|
For comments or additions to this web site, email us. |
July 19, 2007: Happy summer from Kathy The beginning of 2007 was tough. In December of '06 Meredith's Mother was hospitalized and then moved into a nursing home. Her health had been failing for the past couple of years, but each time she would rally and we would be blessed with more time with her. In December she became ill with a urinary tract infection which really took a toll on her physical and mental health. Moving into the nursing home was an additional disappointment for her. Her first month there she tried to participate in therapies and visit with the other residents. Unfortunately, her health rapidly declined; she was unable to eat and she became bedridden. During her stay in the nursing home she had daily visitors. Meredith and I were able to visit with her since the nursing home was wheelchair accessible. Although it was a sad time, we felt fortunate to be with her so often. Mrs. Nicolls passed away on March 2. Her funeral was held in a church dear to her heart. She was fondly remembered by many, who attended to honor her memory. Several eulogies were read noting her strength of character, love of nature and love of family and friends. I could not help but think that Meredith is very much like his mother, focusing on the positive with a loving spirit. Mrs. Nicolls will be missed by many, but especially by her son. During this rough time, we were blessed with additional love and support. Those friends who knew what Meredith was dealing with frequently checked on him to offer emotional support. We were made all to aware of the fact that 'life goes on' around us as we deal with the daily challenges of living with a spinal cord injury. We tried to be hyper-aware of how this sadness could affect his physical condition. Luckily he was able to maintain his health throughout this emotional time. Shortly after this emotional low, we experienced an emotional high. Our dear friends Brian, Teresa, Sam and Cindy organized a fund-raiser at Vintage Tavern. Tidewaters finest chefs, Sam Mcgann, Todd Jurich, Bobby Huber, Amy Brandt, Sidney Meers, Tom Power and David Everett came together to make this evening a huge success. The food was fabulous, the service stellar. Servers were from Vintage Tavern and they were assisted by friends and family of the chefs. Music was provided by Jim Newsom who was joined by his uncle Tommy Newsom and two other magnificent musicians. Meredith and I had a great time and it seemed like everyone there was laughing and smiling. It was an evening that energized our spirits and gave us a chance to talk with many people that we had not seen in years. Although Meredith and I are getting out more, our exposure to large groups of people is minimal. This party was fantastic. Friends were there from Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, ; Williamsburg and The Eastern Shore. The money raised will build a roll-in shower in the house that we just bought! (On another sad note, in May, Tommy Neswome passed away. We will be ever grateful to him and his family for their contributions to several fund-raisers for Meredith. Tommy was a southern gentleman whose kind spirit touched our hearts.) We are very excited about the upcoming move into our 50's ranch style house in the Wards corner area of Norfolk. We hope to move into the house in September once the renovations are complete. As I wrote, we will have a roll-in shower built off the master bedroom and we are having a carport built so Meredith can enter and exit the house undercover. Once again, Brian and Teresa are instrumental in making these changes happen. Their crew from Quality Homes has been hard at work widening doorways, building ramps, and doing all of the 'touch up' work that comes with renovation. It is beginning to look like 'our home'. January 30, 2007: From Kathy Meredith has reached another milestone. He has been out of the hospital and home for over a year now. During this past year he has stayed fairly healthy in body and remained strong in spirit. He continues to face daily challenges with strength and determination, and has added some technology to assist with his daily living. We continue to rely on the knowledge and goodness of friends, family and professionals to help us with ongoing struggles. It really does take a "village" to meet and overcome the challenges associated with a high spinal cord injury. One of the items that has been added to Meredith's technology repertoire is a gadget called a "quadjoy". This mouth-directed mouse allows him to navigate the web with ease. He uses an on-screen keyboard to type and sips n puffs to click when he wants to activate the mouse. He was using a mouth-stick (which he is very proficient with) but he would need someone with him to put it in his mouth and then if he wanted to talk or cough someone would need to remove it. Once we get our office area set up properly, Meredith will be able to roll right up to the desk and activate the computer on his own. This will give him some alone time which is so infrequent these days. He has also begun using an environmental control unit in our bedroom. He has a sip n puff stick that is attached to the side of his bed. By sipping n puffing he can raise and lower the head and foot of his bed, turn the television on/off and change the channels and volume. This has been especially nice for me because I often fall asleep before he does and now if he wants to continue watching 'Jay Leno' he can turn the television off when he is ready. We need to spend more time learning about the system because he should also be able to make phone calls with the unit too. Phone calls have not been too much of a problem because we leaned that we could set our cell phone to automatically answer if Meredith is hooked up to the headset. So, he can receive phone calls. Now we need to figure out a way for him to be able to make phone calls on his own and how he can hang up after leaving a voice mail. If anyone has ideas, please let us know. Our biggest news is that Meredith is able to move his pointer finger on his left hand. About a month ago, Meredith was sitting in the van while I was grocery shopping. Often while I am in the stores, Meredith will sit in the van and mentally "give out parking tickets" to all of the unkind and insensitive people who park in handicap parking slots without handicap plates or mirror tags. He usually has great stories when I return. So on that particular day, when I returned he said "look at that". I assumed he was going to verbally point to some fancy car that was parked in a handicap slot and tell me the story that went along with it. I was looking all around the parking lot and he said "no, look at that". I turned to him and watched his eyes glance down at his left hand and when I looked I saw his finger move. I could not believe my eyes, so I said "is that a spasm?" Meredith said "no, watch again". Low and behold he was moving his finger!!! I was overcome with emotion and burst into tears. It was an indescribable moment. The joy we both felt was immense. This was something we did not ever expect given the nature of his injury. Meredith would often mentally "'will" his hand, fingers or arms to move and finally it had happened. We are witness to the power of positive thoughts, persistence and not giving up hope. He started therapy last week to see if he can get any more movement from the finger and increase functional movement. He is working on strengthening his finger with the hopes that he will be able to push a button. From there, who knows. He has once again proven that he is capable of incredible things. Along with this new movement has come an increase in pain. Some studies indicate that 40% of spinal cord injured patients experience intense pain. Meredith has been dealing with pain for over a year now and is still working with doctors and therapists to manage it. He has used biofeedback, tens unit, accupuncture, and medications among other things. He has very few, if any, days that are pain free. This is a very difficult part of his spinal cord injury. Because of Meredith's pain, it is hard to perform his range of motion, adjust him in bed, dress and transfer him. All of his care-givers including myself are very sensitive to his pain and ache for him. It is frustrating for us because we cannot help him achieve a level of comfort. It is especially difficult for me at night because of the obvious reasons.....lack of sleep being primary. But, we are all trying to remain positive and hopeful that a solution is forthcoming. Between doctor and therapy appointments, we have been staying busy. We have always enjoyed movies and lately we have been venturing out to the movie theater. We have also had several incredible meals at Vintage Tavern in Suffolk. Please check out their website at www.vintagetavernvirginia.com. In September we drove to the Eastern Shore and celebrated Meredith's Mother's birthday under a huge pecan tree eating chocolate cake and reminiscing about past celebrations. Thanksgiving was quite special with a visit from my Father and brother Adam. And during Christmas we were able to attend a few parties including an annual dinner at The Buckles. Meredith has also been reading his bicycle and cooking magazines. Next he plans to tackle some long over-due reading of books. We have been told that a couple of fund-raising dinners will be held in the near future. I will try to make sure the information is posted on the website. Meredith is also a member of the NTAF Catastrophic Injury Program. Money can be donated in his name to the fund to help with his medical expenses. All money donated through the fund is tax-deductible. For more information you can contact them at 800-642-8399 or www.transplantfund.org. Meredith and I are so grateful for this financial support. We are hoping to find a house this year so he can have more mobility and we can feel more settled in. September 11, 2006: From Kathy I have been working on this updates for many months. Each time I sit down to complete it, I must make several changes because so much has changed and happened! We continue to deal with the struggles of setting up a routine in the morning so Meredith can have quality care and I can have a couple hours of free time. The VA has been kind enough to offer us two (!!) hours of help in the morning, but we still have not found an agency that can meet our needs. We have had so many people in and out of our doors in the mornings, we have lost count. We are determined to make this work because Meredith and I have realized how important those two hours are to both of us. Many exciting things have happened. The biggest event was the removal of Meredith's trach tube and surgery to close the opening. Almost a year ago Meredith requested that he be evaluated for his trach tube removal. Each time, he had an evaluation with the pulmonary team and the ear, nose and throat team. Each time the teams would have two different opinions. After three evaluations with the VA doctors and no consensus, we decided to seek the advice of some Norfolk doctors that knew Meredith prior to his accident. Meredith's case was somewhat complicated by his automobile accident almost thirty years ago. During that accident he broke his neck (no spinal cord damage), crushed his trachea, severed his esophagus, tore his vocal chords apart and broke his nose. He needed a trach tube for about six months while recovering from those injuries. His trach tube this time was put in place due to his spinal cord injury. Because of the high nature of his injury, his lungs n o longer work like they did before and his cough is very weak. Thanks to some very good respiratory therapists and Meredith's strong determination, hard work and will power, he was again able to breath on his own and generate a voice. Tears still come to my eyes when I remember the first time I heard his voice while at the Shepherd Center. Just the sound of my name almost dropped me to my knees. Meredith's Norfolk doctors ordered some tests to help determine if his trach tube could be removed. After several phone calls back and forth, everyone was comfortable with the decision to proceed to removal. He went to his ENT doctor and within a matter of minutes, his trach tube was removed. They literally just pulled it out and put a gauze bandage over the opening. The hope was that the opening would close on it's own as it often does. In Meredith's case, he had the tube in for so long, this did not happen. After three weeks and no closure, surgery was scheduled in another three weeks. Those six weeks were tortuous for Meredith. He had a hole in this trachea which was only covered with gauze. Most of his air escaped through this opening, so he had no voice and breathing felt really weird. During this time my Dad, brother Adam, sister Rose and her husband Jeff visited. This was the first time my Dad and Adam has seen us since Meredith's accident. It