Day 902 - Nov 17, 2010

It's unbelievable how much you can get done when you can't go anywhere. Because we couldn't go to therapy or any other appointments, I was able to make a zillion phone calls today and accomplish a ton of stuff. Yahoo!

The car was also finally fixed late this afternoon and lucky for us they had a shuttle that came and picked us up. It's a good thing too, because we have a bunch of things to do tomorrow.

I also decided to take that townhouse. The location is great for us and the price is less than we are paying now. The most important part though is that there is no elevator. The realtor came up with a couple more homes to see, but they were larger and more expensive so I just decided to forgo looking at them and go for it. I don't really want to wait because it would require us staying here another month and a half and I just don't feel good putting Kevin in a potentially harmful situation any longer than necessary.

So, it's time to start packing. Again. Anybody wanna help? LOL.

Day 901 - Nov 16, 2010

Today has just been a mostly crappy day. Do you remember how last November we got a flat tire? Umm...yeah. I think I am going to refuse to drive anywhere next November.

So we were coming back from looking at the house for rent, cruising along at about 70ish or so on the highway and we heard this really loud noise coming from the back. I looked at Kevin...he looked at me...and then he pantomimed his wheelchair, thinking that it must have shifted in the trunk. Honestly, I would have never known we had a flat until I saw the dash telling me I had zero pressure in the passenger rear tire and needed to get air immediately. The car wasn't driving any differently than it had been. Strange, huh? (for all you motor heads out there - could this be because the tires are high performance?)

So we veered over to the shoulder and within a few minutes Johnny texted me and said he was out of school early and was on his way. This was perfect as he would be driving right past us and I called him to have him stop and pick Kevin up and take him home. I had already notified OnStar to send someone and the mechanic called me a while later and asked me to look in the trunk and see if there was a spare. You would think there would be, right? Isn't it standard to include a spare in the trunk when you purchase a new car? Ummm...apparently freakin' not. There was a spare battery, but who would ever even look for one of those?

So the mechanic wasn't able to tow and after close to 45 minutes passing already, I now had to send for a tow truck. You had to know that it was rush hour by then too, right? Yep. It took almost another hour and a half for the tow truck to get there.

So I made it home. The car was towed and I guess I have to call in the morning and have the garage do the necessary work. I have absolutely no idea how to get to the car once it's done, but I'll figure it out. A cab, I guess.

And then I came home and Dancing With the Stars didn't tape! Man! That was just the icing on the cake.

But, I did like the townhouse we went to today. I'm not sure about having to run up and down the steps when Kevin calls me at night though, but it still was really nice. I'm too tired to think about it tonight though.

I'm just going to bed 'cause it's been a long, long day.

Day 900 - Nov 15, 2010

Today, for the first time, I left Kevin at therapy and went off on my own. Most of the time I spend the whole time sitting on the curb talking on the phone, but since we are up to three hours straight now I figured I had enough time to take a drive around the area looking for homes for rent.

Since I can't get a response from the apt complex we now live in on moving us into one of the homes attached to the complex, I think we may just have to go elsewhere. I can't stand the thought of moving again, but we just can't live this way. The fact that they won't fix the elevator unless it's during normal business hours just isn't acceptable to me.

So tomorrow we have an appt to look at a home that will actually be closer to Breezy. Right now we are a half hour apart and that's when there's no traffic. It's always over an hour at rush hour and this place is probably only about 10 minutes or so from her at the best times. Let's hope it works out. The man I spoke with couldn't remember if there is a walk in shower or not and that is a must for us. Keep your fingers crossed...

Day 899 - Nov 14, 2010

We don't typically do much on the weekends and we stuck true to form today. We did go for a drive as I wanted to get Kevin out of the house, but that's about it. Because I don't really have much to say, I am just going to answer a few questions:

Pattie - The all-nighter was mostly a fluke. He is sleeping a little bit now, but nothing like that one night.

One thing I keep forgetting to mention is that his pain level has been vastly reduced due to the Aleve he is now taking. Today he only took pain meds twice, but it's been about 4 times a day since we started him on it last week. Since we were up to sometimes 12 times a day - we are ecstatic with 4 times!

Aggie and Jocelyn - can't wait to talk to you guys on the phone. Joc - I know you have called a couple of times, but Kevin is still child-like when it comes to me talking on the phone so the time has to be right. Today we weren't home, but I will try to talk to you both this week.

