I started the day helping Jeff with his breakfast. He said, "Enough of the breakfast burritos!" I agree, not such a good start to the day.
He complained a little bit about his upper chest hurting when he took a big breath. Based on the workouts he has been doing, I thought it was sore pectoral muscles and lactic acid build up. He mentioned it to his doctor earlier and to be safe, Jeff went through an electrocardiogram, blood test, canceled X-ray, replaced with a CT scan. This took place all throughout the day, in between his occupational therapy, lunch, physical therapy, and other daily stuff.
After his occupational therapy, there was no more pain in his chest because he worked out the lactic acid, again my opinion. So by the end of the day the CT scan showed no problems with the lungs.
It takes a lot of specific timing on our part to get anything done, such as computer time and book keeping, which was our goal today. With me nudging Jeff, after his lunch and pain pill, we managed to do a good part of the book keeping he wanted me to do. I finished it up while he was in physical therapy.
Alex, Jeff's occupational therapist, had a former patient come in at the end of the session and visit with Jeff. His name is Rock and he's four months into his rehab after a 4 wheeler accident that broke his C8, which meant he has full use of his hands. Rock was informative along with encouragement, but also let Jeff know of some of the other things that need to be carefully watched with the changes his body is going through.
So it will be a mixed bag of ups and downs of Jeff's Journey for the next 10 months or so. They also discussed the pros and cons of Neuroworx and Tosh rehab center, which shed some more light on the next step Jeff will be taking.
I sensed a bit of discouragement today.
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Jeff's CT scan today was for the doctor to rule out a possible blood clot in his lung. They did a blood test to see how his clotting factors look and they were high. It's a high probability that Jeff will be on blood thinners for the rest of his life.
Great news is that it was negative! His lungs are thankfully clear. We are grateful they took things seriously and checked to make sure there wasn't a problem. Better safe than sorry.
Brandi, Zach, Ryan, Julee, their baby Tylee, Cherie, Blake, and their baby Aliyah surprised Jeff and Annette with a visit this evening. We all wanted to be together to pass along a special gift to them. The gift was a check with the combined donations from the GoFundMe account so far and a collection of cards and money donations given to Brandi by her loving and thoughtful coworkers at Salt Lake Community College.
We cannot even begin to express our gratitude for this incredible gift! In one month we had 93 donations to the GoFundMe account, adding up to a total of $11,080! After the fees were taken out of the total balance we still have enough to pay off Jeff's deductible for this year. A burden has been lifted because of the combined generosity of everyone who donated and it's impossible for us to say thank you enough times!
We have truly been provided for during this difficult time in more ways than one. The Lord gives us what we need to overcome the trials we face in this life. Many times it's the help of others that lead to answered prayers, another example of how you've been the Lord's hands in our lives.
Everyone left for the evening except Ryan and Julee. The others went to eat at Noodles and Co. and Brandi graciously took baby Tylee so she wouldn't be fussy at the hospital because she was tired. Instead she fussed at Brandi's house the whole time! Tylee is a definite momma's girl and a home body.
Ryan and Julee are grateful for the time they were able to dedicate to Jeff tonight. Julee helped him finish eating his dinner. The meal he had ordered got lost somehow so before leaving Blake took a meal voucher to the cafeteria and got him a hamburger with sweet potato fries. Jeff ate just over half of it all.
Jeff worries about calorie intake because he wants to make sure his body is burning what he eats. His body will be easier to move around and maneuver if he can keep his thin frame. We discussed elevating his legs, which are still quite swollen, to see if we can get rid of some of the edema (water weight) while he sleeps.
Ryan and Jeff then worked to download software onto Jeff's computer to further customize his mouse so it will work even better for his needs.
Next on the list was to research shower chairs and wheelchairs. Jeff wanted to stay awake so badly, but kept dozing off. Ryan encouraged him to take a 15 minute nap while he and Julee continued to look at different options. Several were saved for Jeff's occupational therapist to look at.
Here are a few pictures of the assistive devices Jeff uses:
This first one is of the silverware Jeff uses to eat and the tools he uses that straighten out his pointer fingers so he can type and push buttons.
This second picture is of the water bottle that was jimmy rigged by Jeff's occupational therapist so he can get a drink by himself at night and not worry about spills. Julee found the water bottle and the therapists made the plastic piece you see on it. The rubber bands weren't that snug so Brandi tried to tighten them and broke one, but luckily Jacee (Jeff's niece) had a hair band and it saved the day as it worked a lot better than the rubber band and made the device fit more snug.
They then watched YouTube videos of other paraplegics getting in and out of their vehicles and discussed the different methods and modifications that were used. Jeff's mind is always running and he already has an idea of what he wants for when he is able to start driving again.
It was time to get ready for bed so Julee helped him brush his teeth and the nurse came in to give him his meds. As they worked on his nightly routine Julee read the blog to him. He doesn't know what's written until he reads it most of the time. He especially loves the comments and feedback left by others so please feel free to share your thoughts! If you would rather share your thoughts and comments privately Jeff would love to hear from you and you can email him directly at Jeff.Page.Rides@gmail.com.
Unfortunately Jeff did not get to use the CPAP machine last night because they didn't have it yet. Good news is that it was being set up by the respiratory therapist when Ryan and Julee finally left for the night. We are all anxious to find out if it helps him sleep better or not! The one that was ordered for him only covers his nose so hopefully he won't struggle to get a drink while wearing it. The CPAP machine has a humidification system and we also hope it will help with his plugged nose each night.
Jeff remains mostly optimistic and looks to the future with realistic expectations. It really helps him to see the videos of other paraplegics who also can't use their hands or stomach muscles. They show him the many possibilities that are still open for him and help him form realistic goals for himself at this point in his recovery.
We want to thank everyone again for all of your help on the financial side of things. We've received money donations on the front porch of Jeff's home, in the mail, in person, and online. Every dime is a blessing that will help us cover the extensive medical expenses that continue to accrue each day. Every dollar we receive is one dollar less that we have to worry about coming up with. It all counts!
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