was a wonde rful yet emotional time. Meredith was quite frustrated because he could not "dish out" his usual banter with my Dad. One of the highlights of this visit was actually getting inside a house. My family rented a beach house and the owner made arrangements for a ramp to be there so Meredith could roll into the house. It was hard to believe that this was the first house Meredith has been into since his accident! Being in a power chair has really limited his access, especially into friend's homes. Since that time and because of the generosity of Kathy Ziskind (owner of the beach rental), Meredith now has a small mobile ramp which will allow him to get over one to two steps. A few weeks ago we had dinner with the Buckles at their dining room table. It was a bitter/sweet moment. Back to the trach story........surgery was required to close Meredith's trach opening. It was done on an outpatient basis with no complications during the surgery. The only problem was that the staff in the recovery room was trying to be "helpful" and in the process broke Meredith's power chair. He should be the one telling this story, because apparently my facial expressions were priceless. I now know that I need to be more forceful and directive during these situations. He recovered beautifully from the surgery and now his voice is stronger than ever. He can have conversations so much easier and his voice carries better over the telephone. His cough is a little stronger, but the secretions seem to be changing daily. Without being too gross, months ago he had to be "quad coughed" several times a day and he would bring up quite alot. Many of our friends are accustomed to grabbing the disposable cups and tissues to help. Now his secretions seem to be "glue like" and at times it seems to take forever to bring them up. The added pushing (quad coughing) seems to be adding to his discomfort. So, is seems just like most things with Meredith's spinal cord injury, just when he thinks he is over one hurdle, another one presents itself. But as usual, Meredith is dealing with these issues with all of the strength he can muster. He recently spent two weeks in the VA hospital in Richmond for an annual evaluation and testing due to terrible pain in his shoulder area. It was good to see the staff and funny to watch their reactions when they saw Meredith. When he left the VA in December, he as very thin and had little to no voice. Now, he is back to his "fighting weight" and can laugh and talk with them. He was much more independent during this visit, going to some of his therapy appointments on his own. He saw Anthony, the barber and had a regulation buzz cut. We visited the coffee kiosk several times so Meredith could have an espresso and even had weekend passes so we could venture out into Richmond. Meredith was able to discover the source of his intense shoulder pain. The mri showed degenerative disc disease which is pressing on some nerves and the formation of a syrnix. This is a cyst in the center of his spinal cord at the level of his injury (c-4). The syrnix presses on nerves which causes pain, but worse yet, if the cyst grows, it could impinge upon Meredith's ability to breath. This was very scary and sad for us to hear. The only good thing is that right now the syrnix is too small to operate on. An operation will be very risky because it too can cause nerve damage which could result in Meredith becoming ventilator dependent. We are currently in the process of finding a neurosurgeon to have another opinion. We are also trying to determine the best way for Meredith to manage his pain. He has already had some biofeedback sessions and we are looking into medications. He was also diagnosed with sleep apnea. So we now have one more piece of equipment next to the bed to add to his collection of medical equipment. He is waiting for a special nasal cannula to see if this device will help him sleep better. Now he wakes up almost every two hours either from pain or being startled from lack of oxygen. So yes, the lack of sleep issue continues. Meredith and I are so thankful for all of the support we continue to receive. The financial support, telephone calls, emails and visits really help us get through our days. We regret that we do not have more time to make phone calls or keep up with our updates and emails. But, we want you to know that each and every day we give thanks for all that is being done for us. May 30, 2006: Dictated by Meredith and typed by Lisa, a friend and aide to Meredith. My Two Cents The first year of my injury is pretty much a medicated blur, with my wife Kathy being my daily reality check. As I came in and out of pneumonias and infections I knew I was paralyzed but I was at ground zero having to start all of therapies over again. My speech therapy being one of the most frustrating and aggravating as I had to re-learn to breath and speak all over again. But my speech therapist Stacy was there to push me back to the levels I needed. In and around the speech therapy were states of excess medications and at sometimes hallucinations with at one time my blood pressure dropping to 40 over 20. As I gradually came around my wife was always there to bring me back to reality. I was told to set goals; one of my mistakes was setting goals that were unobtainable. After that I reset my goals some of which again were unobtainable. Finally after fourteen months in hospitals I was discharged to our home in Norfolk. Mark Zupan in the movie Murderball said, the second year sucks; little did I know how right he was. As Kathy and I grew stronger in many ways we were inundated with new problems that we did not anticipate. One of the most trying for us both is lack of sleep due to coughing spasms and having to be turned in the middle of the night. This brought about hours of tears and frustration. Not being able to hold my wife during these times was beyond frustration. We are finally starting to get more sleep. Next I realized that Kathy was living my life as well as hers, and the fact is that my care is twenty four /seven. I have to be fed, bathed, nose wiped ,scratches itched and every other function in ones life being done by my wife. As I am so fortunate to have her, I see the toll it can take which is beyond words . Next we have home care, this has been a royal pain in the ass. We have been through two agencies, four nurses and four aids. Finally I think now we have a good team. Lisa has been a Godsend and has been with us since we got here, being a great help to Kathy most of all. The Bike There has been a lot of mention about my bikes and the fact that I want them hanging in our office. On October the 31st 2004 when I went over the handle bars in the Eastern Virginia Mountain Bike Challenge, my life as I knew it stopped. It wasn’t the bikes fault. The previous five years that I was mountain biking I can honestly say that I don’t know of anything that I enjoyed more. I was in the best physical shape of my life. Riding on beautiful trails and enjoying nature was therapeutic as well as great physical exercise. I think its only fitting that I bring my bikes inside and restore them to a great working condition. And given the opportunity, I would throw my leg over my saddle, clip into my peddles and take off down a trail. Do I miss it, damn right! So at least I can think about it more positively. As in the “glass remains half full.” May 30, 2006: Rose Wilson, Kathy Nicolls' sister MY WEEKEND WITH THE NICOLLS THE ARRIVAL THE SCHEDULE You may be questioning what happens between the morning and night for Kathy and Meredith. Many things Meredith has absolutely no control over and the main caregiver needs to be close by to help. For instance, Meredith needs help with coughing. It's difficult to gage how often or what time of the day that will happen. Sometimes he needs help with scratching an ear; he has become clever and will use the straw from his chair to scratch an eyebrow or his nose. Also Meredith needs to be given medication throughout the day. Kathy has the medicines portioned out in those weekly pill dispensers. Obviously food is of importance and they are fairly routine with the times of day that they have meals. Because of taking medication several times a day it is important for Meredith to have food with the medicines. Kathy has been very grateful for the meals and food that has been sent because this does provide her with the relief of worry of what to make for lunch or dinner. In between eating, coughing, scratching, and cleaning Kathy is making phone calls, taking calls, and waiting for people to return her calls. This is just a snapshot of some of things that they experience on a daily basis. POSITIONING, TURNING, TIGHTNESS, AND SPASCITY
THE UNDPREDICTABLE
CONCLUSIONS I learned that caring for another individual is an intimate and personal experience. My sister does some extraordinary things on a daily basis. Kathy can be defined as a wife and now a caregiver who has passion, determination and spirit. Being a caregiver can be physically and emotionally draining. I believe that spinal cord injuries affects family, friends, and the community. We all can pull together to make a difference. Caregivers are very special people! Kathy & Meredith are working to provide updates of their own. Thanks in advance for your patience. May 15, 2006: From Kathy I have been working on this update for months. My free time is so limited that I have only been able to steal a few minutes here and there to devote to our updates. Both my sister Rose and Meredith have written updates, so you should be able to read theirs very soon. Meredith and I are so very thankful for the continued interest in his progress through this medium. Although the updates are currently few and far between, we hope to continue to post our adventures through spinal cord injury recovery. Meredith and I have been home for over five months! Once again, we can't believe how quickly the time has flown by, yet when we sit back and think about these months, it is easy to comprehend how they have gone by so quickly. While in the hospital, Meredith's days were regulated by a schedule which could be quite frustrating on many levels. Because of Meredith's many physical needs, we must still keep to a schedule and we are finding that is a challenge in itself. We currently feel blessed to have found some very good women whom we have hired to help with Meredith's care. At this time, the hours they are with us are few, but precious. Our Christmas holidays were quite special. As we wrote earlier, when we arrived home our apartment was decorated inside and out. Our friends even found a tree that was narrow enough to fit into the living room, look magical and did not inhibit Meredith's ability to navigate around the room. Live wreaths decorated our front and back doors and our columns were wrapped with fresh greenery. More fresh green arrangements were placed about the apartment and later in the month we were presented with a live rosemary tree which perfumed the apartment beautifully. We had many magical moments in the weeks to come. One early morning in mid-December, there was a knock upon our door. When I answered it, a man was standing there holding a rather large box. He told me he was here to deliver our television. Since we did not order a television, I assumed he had the wrong address and told him so. He confirmed the delivery address was correctly ours, but could not tell me who sent the television. The only information he could give me was the telephone number of the "four elves". After we opened and set up Meredith's new flat panel television in our bedroom, we called the phone number. After much prodding we found out that the "Holiday Elves" were four of Meredith's cycling buddies. They sent the television as a welcome home present. This television has been a great gift. Because so much of Meredith's care takes place in our bedroom, the television has provided a very welcome diversion. Mealtimes, especially dinner preparation was something I was very concerned about. Our dear friend Joan arranged for dinner to be delivered to us for our first few weeks at home. It was a luxury, but also a necessity. Just getting through our days was exhausting and by the time dinner time came, I was ready to drop. But due to the kindness of the restaurant community and the organizational talents of Joan and Mary Neal, dinner "magically" appeared. We were able to visit with some old friends and made some new friends during these deliveries. Meredith and I would like to thank No Frills Grill, The Painted Lady, Bin 456, Magnolia Steak House, Todd Jurich's Bistro, Enricos, Vintage Tavern, Steve C., Diane K., Cherry B., Sam M., Joan and Mary Neal for bringing us some very fine meals. The food they sent was wonderful and we are very appreciative of the time they took to come and visit. If the restaurant owners could not visit themselve s, the staff they sent was always friendly and gracious. As we