New Photos/Ashley home for visit

Just a few pics of Ashley at her home visit 2 days ago..it was so great to have her home, even for a few hours..The first pic was taken on my cell phone. Her therapist had her transfer from her wheelchair to the couch..She said that she wished she could cross her legs, like she use to..Her dad said, 'well, let's do it..' And he positioned her legs and she said she felt 'normal'..she looks so good and her spirits are so great..In the second pic, Ashley is doing her pressure release exercises..The last photo is of our daughter, Jessica and her husband Stephan, with Dad preparing to make pancakes..

Ashley's Home Visit

Ashley came home yesterday morning for a 2 hr home visit evaluation..so excited to have her back home, even if it was only for 2 hrs..She also was thrilled to be here..didn't want to leave, but she knows that she has a little over 2 weeks of rehab and to continue to learn the skills she needs to be able to care for herself and lead a normal life..She was able to go everywhere in the house in her wheelchair, except for the bedroom and bathroom..which we are working on making the doors wider..She loves the kitchen because it is so big and open and she can reach everything and will be able to cook.. The one thing that happens to a person when they are wheelchair bound is the sense of uselessness...She feels like she won't be contributing to her and her boyfriend, as she use to work a full time job with overtime..I have told her over and over again that being a housewife and homemaker is a full time job and that is contributing..her boyfriend agrees..She is so happy to know that she will be cooking again...The one thing that they are trying to get her to do in rehab are 'wheelies' in her chair..it's the only thing that they have asked her to learn that she is balking at because it scares her..but they are working on it today..She continues to get stronger every day and we are so proud of her..Looking back at pictures at her first few days in rehab, remind me of how far she has come in just a month..even with the set back of the infections and 3 additional back surgeries..The first few days of rehab, we sat there watching her with her therapist, not having any 'balance' with tears in our eyes, because we knew how far she had to go..And also tears because we knew how hard she was trying..Now her balance is almost perfect and she has learned to do so much for herself..she still has so far to go, but I know that she will continue to get better and stronger every day...

Update on Ashley...

Wow..so much has happened since my last post..My computer went down during the last storm, so I had to have it fixed..not in a big hurry to do that since I have had no time to be on my computer anyway..lol..
Since my last post of Ashley's first few days at rehab, she got 3 infections..bladder, uti, and Mersa..which is a form of staff..the dr. at Methodist also had missed a staple in her lower back, when he took out all of her staples and the infection was seeping out of that area..She was so sick and they took her back to Methodist and had to re open her back and try to remove as much of the infection as they could and put in a pump and a black sponge to suck out the infection..she had to have her back reopened 2 more times and be on a heavy duty antibiotic, which she is still on..The poor girl has been thru the ringer, including being dropped by 2 RN's after the first surgery, when they tried to transfer her from her bed to the chair..That's a whole other story that I will get into at a later time..She had so many blood test that her veins continued to 'blow' that they had to put in a pic line, which was much easier on her, as they can just draw blood from there and also do her antibiotics..The 12 days that she was back at Methodist, was just a nightmare and we are so thankful that she is back at RHI, rehab, and is doing fantastic..She has learned to transfer herself from the chair to the bed, has been in and out of a car, that they have there, and onto a commode and on to an actual bed..they will also teach her how to get up off the floor in case she ever falls, which we all know she will..lol..as her step son was pushing her outside and went over a huge crack in the sidewalk and she came out of her wheelchair and landed on the pavement..which is another long story..but luckily she was fine..but we all laugh and tell her that we will need to get her some knee pads, and elblow pads and a helmet..Her spirit is good and her sense of humor is still as great as ever..
We have alot of things to do to our house, as she will be coming home on Oct 1st. She finally decided that it would be best to come here for a few months..So we are renovating our house with a deck and ramp and new sidewalk..The inside doors are all 28" doors and her wheelchair is 30"..so, we have to have someone come in and fix that problem..The 2 spare bedrooms that I used for my paint room and storage for my painted items have been cleaned out, (which took about a week, because I am a pack rat and have been painting the last 8 yrs and they were packed full..lol) We are going to put an archway in between the rooms, so she will have a small master suite..french doors going out to the deck..still have to figure out how to redo the bathroom so it is suitable for her..So much to do and time is running out..I am working my shift at work and another woman's shift and getting about 40 hrs of o.t. to help pay for all of this..and we have a church that is going to build the deck..and I'm hoping they will be able to do the inside work, if I pay for the materials..otherwise, I guess, I'll just take my circular saw and make my own door ways larger and the archway..hahahahaha..one way or another, it will get done..
We are still taking every day, one day at a time and remembering how thankful we are that Ashley is with us and getting better and stronger every day..I can't tell you all how happy I am that my daughter has the best sense of humor and we laugh together every day..I am so thankful that her personality is still the same and her determination is so great..I am so thankful for all of my 5 children..they are all strong and loving and have great determination..We are truly blessed..
I will say, that I did have a hard time cleaning out my paint room and putting all my paints away..I will paint again and that also keeps me going..my passion and love for painting is still there, it's just been put on hold for awhile..when Ashley does move out and starts her life with her boyfriend, then I will have a new painting room..a master suite, with french doors and a new deck..lol..
Ashley will be coming home to visit this Tuesday, along with her physical therapist, to do a home inspection..The therapist, Katie, will be able to give us advice on how to make the home suitable for Ashley..it will be so good for Ashley to be able to come home, even if it is just for a few hours..She's so tired of Drs, and nurses, and aids, ect always being in her room..she says that she just wants to be in 'her room' here and be able to 'be alone' and have peace and quiet..I can't wait for that day either..It's been a long 2 months..So until next time, thank you for your prayers and have a wonderful day..