Karen - ask me again about that app in a week or so. His new speech therapist is working with him on the one app that is a lot like the one you have discussed. It may not be necessary for you to make some phone calls. Hope life starts settling down for you soon.

Hallie - how is your husband doing?

Aly - Kevin wants to adopt Anyka! So do I! Let us know if you ever need a sitter, lol! That girl holds a very special place in our hearts.

Well, I guess I better get to bed. I'm wide awake, but I'm gonna try to sleep anyway...

Day 898 - Nov 13, 2010

Kevin and I didn't really do much today so I am going to skip writing.

Day 897 - Nov 12, 2010

My parents went home this afternoon. Kevin hated it that they left and tried to get them to stay. It was such a bittersweet moment as we pulled away from the airport because it was sad to see them go, but as we were driving off, Kevin leaned out the window and screamed "I love you, grandma. I love you, Pap.". I started tearing all up and he just got all quiet. I doubt my parents heard him because it was so loud there, but it was just so amazing to hear Kevin say those words so fluently.

Really, he is just learning so many words. And he will now be starting to have speech 3 times a week so I expect an even more rapid build of his vocabulary.

And speaking of therapy - can you believe that Kevin handled all three therapies in a row today? Yes. Three hours straight of therapy. Can you guys remember when we first discharged from the hospital and we had to drive to therapy three times a day? We would drive 20 minutes down, do a half hour or so of PT, drive home so Kevin could rest due to overstimulation, then drive back for OT and back home for another rest and then one more trip for 15 mins or so of speech and finally our last drive home. It was so exhausting and it just reminds us of exactly how far Kevin has come. He was never able to do more than 30 minutes of each therapy - usually a lot less than that and now he does three hours straight. Amazing, huh?

And still speaking of therapy, I discussed Vision Therapy with a doc from the VA today. I am curious if other parts of Kevin are starting to work because his brain is still rewiring (we have seen DEFINITE improvements in his right arm/hand), couldn't some/all of his vision possibly return too? I know that it takes working these body parts to remind his brain that he has them so I want to look into getting him into some sort of vision rehab. His brain just needs to remember that he CAN see peripherally to the right. There is absolutely nothing wrong with his eyes - it's just that his brain can't process what is sees on that side.

So hopefully we can get that rolling. And soon.

Day 896 - Nov 11, 2010

If you can believe it - Kevin slept ALL NIGHT last night!!! I can't recall when he actually fell asleep, but I believe it was before midnight and I didn't get a call until 6:30 this morning (and even then it wasn't for pain meds)!

We started him on Aleve because the Ibuprofen wasn't working any longer and I realize it could be a fluke, but he did take a good dose before going to sleep. He didn't need any pain medication from 9pm last night until 9am this morning. Fantastic!!!

And better yet, he only took pain meds 4 times today (our days run from midnight to 11:59pm)!!!

We are hoping that as the doses build up in his system it may take care of the pain totally. Wouldn't that be so wonderful?

And tonight Kevin and Johnny went to a movie. My mom, dad, Breezy and I spent the evening making the hard tack candy both Breezy and my niece have been craving and it was such fun to do that together. And then we all had a nice dinner together because my parents are going home tomorrow. They are hoping to be able to come back when Breezy has the baby, but we'll see...

And to end this post - thanks to everyone for wishing Kevin a Happy Veterans Day! He is so my hero!

Day 895 - Nov 10, 2010

Kevin had physical and speech therapies today. It was the first time he had speech at the same place where he goes to OT and PT at and I really liked how this therapist worked with him. She spent more than an hour asking him all types of questions and he did fantastic!

I spent quite a bit of time making phone calls this morning to get information on what can be done on this elevator/apartment situation. Between the ADA, the PVA, the Fair Housing Act and many others, I am thinking it might just be best to call the investigative news channel here in SA and see if they can do anything. All of the other options are going to take weeks (if not months) to see any results and I also worry about an emergency and needing to evacuate Kevin and the elevator being down.

So after therapy, we ran my parents over to Breezy's and her and Chris took them out for dinner. Johnny met us there and picked up Kevin and the two of them went off looking for trouble and I was all by myself for hours. I drove around for a while, picked up some candy flavorings as my daughter is craving Hard Tack Candy and then I went home and did nothing. I really wanted to go out and do something, but have no idea what to do. It was dark by the time I got near home so going to a park was out of the question. Oh well...I did get to talk to Moe today and it's been a LONG time since I did that so that was great!

