Sunday, May 4, 2008
Saturday, May 3, 2008
First Few days @ Home
We are trying to adjust to our new life at home. I don't think I have ever been so busy in my entire life. I feel like I am running and running all of the time. According to the doctors, it is best that Erik has a very scheduled life. This seems to be very unlike Erik's personality, but just like mine. Everything he does takes an unbelievable amount of energy and then he gets to take a nap. Then I wake him up, give him drugs and do it all over again.
We had our first home visit with a physical therapist. Erik did a bunch of balance tests to find out the reason for his instability. The good news is, she thinks it is just strength issues, not an inner ear issue. This means a lot of hard work for Erik. He has homework to do squats and toe lifts 3x a day. Today we are going to get Erik a massage. I spoke with our Massage Therapist, Michelle Sheilds, and she will do the whole massage with Erik either lying on his back or his side. Hopefully she will be able to help with his back and neck pain.
As for Eriks pain, we seem to be managing it pretty well. He pretty much takes Tylenol throughout the day and takes 1/2 vicodin at night. He doesn't like taking the Vicodin during the day because it makes him feel loopy. The thing that is really driving him nuts is that hes cold ALL of the time. Our house is warmer than it ever has been and the poor guy is still shaking. In order for Erik to function, he has to wear an eye patch all of the time...otherwise he sees double vision. We have an appointment with a eye doctor that specializes in eye rehab in about a month..I guess he does some sort of eye exercises to get the eyes to re-align. We are doing some of this at home too, hopefully it will work and he wont have to have surgery.
We went to meet with the neurosurgeon on Wednesday. This was the guy that operated on Erik in the ER. He looked straight at Erik and told him...."I really want you to understand this. You are VERY lucky to be alive right now." This was a shock to Erik. He told me that it is one thing for friends and family to be telling him this, but a very different thing to hear it from a Brain Surgeon. We got some scary news at this visit too. Eriks eyes and nose are dripping several times throughout the day. It is a possibility that it is spinal fluid leaking out of his body. Erik is going to have a procedure to have a radioactive fluid shot into his back and a plug like thing in his nose to catch the leak. They are going to test to see if its snot, or spinal fluid. If it is spinal fluid, then he may need to have a shunt put in. The doctor did not tell us what a shunt was but I found a description on Wikipedia: (click here) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_shunt
He said that the fluid would be directed to a cavity near (in?) his stomach. I think that the test will happen within the month, but the time was not set up yet. This was the first time that we only had each other to lean on when hearing bad medical news. It was hard. I think that I came to the realization that the serious surgery's might not be done yet. I had talked myself into the idea that the plastic surgery was the last surgery. Well, what can we do. Take the next step and move forward. As we have been told many times - there is a long road ahead of us.
To end with good news, yesterday Erik put his kicks on and walked ALL around the coldasac. It was the farthest he has walked, and he did great. He was very tired when we got back inside and took a nap. So friends, Erik is being strong and working hard.
We had our first home visit with a physical therapist. Erik did a bunch of balance tests to find out the reason for his instability. The good news is, she thinks it is just strength issues, not an inner ear issue. This means a lot of hard work for Erik. He has homework to do squats and toe lifts 3x a day. Today we are going to get Erik a massage. I spoke with our Massage Therapist, Michelle Sheilds, and she will do the whole massage with Erik either lying on his back or his side. Hopefully she will be able to help with his back and neck pain.
As for Eriks pain, we seem to be managing it pretty well. He pretty much takes Tylenol throughout the day and takes 1/2 vicodin at night. He doesn't like taking the Vicodin during the day because it makes him feel loopy. The thing that is really driving him nuts is that hes cold ALL of the time. Our house is warmer than it ever has been and the poor guy is still shaking. In order for Erik to function, he has to wear an eye patch all of the time...otherwise he sees double vision. We have an appointment with a eye doctor that specializes in eye rehab in about a month..I guess he does some sort of eye exercises to get the eyes to re-align. We are doing some of this at home too, hopefully it will work and he wont have to have surgery.