Ashleys First Day at Rehab (RHI)

What a difference a few hours make...Ashley was transferred to RHI rehab at 1 pm today and it is a wonderful place..Nice, clean, airy and the staff are all smiling..Ashley's first request was to put on her regular street clothes, and her nikes, and get up in wheel chair and go outside..We were so surprized that they said 'of course'..So, that's what we did and to our amazement, Ashley handled sitting up in the wheelchair really well..most of the hour was spent without dizziness or nausea..the grounds are beautiful and we spent the time under a huge gazebo surrounded by roses and flowers..She couldn't believe how wonderful the air and flowers smelt after being in a hospital bed for 12 days..

The hard work starts tomorrow as her therapy begins and she is looking forward to the challenge and getting better and learning the skills she needs to live her life..Today is a great day!!

Ashley's Journey

The last 3 days have been pretty good for Ashley...She continues to get stronger and actually sat up on the side of the bed, with her back brace, for 15 minutes..it was so good to see her sitting up with her feet touching the floor..She still has alot of dizziness from lying in bed for the past 10 days, but the dizziness and feeling of being nausious are subsiding a little..We, along with the physical therapist were in front and back of her, just in case. But, she balanced herself, holding onto the bedrail with her left hand, all by herself..When we tried to help her, she said that she wanted to do it herself..that's my girl..independent as all get out..always has been and I'm growing to love that about her..she's a fighter..

Our goal is to get her to a fantastic rehab, closer to home, that specializes in spinal cord injuries..which, she is suppose to leave today, if the doctors can get her off of a strong narcotic pain killer, because the rehab will not be able to give it to her..They took her off of it yesterday afternoon and put her on ibuprophen...that was a large jump, but she took on the challenge and seems to be okay this morning..so we'll see..

I treated her to a spa day yesterday, washing her hair with real shampoo, not the 'no rinse', and my wonderful leave in conditioner, gave her a facial with my Neutrogena Microabrasion system, and she applied her own make up..She looked wonderful and felt more 'human'...Our daughter, Jess and her husband, a friend from work and her boyfriend were all up to see her and there was alot of laugher..it was a good day..

I have to add..she has such a loving, caring, and concerned boyfriend and we are blessed to have him in our family..He went to the store yesterday to get her new clothes and all her personables that she will need at rehab..He got everything on the list and the clothes he picked out were 'exactly' what she sent him for, even the sports bras and panties..he even knew her sizes..amazing..My husband just said, 'He's making me look bad'..lol..I also have to add that Ashley's boyfriends mother is a true treasure..I worked with her years ago at a nursing home and she is such a good person..she, too, has not left Ashley's side in the last 10 days, traveling well over 60 miles a day, one way, to be with Ashley..She has 2 sets of parents on that side that love her and have accepted her into the family with open arms..She is truly blessed..

So, now we wait and see how her pain managment goes today and wait on the go ahead for rehab..We have heard nothing but great things about this facility and staff and are anxious for the next step in her very long journey to recovery..She continues to have tingling from her upper thighs down to her toes, in both legs..2 nites ago she asked her boyfriend if her feet were covered and he said partially, 'why?' and she said because she thought she felt a cool breeze on her left foot..yesterday she got a wierd look on her face and kept looking at her right foot and said that it felt like something 'scraped against it, or 'thumped' her toe..all signs that 'may mean something' or 'may mean nothing', as the neuro surgeons put it..but we remain to be hopeful that they do indeed 'mean something'...we'll just have to wait and see..

