12/29/2009

Despite all Jim's good efforts today, we just want to send our thoughts and prayers to Bev Allison families. We are so sad for that loss, as we know just how much she loved all her family! To the Sallee Family, we are so sorry and wish we could be with you right now. When Jim gets home we will have plenty of hugs to pass out. Love to all! Jim and Janell

out for the day

Hitching a ride out of Craig for the day, Jim and Janelle were able to head back up to Erie to celebrate a belated Christmas for a few hours. There were plenty of distractions today and it was probably a good feeling to have the routine broken up. The week ahead will surely present plenty of new challenges with some doctors' appointments and continued rehab.

Jimmy is still being restricted by doctor's orders in his upper body to allow time for the vertebrae to fuse. Although it can take bone up to twelve weeks to fully heal, they are hoping for less restrictions in the next three weeks. For now, Jimmy can only lift 25 -50% of his body weight with his upper body. What that means is no transfers where he would have to do most of the work using his arms and core (chair to car, etc.) This is frustrating, because Jimmy is ready to work hard and there is only so much he can do at this point to improve. Both legs are getting stronger and he is getting more and more movement every day on the left. This continues to be great news.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Years to All DEAR Family and Friends

We love all of you and thank you for your continued support! We know God will bless each of you. Janelle,Luke and I will be having Christmas here at Craig. One thing we are going to do is watch the movie " Nativity" which is a movie about Jesus Christs' birth. I'm sure they will have a big Christmas dinner here. We heard the food here at Thanksgiving was really good.
I moved over to the East wing, which is the ward to be in before you get to go home. And my lovely wife can stay in my room now. Also my HEAD nurse Luke. There is more freedom here and you know how I like my independance.
Again Thank you all so much, May God be with you! Jimmy and Janelle

Craig Christmas

I was lucky enough to drop in on Jimmy, Janelle and Luke the other day and was treated to a special afternoon of Christmas music at a concert put on by the Craig staff and patients. It was a truly memorable time as the employees presented a full choir and lots of small ensembles and solos of Christmas music. The level of talent was impressive and we were touched by both the music and the sentiment of their hearts. Current and former patients also sang - tears were freely flowing!! We all pondered what the emcee acknowledged: none of the patients had intended to be at Craig during this time and the staff recognized that it was not their choice to be there. They sincerely wished for each patient that next year they would get to be wherever they wanted to be. That's our wish, too, knowing that Jimmy would prefer to spend Christmas in his own home, with his family, his friends and his dogs. The concert reminded us what a beautiful, humble reality that one can still find celebration and joy in the midst of (not in spite of) suffering.

We definitely feel the spirit of Christmas, acknowledging the humility and mercy of God coming as a dependent, helpless infant and the love that is necessary to nurture and heal. Our hearts are full in the middle of the brokenness.

Back to Craig

I have been in Fowler for 2 days whipping out some hair and it is amazing when I come back and see what Jimmy Baldwin can accomplish in that 2 days. Even though there is no pain medicine to help him, he still keeps working his tail off to WALK! I want to be here every minute because he is so amazing at going forward. God has created a man with great will and the grace that he has given us to get through this is spectacular! I arrived today at noon and Luke the head " Nurse" had Jim out of bed ready for the day. We ate lunch together, good company but the food is..............
After lunch we went exploring to the wellness center, a gym for employees and family members. So when Jim is working so hard, Janelle will be too! Then we went to Bicycle Therapy. The therapists couldn't believe what Jimmy could do. I wasn't surprised at all because I see his will and know the strengh God has given him.We both had parents that taught us how to work hard. I Thank them for that!
Next big move was going to the apartment. Even though it was painful, we did it and Soda, our dear friend was there and Rory and La dessa brought Jim HOMEMADE chicken noodle soup.
I call it a great day, Thank the Lord!
Janelle

The Miracle of Music

I wish everyone I knew could have been at Craig Rehab today. It was a painful day for Jimmy and he still was able to make his self pick up a guitar to play with Luke and Lex Nichols. We have made some friends at Craig that need music as much as we do. I couldn't believe Jimmy was playing because I had seen what he had gone thru all morning. God is good, and working in our lives 24/7! It was not only inspiring to me but every person that was there was touched by the gift of music and was completely inspired. I think I might have to write a book someday about all of this and about the special people we have met along the way.
Jim's incision looks fantastic tonight compared to 3 days ago. In fact I was remembering 3 days ago and he has really progressed. All of our children and granchildren were with us this weekend which of course makes our world go round. To all of our family and friends......... You are so wonderful and we thank you for your continued prayers!!!!!
Love, Janelle

more pain, more movement

Lots to celebrate and still lots to endure! Luke reports that yesterday, the physical therapist who worked with Jimmy before his third surgery came in to work his legs while he is recuperating in bed. She was blown away by the increased movement she is seeing in the right leg (he can now pick up that leg from the hip and knee and elevate it) and by the increased strength and response in the left leg (his movement is increasing every day and the muscles are firing). Luke stated that the improvement now from day to day is getting more dramatic and noticeable and he is looking forward to "tomorrow" knowing that each day will be better now.