We went to meet with the neurosurgeon on Wednesday. This was the guy that operated on Erik in the ER. He looked straight at Erik and told him...."I really want you to understand this. You are VERY lucky to be alive right now." This was a shock to Erik. He told me that it is one thing for friends and family to be telling him this, but a very different thing to hear it from a Brain Surgeon. We got some scary news at this visit too. Eriks eyes and nose are dripping several times throughout the day. It is a possibility that it is spinal fluid leaking out of his body. Erik is going to have a procedure to have a radioactive fluid shot into his back and a plug like thing in his nose to catch the leak. They are going to test to see if its snot, or spinal fluid. If it is spinal fluid, then he may need to have a shunt put in. The doctor did not tell us what a shunt was but I found a description on Wikipedia: (click here) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_shunt
He said that the fluid would be directed to a cavity near (in?) his stomach. I think that the test will happen within the month, but the time was not set up yet. This was the first time that we only had each other to lean on when hearing bad medical news. It was hard. I think that I came to the realization that the serious surgery's might not be done yet. I had talked myself into the idea that the plastic surgery was the last surgery. Well, what can we do. Take the next step and move forward. As we have been told many times - there is a long road ahead of us.
To end with good news, yesterday Erik put his kicks on and walked ALL around the coldasac. It was the farthest he has walked, and he did great. He was very tired when we got back inside and took a nap. So friends, Erik is being strong and working hard.
Friday, May 2, 2008
From Erik to Bob
Previous Comment from Bob Schatz
Yea! get to go home, that is the best. Erik is so ready (mentally) to get out of there. Yea can't drink a beer but hey he can drink and eat and walk. When this first happened I kept thinking of how fragile we all are and how a sudden thing like this can radically change our lives and for the first week I was not upset for sitting in traffic or little things like that because I was happy that I was actually driving and living. Then that feeling starting wearing off and now I have to keep reminding myself of that feeling and have my own little reality check once in a while. Live life, love life, make that next trip around the sun worth life.
________________________
Hey, it's Erik. Wow, Bob, that's a pretty deep comment. You brought a teer, but it is very true. My outlook on life is totally different. Life is fragile and some things that you might think are very important really aren't.
Yea! get to go home, that is the best. Erik is so ready (mentally) to get out of there. Yea can't drink a beer but hey he can drink and eat and walk. When this first happened I kept thinking of how fragile we all are and how a sudden thing like this can radically change our lives and for the first week I was not upset for sitting in traffic or little things like that because I was happy that I was actually driving and living. Then that feeling starting wearing off and now I have to keep reminding myself of that feeling and have my own little reality check once in a while. Live life, love life, make that next trip around the sun worth life.
________________________
Hey, it's Erik. Wow, Bob, that's a pretty deep comment. You brought a teer, but it is very true. My outlook on life is totally different. Life is fragile and some things that you might think are very important really aren't.
Caregiver Calendar - Updated 5/6
MAY
CLICK ON CALENDAR ABOVE TO VIEW LARGE
JUNE
CLICK ON CALENDAR ABOVE TO VIEW LARGE
Thank you for your outstanding response to my previous post. You guys are SO AWESOME! Above is the May & June Calendar for Erik's Care. I am going to start out working Wednesday through Fridays to start and see how that works.
CLICK ON CALENDAR ABOVE TO VIEW LARGEJUNE
CLICK ON CALENDAR ABOVE TO VIEW LARGEThe spaces that say 'Open Shift' still need to be filled. If you would like to fill one week or several, let me know. If you want to do both AM and PM shifts then also let me know.
I can not say thank you enough.
_______________
We also have a food schedule that Jen & Dave Hunt have organized. We have someone either bringing food, or a previously made frozen meal that we will be eating most days of the Month. Thank you for feeding and taking care of us! I have included on these calendars ONLY the days that we have dinner plans (as in visitors) already.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
We need Help...
Erik is home now and we are working on getting our life back together. Today we got a huge blow: I was hoping to start work next week but I just found out that we DO NOT have an insurance benefit to help pay for a caregiver for Erik. We can not afford to pay for someone to come into our house to care for Erik. Now is when we need your help. I need to get back to work.
What I am asking here is a big deal. Erik needs 24 hour care and I need to get back to work. What I need is this; at least a 4 hour block of time during the weekday that you can care for Erik. It makes it even more difficult because will need to be 1 on 1 care which means children can not come. I have daycare for Tanner from around 7am-5pm and I would like to work as much as possible during this time frame. My job is very flexible (thanks a million Bob) so my schedule depends on your schedule.
Almost anyone is able to care for Erik. If you can help, I will show you exactly what needs to be done, but here is a good idea of what a day would look like:
You will need to be able to 'spot' Erik Physically. He can walk around but is a little unsteady on his feet and needs a steady hand to guide him sometimes. He has never had a fall, but we need to be ready for one. Erik needs to be fed meals, given medications and reminded to do everyday things. He IS able to use the toilet on his own. He will need to be driven to appointments including therapies and/or doctor appointments. He will need someone to do 'homework' with him. It is all very simple stuff, but it is a lot of hard work for Erik, and he resists. Sometimes it is hard to get Erik out of bed, or up to eat. He will do it with enough pressure.