have said numerous time, it makes us proud to be a part of this fine community. Due in large part to our generous restaurant/foodie friends, Meredith's appetite has returned with gusto. He is finally enjoying his food and getting back to his "fighting weight". Everyone who has visited recently has commented that he "looks like his old-self". Meredith is concerned that he is going to develop a "quad butt" or "quad belly"!In November of 2004, while Meredith was in the intensive care unit at VCU, I met with a psychologist, Dr. David Hess. At that time he was explaining to me in very simple terms some of the physical challenges Meredith and I were going to face and some of the mental challenges. I remember him telling me that Meredith's goal at that time was to "strive to survive" and that his later goal would be to "strive to thrive". His words have stuck with me and I am happy to report that Meredith is actively working on the second goal. We all know how important food is to Meredith and we are so pleased that he is once again actively enjoying one of his passions. He finds it most exciting when "I let him" have a glass of wine or a beer with his meal! Meredith is also actively working on staying healthy. Along with his diet, he is very aware of trying to pace himself and not be too anxious to get out of the apartment, especially when the weather is cold. He is very conscious of asking questions about the condition of his skin and remembers to do his weight shifts in his chair. He takes medication several times a day, and he is not shy about directing other aspects of his care. We were told that many spinal cord injured patients get sick shortly after returning home. We are very thankful that Meredith has remained healthy. We bought a van at the end of the year and Meredith has been quite patient with my apprehensions concerning driving and getting him in and out. The van is equipped with an automatic fold out ramp and he has a lock-down on his power-chair which allows him to drive up into the front passenger side of the van and automatically lock into place. I am spatially and technically challenged, so this has been a true learning experience for both of us! Over time we are both feeling more confident and we imagine it will only get easier. At first we would go for short rides around town and practice getting in and out of the van. Now we have made trips to Williamsburg and Richmond with ease. At least two days a week Meredith has appointments at the Hampton VA. There he see occupational therapists, kinesotherapists and physical therapists among others. One of Meredith's challenges right now is dealing with pain, especially in his shoulder area. As with all of his challenges, he is dealing with this one with great strength. He is currently being evaluated as a candidate for biofeedback, a technique to help manage this pain. As wonderful as it is to be home, we have been faced with many difficult moments. Most of these challenges are related to exhaustion. It takes quite a bit of energy for both of us to get through a day. We have met a few local families who have been living with spinal cord injuries, and they have "found their groove" and living fairly normal lives. We know we will find our way, however challenging. Along with the generosity of friends with their time, one of our saving graces was my sister Rose. She lives in Indiana with her husband Jeff and dog Bailee. Both she and her husband work full-time, and as most of us know, free time is at a minimum. Rose has visited with us many times since Meredith's accident, and most recently she was here in January. She was instrumental in helping me over the shock of being home. There is so much more we want to write...how thankful we are for our good friends. So many people have offered to help us is so many ways.....from helping get Meredith in and out of bed, to bringing meals, to volunteering to sit with Meredith while I run errands, to raising money for his health care. All of these very important gestures are helping us become stronger and more confident and more comfortable with our new lives. January 30, 2006: From Kathy I began writing this update at the end of November. It is now the middle of January, and I feel the need to complete my writing about Meredith's illness at the end of last year. We are home now and are having some great times, but the end of October and the beginning of November were some very challenging times indeed. Meredith has come through all of this stronger and healthier and we have started the new year still wearing our yellow bands with the "LIVE STRONG" motto. I hope to write about our December/January adventures soon. It was difficult for me to write this update. I could not write during Meredith's last few months in the hospital due to several factors. A roommate was moved into Meredith's room. The set-up was so tight, I could no longer hook up to the internet and the room was very noisy. But the main reason I could not write was that Meredith was very sick. The anxiety and stress that I felt was overwhelming at times. Although our friend Leslie warned us about the potential for set backs, when this one hit, it was awful. I have talked before about one step forward, three steps back. I guess because Meredith had so many good days, the set back in October hit us very hard. I am pleased to write that he is currently feeling better.. During the third week of October, Meredith awoke on a Friday and said he was not feeling well. Over the weekend he felt progressively worse and by the beginning of the week he was running a high fever. He felt very sleepy and it became increasingly difficult for him to eat. Meredith's breathing became labored so he was placed on oxygen. Blood tests kept coming back negative for infections and the doctors were stumped. Several specialists were consulted including kidney, bladder, neurology and infectious disease. Numerous test were run including x-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, lumbar puncture, and EKGs. All tests were coming back negative, yet Meredith was getting worse. He was still running high fevers and as a consequence had no appetite. It was obvious he was loosing weight and because of low energy, all he could do was sleep. I was in a constant state of agitation, anticipating and receiving bad news everyday. The only course of action the doctors agreed upon was a significant reduction in Meredith's medications. The working theory was that he was having "drug inducted fevers" along with a negative kidney reaction to one of his medications. In short, he was not retaining sodium which is an essential element for the proper functioning of many of his organs. The doctors began to reduce and/or eliminate many of his meds. On October 30, Meredith was moved out of the rehab portion of the hospital to a medical floor where he could be monitored more closely. His heart rate was low along with essential electrolytes. He was having moments of confusion and we both were very scared. Two days later he was moved to a unit where his heart rate was monitored and now he was one step away from the intensive care unit. The drawback to being on a medical floor is that they are not familiar with spinal cord injuries. So, not only was I dealing with the anxiety of the current situation, I was in a constant state of observation making sure the staff was taking care of the additional needs Meredith has due to his spinal cord injury. (This once again opened my eyes and reminded me that if Meredith needs local hospital care, what a challenge it will be.) By the end of the first week of November, Meredith was stable and moved back to his rehab unit. He was scared and exhausted, and even though I was too, we agreed that I would spend his first night back on the unit with him. Fortunately he did not have a roommate so I was able to roll a chair in that opened up into a bed. (Not that I got any sleep though!) It was good to be back on his unit were the staff knew him and what his special needs are. It took another two weeks plus before he was feeling better and his body was able to regulate his temperature again. In some ways it reminded me of the early days of his spinal cord injury when his body was beginning to adjust to it's new state. Throughout all of this Meredith was insistent that we were going home in the beginning of December! I was emotionally a wreck, worrying about his health and how I was going to take care of him. It took all of my strength to stay in the moment and try to work through this one day at a time. Our friends were wonderful visiting during Meredith's illness. It was difficult for me to ask them to give us more time so I could get to Norfolk to make the final preparations for our return home. But, once again, they came to the rescue and sat with Meredith so I could make a trip to Norfolk. One friend in particular, Beth has been so extra wonderful giving of her time, energy and love. So, we did land in Norfolk on December 5, able to make Meredith's goal. Brian and Teresa met us in Richmond and loaded up their truck with our boxes, drove my car back while Meredith and I were transported by a handicap service. He was able to ride back in his powerchair and we made the trip home with little problems. When we pulled up to our apartment, we saw that friends decorated our front door with a lovely Christmas wreath and greenery and there was a welcome home sign in our window. Our apartment was decorated and our fridge was stocked! These touches made our homecoming even more sweet. So we now begin a new phase in our adventure of living with a spinal cord injury. December 1: Coming Home Plans have been put into motion for Meredith and Kathy to come home to Norfolk on December 5th. To give a little update on what has been happening in the last month: Meredith is recovering from being fairly sick. He was experiencing high fevers for a few weeks. Test after test had been done to pin point the nature of his fevers. His physicians came to the conclusion that Meredith's fevers were medicine induced. This meant his medications had to be reduced and some were even stopped completely. He experienced severe effects of withdrawal. However, our hero is once again on the mend and he is on the upside of life. He made it quite clear that going home at the beginning of December would be a goal to achieve. So the time has arrived and this is a call out to everyone who wants to help Meredith and Kathy. Here are some ideas of ways to help: provide meals, do a grocery run, a phone call or e-mail, and even a visit. The V.A. is paying for skilled nursing to help Kathy with Meredith's care approximately three mornings a week. If you are interested or know of someone who may be interested in helping with Meredith's care please send an e-mail to Kathy. Also if you have questions about Meredith's level of care or simply want more specifics of how you can help please feel free to contact me via the phone or e-mail:
(317) 294-2764 Thank-you in advance for your support and interest. I look forward to hearing from you or perhaps meeting you on a future visit to Norfolk. October 24: From Kathy Computer time has been very limited lately. Due do one problem or another, I have not been able to check emails or work on updates with any regularity. Meredith has had to change rooms several times in the past month, once due to evacuating patients from the Hampton VA due to an anticipated storm. Since there was no local damage, the patients only stayed for a few days, but it seems like that was the beginning of the many room changes. I have teased that i will not be surprised if I arrive one morning and find Meredith sharing a bed with another patient because of the shortage of rooms! We are not home, however we did visit our apartment a few weeks ago. It was the first time in almost a year that Meredith has been in Norfolk. These past few months have been filled with "first time" events and we hope to have many more good ones in the future. The VA planned an outing for the Spinal Cord Injury unit patients on the Spirit of Norfolk. The afternoon cruise was taking off just blocks away from our apartment and the VA was kind enough to agree to drop us off at Tazewell Street . During the ride to Norfolk, I felt giddy with excitement, yet nervous. I was worried about how Meredith would react to our new apartment and worried about him traveling on a bus for four hours in one day. I was worried about us being without medical attention close at hand, yet I felt confident that we could handle any situation that presented itself. Meredith appeared cool, relaxed and happy to have the opportunity to visit our home. Armed with our portable suctioning machine and "bag-o-medicines" we arrived in Norfolk. Meredith easily rolled across our parking lot and into our apartment. After a few quiet moments of reflection, he nodded his head and said "this is going to be great!", and then immediately said "I need a