamie said "Start the engine!" He is getting a pass to come home for a couple hours Sunday. This will give us a chance to make sure everything's accessible before he really comes home on Thursday, September 27th. He's got his menu order in for all his favorites, but will have to forego that beer he wanted - his doctor says no alcohol for at least a year!

And He's Up!

Monday morning, the beginning of week nine in the hospital, using his right arm holding a parallel bar, Jamie pulled himself up and stood on his right leg! We were all very excited! Every day he gets stronger. As I write this, the hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" is going through my head: ". . morning by morning new mercies I see. ."

Saturday-Lunch on the Terrace....

When we pulled up to the rehab hospital today, Jamie (and Dad) were waiting for us out front! It was such a great surprise to see Jamie hanging out outside enjoying this nice weather. He told us that he was working Dad out having him wheel him all over--they even went down to the bridge in front of CMC!

We brought cuisine ala Chick fil A and all of us (including Oscar and Henry) all ate together out on the patio. I know this doesn't sound like too big of a deal, but it was nice to feel so 'normal' and so wonderful to see Oscar and Jamie sharing a pack of nuggets together. Since Jamie's getting so much stronger, and sitting up regularly you can also get in and get a good hug which is fabulous--Oscar and I got some good ones in today!

When we were walking back to Jamie's room, Dad challenged me to a race--he with Jamie and me with my double stroller, however after he told me that he'd already taken someone into the wall that morning and that he'd happily take us into the wall in order to win, we retreated back!

He was going to have a shower this afternoon--so all in all a good day!