Pat's Progress

Great News!!!!! Pat is coming home!!!!!!!
If all goes well, he will be home this time next week. Though we are thrilled he is coming home we are asking everyone to give us time at home to adjust to our new lifestyle. To celebrate his homecoming we will be hosting an open house on October 27th 2pm to 7pm. We ask that you bring an appetizer to share and beverages.

In only a few more weeks and Pat should be coming home!!!!!!! It is hard to believe we are going on 8 months since the day of his accident and our lives changing forever. He is ready to come home and I’m ready to have him home. The medicine pump is working wonderfully and his spasms are just about gone. He has been working his shoulders and upper arms and slowly building up his strength. Once he is home he will still continue his therapy and keep up his strength training programs. The house is moving along and should be done by the end of next week. I can’t believe the difference when construction started my house looked like this and now it looks like this. There still is quite a bit to do, on the outside they need to finishing painting, put railings on the decks and landscape. On the inside they need to paint, do the finish electrical and plumbing. I will get all new pictures to show the exact before and after shots so you can really see the difference.

Pat had his surgery to implant the medicine pump this past Thursday and everything went well. We are already seeing a difference in his spasms, so it was worth it so far. He still has to heal up but he should be back to active therapy on Monday. The house is moving along and hopefully will be completed within the next couple of weeks. I have posted a couple new pictures, it has been a very busy time for us since we are getting close to release date so I haven’t been able to keep everything posted.

Just a quick note to update everyone that Pat will not be having his surgery until next week now. We are very disappointed but what can you do. The house is coming along, I think the new floor will be put in this weekend. I’m really looking forward to it and it is just one more step closer to getting the house done. We are hoping to have the house completed but the first week of Oct and to have Pat home then too.

Hi Everyone, sorry I haven’t written anything in awhile but not to much has changed. Pat has been a little bummed out his motorized chair hasn’t been working properly, we think the bugs are finally worked out. His surgery for the medication pump is finally scheduled for this coming Thursday and it will take a bit of time to get that regulated. The house is coming along but not quick enough for me. Keep your fingers crossed that it is done before Sept 30, because we are hoping to have Pat home by then and it it isn’t done then he can’t come home. As always thank you for all your support and I’ll do my best to keep everyone informed.

Not alot to report this week. Pat will not be having the medication pump implanted to either 9/13 or 9/20. We are alittle disappointed but not much we can do about it. His motorized wheelchair should be back from the shop next week so I should be able to get some pics of him in his “new wheels” , get ready to start modifing. The house is coming along all the big stuff is done now it is mostly details (A/C, heating, plumbing etc) that are not as easy to see. On a personal note my baby sister was married this past weekend and she was a beautiful bride and I have gained a nice brother-in-law. The cake was gorgeous made made by a friend of mine and Pat’s

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Pat’s test last week went extremely well! The surgery is going to be scheduled in the next week or two to put in the pump. Pat was extremely happy with the results and told the doc let’s do it and do it fast so I can get back to work so I can go home. The house is moving along please check the remodeling page for what is new. I will keep you informed of whats going on and as always many belssing to all of you for keeping us in your thoughts.

Well, Pat’s test was postpone til tomorrow but he still was not up to par this weekend and had to miss a great event put on by his Local. Local 51 hosted the Pat McNally Motorcycle Rally and the day was absolutely perfect with approximately 120 bikes. They left the hall about 10:45am heading out to the Coventry/Westerly area, the ride was about an 1 1/2 hour long . The riders all came back to the hall a little sunburned where we then enjoyed a cook out and I was able to meet and greet some of the brothers and their freinds that came out to support Pat. I apologize for not meeting everyone but a heart felt thank you goes out to all of you. I have posted some pictures in the blog here and there is also a link to my imagestation which has a bunch of pictures. If anyone has there own pics they would like to have posted please pass them along.

It’s been a tough week and this week isn’t going to be much better. Pat and I along with his doctors have decided to try new approach to his spasm medicine. We have decided to look into a baclofen pump, this is a pump that is inserted into his body and releases the medication directly into the spine. The reason we are looking into this is because Pat has extremely painful spasms, if you want to learn more check out this website regarding spasticity & muscle spasms (this website also has some very good information regarding spinal cord injury and how it relates to the body). The reason it has been a tough week is because we have started doing tests to see if Pat would be a good candidate for the procedure and that requires the administration of an intrathecal test dose of Baclofen. This is usually done via a lumbar puncture, and the patient is then monitored for a reduction of spasticity. If a reduction of spasticity is observed, then the patient is usually considered for the implantation of a pump. The biggest side effect is a migraine headache and unfortunately Pat has had one since the test was done. The test was conducted this past Thursday and the doctors want to administer another test dose this coming week so Pat may have another migraine to look forward to. If things go as planned then he will probably have surgery in the next week or two to have the pump implanted. The goal is to reduce his spasms and side effects (extreme drowsiness) from the oral spasm medication that he is taking. I will keep everyone up to date as we move along.

On a better note the house is moving along as scheduled and looking really nice. Please go to the remodel page and see the album and pictures.

It has been a busy week! The house is moving ahead, the framing has started (please check the remodeling page). Pat has recieved his new wheels both the power chair and manuel chair. I hope to have pics this weekend, they are still working some of the kinks out of the power chair.