In the middle of all this, Jimmy's level of pain is excruciating. The pain he is experiencing stems from the surgery itself - the muscles between his ribs where they opened his chest cavity, his lat muscles, his shoulder and neck - pretty much his entire chest cavity aches from the surgery. The dilemma is finding that good combination of pain medicine and muscle relaxer to allow him relief while still enabling him to work his muscles. The courage he is showing to everyone and the determination he has in the middle of his suffering is really inspiring. I wish you all could be there to witness it.

We appreciate your continued prayers - both Jim and Janelle get by each day relying on God's strength. While we are so encouraged by Jim's physical and mental progress, there are still many concerns for what lies ahead as they figure out day-to-day needs. Pray that they would be able to take each day as it comes and that they would find what they need for that moment in that moment.

back to Craig

Following the successful removal of his chest tube last night, Jimmy and Janelle headed back to Craig to get started on the rehab again. He was fortunate to get a large private room, which was a huge blessing since he had a roommate that frequently had bells and whistles going off and he had a hard time sleeping there. His doctor at Craig is re-evaluating his condition and suggested putting his IV pain med back in place. Jimmy's willing to tough it out, but the doctor thinks it would serve him better to have heavier duty drugs for a short time.

We're so thankful that he "survived" his hospital stay and is back at Craig. They pride themselves on continuity of care, meaning he has consistent staff that assist him each week as opposed to a hospital where you have different people coming and going all that time. Janelle and the family also have access to housing there and we're hoping they can reserve that for the time they need.

relief

Jim had a great day yesterday, trying to wean himself off the IV pain meds and moving more. He got out of the bed into a chair three times in spite of immense pain from the chest tube. The more movement, the better, while still being careful not to use too much of his upper body weight to allow the hardware more time to "sink in" and stabilize. The problem is - as you all know - Jimbo is one strong guy. He's trying to figure out how much to restrain himself to help with the transfers yet still protecting his new robotic spine.

The doctors have mentioned possibly removing the chest tube later this evening. If all goes as planned, he could move back to Craig tomorrow (what a birthday present, huh? - his special day is Dec. 9).

The best news that came out of yesterday is more movement in the left leg. I felt it, the nurse felt it, and the doctor felt it. It is very slight, but you can feel the muscles in his foot, calf and quad all firing. We are taking this as a very positive sign. As the neurosurgeon said yesterday "the path is open." It's just a waiting game to see how quickly time will allow things to wake up.

A Letter from Jim

It is amazing to me the letters of encouragement,prayers, donations I have had.I honestly didn't know I had that many friends and family that love me that much.I just went through #3 and the most painful surgery of all, but I still am going to make it back with god's help! Truly it is the best medicine I have.Also I know he gave me all of you and the determination myself that it takes to fight this battle. Love you all, Jim

sat up this morning

Ran a slight fever last night, but they aren't too concerned yet. The physical therapist just came in and helped him to the edge of the bed to sit up and dangle his legs on the side of the bed. The benefits of this are to strengthen the trunk muscles and force the diaphragm to contract and expand the lungs, warding off potential pneumonia. Janelle said that compared to the first surgery, he has WAY more stability in the trunk. This is very encouraging.

thank God for morphine!

I got to spend a couple of hours with Jimmy today so that Janelle could go home and shower and rest after a sleepless night. We had a great visit - along with some other friends and family. Jim is indeed in pain, but is controlling it well with his pump. At least he wasn't watching the clock every fifteen minutes like he was last night. In fact, we'd have to remind him to pump it occasionally to stay ahead of the pain. His pain right now is in the ribs, chest and shoulder/neck area. There was a lot of trauma to the body to separate ribs, deflate the lung, cut through necessary muscle and tissue during the surgery and this is all normal, yet difficult. The pain medicine is causing some hilarious side effects - he hears things once in a while and gets a bit paranoid. What's funny is that he's aware of it and he's actually having a laugh here and there at the effects. It's important that he does his coughing, breathing and getting up out of bed to prevent pneumonia. Needless to say, all of those activities hurt!

