Status Report

Karla continues to be a joy to be around. She still laughs at my stupid jokes, or she has gas. It's hard to tell.

To everyone who has helped us through this, whether it is emotional, spiritual, and especially financial, we could not have done it with out you...........THANK YOU!!
Thanks to you guys we have a physical therapist coming 3 times each week as well as an occupational therapist once each week.
Thanks to you guys we have a nurses aid coming twice a week to help with showering and some stretching.
Thanks to you guys we are able to fill her prescriptions on time.
Thanks to you guys Karla is able to make her follow up appointment in Atlanta next Tuesday.
Thanks to you guys, when our refrigerator died last week it was not the disaster that it could have been.

Moving forward, Karla was assigned a Medicaid number on Monday. That is going to be a large help with Doctors and the pharmacy. If any of you need a real pharmacy, Hawthorn has been awesome! It looks like Medicaid IS going to pop for an electric wheelchair. Now I have to move the door locks to the top of the doors to prevent escapes! Karla loves to be outside.

Unfortunately the adult daycare programs under medicaid do not offer 40 hour a week care for folks with the extent of disability that Karla has. We are exploring other avenues. I understand that one has to be a constant irritant to get anything accomplished with HHS. I know that it is hard to believe, but I am pretty good at being irritating.

To my Barbershop and Choir buddies, I really miss you. I have not sung a note since Front Page News! sang the National Anthem for the Blowfish game. But more than the music, I miss you, and Pam and I both miss the choir fellowship. As soon as I get back down to one job we hope to be singing with all of you again!

Pam and I continue to refine our operating methodology. As we become more efficient daily living seems to not be such a daunting task.

So there it is. We are good and marching forward with our heads up.

Karla has been home for just over a week now and is settling in. Pam and I are still adjusting scheduling and sleep patterns to find what is going to work best for us as well as for Karla. Karla takes medicine 8 times each day beginning at 0700 and ending at 2200(10:00pm). Her depression seems to be lessening and her appetite increasing. We are trying to get her calorie intake up to 1300 calories a day. I am trying to get mine down to 1300 a day. So far both endeavors have been unsuccessful! She had her first outing this past Tuesday. She went to the Opthomoligist and to meet her new General Practitioner. Yesterday she went shopping at Target for a birthday present for Taylor, and then to Lizards Thicket for lunch.
Last evening some of her friends came over to have dinner with her and help her with her shower. That gave Pam and I an opportunity to go out for a quick dinner and run a few errands (Target date. You married folks know what that is). Karla's friend since middle school came in this week from Denver. Kristi, you are a gem! Thank you for all you do! Prayer homework for this week - Social Security/Medicaid. I found out this week that Social Security sat on Karla's application for 10 weeks before processing. Pam has enough leave time to cover the next month. After that one of us may have to quit work to be a full time care giver. As Pam makes twice what I do, and all of our insurance is through her, guess who that will be. I've always wanted to be a kept man!

That's it for now, Keep those prayers coming!

Good evening all, Pam and I returned last evening from Atlanta where we have spent the past week in "family training". Essentially what that is us living with Karla in a 2 room apartment inside the Shepherd Center ABI medical ward. They basically shut the door and said "call us if you need us". We did, and we did. We learned how to administer her drug regimen, tube feeding, care for her "G" tube (where the drugs go in), and her "J" tube (where the food supplement goes in). We learned how to continue her physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. We learned all about using a Hoyer Lift (it's the same as we used to use to pull a car engine), and a transfer board which is much more labor intensive. Don't get me started on wheel chair maintenance and repair.

As she is not able to shift in bed she must be manually shifted every 3 hours during the night. Depending on how our backs are holding up this is usually a 2 man job. She also has drugs administered during the night. Because she cannot use her lower body she wears adult diapers. Think back to when your children were small. Now imagine them 5' tall and 100 pounds. Again, a 2 man job. Say good by to a full night sleep. Our new life will require the planning and precision of a Seal Team operation. For example, allow 2 hours and 2 people for a shower. Add an hour each way to any local trip.

However, there were some positive medical advancements. Karla has been NPO - not even ice chips for about a month. She has had 3 tubes and bags for about 2 months. While we were there her chewing and swallowing improved to the point that on our last full day there we ALL had a burger and fries. When we left on Saturday she was down to 1 tube and that should be removed early next week.