wall". Because we communicate so well, I immediately understood he was talking about a blank wall to display his bicycles upon! Fortunately we were quickly able to identify a special space for them. After we get home, he will contact Brack and Henry to set up his bikes. The afternoon visit went by very quickly, but we were able to have lunch with Joan and a visit with Diane. It was so nice to feel "normal" for a period of time. We have been eating too many meals at bedside or in a cafeteria setting. To enjoy a meal in our own surroundings was quite nice. Eating on our Jose Dovis plates with silverware that did not bend was a nice treat. After lunch, Meredith easily negotiated the doorways within the apartment with the exception of our bedroom. Because of wall angles, this is going to be a challenge. I am confident with time, he will be moving in and out with ease. The kitchen has room enough for him to position himself to be able to instruct me, and boy I am going to need help. Prior to Meredith's accident he did most of the cooking for us. Because of Meredith's love of cooking, we have a wonderful collection of cookbooks that I believe I will become much more familiar with. We were thrilled to be able to spend some time in our new apartment. Even though coming home will be good, the transition will be difficult and that is scary. Now that we have spent some time there and we know that Meredith can move around with relative ease, this is one less thing we will worry about. Another exciting event for us was a trip to the Kimball Theatre in Williamsburg to see the movie Murderball. We were met at the theater by Cherry, and her son Brandon who drove down from Richmond to join us. We were pleasantly surprised to see Bob (who is in a wheelchair) and his wife Debbie. They had been to the theater before and Debbie made arrangements for me to have a chair so i could sit next to Meredith in the back of the theater. Then Noreen from The Trellis arrived with a box of their wonderfully decadent cookies. She brought enough for Meredith to enjoy several days after returning to Richmond. Murderball is a documentary is about quadriplegic rugby. It received awards at Sundance Film Festival 2005, and it is a must see. These para-olympic athletes are inspiring on many different levels. All have survived horrible accidents or diseases that have left them quadriplegic. While watching the film you realize how many different levels of quadriplegia exist. All of these guys can use their hands or arms to catch and hold the ball, maneuver their manual wheelchairs and they have a "no fear" attitude when it comes to the sport. No helmets or knee pads are worn and they are knocked down with their chairs quite often. Meredith loved watching the guys play seated in custom made gladiator-like (or road warrior-like) wheelchairs. Much of the documentary was filmed from a wheelchair or at wheelchair level after one of the players, Mark Zupan (we are trying to find out if he is related to me) commented that he "loved his ass level view of the world". To see the team play rugby gave us goose bumps. To watch them pick up girls and party after the games made us laugh. To see them struggle in everyday life made us cry. Many of the situations depicted hit so close to home that i sobbed at the sadness of it all. But most of all we were reminded that there can be a good life after spinal cord injury. Meredith must continue to set realistic goals and work hard to achieve them. We realize that some of his real work is just beginning. As we approach the one year anniversary of Meredith's accident we would like to say once again that we would not be where we are today without the support and love of our family and friends. As we saw in the film, it takes a strong network to thrive and survive this injury. Thank you for being a part of our network. September 16: From Kathy We are still at the VA hospital. Meredith's anticipated discharge date, September 9th has come and gone. We are still hopeful that we may get back to Norfolk this month, but only time will tell. Meredith and I are trying to be very patient and focus on how far he has come. He has made progress and important decisions have been made since our last update. His Ear, Nose and Throat doctors have recommended that he keep his trach for now. The trach opening will allow us easier access to his airway if needed. Meredith was disappointed, but agreed with their assessment. As a result of an automobile accident Meredith had over thirty years ago, he has a narrow airway. In January of this year he had surgery in Atlanta to help strengthen his voice and strengthen his ability to cough. At the time, we never asked how this would effect his airway, but we have now been told it made it even more narrow. The doctors fear that if/when Meredith gets a cold or pneumonia, his throat will swell and interfere with his ability to breath and/or expel throat secretions. By keeping the trach opening, the doctors and I will have the ability to assist Meredith more easily if problems occur. Because of Meredith's spinal cord injury he is at risk for pneumonia. He has several breathing treatments a day with chest percussion to help keep his lungs clear. These treatments will continue when he goes home. Throughout the day he requires assistance with coughing. We have been training family and friends to help with this.It is amazing how much force we need to use to push the junk out. We get excited when he coughs up "loogies" by himself. It really is a big deal. Adjustments to his chair continue. His chair headset seems to be working well and now the focus is on trying to find the right seat back. Due to some minimal skin breakdown on his back and in an effort to find the correct positioning to keep his back straighter, the therapists are trying different seat backs. Because Meredith will spend a significant amount time in his power chair, the seat cushion and seat back are quite important. We think he is sitting on the correct cushion, but to maintain skin integrity, he must remember to do his weight shifts. Because of his new headset, he can control his weight shifts and raise and lower his legs on his own through his sip 'n puff mechanism. Meredith and I are grateful to the therapists for taking the time to finesse his seat back. The obvious drawback is that this process is time consuming and will prolong our transition home. Attempting to find the correct combination of anti-spasm medications continues. His occupational and physical therapists have been working with Meredith to possibly help decrease his spasms through aggressive range of motion exercises. They work together rocking his body back and forth, one rotating his legs and the other rotating his shoulders. Because his body is so tight, all three of them are exhausted after thirty minutes of work. Meredith's face is so red, he looks like he has completed an intense aerobic workout. One day I helped his occupational therapist and I felt like I needed a shower once we were done. It is too soon to see if this is helping, but Meredith does enjoy the workout. Another great achievement for Meredith is that he has gained weight. Before his accident he weighed approximately 165 pounds. In March of this year, he weighed less than 120 pounds. It was very important that Meredith gain weight to maintain the health of his skin among other things. As we have written in these updates, many friends have been sending food, even when we were in Atlanta. While in The Shepherd Center, Meredith's taste buds were still "asleep" and for the first few months at the VA, they remained that way. I remember receiving a lovely pasta dish studded with garlic and neither of us could eat it. Had we been eating bland, unexciting food for too long? We were worried that we would not be able to enjoy good food again. Slowly our taste buds woke up and now Meredith is enjoying his food and has bought his weight up to 135 pounds (I refuse to reveal my weight). He is very determined that he will not develop a "quad belly". This may prove to be difficul because he is also becoming a fan of sweets, something he did not crave in the past. He does miss a good glass of wine. Several friends have told us that they are saving special bottles for his return home. Meredith celebrated his birthday in August. We had a very nice day which included a visit with his Mother, sister and brother-in-law. It was the first time Meredith had seen his Mother since his accident. Emotions were running high that day, but the overwhelming feeling was one of love. Mrs. Nicolls is an amazing woman who is an inspiration to her son. Other friends visited throughout the day. Cherry and Clement bought dinner. They were thoughtful enough to pack china, silver and linens. Dinner included beef tenderloin, escalloped potatoes and zucchini pie with poundcake topped with fresh berries for dessert. We finished with "stinky" cheese compliments of our friend Sandy and The Power's Family from The Cheese Shop in Williamsburg. Meredith is still waiting for that glass of wine. Meredith received a very special gift for his birthday. One of the people we have met here at the VA is Ms. Grace Sharp. She is an energetic, beautiful, thoughtful 92 year old who has volunteered at the VA for 25 years. Every morning, Monday-Friday she visits with Meredith and brings me a newspaper. She has been very interested in Meredith's progress and is one of his cheerleaders. Ms. Grace always asks Meredith if he still likes bicycles and when he replies "yes", she giggles like a school girl. For his birthday, she presented him with a miniature, red metal bicycle. She told us she was never allowed to ride a bicycle when young because it was not lady-like. In her early twenties she was transferred to England for a position in a military hospital. It was there that she received her first bicycle as a means of transportation. Ms. Grace fondly remembers writing to her Mother to inform her that she had to leave the country to get her first bicycle! The littlered bicycle and visits from Ms. Grace are very precious to Meredith. August 14: From Kathy Meredith and I have been busier than ever. We don't have an discharge date, but we are moving closer and closer to being able to return home. We are still waiting for some medical equipment to be ordered and delivered, a decision needs to be made about the removal of his trach tube, and numerous van questions need to be answered. Meredith has received several new pieces of equipment that we are learning to work with. "Grasshopper Green", his "blow mobile" (so christened by his good friend Bill from Philadelphia), has finally arrived. This is his sip n puff power chair, which is awesome. Meredith selected his base color as grasshopper green and is sightly disappointed that not more of the chair is green. So in typical Meredith fashion, he plans to call the wheel chair vendor and request touch up paint so he can continue to customize the chair with more green. His therapists are still working on a correct back for the chair and a custom head rest. Once these are completed, he will be better able to determine how to program the sip n puff mechanism. His back up manual chair has been delivered too and he has already been in touch with his friends Henry and Brack to begin custom work on the wheels. I was at our apartment in Norfolk a few weeks ago and received delivery of Meredith's rolling hoyer lift. We will use this device to transfer Meredith from his bed to wheelchairs and back again. We have been practicing with his personal hoyer net for the past week and we are slowly getting closer to smooth transfers. On a good day, Meredith whistles while being transferred. On a bad day, he rolls his big brown eyes and grits his teeth and threatens to "pancake" smack us! Due to spasms, transferring Meredith takes two people. Many of our friends have been asking questions about spasms, so we will try to explain how they affect Meredith. Many spinal cord injured people experience spasticity. After their injury, messages caused by touch (even the lightest touch) or pain, sent from below the level of the injury are unable to reach the brain. The nerve messages however are still able to reach the spinal cord where the reflex center is. The brain also inhibits and controls these reflexes. Without this moderating effect, the reflexes are exaggerated and this causes a reflex muscle action to occur. In Meredith's case, this muscles jerk (spasm), quickly tighten and then relax. All of this is involuntary and he cannot control it. He is most effected when driving his chair because the spasms will cause his body to move to one side, his head will shift in his headrest and throw the rest of his body out of alignment. On top of this, the spasms are painful enough to interrupt his ability to sip n puff. Meredith's doctors have been increasing his spasm medication in stages (he is currently taking three different ones). It is difficult to