Speaking of laughing, I was pondering today how unique it is to enjoy our time together so much, letting Jimmy make us laugh so hard. We definitely are experiencing a big dose of God's grace to feel so much joy and hope in the midst of a hard situation.

Best news of all today - we all saw his left knee move slightly. Even better - he was aware of it and felt it. This leg has been completely dead following the first surgery until the second. The confidence this gave him was visible and he repeatedly mentioned how he is excited to get back to Craig and get to work. He very determinedly said, "I am going to walk again," .

Time to Rock and Roll

As they say,God doesn't let you handle anymore than you can! Thanks to all for continued prayers. Jim can't put into words all the love he feels from God and all his family and friends. The pain is incredible right now but he keeps striving to get up and is very determined he will walk! Have to say, he is one funny funny man! I sit here listening,laughing and crying because he keeps everyone on their toes and in stitches. These first 3 days will be one of the toughest pain wise and then it really is time to ROCK & ROLL. With God's continued strength, he will get thru all of this! Janelle

out of surgery

Jimmy came out of surgery fine and Janelle, Joy and I just listened to Dr. V explain how the surgery went. They were able to clean out the area surrounding the spinal cord, removing all debris, scar tissue, blood and matter. The cord looked healthy with no tears. They also put in extra hardware in the vertebrae to strengthen and to fortify his spine. The doctor was confident that they did everything in their power to enable healing and to relieve the cord from any pressure.

Bottom line:

• BEFORE the surgery, Dr. V asked him to move his left toe. He moved it!!!! He also swayed the foot slightly from side to side. This was a great encouragement!!
• Jimmy will be in extreme pain - this surgery is one of the most painful things a person can go through medically.
• The road to recovery will be a two-year process.

For the time being, he will regress due to the complicated surgery , but long-term expectations should be better than before. He will return to Craig after his stay here at Boulder Community, currently in ICU.

Many have asked, rightly so, what led up to the initial surgery (especially since he walked in and did not walk out.) Jimmy had a serious neurological condition which could have led to paralysis, loss of bowel control and potentially death and was worsening week by week. As with any elective surgery, you are told of the risks and must weigh them with your decision. Jimmy's case happened to be a worst case scenario. His doctor said he has never had a case resolve like this. The main complication is that Jimmy is a large, muscular guy (one nurse remarked that he was sure "sturdy stock") and his size alone posed issues for both procedure and the hardware involved to provide stability. Even in a best-case scenario with no complications, they still could not guarantee more than a 50-50% chance of improvement. We were hoping against permanent damage before the surgery, but were warned that it could have already been too late.

This journey is a marathon - not a sprint. Thanks for hanging with us!

new development

Whew. How quickly things can change in a few hours. Yesterday, Wednesday the 2nd, they took another MRI at Craig and discovered something pressing on the spinal cord. Dr. Hsu suggested that he might require another surgery. Today Jim and Janelle travelled back to Boulder to his neurosurgeon who confirmed what the Craig doc had said. We all saw the MRI today and they are baffled as to what it could be - a hematoma (blood), residual disc, etc. Both doctors confirmed that as long as something is pressuring the cord, he will not improve on his left side.

After an agonizing morning of questioning his doctor, considering his options and facing a clear diagnosis of a possible future lived in a wheelchair, Jim decided to take the risk of another surgery. This will be a much more complicated procedure as they will have to go through the front. The surgery is scheduled at 7:15 a.m. at Boulder Community Hospital tomorrow, Friday the 4th. It is supposed to be around 3 or 4 hours, followed by an expected stay of 7 days or more. We will post updates on the blog as we know more. The good news is it seems that the staff here at Boulder Community is responsive and thorough and taking good care of him. Plus, Janelle and the rest of us have learned a lot from the last hospital stay, which will help us oversee Jimmy's care and advocate for him.

One thing Jimmy is sure of - he knows where real, healing power comes from. We are all trusting that God has his life in His hands, that God is the one who empowers surgeons and gave us the knowledge we have to help make peoples' lives better. It is God's power alone that can restore Jimmy's health. This is a scary time for him, but he is being very courageous and submitting to whatever options he feels he has.

Pray that the doc gets a good night's rest before tomorrow, pray against hospital-born infection, pray that his blog clot will not cause complications (they are putting a filter in currently to help catch the clot if it decides to travel), pray for strength and calm for Janelle, and most importantly pray that the doctors will be successful in removing whatever is causing pressure on the cord and hopefully restore mobility to the left leg and reduce the pain he is in.