I want you all to know, that we really appreciate everything that you have done for us. We have been really taken care of. We are eating because of your food, we are smiling because of your cards, are minds are being taken off things because of your visits, we are able to pay our bills because of your donations. Thank you so much for everything that you have done. We can not Thank you enough for being such great friends and family. We are surrounded by wonderful people. Thanks for being so great.
Again, what we are asking here is a big deal. If you don't feel comfortable in helping in this way, it is ok. We feel like we have already tapped our 'helper' resources and this is really a lot to ask. Erik is very capable of a lot of things, but being a caregiver for Erik may be difficult emotionally and maybe a little physically (less so physically). Even one 4 hour time slot will help - so if you feel comfortable being a caregiver in this way, please let me know. The doctor told me that maybe in a month I will be able to leave Erik alone for 1/2 hour while I drop Tanner off at the babysitter. I am unsure how long Erik will need a full time caregiver, but it may be several months or longer?
Please call me or email as soon as possible if you have time to be help us in this way. If you want to ask questions before you commit, thats perfectly ok too.
Thank you, thank you, thank you,
Melissa
What I am asking here is a big deal. Erik needs 24 hour care and I need to get back to work. What I need is this; at least a 4 hour block of time during the weekday that you can care for Erik. It makes it even more difficult because will need to be 1 on 1 care which means children can not come. I have daycare for Tanner from around 7am-5pm and I would like to work as much as possible during this time frame. My job is very flexible (thanks a million Bob) so my schedule depends on your schedule.
Almost anyone is able to care for Erik. If you can help, I will show you exactly what needs to be done, but here is a good idea of what a day would look like:
You will need to be able to 'spot' Erik Physically. He can walk around but is a little unsteady on his feet and needs a steady hand to guide him sometimes. He has never had a fall, but we need to be ready for one. Erik needs to be fed meals, given medications and reminded to do everyday things. He IS able to use the toilet on his own. He will need to be driven to appointments including therapies and/or doctor appointments. He will need someone to do 'homework' with him. It is all very simple stuff, but it is a lot of hard work for Erik, and he resists. Sometimes it is hard to get Erik out of bed, or up to eat. He will do it with enough pressure.
I want you all to know, that we really appreciate everything that you have done for us. We have been really taken care of. We are eating because of your food, we are smiling because of your cards, are minds are being taken off things because of your visits, we are able to pay our bills because of your donations. Thank you so much for everything that you have done. We can not Thank you enough for being such great friends and family. We are surrounded by wonderful people. Thanks for being so great.
Again, what we are asking here is a big deal. If you don't feel comfortable in helping in this way, it is ok. We feel like we have already tapped our 'helper' resources and this is really a lot to ask. Erik is very capable of a lot of things, but being a caregiver for Erik may be difficult emotionally and maybe a little physically (less so physically). Even one 4 hour time slot will help - so if you feel comfortable being a caregiver in this way, please let me know. The doctor told me that maybe in a month I will be able to leave Erik alone for 1/2 hour while I drop Tanner off at the babysitter. I am unsure how long Erik will need a full time caregiver, but it may be several months or longer?
Please call me or email as soon as possible if you have time to be help us in this way. If you want to ask questions before you commit, thats perfectly ok too.
Thank you, thank you, thank you,
Melissa
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Erik moved rooms
Erik is in a different room now in the same unit (4k). Ask at the nurses station to find out where he is.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Letter From Erik
Hey this is Erik. I am recovering, doing lots of therapy. I want to thank everyone for all of their love and support. Its a long road but I will make it. All your help is greatly appreciated. If I could return it all at one time I would, but I can't. I guess something good is going to come out of this, my relationship with my wife is getting stronger every day. Thats the only thing good, the rest is a lot of hard work. I am here with the Rose Family, and saw their new baby boy, he's almost bigger than me. I'm loosing weight, Uh oh. It's nice to see what good friends I really have. It seems like the car accident could have been avoidable, but apparently it wasn't. I want to apologize for putting people through pain, watching me go through this. Take care and keep wishing me well.
I love you all,
Erik
(narrated word for word with no interjections by Melissa)
I love you all,
Erik
(narrated word for word with no interjections by Melissa)
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