Update for end of Feb.

It's getting near time for Tom to be released from Shepherd. We are feeling overwhelmed by all the decisions that need to be made.

First, Tom is still experiencing muscle spasms, which are worsening all the time. The muscle spasms are like being hit in the stomach and the body jerks to the right or left. Or his legs jerk from only a slight stimulus like touching them when we dress him. The worst part of it to him is that many times at night, his chest feels like there's a band around it that's tightening during the night and it's very hard for him to breathe.

Muscle spasms are a usual part of a spinal cord injury. They can be much worse than what Tom is experiencing. His are very annoying and keep him from getting sleep--especially the tightening of the chest at night.

His doctor has put him on anti-spasm medication, and has been increasing the dosage to the max that a person can take. A side effect of this is that he becomes very groggy during the day. He also keeps having his sleep interrupted by itching that he can't reach to scratch, so that's another annoyance that's kept him awake at night. Today he was zombie-like, and every chance he got to be still, he fell asleep. I think the doctor is changing his medication for the spasms, and hopefully it will help him and he won't have adverse reactions to it. (we already have had rash from another new med) The lack of good sleep is really a hindrance to his healing, I believe.
He also has a hard time breathing from his nose being congested occasionally, and since he cant' blow his nose very well himself, he has to breathe thru his mouth and then his mouth gets dry and he can't get a drink. It's all kind of misery. But today I bought a thermos-type water bottle that's flat and has a drinking tube attached....I'm going to hook it to the side of the bed onto one of the sip-and-puff extension things that can reach to his mouth, and he'll be able to get a drink himself at night. I found this in their drugstore here and it is exactly what I was wanting to invent or find for him. Hopefully that will help a bit with the problems at night.

We've still got all these little health concerns to deal with, plus more that I'm not mentioning. And because it's almost time to get released, we're having to figure out transportation for him, as well as many other things that have to be figured out. I probably sound frustrated and tired, and I kind of am. There are so many things that need to be done that I am having a hard time keeping up.

We have a wheelchair-bound friend who has a handicap-accessible van that he's willing to let us use for awhile. We are not sure if Tom's wheelchair will work with the type of lift it has and the locks for the wheelchair, but we are working on it.

We are supposed to go to the "day program" after he is released. For that, he will go to the Shepherd Center five days a week from 9 - 4 and have intensive therapy. We stay in apartments nearby. I have to stay here with him the whole time and learn stuff too. We even sleep in these apartments every night. I have to be here in case he has an "accident" and needs his clothes changed, because he's no longer under nurses care. And I have to help him with his lunch at the center, and cook breakfast and dinner (or buy prepared meals). I also have classes that I have to take to learn stuff about his therapy.
I'm willing to do this, of course, because it will help him greatly to learn life skills that he needs. I'm concerned that I will be away from my business for another whole month, and Jan and Feb were really slow income-wise. I will be calling on friends to go work at Southern Oaks for me during March. We're not even sure if it will be a whole month....that depends on what the therapists say after the first week.

Well, I suppose I'm sounding a little overwhelmed, but it's because there's a lot to do on many fronts.

Oh, and also Tom's employer had to make the difficult decision to let him go...so we're unemployed. We're hoping he will still be able to go back and work for them in the future, once he gets stronger and learns more life skills.

Jessica was just here for a few days from DC. She cheered up her dad and helped her mom. We are missing her already.

all for now....