And that's pretty much it for today.

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO HONOR THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED, BOTH PAST AND PRESENT, ON THIS VETERAN'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 894 - Nov 9, 2010

Today we took my parents and went to the Tea Garden. I wanted to get some photos before they left on Friday and that we did. Both Kevin and I truly love that place. My Mom did too, but it's just such a struggle for Dad to get around. Here are a few pics though:







After we left, we went to dinner and then we came home only to find that the elevator was broken again. Because Kevin had climbed so many stairs at the garden, he just couldn't manage climbing 4 flights of them to get to the apartment. I have no idea how my dad did it, but he did, however, I had to call 911 and have them carry Kevin up the steps. Here's a photo:



Kevin handled it really well, but it infuriated me and I am taking care of it tomorrow. Again. I am taking it to the top this time though as they refused to fix it tonight and are waiting until tomorrow. Totally not acceptable to me. I can't begin to tell you how much I hate this apartment complex...

But we did have a good day and I can say that Kevin is doing very well having company in the apartment. I was worried about it as it's so small compared to his house, but he is managing quite well. Leaps and bounds, eh?

Day 893 - Nov 8, 2010

Mom, Kevin, Johnny and I went to the comedy show tonight as planned. Of course Breezy was there too as she is on the Humor For Heroes committee. It was a really fun time, but I don't think Kevin will go back. He did make it through the whole show, but he never does well with a lot of talking and we all know how fast and talkative comedians are.

And we did go to the doctor's today about Kevin's pain management, but I don't think a real enough change was made. I am going to call the doc again tomorrow and discuss it further. He did mention the TMJ again and we are looking into the dentist's report to see if a proper scan was done of the alignment of Kevin's jaw. It does make sense if his jaw is out of whack being that he landed on the side of his head/face during the blast. Hopefully we will have an answer on this soon.

I am going to just answer a few comments tonight as there are so many in my inbox.

Michelle Long - we have no idea how long we will be in Texas. We never 'really' make plans because nothing ever goes the way it should so we just basically ride the wave. I can say it will be at least up through March or so (at least I think so).

Desert Crone - Kevin's right hand isn't bandaged, it's a cloth 'brace' of sorts, that keeps his hand from being clenched so tightly. We forgot to bring it when we came to TX and have been rolling up a washcloth every night to put in his palm. We found it while back in FL and he is back to using it now.

GrannieEv - Kev is on a sinus medication already. A while back he was always grabbing the bridge of his nose frequently and we put him on Zyrtec then. According to his CT Scans his sinuses are clear, so it must be working. Also - I laughed hysterically at the card you sent. And I agree with what you said totally. I meant to email you, but never got to it - sorry!

Miss Em - I don't think Kevin asked for a ride on a bike because I don't think he could actually get on one. His good leg would be the only one that would be able to bend enough to get over the seat, but his bad leg would never hold him up long enough to do so. Truthfully, I'm not so sure he could balance on one either with him being 'paralyzed' on his right side. He has none/or very little feeling on that side in all areas and it would be so dangerous, I think. Of course, I could totally be wrong, and I'm sure we'll find out someday, lol. He is quite the daredevil, eh?

Ok, I know there are plenty more, but I am beat and want to just relax for a bit.

Day 892 - Nov 7, 2010

I am so anxious to take Kevin to the doctor's tomorrow. His pain is so extreme at times and today alone he was medicated about 11 times - way too much if you ask me.

We didn't really do anything much today though, so I am going to sign off early. We are just enjoying having my parents here, but we are limited in what we can do because Dad can't get around very well.

Tomorrow night we are planning to go to a comedy show for wounded warriors. Dad's not sure he's going, but he says he doesn't mind staying home alone if need be. I just hope Kevin has a good time. You never know with these kinds of things...

Day 891 - Nov 6, 2010

I can't believe I forgot to tell you guys last night, but I finally heard back on my latest audit. Let's just say Leslie: 1, VA: 0. Yep - it passed!! An apology from Ms. Lewis sure would be nice, but I can lay odds it will never happen. So now I have a couple month break before having to do another one.

And going back to yesterday, our flight was fantastic. Thanks to Veteran's Airlift Command once again for flying us all to TX and a special "thank you" to Sara our flight attendant who was so nice and made the trip so enjoyable. Here are some photos of her with us and one of her and her husband, Chip, with Kevin:





What was really cool was how Sara was an avid skateboarder. Her and Kevin hit it off immediately! We love you, Sara!!

