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Click date for details
December 23, 2008 >
- The first half of December found Joe back in the hospital. After a week or so of running high temperatures, Joe went to the ER and was admitted into the ICU. The issues were pneumonia, an MRSA infection, and Sepsis, which is an infection in the blood stream. After a week in the ICU Joe was transferred to a regular room and spent a total of fifteen days in the hospital. He is home now, however, getting ready for the holiday season.
- This caused us to get behind on our appointment with Assistive Technology from Baylor, but we are still working toward getting our hands on the voice activated computer system by March.
- The healing process for Joe’s pressure ulcer continues. It will not be gone by Christmas, perhaps in another few weeks. It is amazing that you can develop one of these in just a couple of hours, but it may take six months to heal.
- The van continues to work out well, and we are grateful for having it.
- Joe and Sue are working on writing appeals to Joe’s insurance company for coverage of durable medical devices such as a Hoyer Lift. At present the insurance company has not agreed to fund any durable medical devices.
- As a final note for the year our family wishes to express a sincere note of thanks for the support of friends and family who have helped us make it through the first six months of our new journey. Your support was crucial during the difficult times in 2008 and will continue to be in the future.
November 25, 2008 >
- We finally received our van, and it was worth the wait! It came with another gift, that of lower gas prices. Good thing, because it’s not exactly stingy on fuel. We have posted a couple of pictures of the van under the photo section under friends and family.
- We had a meeting with DARS where our work plan was accepted. Shortly after Thanksgiving, the Assistive Technology director from Baylor will be out to the house to write a specification for voice activated and environmental software. This should be submitted to Austin in December and we hope to have hardware and software by February.
- Joe’s pressure ulcer continues to heal, perhaps by Christmas it will be gone. The best solution to these things is clearly prevention, which we are trying very hard at. Joe also continues to fight various infections but so far nothing serious
- Sue and Joe recently attended the annual fundraising dinner for the Joey Wilkins Foundation. This is the organization that remodeled our bathroom and installed ramps to the house.
- It looks like Joe will be accepted for Social Security Disability and ultimately for Medicare. The important aspect of this is acceptance for Medicare.
October 15, 2008 >
- After working with wound care specialists at Baylor, Joe’s pressure ulcer appears to be doing better. It’s a slow process however and we have to take it day by day.
- Recently Joe had a cat scan to evaluate ongoing issues associated with a urinary tract infection. Nothing specific was found and Joe will probably have an out patient procedure at Baylor to further diagnose.
- The recent golf outing associated with the Southlake Lions Club proved to be a successful event!
- The wheel chair van is now scheduled to be ready by October 19th. We continue to have access to a loaner van which helps out a great deal.
- The recent golf outing associated with the Southlake Lions Club proved to be a successful event!
- It looks like our meeting with DARS will occur sometime in the next month. We will hopefully find out the status of the voice recognition software.
- It looks like our meeting with DARS will occur sometime in the next month. We will hopefully find out the status of the voice recognition software.
September 15, 2008 >
- The pressure ulcer has gotten worse and Joe will be visiting one of the top doctors at Baylor Rehabilitation this week for consultation.
- On Monday, September 22, the Lions Club of Southlake will be hosting their annual golf outing and proceeds from the sale of mulligans will benefit our SCI fund. Here’s hoping for a lot of needy golfers looking to legally improve their scores!
- On Saturday, September 20, a benefit was held by Plano neighbors at the Empire Room in downtown Dallas. It turned out to be a wonderful evening and was attended by many long time Plano friends, new friends from Grapevine and Southlake, and work friends and associates from Lennox, Titus/Air Systems Components, PCI Industries, and Ridley Insurance. Both the view and food were terrific and there were many great items for attendees to bid on during the silent auction. A special thanks goes out to Mike and Karen Secor, Karen McGuffie and all those who worked so hard to put on this fun and successful event.
- Discussions with DARS (Texas Department of Rehabilitative Services) were initiated and we now await their findings regarding funding of the voice activated computer system with environmental controls. We are presently working with DARS to speed this process along.
The next update will be in early October.
September 1, 2008 >
- The pressure sore has not healed as expected and Joe has been restricted to more bed rest, much to his dislike. Thank goodness for the Olympics, conventions, and books on tape!
- On Saturday evening September 20, family friends from Plano will be hosting a benefit which will be held at the Empire Room in downtown Dallas. The event runs from 7 to 11 pm and will feature cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a silent auction. Please RSVP by September 10th..
- Modifications to the van are taking longer than expected but in the interim we have been provided with a loaner van. While not suitable for travel over great distances, the van has been a huge blessing, allowing us to get out on an as needed basis. We now expect to take possession of the modified van by the end of September.
- Discussions with DARS (Texas Department of Rehabilitative Services) were initiated and we now await their findings regarding funding of the voice activated computer system with environmental controls. We are presently working with DARS to speed this process along.