The good news is that Karla is still scheduled to be discharged from Shepherd Center on Tuesday, June 12. The bad news is that her initial medicine suppy cost is going to be between $2,600.00 and $3,000.00. They are still modifying the drug list. That money is due before she is released on Tuesday. That will also be her monthly expense. Until medicaid kicks in, it is up to us

We bring her home on 12 June. Give us a chance to settle her in and she will start having visitors.
That's it for now, keep those prayers coming!
We appreciate all of you!

Good Morning all, Karla was moved out of ICU yesterday afternoon. YEA!! On Sunday she phoned us to tell us that she loves and misses us! She then phoned her children with the same message. Karla is back in her old room, 230. But she is in bed "A" not "B" as before. Her lungs are clear but she still cannot tolerate any thing in her stomach. That all being said, she is very much better. The therapy(s) are beginning all over from scratch due to her weakened condition. We do not anticipate any Atlanta visits until month end, subject to change and revision with out notice.

On a separate note, I received a call from Kris (our son) Sunday afternoon. He is in the field somewhere in Korea but cannot tell us where or what he is doing. He did say that he is scheduled to rotate home in September. That's the first that we have heard from him in well over a month so we have been a bit concerned.

So all in all it has been a good four days. We take them as they come.
Keep those prayers coming!

Good evening all, Time for a Karla update. Karla moves incrementally forward daily. Pam is home for now and we call Shepherd Center every other day. We had the opportunity to speak with Karla on Friday and she sounded great! Her voice is becoming stronger and her speech is more clear. She still speaks in sentences of 3 or 4 words but she is able to follow the conversation. Her processing time is slow but getting better. She is eating finely chopped food rather than that puree crap so she is eating better. That's the good. Here's the other.

Still no movement on her left side. Her right leg developed a large calcium build up at the break causing extreme pain when she tries to stand. The bottom line is that she has no legs, and no left arm......yet. So she is not able to assist getting on to a toilet or into a car. It is impossible for us to accomplish either of those tasks with out her help. So.......she is wearing depends and we have transportation issues. Karla is scheduled to be released to out patient treatment IN ATLANTA on 9May and will be there 6-8 weeks. We have secured Pam and Karla a place to stay so at least that part is handled.

BUT............ I spoke with Shepherd Center in Atlanta this past Wednesday. During that call we were hit with a number of new financial challenges, one big one with a very narrow window of response. We have to have a wheel chair accessible van in place prior to 4 May, 2012. I mailed a deposit check for one Friday. We'll see if the bank thinks I can afford it. Originally Shepherd Center was going to provide us a van to use while Karla is in out patient treatment. That is no longer the case. I checked into renting one for the 2 months that Pam and Karla are in Atlanta. Wheelchair van rental is $250.00 per day. That is not a typo, $250.00 each day. I'm in the wrong business. So renting one is not part of our contingency plan. Wait, do we have a contingency plan? What, take all the fun out of this? Heck No! Let's just wing it!

We also have a number of home modifications to accomplish in a relatively short period of time. Yesterday a church group built a wheel chair ramp for us AT NO COST! That saved us around $1,500.00. Thank you Lutherans!! Friday evening I met with a contractor with whom I have a relationship. He is working up a cost and promises to work for expences only provided that I don't help. I think there's a slap there but I am not sure.

Boys and Girls, for the past 3 months we have been hemorrhaging cash. To be blunt, we are now flat broke. As I don't buy lottery tickets and therefore have zero chance of winning, I have no option but to go back to the weekend medical courier service to generate a second income. I hate it. I am not eager to go back to a 7 day work week, but to quote the Duke "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do".

So here is your home work. Pray specifically for:

Karla's legs to work Or If not both legs, then at least one so she can go potty by herself and we can get her into the Ford Escape. Or If neither of those, then that we find a benefactor with deep pockets, a kind heart, and no short term memory.

I understand that everything happens for a reason but I'll be dipped in chocolate if I know what it is. Pam and I are exhausted physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We are very discouraged but will continue to press on. What choice is there? Please pray for us to find some relief. Or Valium. Either Or.