| 11-26-2005 Well, Jake spent Thanksgiving without family. The other three young men went to relatives' homes for the day. Terri had planned on driving up to spend the day with Jake but due to illness it was cancelled. Jake did not mind because he definitely did not want to catch any bug from Terri. |
| Jake's friend Crystal brought over a plate of turkey dinner and
then his nurse did the same. Now I know he enjoyed the food
but he definitely enjoyed the company more.
I had everyone over for Thanksgiving. My phone rang a lot. :) Now how often does Jake have a chance to talk to all his uncles and aunts? |
| He is being treated for a UTI but he's not sure the anti-infective is working so he's going to call the doc on Monday. |
| Jake applied for a job at Sam's. He was interviewed but unfortunately, they never called him back. Not even to say 'no'. |
| The doc has given Jake scripts for physical therapy, swimming and massages. He is feeling normal (for him) for the first time in about two years and he is looking forward to the exercise. |
| He has finally been given the results of his psych evaluation. He has no brain injury from the accident. Maybe the short-term memory problems had something to do with the fact that he laid in bed for two years with nothing much to do. He was put into his chair occasionally, but mainly he had to stay off that ulcer so he was bedridden; spent the days/nights sleeping and watching tv. Toward the end, before his surgery last April, he did not get into his chair at all. |
| The psych eval was done to prepare him for college. He was 'normal'. (vbg) |
| I don't know what the next step is (for college) but I was hoping he would start in January. Won't happen. He is possibly anticipating hip surgery and may postpone college until that is behind him. I believe he has a chronic hip dislocation, possibly due to laying on his right side for 2 years. This is painful to him. |
| He is having dental problems but his limit is $500 and he's way past that. He owes the dentist money so he is waiting until January to go back. Then the $500 limit starts again. I am trying to convince him that is not a good idea. |
| Jake gets about $70.00 a month from the state. That's why he wants a job. |
| Jake is extremely happy. He is healthy and eating well. He is looking forward to his future. |
| 12-11-2005 Well, scratch the 'healthy' part of that last sentence. Jake's been in the hospital since Monday (12-05) with acute GI symptoms. Both Terri and Jeff were worried that they had brought their illness with them but we have discovered that's not the case. |
| We can now add c.diff to Jake's medical history. Clostridium difficile is a bacteria normally found in the digestive tract. When a person takes an antibiotic germs everywhere are killed. This allows remaining germs to multiply out of control... and sometimes you end up in the hospital. |
| There is a pretty good explanation of c.diff here. It is a .pdf file. |
| Jake has no idea when he will be going home. The doc wants to be sure he's ok. She says that sometimes patients feel better but then the symptoms return. |
| She has Jake on Flagyl. Vancomycin is another drug for treatment of c.diff and ironically that is the drug that he was on (for a UTI) when he developed the symptoms. |
| Jake must figure out how to be pro-active in regards to these UTI's. Then the c.diff shouldn't be a problem. I don't think all quads are plagued with the UTI's that Jake has. Many stay on a low dose of antibiotic. The problem with that is when you need the antibiotic to do it's job, your body has become accustomed to it and the drug doesn't work as it should. |
| As usual, he is in good spirits. He discovered that his new chair is a little slippery on snow and ice. I told him some things I just do not want to know. |
| I have a picture of his new chair. I'll try to post it soon. The front wheels are extremely small. Jake loves it. |
| He will be visiting us for Christmas. 2 days. I haven't had a hug from him in a whole year. Jake has two requests for Christmas dinner - schaum tortes and 'that green jello'. I told him I'd toss in a ham, potatoes, rolls, veggies, etc. :) |
| 12-24-2005 Jake is home! He arrived late yesterday afternoon. What a difference from last year! He was so sick last Christmas that he spent most of his time in bed. |
| After the hugs, the first thing he said was "I'm hungry". He ate a big meal... and a schaum torte. Last year food didn't interest him. |
| He noticed things. We started major remodeling in 1999, but after his accident (in 2000) everything was put on hold for about 3 years. Most of the changes are the same as they were last Christmas but he noticed them this year. |
| He even peeked at the Christmas gifts under the tree. |
| He is doing quite a bit for himself now. Things that we used to do for him. In fact, if I try to help him he tells me he can do it himself. Like putting items away - on the counter or in the refrigerator. Cleaning up after himself. He went to put his dish in the dishwasher only to discover that we don't have one. :) |
| I credit the staff at his group home for these accomplishments. They have forced Jake to be as independent as he can be. They truly care for him and his future. |
| Jake has 'plumped up' a bit. He's about 145# now and I think that is a good healthy weight for his height. He is eating decent meals, his medications aren't missed. He showers regularly. |
| What a difference a year can make. |
| Like most teenagers, he is planning his future... except he is on a 5 year delay. |
| This will be a short visit. Terri will be taking him home early Monday morning. But we have two days. Wonderful! |
| Terri gave Jake a shower this a.m. She walked out barefoot, sweat pants rolled up to her knees, her hair a mass of curls. She was soaking wet. "rule #1", she said, "never give Jake the hose". |
| 01-01-2006 Well, Jake is back home. Terri and Jeff took him back on the 26th. Sure is quiet around here. |
| He has had 3 opinions concerning his chronic hip dislocation. The consensus is that he will not get surgery or a hip replacement. I know there is surgical intervention for chronic hip dislocation but I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the replacement. There is no sense in giving Jake a hip replacement because he doesn't use his hip. I guess if you think about it, it makes sense. I guess. |
| But the hip is painful for him so I hope they can come to some resolution of this problem. |
| Jake is very happy to be home. He had a lot of nice visits with friends while he was here, but your own bed always feels better. |
| Jake's friend sent him some photos so I have started a Friend's page for him. |