I don't know where to start..Since my last post, our family has suffered 2 near fatal vehicle accidents..I say fatal, because if not by the grace of God, both accidents could of turned out far worse. The beginning of June, my husband and I had picked up his motorcycle from the shop, after receiving 2 new tires..It was a gorgeous, sunny day and we were on our way home, with me following behind him in the car..We live in the country, so we were taking a nice, untraveled road back home..I saw the lady standing in the yard with her large black dog jumping around her and started saying outloud, "Lady, please get a hold of your dog" over and over again. At the exact moment, the dog bolted and ran straight for my husband. I didn't panic at that time, as most dogs just run beside a bike or car and just bark and nip..This dog however, ran straight in front of the bike, sending the bike up and over the dog, with the bike going sideways in one direction and my husband up and over the bike in the opposite direction..rolling and tumbling on the asphalt into a ditch..I was terrified as I stopped the car and ran to him, as he was not moving as he lye in the ditch, but so relieved as I got to him that he was moving..Long story short, he suffered a dislocated shoulder, deep cuts and abrasions, road rash, and a broken toe..the bike was totalled and the dog died..The lady kept telling us that she was sorry and that they could never get their dog stopped from chasing cars and motorcycles..My question, to this day, if they knew this and heard and saw us coming, why in the world didn't she just reach down and grab her dog or have it on a leash..note to homeowners, even in the country, there are laws of keeping your animals, even in the country, confined with a leash or fence..Now with all this being said, I do believe that 'everything happens for a reason'..Which will now bring me to last Friday night, July 17th..We got a call from my daughter's boyfriends mother around 9 pm..My daughter, Ashley, had flipped her SUV on an exit ramp and was ejected into the air and had landed on her back and could not feel her legs and was rushed to the trauma hospital in Indianapolis..A parents worse night mare, we rushed to the hospital with our son and daughter-in-law to find that yes she was alive, and awake, but that her back was broke and her spinal cord severly damaged..and no, she could feel nothing from her waist down..The rest of that night and several days later are such a blur of emotions and xrays and drs. reports, ect...We held on to the fact that she was alive and had not been taken from us..After 8 days of being at the hospital constantly and sleeping in our car, she has had back surgery, fought off the threats of pnuemonia, is sitting in a chair for short periods of time, and has some tingling in both legs, starting at her thighs and going down to her toes..The specialists say that could be nothing or something and that we would have to wait and see..They have said from the beginning that her odds of walking again are very slim, but we all hold out for the possibility of one day and treasure each and every little blessing we receive each day..
My daughter, Ashley, is and always has been a Strong-Willed girl..since the age of 9, she has showed us that she will get things done, one way or another, whether we like it or not..Today, I am thankful for her determination and her spirit..She has asked several times, during the accident, 'why did this have to happen now', or 'I don't want to live my life in a wheelchair', but quickly gets over that to looking to the future and looking at wheelchairs online (pink, of course, with black trim) or looking into modifying a car to be able to drive again..We all just take it one day at a time and she charges ahead to the future and the best way to get there..She has so many wonderful friends and family support that have been by herside, around the clock, to help her physically, emotionally, and spiritually..
Now, to get back to 'everything happens for a reason'..Because my husband lost his job last year, and I had to go back to work full-time, his days will be free to help with our daughter when she gets out of rehab..We have the extra money in our account due to the motorcyle being totalled, it allowed us to have the money for the long trips back and forth to the hospital every day, and for me to be able to take time off of work, and for the things she may need when she leaves rehab.
We are not at the point yet that we 'know the reason' for this to happen to our daughter, but that will come when it's suppose to..For now, we are thankful that there was a nurse following Ashley that day and was first on the scene to help her..We are thankful that the first policeman on the scene was a family friend and was there to comfort her and take control. We are thankful that she was NOT wearing her seatbelt, in this instance, because if she had been, she would of been killed..because the top of the SUV on the drivers side was totally crushed down..We are thankful for the driver's side door coming open allowing her to eject from the vehicle instead of being trapped inside..We are thankful and grateful to one of her close friends, who went back to the crash site to look for her glasses and found them setting upon some tall grass..just setting there, unharmed and unbroken....one of those little blessings..We take one day at a time and know in our hearts and our souls that everything will be fine and every day will get better..We don't try to harness Ashley from looking to the future and getting things done, because that has always been 'her way' and for her, its the best way for her to get things done and get over the herdles that come into her life...I wish that we could all have that 'gift'...Blessing to you all...

High Winds in Indiana...

I was just telling my husband how much I loved my big beautiful tree in our front yard, and the very next day, whammy..lol...straitline winds came in the middle of the night and broke our tree down to the ground..and my poor husband was home alone, as I was working the overnight shift at work..He thought he was headed for Kansas, as he watched the cushions from our 3 seater swing fly across the patio and the swing fly into our small pond..There was no bad weather at my work, so I had no idea what he was facing at home..One of the newly installed wooden fence panels also came flying into the yard, toppling over the cement duck that he and our 2 grandchildren had just painted..I just sat there and almost cried when I saw the tree gone...how amazing that the wind could just bend this big beautiful tree and snap it like a twig..The good news is, my husband is fine and the tree missed our house by inches and it didn't do any damage to our plants and flowers as it landed in some flower beds..Our yard looks so opened up now..and bigger..I guess that's a plus..lol..