find a balance. The medications relax his muscles and they also tend to make him sleepy. In order to function throughout the day, they must find that happy balance. In addition to his spasms, Meredith has very tight muscle tone in his legs. This tone makes it difficult to dress and undress him and to straighten his legs for sleeping. It is important to straighten his legs at night because when he is in his wheelchair, his legs are always bent at an angle. If Meredith's spasms continue and the muscle tone remains strong, his doctors will have him evaluated for a baclofen pump. This pump will be surgically placed inside his abdomen. The pump is programmed by a computer so it releases the exact amount of needed baclofen. This method delivers the medication directly to the spinal cord day and night. If he gets the pump, he will quickly be approaching "illion dollar man" status. We have been having some fun too. With summer vacations here, several friends have been able to make a trip to Richmond. Meredith has seen friends he hasn't seen in years and because his health has been good, these visits have been quite fun. We have a small collection of photographs from these visits. I hope to post them on the website...as soon as i figure out how to properly use the camera Meredith gave me for Christmas two years ago. Meredith's sense of humor is back in full force too. He is smiling more. We have laughed and even had a few arguments! My "old Meredith" is re-emerging and I could not be happier. Meredith's recreational therapist Megan arranged a special outing for him to The Positive Vibe Cafe. The restaurant was opened last year as a training facility for people with disabilities to learn basic food service skills. In the past year they have trained and found employment for four people with disabilities. The Get Lost MD (muscular dystrophy) Foundation directs the project and several area chefs, food consultants and therapists have helped establish the training curriculum. On the day of the outing, our friend Cherry was visiting so she joined us for lunch. Upon arrival we were greeted by a host in a power wheelchair and shown to our table. We admired the artwork which was all created by people with disabilities. Meredith was pleased with the menu selections which included several variations of buffalo. He selected a buffalo burger and I had the buffalo hot dog. Others at our table had the buffalo chili, spicy grilled calamari and the cattle cheesesteak. Since this was Meredith's first meal in a restaurant in over eight months, we were very happy that it was an enjoyable one. After lunch Meredith was given a tour of the kitchen and had a detailed conversation with the current acting chef. If you would like to read more about The Positive Vibe Cafe, please visit the website www.getlostmd.org. Next week Meredith plans to teach a cooking class for his occupational and recreation therapists. He has invited his other therapists to join us for lunch after the class. He composed the menu and shopping list and is now very excited to get back into the kitchen. A few weeks ago he was able to have a great discussion with Brian Mullins and Sam McGann about their new upcoming restaurant in Suffolk, The Vintage Tavern. They spent a good part of the afternoon discussing the proposed menu. Meredith is delighted to be in restaurant mode once again. July 13: From Kathy Apart from a rough start and one very scary situation, our time in the HETU was a wonderful experience. The hours leading up to moving into the HETU were anxiety ridden. organization does not appear to be a strong suit here at the VA and communication is at a minimum. I spent several hours running up and down the halls moving items into the apartment and tracking people down to make sure we had all of the medical equipment we needed for our stay.
We "checked into" the HETU, (our little love shack) early monday evening. I was so relieved when our friend brian arrived carrying a huge watermelon, soft shell crabs and beautiful steaks. Then Beth arrived with our bags of groceries so we could cook fabulous meals throughout the week. Clement came next with the bread we had been craving. at this point I was exhausted so our grand plans to cook a four course dinner were reduced to asking our friend Clement to cook soft shell crabs for us. Those of you who know Clement will not be surprised to learn that he did not know how to clean the soft shells, nor did he want to learn. Fortunately Brian was able to clean them before he headed back home. to Clement's credit, with Meredith's instructions, he presented us with some delicious crabs for dinner. After the very long day, Meredith and I spent our first night together alone in over seven months. It was lovely to fall asleep in the same room. I actually enjoyed hearing him snore throughout the night. Our first morning was equally lovely. We had a few hours of alone time before the staff started showing up to check on us. Cherry organized a great group of friends to help us and Sandy came before lunch. She brought delicious pate and goat cheese which we enjoyed with a salad. It was now time to get Meredith into his chair. A staff member came to the apartment to help me use the ceiling hoyer lift and sling. Luckily Meredith was feeling well enough to deal with our struggling during this process. We realized the sling was all wrong for Meredith's needs and decided to use the manual hoyer lift for future transfers. We spent the rest of the afternoon traveling around the hospital filling prescriptions and enjoyed some time outside. Meredith's sister Jenny arrived to spend the next two days with us. Once again with Meredith's supervision we cooked a great dinner centered around the thick strip steaks brian brought the day before. We have been missing fresh, flavorful, simple foods and we certainly were going to do our best to satisfy our cravings. The following morning we were jolted back into reality since we had to start our day with Meredith's bowel care. One of the cruel realities of spinal cord injury is that you must schedule time for bowel and bladder care. There is no "I can hold it a little longer" or "oh, I'll just go later". Meredith needs someone to make these functions happen for him on a scheduled basis. We have heard from other spinal cord injured people that once you get home your schedules may change, but that eventually we will find what works with our lifestyle. Jenny is very interested in learning about Meredith's care so we worked together throughout the day. Meredith and I talked about how involved he wanted Jenny to be. We discussed that is might be uncomfortable for either him or Jenny to ask her to help bath and dress him. Fortunately both he and Jenny are comfortable with performing these tasks. Meredith never had an issue with modesty and his witty sense of humor is certainly a plus. Wednesdays before Meredith's accident were a day off from work for him and he usually spent a good part of it on the trails with Henry, who arrived late that morning to spend the day with us. He too has been learning about Meredith injury and special needs. Being the consumate hosts, we began his visit with lunch! Jenny purchased superb tiger shrimp from the great machipongo clam shack on the eastern shore. Once again, per Meredith's instructions we boiled the shrimp with fresh orange, lemon, onion, red pepper flakes and smuggled-in beer. Eastern Shore cocktail sauce completed our yummy lunch. Our afternoon was spent on the outdoor patio eating gum drops and talking about how much we missed home. Later that afternoon after Henry left, Jenny went outdoors to make some telephone calls. Meredith and I were in the apartment complaining about his new medications I had to pick up before 6 pm. He decided to do a weigh shift in his chair before I left and when he started moving back he began coughing. I immediately sensed something was different about this cough. I asked him if I should "cough" him or suction him and his reply was "cough, suction, cough, suction". As I watched his eyes roll towards the back of his head, I knew he was loosing consciousness. Everything was happening quickly, and his color was rapidly draining from his face. I began suctioning, but his color continued to drain. I then hit the emergency call button and continued suctioning, now noting Meredith did not appear to be breathing. Since no one responded to my emergency call my best course of action was to run outside and call for help which I did. When I returned to the apartment Meredith was still unresponsive so I continued suctioning. A doctor who was walking down the hall came into the apartment and took Meredith's pulse which he said was very weak. Fortunately shortly after the doctors arrival Meredith began breathing and quickly became oriented. Now the room was full of people with equipment to check his vital statistics which were returning to normal. we believe he "threw a mucus plug" which blocked his airway and the suctioning removed the offensive plug. This horrible incident was only made more difficult because no one responded from the appropriate unit to our emergency call. This means yet another meeting to discuss the gross inefficiency of the staff. Meredith and I were exhausted at this point, so once again our pre-planned menu had to be altered. Instead of pork with roasted potatoes he, Jenny and I had to "settle" for a salad with rare steak, fresh tomatoes and mozarella. We finished by comforting ourselves with dolce le leche ice cream. Thursday, Cherry arrived and Jenny planned to return to the Eastern Shore. Meredith's spirits were much better than I had anticipated due to the scare the night before. Cherry and Jenny dressed Meredith while I prepared for our day. Having them help was so nice. at this point the simple act of dressing Meredith is challenging because of spasms and very tight muscle tone in his legs. We try to get him dressed at least an hour before transferring to his chair because we both are fairly tired after the workout we receive while dressing him. After our lunch of frittata and salad, Jenny headed home to her family while Cherry, Meredith and I had a leisurely afternoon. Clement arrived for a quick visit before dinner and then he was off for a business meeting. Meredith and I greatly enjoyed feeling a part of the real world. Friday morning, we had to get ready to return to our current reality. Cherry took charge and organized our morning. The week took it's toll on Meredith, and he was not feeling well, so we decided it would be best if he stayed in bed. Since he was positioned in the living room, he had a prime spot to help direct our moving efforts. While I concentrated on packing up the apartment, Cherry went down to the unit to move a litter of items that were left in the hall while we were in the apartment. The move took all morning, but was much less stressful than the move in due to Cherry's presence. we hated to say good-bye to her. Saying good-night to Meredith was especially difficult for me that night. After spending four nights together, we were exhausted, but so happy. We miss the simple pleasures of kissing each other as soon as we open our eyes in the morning and can't wait until we are once again able to do so. We enjoyed cooking, eating and socializing with friends and family in a non-hospital situation. Anticipating the week was scary, and we did have some scary moments, but with our solid foundation of friends, education and love, we feel better prepared to meet the challenges we will face when we return home. June 19: From Kathy On Monday, June 20th, Meredith and I will move into a VA hospital apartment for five days/four nights. It is our time to "play house" and experience what the real world has in store for us. All VA spinal cord rehabilitation patients are encouraged to take advantage of this exercise, and it is now our turn. While we are in the HETU (home environment training unit---remember the military's love of acronyms), Meredith's therapists will introduce us to some sip n puff environmental control units. Sip n puff devices that will turn on lights, fans, television, and answer the phone. We look forward to the upcoming week with mixed emotions. We are excited, scared, thrilled to be cooking again, scared, looking forward to alone time, scared, happy to be moving forward and scared. Our dear friend, Cherry, has lined up some friends to visit with us during this week. I will be responsible for all of Meredith's care while we are in the apartment. This will include daily living activities along with stretching and range of motion for his arms and legs. The hospital will provide us with a nurse's aide in the morning and evening to help with Meredith's transfer from bed to chair and vice versa. We have found that it takes two people to complete this task to make it easier on Meredith and the people performing the transfer. After this week we will have a clearer idea what type of help we