a typical day

So are you wondering what a typical day of rehab is like when you've suffered a spinal cord injury? Here's a taste of what Jim has been doing (it does change a bit day to day) and will continue to do for another three weeks:

• 9:00 a.m. Lite Gait - walking on a high-tech treadmill with a harness while 2 therapists and Janelle manipulate feet, thighs and hips to simulate perfect walking form (funny, but most of us do not walk properly!!)
• 10:00 Occupational Therapy - Jimmy's therapist works on understanding the skills he will need to go back to his job, which is highly mechanical, and gives him exercises that will enable him to do his work more efficiently
• 11:00 Community Reintegration - A team asks What can we do for you? Do you want to keep working? Do you want to return to college? What are you goals going forward? How can we help you adapt to your life waiting for you?
• Lunch
• 1:00 Lifestyles - a class format that touches on everything from educational needs, how to get around, travel, daily life
• 2:00 Pool Therapy - it was awesome to watch Jimmy stand up out of his chair and use the handrails to WALK down the steps into the water!! He said he could feel his hamstring and his hip flexor "waking up" and yesterday did exercises to strengthen those.
• 3:00 FES bike - Jimmy has the second highest resistance in the hospital right now. Of course, he wanted to know who was ahead of him. That competitive spirit works well for him! He rides the bike hard for an hour.
• 4:00 Therapeutic Massage - 30 minutes of massage to loosen up severe knots in his back from the surgery, from using new muscles that he's not used to (such as the ones he uses to wheel around in his chair)

I always feel so proud of myself when I've made it to the gym and put in my 30 minutes or so of cardio - that doesn't hold a candle to what Jimmy is doing daily. Keep it up, Jimmy! You're an inspiration!

January 20 2010

Hey All Thanks for all your support and prayer! I am really working hard, as I really want to be home walking and thank everyone in person. My therapy is 7 hours a day now and next week they will up it again. Please keep praying more than ever now, cause even though I know God is helping me, I am having a hard time seeing my results of improvements. I guess I am pretty impatient! Janelle is right by my side trying to cheer me up. God Bless all of you and thanks again. Oh, I get to move out of my hospital room Friday to the apartments next door so no more early morning needle pokes or blood pressure cuffs.

Yay, God!!!!

Gotta give credit where credit is due....God heard and answered our prayers this week in a great way! Even one of the nurses commented on how Jimmy "must have people praying" for him. We acknowledge that it is God's work through everything that is healing Jimmy. The urology appointment went well and Jim is now catheter free and can sleep in a regular bed. The doctors' conference delivered good news regarding his prognosis - it appears he will stay for 2 more weeks in Craig and then transition to the apartments next door. After another 2 - 3 weeks there, it's quite possible that he'll be coming home!!! Of course, plans can be changed, but as soon as his final blood clot dissipates, he will be sound medically. The doctors think he might need to have some assistance (braces and what not) to get upright for awhile. We're cool with that.

There have been so many blessings - both big and small along this journey. One good one is that Jim and Janelle own two homes, one of which is a ranch. They will eventually work on moving over there until Jim progresses more to handle the stairs in the bi-level. With some minor adjustments to the lodge, it will suit them well during the next phase of recovery. Thanks so much for all your prayers! We've always known God could - just didn't know if he would, and we want to thank him!

a busy week

The holidays have come and gone and Jimmy has been hard at work, weaning himself off his pain medication, continuing therapy and making some great strides. It's been challenging with the staff at Craig being a bit inconsistent with holiday vacations, so Janelle has been known to hunt down a physical therapist or two to get Jim's exercises in for the day. One of his therapists, stressing the importance of diligent, daily work described it like this: "Your therapy is like a gallon jug. Each session is like filling up an eye dropper and emptying it into the gallon jug. Your goal is to fill the jug."

Some of the great things that have happened in the last week: Jim is now able to stand with assistance and bear weight on his legs for short times. He got into the therapy pool and Janelle has video proof of him walking under water. He set a record at Craig on the bike, riding over 5 miles at a high resistance. His doctors released some more of his restrictions which has enabled him to transfer to a private vehicle, lie on his stomach and even raise to his hands and knees. He got an hour long massage the other night to relieve some of his muscle tension. All in all, he continues to progress. He also says they are close to releasing him on an occasional weekend. He would love to play hooky and hit the Sportmans' Expo which is in town this weekend!

Some things to pray for over the next few days: tomorrow he will meet with urology. The sooner he can get things taken care of in that department, the sooner they will allow him to move to a double bed (a good thing for married couples). Also, on Friday, they will have another phone conference with Dr. V and Dr. Hsu to determine status and prognosis. This will be the first time they've conferenced since before the third surgery. We are hoping for good reports and a bright future with an upright Jimmy. One more thing to consider praying for: Luke starts his schooling next week and will not have the availability that he's had. He's been a huge help to both Jimmy and Janelle. We're wishing him much success and are so appreciative for what he has been able and willing to do!