Newspaper Article Published

The East Valley Tribune just published an article on Trish's situation. You can read the full article at http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/95988

A Good Week

I was fortunate to be able to spend the day with Trish on Tuesday of this week. I attended her PT & OT therapy sessions at Barrows, and then drove her to her house in Queen Creek. It was her first ride in my car since before the accident, and she was able to transfer herself from her chair to the passenger seat with no difficulty.

The therapists at Barrows continue to push her to try new things, and Trish continues to make amazing progress. Each week she gains more strength and learns more mobility tricks. Her PT even had her transfer clear to the floor and back up into her chair so she could handle an emergency if she fell from her chair when she was alone. She did great. She also rode six miles on the e-stim bike that helps keep her leg muscles toned and in shape.

After we got home I was able to get a little computer work done and managed to secure their wireless computer network, and clean up some PC issues. Now Trish is back on-line with the world and taking care of the family's personal business.

More next week ...

In the Routine

This week was pretty much "in the routine" and included out-patient therapy visits, a visit to Trish's school for parent's night, as well as shopping and a bunch of "hanging out at home".

We have been told by everyone at BNI that the process of recovery can last two years and sometimes longer. So sometimes we forget that Trish is only two and a half months into this process. She is doing wonderfully and has accomplished so much, but there is a while yet to go.

She did enjoy her visit to her school, and many, many of the staff, teachers, and parents were very glad to have a chance to see her and to visit.

More next week ...

Chair Lift Installed

Trish is now able to get upstairs in her home thanks to the chair lift that Scott had installed. It is electrically operated and travels along a rail. Trish is able to transfer from her wheelchair to the lift, move up the stairs, and then transfer into another wheelchair at the top landing.

This now gives her access to the master bedroom, the boys bedrooms, and the master bath area. And she can now sleep in her own bedroom for the first time in almost three months.

This was a very large expense and was not covered by insurance, but was really necessary for Trish to live a normal life in her beautiful two story home.

Great Day Boating

On Saturday, Trish, Scott, Parker & Hunter took their boat out to Bartlett Lake for a day of fun on the water. They were joined by four other boats and several of their new friends from St. Joseph's Hospital and the Barrows Neurological Institute.

In attendance were three of Trish's therapists from both her in-patient and out-patient experiences. Her mentor, Jennifer, was there as well.

Scott, Parker & Hunter all had runs on the wake board or tube. Trish along with the help of her therapists, was able to get in the water for a swim with the gang as well. This was pretty amazing since she just got out of the hospital a few weeks back. Now Scott knows how to help Trish get in and out of the boat on future trips.

Everyone was pretty bushed after a long day on the water and in the sun. So Sunday was a day of resting up for the new week of challenges ahead.

Good Week

While Trish has been enjoying her time at home playing sports with her boys, and getting back into the swing of taking care of them full time, she has also continued working on her rehabilitation.

Today she had a great follow up visit with her surgeon, Dr. Nick Theodore at the Barrows Neurological Institute. The doctor told Trish that she was healing very fast and had made excellent progress in her PT & OT sessions. And while her struggles with the nerve pain have been frustrating, Dr. Theodore told her that this may be a good sign. He said that it proves there is some nerve communication that is traveling past the point of her spinal cord injury to her brain.

This was just what the doctor ordered for Trish as the thought that there is real hope for the future is all she needs to keep going strong, and to deal with whatever comes. She is committed to working with the physical therapists each week and including the "stim bike" in her routine to keep the muscles in her legs active, and strong (see the picture from the July 13th post).

Trish & Scott plan to go boating this weekend with one of the therapists from St. Joseph's (who also has a boat).

More Challenges

Trish finished her second full week at home, and continues to adapt to her new circumstances.

Her recovery efforts continue to be hampered by the nerve pain in her lower extremities. The doctors are struggling to find a medication that will deal with the pain without adverse side effects. Trish will be seeing a pain management specialist next week who has experience with SCI patients.

Scott has arranged for the installation of a stair lift in their home to help Trish get upstairs. This should be installed late next week and will open up a whole new set of challenges and opportunities. When Trish can transport herself up the stairs, she will be able to use the master bathroom and she will be able to sleep in her own bedroom for the first time since May.

She continues with her out-patient PT & OT therapies, and has set a goal to learn how to get from her chair into her car so she can begin driving again. This will take a lot of effort, but will represent a huge milestone in her road to independence.