will need once we get home. We are hoping to return to Norfolk in August. Once we come home, we will need to rely on friends and family for some of our needs. Cherry will be setting up a calendar outlining what different people are willing to do. We anticipate that we will occasionally need help with shopping, running errands, meal preparation, range of motion and just plain old fashioned visiting. Please email us if you would like her to contact you to discuss future plans. We will need to hire several people to help in the morning and evening to help with transfers among other needs. If you know of anyone who may be interested in taking on a larger role with Meredith's care, please let me know. Meredith has been focusing on his wheelchair driving skills. His chair is so sensitive that it must be reprogrammed frequently. When he is not feeling well and his breath support is minimal, the chair operates differently than when he is feeling stronger. The therapists are also trying to determine what type of seat back support will be best for Meredith. He experiences spasms while in his chair, so he is thrown out of alignment often which make for an uncomfortable experience. Next week will be seat back number four. We are grateful for our determined therapist. Computer classes have been frustrating due to a poor set up in the computer lab. There are no stations that are set up properly for someone with Meredith's needs. So far the most satisfying computer experience involved using a mouth stick to type on the keyboard. When we return to Norfolk, we plan to research adaptive computer classes. Maybe by then, his voice will be stronger and he can try some voice activated software. We are sure the next update will be full of our trials and tribulations, and successes while in the HETU. Meredith prefers to call the HETU the OLLS (our little love shack). Please say extra prayers for us during this new and exciting (scary) time. May 31: From Kathy The health gods did not smile upon Meredith for very long. Last week he contracted a urinary tract infection which had him in bed for a week. He is on his second round of antibiotics and with luck, this medication will kill the bacteria. When he has this type of infection, he runs a high fever, has a loss of appetite and feels terrible. People with spinal cord injuries are always at risk for urinary tract infections, and it is typical for them to feel poorly for at least a week. Now he has been diagnosed with CDIF, the diarrhea resulting from taking antibiotics. This means another couple of days in bed and more antibiotics. It is a vicious cycle. This battle has been emotionally draining as well as physically exhausting for Meredith and me. Before this latest setback, Meredith continued to maneuver around in his power chair. Watching him roll up and down the aisles of the commissary put me on edge, but I have calmed down, and he is making those turns quite safely. We did enjoy many of the warmer days outside and attended a picnic here at the hospital. The picnic was held to honor vets and a group of motorcycle riders who rode in a poker run. The poker run was a fund-raiser to benefit the spinal cord injury unit. We saw many cool bikes, and it was a great day to people watch. A highlight of the event was when honor guards paraded with military flags while their theme songs were played. Tears flowed freely during this moving ceremony. Two weeks ago, Meredith and I went to the hampton VA hospital for a veteran's fair. It was the longest van ride we had been on since Meredith's accident, and one of our most active days. Local VFWs, The Salvation Army, and other organizations set up food and game booths for the veterans, family and friends. A blue grass band played as we sat and looked out on the water. We planned this trip very quickly, so we were unable to let many people know we would be there, but some of our friends were able to join us for the afternoon. It was wonderful to spend some time away from the Richmond hospital under sunny skies with good friends. It reminded us how good life will again be. We celebrated our seventeenth wedding anniversary recently. Over the years, we have been blessed with supportive family and friends. Because of our current situation, we are even more aware of just how blessed we are. We feel we can't adequately express how much we appreciate the financial, emotional and physical support we have been receiving. Friends, family, community and organizations have helped us in so many ways. "Thank you" are two simple words - words that come straight from our hearts. We hope the organizers of the fund raisers, individual donors, people who spent many hours planning and executing events and the many people who are sending cards and words of encouragement know just how grateful we are. April 30: From Kathy Meredith really is getting closer to having his own set of wheels. Over the past two weeks, he spent many hours with occupational therapy being measured and fitted for his permanent wheelchairs. His new occupational therapist, Dana, is great. She is very patient with the thousand and one questions Meredith has about his chairs. Several times during their discussions she commented, "No one has ever asked me that question!" He even received that reply when Dana contacted the wheelchair vendor to ask some questions about varying the wheel size for his back up manual chair. In about 8-10 weeks his custom chairs should be delivered and then we will be counting down the days until we can return home. Days remain full for Meredith and me. As he is feeling stronger, he will be attending classes to learn more about living with a spinal cord injury (SCI). The more we learn, the more we realize how much we need to learn. We have received several names of people living with spinal cord injuries. Some are living in the Tidewater area, and some we will correspond with via email. We look forward to making contact with them and learning about their recovery and progress. Along with the educational classes, these real life experiences will hopefully prepare us for our new beginnings. Meredith's health and stamina have improved so he stays up in his chair for approximately seven to eight hours most days. During the warmer weather, we ventured outdoors into the parking lot where he tested out the faster speeds of the chair, and I needed to run just to keep up with him. My sister suggested that I get a pair of roller blades to wear and then just hang on to the back of the chair for a ride! Look out Tazewell Street, here we come. Showers are once again a part of Meredith's life. Many of you will remember what a horrible experience his first and only shower post injury was. He was so cold and uncomfortable after that experience, he did not think he would want another shower. Here at the VA they refer to the shower room as the "blue room." During our first month here, we heard about patients going to the "blue room," and we were frightened to ask what it all meant! We would see staff walking around in blue plastic suits looking like something out of an alien movie. So, once we found out what happened in the "blue room," we assumed it was called the blue room because of the suits. But...we forgot we were in a government facility and logic does not always work. We have since been told the old shower rooms were painted blue (not the current ones), and the name has just carried on. Meredith now visits the blue room three times a week where he is usually surrounded by a beavy of beauties who take very good care of him. On Friday, Meredith and I went on our first outing. A group of us from the SCI unit at the VA hospital boarded a van and traveled to a local mall. This was our first time together outside of a hospital setting in almost six months. It takes my breath away to write that. I was understandably nervous and not surprisingly, Meredith appeared to be cool as a cucumber. We shopped for a while, had lunch at the food court and went to a movie. Prior to leaving for the outing, Meredith's first comment was, "What, I have to eat chain food!" We were away from the hospital from 10-4. What a day! When we returned to his room, there was a lovely flower arrangement from one of Meredith's favorite local artists, Guy Wilkins, several cards from friends, and scones deliver by Marisa Marsey. She left a wonderful note suggesting we enjoy them for tea time. If only our current lives were so civilized! When we ate the scones, we did fantasize that our plastic cups and paper plates were really Limoges china and our tea brewed from bags was really poured from a lovely matching tea pot. The scones were so tasty, it didn't really take much of an imagination. It saddens us to write that Cafe Rosso will remain closed. Meredith and staff will miss serving all of the kind and generous people who have supported the restaurant over the years. We are grateful to Meredith's partners and incredibly loyal staff who kept the restaurant up and running for several months after Meredith's accident. April 4 From Kathy Meredith is back in the saddle (in a manner of speaking)! For the past two weeks he has been sitting in his wheel chair for a couple of hours each day. He is also re-learning the very tricky nuances of the sip and puff wheel chair, and his therapists are learning as well! Their inexperience makes it all the more frustrating, but Meredith appears to be ready for his latest challenge. The VA hospital is quite large so he has many areas to explore. We even found an espresso cart. They are closed on the weekends, so he plans to go back soon to see if they meet his standards. Meredith's health currently is stable. He is off all IV antibiotics, and his energy level has increased. He has been working with speech therapy to strengthen his soft, but distinguished voice. He was able to speak with his mother to wish her a happy Easter. It was a very touching moment for all three of us. It is amazing how important a brief, yet loving phone call can be. We can't wait until he has a stronger voice, and we have more time to start reconnecting with others over the phone. His appetite has improved along with his health. Many know that we have become Ukrops addicts. Our only way to heat food is in a microwave and the pre-packaged food Ukrops sells have been life savers. We also have been the grateful recipients of food from friends and local restaurants including millies and the tobacco company. The hospital food sent to Meredith is usually not edible, and the choices Monday thru Friday from the hospital food court are quite limited. If anyone knows of some good pizza near the VA hospital, please let us know. We are craving a "good slice". Meredith and I have always enjoyed movies. He has been able to borrow a television and vcr player from the hospital, and several friends have dropped off movies for us to watch. The only problem is that he has been on an action/western movie kick.....Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude van Damme and Clint Eastwood. A great way to escape, but loud! Happy Spring! March 19 From Kathy The loaner wheelchair has finally arrived! Thank you to many of you who offered to assist us in making this happen more quickly. We did not pursue any of the offered options, but it is nice to know that if we have any problems in the future, we have a strong team behind us. Meredith is still bed ridden as he continues to battle infections with heavy doses of antibiotics. This week he is feeling a little stronger and has been moving towards sitting in his sip and puff chair. First, the staff is working with him to tolerate sitting in an upright position on the side of his bed (with assistance). They will then move towards transferring him into the chair. He is excited to try this new model since it is different from the one he used at Sheppherd. It is low profile and more his style. Once he is up and about for a while, he will visit the VA seating clinic where they will fit him for his permanent sip and puff wheelchair. Meredith is looking forward to working with the staff to select the specific design, color, etc. We once again have heard the phrase, "one step forward, two steps back". This transition continues to be tough, yet Meredith still amazes me with his determination and drive. Even during this difficult time, he still finds the strength to wink at the nurses and occasionally laugh at their attempts to make him smile. He is fighting to overcome medical conditions and mental challenges. I believe once he becomes more medically stable, his drive and determination will only be stronger. It has been heart warming to continue to hear from so many old friends. Many have been past co-workers. Meredith and I are so thankful for your letters and emails. We only wish we could reply to them. Please know that all are important, and we have shed many tears of happiness while reading them. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers, and for updating us on your lives. February 23 From Kathy "Your husband has sustained a CATASTROPHIC injury." The first time I heard these words from the MCV case manager in the intensive care unit. I was insulted! I thought if anyone knows that this is catastrophic, it is me! The Shepherd Center is a Catastrohic Care Hospital. The time meredith and I spent there helped us begin to understand what CATASTROPHIC means. but it was not until Beth, a friend of ours here in Richmond said, "You and Meredith have really experienced a catastrophic event. His injury has effected EVERY aspect of your lives." Did i really allow myself to think about the significance of the word "catastrophic"? Even as i write this, I know that we still have not begun to grasp what these changes truly mean. Saying good-bye to friends at Shepherd Center was especially difficult. The weekend before we left, Meredith was feeling stronger, so he spent several hours riding in his electric wheelchair, visiting several of his favorite spots. He cruised the sunny breezeway that took us into the Billie Marcus Building. There we took the elevator down to the gym where we watched the para-olympic fencing team practice. Meredith and I became friends with one of the para-olympic medal winners, Kris Alexander. She is very kind and would visit Meredith in his room several times a week. Meredith rode out into the gardens to enjoy the koi pond and practice riding on the ramp. We attended a worship service and said good-bye to the chaplain, Ken, who was so gracious to us. Later that day, Barry (the barber) and his lovely wife Barbara came by for one last visit (and haircut!). It was with great sadness that we said good-bye to Claudia and Terry. Claudia and I became very close during our late night walks back to the Shepherd Center apartments during our early days at Shepherd. The strength and faith she and her husband have are a great inspiration to us. Saying good-bye to the staff was very emotional. All of Meredith's doctors and several other staff members stopped by on our last morning. We hated to leave, however.....THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME! We arrived at the VA hospital on Monday, February 7. As difficult as it was to leave Shepherd Center, we feel a sense of peace being closer to friends and family. The visitors we've had in the past two weeks have brought much needed joy. These past week weeks have been difficult, too. Meredith has spent the entire time in bed for a couple of reasons. Initally the VA wanted to perform several tests to obtain their medical information for Meredith's care. Another reason he has stayed in bed is because they do not have a "sip and puff" wheelchair for him to use. They tell us it shouldn't be too much longer before they have a loaner, but in the meantime Meredith is getting restless and increasingly bored. We are trying to keep his spirits up, but this weekend he has been once again dealing with a low grade fever which always zaps his energy. This week I hope to get a computer set up in Meredith's room. He is now in a four man room, so space is very limited. I am currently staying at our friend Beth's house, so I have access to her computer. Meredith told me his misses the emails, so please keep them coming. It is always a high point in his day to hear from friends. February 7 From Joan Buckle Meredith and Kathy have arrived back in Richmond, Va. They had a flight yesterday, thanks to Wings of Hope, from Altanta. Meredith is now a patient at the Veterans Hospital. Kathy says that the hopsital is huge and Meredith has a private room in the spinal cord section. Kathy also says there is no internet connection in his room, so they aren't able to answer emails right now. They are happy to be back in Virginia -- aren't we all!!! You can write to Meredith and Kathy at: Kathy says the cards and letter are greatly appreciated. Their room is small, so they can't have much stuff in it, but they appreciate every note and email. February 2 From Kathy and Meredith We just realized that we have been at Shepherd Center for two months! That means three months away from home and three months post injury. Meredith certainly has come a long way, and we have learned so much. We have lost a lot, yet gained an appreciation for the human spirit that we could not have learned any other way. Meredith hears almost daily what an inspiration he is. He is an inspiration, yet he is inspired by the love that has been flowing ever since his injury. Meredith and I have always considered ourselves lucky....lucky to have families that love us, lucky to have found each other, and lucky to be surrounded by a strong network of friends and co-workers. His accident has crushed us, yet through the inspiring words of our family, friends and even people we have never met, we are able to keep moving forward, little by little. "One step forward, three steps back." These were the words from one of Meredith's doctors when we expressed concern about the latest bouts of fevers and diarrhea. He said this is typical for someone with a spinal cord injury at Meredith's level. Every day we hope for a good day, and lately more often than not, it is not a good day. We are frustrated, yet we know we will soon have many good days. From everyone we talk to, it sounds like the first year is the roughest. We must remind ourselves of the progress Meredith has made, which is significant. It is tough to be patient though. Meredith had vocal cord surgery on Tuesday, January 25. The procedure is called a thyroplasty. Due to paralyzed vocal cords and a weak diaphragm, Meredith lost most of his voice after his accident. A small device was inserted into one of his vocal cords with the hopes that the cords can move closer together to generate his voice. He already has a small voice and over time it should get stronger. The voice we hear now sounds very similar to his old voice (yeah). We can't wait to hear it fully again. Sheperd Center has a kitchen designed for special needs patients. They can practice cooking and using appliances and navigating around the kitchen. Due to Meredith's injury level, he can't actually cook, so he taught his occupational therapist, Jenny, a couple of recipes. They cooked penne puttanesca and made home made salad dressing. Jenny was especially thrilled to learn how to properly cut an onion. She said although she has seen it demonstrated several times on television, this was the first time she was able to do it. The kitchen is located right next to the second floor therapy gym. We had so many visitors once the aromas of garlic, olive oil and tomatoes started moving through the air. All of Meredith's primary therapists, doctors and case manager joined us for the delicious lunch. On Monday, February 7, Meredith and I plan to fly to Richmond to continue his rehabilitation at the Hunter Holmes McGuire Spinal Cord Veteran's Center. Not many of you know that Meredith spent a couple of years in the Coast Guard. He also was a roofer, a cook on a commercial clam boat, hotel manager, and raised a hawk! Yes, he is a multi-talented guy. We can't wait to get closer to home and have an opportunity to see our family and friends. February 1 From Joan Buckle When Meredith and Kathy return to Norfolk, they will be living at The Heritage in downtown Norfolk into a great uniton the first floor. We will be moving their things during the month of February. If anyone has conncections for boxes, moving companies, etc., please let me know. You can email me at joanbuckle@msn.com January 24 From Meredith and Kathy We received some sad news on Saturday morning. Meredith and I learned that there was a fire at Cafe Rosso on Friday night. All reports indicate that we have the greatest staff--but of course we already knew that!. They reacted swiftly and calmly. Their quick response ensured that no one was hurt, and we believe because of their timely reaction, the damage was minimized. We are still awaiting word of the extent of the damage, but we know that Cafe Rosso will have to close for repairs. We want to thank our dedicated, loving and professional staff, our supportive partners and all of the generous, beautiful customers that we have grown to know and love through the years. Let's pray the repairs are completed quickly. Meredith has just completed some heavy duty antibiotics. It appears his fevers and urinary tract infection are under control. He is now experiencing one of the side effects of strong antibiotics, diarrhea. We share this information to help you understand that an annoyance to us is a really big drag to someone with a high level spinal cord injury. We know that once Meredith feels stronger, these accidents will be more tolerable. but for now it requires significant energy from him. Someone must come to him to get him out of his wheelchair and into bed, take off his clothes, roll him from side to side to clean and re-dress him and then lift him back into his wheelchair. Often after all of this, he requires a visit from a respiratory tech to help clear his lungs. And usually after all of this, we both would like a nap to recover! But rest we cannot! Classes continue, and one of the classes offered by Shepherd Center focuses on air travel. Meredith and I took the class together, and I was able to take a trip to the Atlanta airport with a group from Shepherd. Three patients attended: two in manual chairs, and one in a power chair. Delta Airlines sent a representative to teach us how to travel with someone who has a spinal cord injury. Who knew the airlines are required to store a power wheelchair with the cargo? We were shown how Delta staff can transfer people from their wheelchairs to an "aisle" chair and lift them into their seats. We were taught how to do weight shifts to release pressure from Meredith's bottom. Since Meredith does not have any muscular trunk control we have purchased a weight belt to wrap around his chest and seat to secure him. It is very similar to the binders weight lifters use. He is thrilled to have his first piece of sports gear since his accident! Not only is Meredith becoming more astute with his sip and puff wheelchair (he has asked his therapist to speed it up!), his is mastering a mouth-stick. He uses it to turn pages in magazines or books. All of his cycling friends will be pleased to know that the first magazine he read was Dirtrag. Once we return home, he plans to get help to rebuild his litespeed bike. He knows he will not be able to ride, but he gets great pleasure out of researching and learning about the latest and greatest bike components. We hope you are enjoying the new pictures posted on the website. They were taken by our brother-in-law, Tommy Richardson, during a recent visit. Meredith selected the pictures, and at first I did not want the world to see the way I looked. I only saw a woman in much need of her friends at Body Beautiful. Looking again, I saw the twinkle in Meredith's eyes that we all know and love. I saw his delicious dimples that make my spirit soar each and every time I see them. I saw his broad smile that is filled with hope. Looking at the picture, I feel the intense love we have for each other and our love and appreciation of life. January 12 From Meredith and Kathy These past few weeks have been filled with highs and lows. Meredith and I have always tried to focus on the positive, but it is quite challenging at the moment. At the end of last week, Meredith's lung filled up with mucus. Here, it is referred to as a "plug." As a result of this, he had to go back on the ventilator for 24 hours and remains on it at night. He had a CAT scan today so the doctors
We have had many visitors this month from Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and Indiana. Sam McGann and Todd Jurich arrived with a suitcase filled with food. The selection ranged from foie gras to meatloaf! All of our visitors know (or will know now!) that one of their jobs while here is to bring us one delicious meal. No one has disappointed us yet. Meredith and I have also made some special friends here at Shepherd. All of their stories are heartbreaking, all of the people inspiring. The positive energy and love that flows through these halls is uplifting. One of meredith's physical therapists introduced him to a man whose barber of 20 years was coming to Shepherd to cut his hair. Meredith asked if the barber had the time, would he please give him a buzz cut. The following day, Barry and his wife Barbara came to Meredith's room, and Barry cut his hair. If that wasn't enough, they visited the following weekend offering their friendship and assistance while we are at Shepherd. Two more Atlanta angels! With all of this positive energy, Meredith will continue to fight the good fight and live strong! December 30 From Meredith and Kathy It is hard to believe 2005 is only a few days away. These past two months have brought long days and even longer nights, but at the same time, it feels as if the time has flown by. 