August 16, 2008 >
- The stay at Baylor Grapevine turned out to be longer than expected. Doctors were able to get a handle on the blood clot issue but there was a urinary tract infection that we didn’t know Joe had. It turned out to be a fairly serious infection and caused the stay to run to 8 days.
- On August 9, Joe was able to return home for the second time since the accident. He was looking forward to getting into an established routine. It was not to be, however, as two days later we discovered evidence of pressure sores which can be a common problem among spinal cord patients. The presence of these required Joe to stay in bed around the clock but at least he is at home. Hopefully within the next week his pressure sores will be sufficiently under control so that Joe can get back into a wheel chair.
- On Monday September 22, the Southlake Lion’s Club will host their annual golf outing and revenue from the mulligan purchases will be directed to Joe’s SCI Fund. Joe will be sending invitations to this golf outing in the near future. Last year, proceeds from mulligan purchases were directed to a police officer from Southlake who was injured in the line of duty.
- Check out the pictures on Joe’s web site. You may be surprised to discover who all is there!
August 1, 2008 >
- On Friday July 25th, Joe was released from Baylor Rehab Center and was able to go home for the first time since his accident. It was a momentous day.
- During the first week at home, we worked on developing and implementing a daily schedule which would work for everyone’s situation. By the end of that week, we had gotten surprisingly efficient at handling a myriad of tasks associated with care for a quadriplegic.
- That first week, Joe was able to follow up with most of those who have shown us support in a variety of ways.
- Real Life Rehab began working with Joe on an in-home basis to help ease the transition from hospital to home living. They also taught us new and more effective ways of rehab for both physical and occupational therapy.
- Joe’s taste buds were reawakened following six weeks of assault by the bland offering of hospital food.
- We have been looking for a van/transportation but continue to encounter problems with the floor to ceiling height of the van relative to the height of the chair. With the help of friends in Plano, we were able to find a used van that should fit our needs. Following some modifications, we hope to take possession of the van in mid-August which should provide for a tremendous increase in mobility.
- On Friday, August 1st, the physical therapist from Real Life Rehab noticed signs of blood clots in Joe’s legs. After conferring with doctors from the Baylor Rehabilitation Center, it was decided that Joe should go to the ER to have this checked out. Blood clots as well as a urinary tract infection were revealed and Joe was admitted to Baylor Hospital in Grapevine. A three to five day is expected where upon Joe will once again be released home.
July 23, 2008 >
- Received new power wheelchair which was much better suited for driving control purposes. This chair will be the platform on which Joe’s’ custom chair will be based.
- WFAA (channel 8 Dallas) ran a story based on Joe’s letter to the editor of the Grapevine Courier. Following that broadcast, the jogger who originally found Joe got into contact with us. CW33 (channel 9 Dallas) ran a story about neighbors helping neighbors which featured all the assistance provided by AMBUCS and the Joey Wilkins Foundation and our neighbors and friends.
- AMBUCS agreed to provide ramps and a sidewalk in order to facilitate wheelchair access by Joe to our house.
- That same week, the Joey Wilkins Foundation agreed to remodel the master bath in our house in order to make it wheelchair accessible. They also widened certain doorways to permit wheelchair travel throughout the house.
July 8, 2008 >
- Transferred from Parkland Hospital to Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation
Spent four days on third floor recovering from infections and lung issues prior to being transferred to the fourth floor which is all spinal cord floor
- Began rehabilitation which primarily consists of physical and occupational therapy, attending classes related to caring for spinal cord injuries
- Received projected release date of July 18th
- Began working with various wheelchair technologies for best fit
- Introduced to a variety of adaptive technologies
Tested a voice activated computer software system by the name of Dragon. This software allows the user to type up to 165 words per minute by simply speaking to the computer. In the test case that I conducted there were no errors translating from voice command to the word document. In addition, Excel spreadsheets can also be developed utilizing the Dragon voice activated software.
Evaluated an environmental control package which interfaces with both the software and the wheelchair to turn on and off lights, control thermostat setpoint, access TV/radio/VCR and open and close doors.
Tested an automatic feeder system which allows the disabled person to feed themselves
- Evaluated through actual use, a variety of daily use equipment such as shower chairs, lift systems and manual wheelchair platforms. These are all devices which we will be using in our home every day following our release.
Health Status
- Began rehabilitation which primarily consists of physical and occupational therapy, attending classes related to caring for spinal cord injuries
- Underwent additional surgery on July 8th which was performed successfully and without complication.
- On July 10, the Occupational Therapist noticed some muscle contraction in both biceps. Following that the therapist began daily electrical stimulation of both these muscles.
- My spirits are high and the outpouring of support continues at a high level, all of which help us to keep a positive attitude of our situation.
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