Having a computer in Meredith's room had been a real blessing. The computer was an early Christmas present from Stewart, Joan, Matthew and Spencer buckle, our dear friends in Norfolk. Since free time is limited for Meredith and me, our ability to communicate has increased dramatically by having computer access right in his room. and it is our first laptop computer! We have laughed in the past because we tend to be "the last ones" to get high tech gadgets. In the upcoming weeks, we will be learning about assistive technology. These devices will allow Meredith to have more control over his environment, and we are excited to learn about the possibilities. He said that physical, occupational and speech therapy are grueling. His days typically begin around 7 AM and are full with techs performing and teaching us about range of motion, stretching, and the importance of staying flexible. He also must learn to direct others to perform these movements. His wheelchair navigation skills are improving, yet exhausting. Meredith has been taking classes to learn more about his injury and to learn how he and others must care for him. Most of us have never thought about the needs that will be critical to Meredith's new life style. Something as simple as sitting becomes something he must consciously think about. When in his wheelchair, he must activate "weight shifts" to help prevent skin breakdown around his sacral area. You and I simply shift our position when we fell a little uncomfortable. Meredith recently had his first shower in almost two months. The staff helped hoist meredith into a shower chair, and we wheeled him into the shower. The good news is he was able to tolerate the shower without having his legs and stomach wrapped (to help prevent blood pressure drop). The bad news is that he was so cold after the shower that it took away from his pleasure. The next time we will heat the rooms and drying towels to help make the experience more pleasurable. Eating is becoming more difficult for Meredith as his taste buds are really kicking in. The staff at Shepherd is trying to work with us to make some meals that Meredith will enjoy. Until then, I pick up food from the local restaurants and even found some time to cook some meals myself. Ted's Montana Grill is still a favorite, and tonight we plan to enjoy their bison short ribs. Keep sending your emails. I can't emphasize enough how much they inspire, motivate, and make Meredith and me laugh and cry. Wishing you and your families a beautiful new year! December 18 From Meredith and Kathy We are sorry for the delay in posting an update. These past few weeks have been filled with difficult adjustments and major accomplshments. Each day is filled with unexpected twists and turns, and you can only imagine what a challenging adjustment period this is for Meredith and me. Every day we enjoy reading your e-mails, cards, letters, and prayers that are filled with love and encouragement. These words of inspiration are powerful motivators. Because we feel so far away, these reminders from our friends make us feel closer to those we love. Please know that even though we don't respond to many of the e-mails, they are all equally appreciated. Meredith is slowly getting adjusted to all of his medications (which currently are numerous). Some days he feels "sickie," and some nights he is unable to sleep. The sleepless nights are rough especially because the next day he feels so zonked. His body is also getting adjusted to his new "cooling system." With a spinal cord injury, your body's temperature tends to stay on the low side as well as your blood pressure. So Meredith has been battling fevers and chills. Because of Meredith's athletic lifestyle prior to his injury, his blood pressure was already low. His doctors are working diligently to regulate his blood pressure with medications. In future updates we will tell you about some of the other life-long issues he will be dealing with. You should see his room! Above his bed hangs the fabulous banner from Cafe Rosso signed by numerous friends and co-workers (thanks B&B). He is very proud to be part of this team and enjoys talking about the restaurant. A lovely "Bicycles for Meredith" piece of artwork is also lovingly displayed. On his dresser, he has the picture of himself and me from the morning of his accident. He enjoys showing visitors his handsome smile, lovely wife (!) and Santa Cruz bike. A lighted miniature Christmas tree reminds us of the joy of the season and a live Norfolk pine (thank you Mary Buckle) reminds us of home. Thanks to Mary Neal for the beautiful tulips. We have also been enjoying the wonderful photo album from the fundraiser at Cafe Rosso. The album was lovingly assembled by our friends the rapers. We are comforted by the generousity and outpouring of love we are feeling from our friends and community. We are grateful for the fund raisers. Meredith is already somewhat of a local celebrity! The folks at Montana Grill heard about his Bison Burger experience. They very kindly sent over Stephanie with lots of goodies for Meredith including a baseball cap, gift certificate and signed photos of George McKerrow and Ted Turner (co-founders of Ted's Montana Grill). Maybe we will start our own celebrity wall here similar to the wall at Cafe Rosso. Meredith continues to progress on the respiratory front. He started with a size 8 trach, moved down to a 6 and now he is in the "button" stage. The next step is removal of the trach. His doctors are still concerned about his vocal cords, and we are discussing future procedures. Even though his voice is not strong, Meredith's ability to communicate remains effective. One of the most exciting events this past week was that Meredith went outside for the first time since our arrival. He was escorted outside by his physical therapist Beth and myself. Beth pushed him in his wheelchair while I pushed along all of the necessary respitory backup equipment. We went out to the Shepherd Gardens where Meredith proceeded to drive his wheelchair around the garden and up a ramp! Technology is amazing. His wheelchair is powered by his breath! The device is called a "sip and puff" and you can guess what that means. It looks like a high tech straw, and each breath in and out activates the action of the chair. This must be very difficult, especially given Meredith's limited breath at this time. When i told him i was so impressed with his ability, he told me he imagined he was out on a biking trail. This was a very big day for both of us. I am so very proud of him and amazed by his strength each and every day. This upcoming week, he will work on more wheelchair driving along with his classes and therapies. We send our love, prayers and best wishes for a joyous holiday season to you and your families. December 7, 2004 From Joan Buckle: Kathy is in an apartment about a mile from the center and spends all day at the center. She starts classes tomorrow teaching her about the future care for Meredith. We are awaiting directions from Shepard so we can begin a search for a place for them to live once they get back!! December 6, 2004 Meredith is in Shepard Center, a very fine spinal cord injury rehab facility in Atlanta. Arrived December 1 and has been in ICU for observation. He will hopefully get into his room early this week and can begin to receive flowers, etc. Word is that he is "a week ahead of schedule" on his rehab so far. He sits in a wheelchair for a few hours each day, has been able to ear some "real food" including fish, yogurt and spinach! Kathy is busy learning how to assist and she is going to classes provided by Shepard to further her education about their new world together. Their spirits are good and they remain incredably grateful to everyone who has helped them. You can mail your wishes to Meredith at: December 4, 2004 From Tamy, the manager of Café Rosso: December 1, 2004 From Kathy Nicolls: Thank you VERY MUCH for a beautiful way to end our day today. |
I was doubly frustrated because the week before I gave the nursing supervisor a list of equipment we would need and it was not in place. Actually you would think they would have given us a list of equipment! I also had to gather up all of the medical supplies we would need as well as Meredith's numerous medications, which filled a shopping bag.
can assess his lungs and make future decisions. He also had been spiking fevers at night (not unusual for someone with a spinal cord injury), but yesterday he ran a high fever all day. Today they diagnosed him with another urinary tract infection. Again, not unusual for someone with a spinal cord injury. Antibiotics were started today and hopefully that infection will clear up soon. Although he is sleeping better at night, the high fevers have zapped his energy. He spent the past two days in bed, something he had not done since being in intensive care here at Shepherd.Web site design and maintenance by Influence Marketing Solutions.