And you had to know that just a few minutes after I posted the blog last night, Kevin woke back up. So much for going to bed early, lol.

And then today we had Mary and her granddaughter over for dinner. I wanted Mary to meet my parents while they are here. And Kevin and Anika (sp) had a blast playing 'Angry Birds' on the iPad. Here are a couple of pics of the two of them:




She is just the sweetest little thing! And what fun they had!

Day 890 - Nov 5, 2010

I am just so tired from traveling today that I am going to skip and go to bed. Everyone is already asleep here and it's only 11:15 and I want to join in the fun. An early night would be nice anyway.

I have pics to show you tomorrow of our wonderful pilot and stewardess. It was a great flight and Kevin and I had a great time talking to both Sara and Chip.

Day 889 - Nov 4, 2010

We had a huge dinner tonight and said goodbye to our family and friends. We are leaving the house around noon tomorrow and flying out a couple hours later.

I think Kevin needs a truck to take everything back to TX that he wants to take, lol. I know how hard it is though to always be away from things that make you feel like you are home, so I am trying to give him some leeway. I packed light coming thinking this was going to happen so it should be ok.

And that's pretty much it for today. I made a bunch of phone calls in preparation of our trip home so that all of Kevin's appointments and therapies are all lined up already. Gotta stay one step ahead of the game...

Day 888 - Nov 3, 2010

We got to see Parshall and her kids today! We had them come down to the house and go swimming and I wish I had taken a picture of Kevin's face when he was walking to the door to answer it. He was just so excited! He just misses her so much; matter of fact - he talks about her all the time.

So here are some pics of Kev and her family:






And I am so mad at myself tonight because the folks at East Coast Pizza gave Kevin a gift card and a free pizza and when we went over tonight to pick it all up I took a photo of the gang with Kevin and the settings on my camera were wonky and the photo didn't turn out (talk about a run-on sentence, geesh). Darnit! Here is my very sorry attempt at fixing the picture:



So disappointing...

And in other disappointing news...it looks like we will be heading back to Texas on Friday. Veteran's Airlift Command is going to fly us back again this time and they also told us we could bring my parents if we wanted to. Dad called his oncologist today and was given the go-ahead so they are going to visit us for a week or so.

We just can't get a handle on Kevin's pain. I don't know if it's due to the humidity here or if it's just because of the detox or goodness knows what else, but we have to go back and figure it out. He is having some good moments, but he is really struggling with it and it's just so hard to watch. My heart just breaks for him.

So we will head back on Friday and see the doc on Monday (I think). I sure hope so anyway.

Day 887 - Nov 2, 2010

I am going to skip tonight as my internet connection just isn't working all that well. I'm just hoping I can get this to post as I have been trying off an on for a while now.

Day 886 - Nov 1, 2010

We had a kinda slow day today, but it was much needed. Kevin took a couple of naps and I am glad as he hasn't been sleeping at all since we got here - even worse than normal. I feel bad though because it's also keeping my parents up all night long. I try to keep my phone volume as low as I can, but it has to be up some in order for me to hear Kevin call me. I think we are going to have to leave pretty quickly.

We did go down and visit the place where he went for therapy previously, but the receptionist was off sick today and the therapists he used to have have all left for greener pastures. Kevin was so disappointed.

We have a few people we really want to see while here, but if Kevin doesn't feel better asap we aren't going to be able to. I am going to try to do as much as possible tomorrow, just in case.

Day 885 - Oct 31, 2010

Breezy, Chris and Anthony all went back to their homes today. It will be a whole different ballgame with the three of them gone and we will miss all the fun times.

But we still had a great day today. Our neighbors came over for wings before the Halloween festivities began and then everyone got ready to either trick-or-treat or hand out candy. Kevin and I opted to sit outside and hand out candy with my mom and a couple of our neighbors that came over and sat there with us. We all know Kevin loves kids and he really had a blast as he sat there in his Bob Marley hat. He was in fine form tonight too, lol.

Tomorrow we have some visiting to do. It was such a hectic weekend with everyone here that we didn't get much done, but we do plan to begin making the rounds tomorrow. We aren't going to be able to stay too much longer because Kevin must get back to Texas to get this pain taken care of. He also needs to get back to therapy as he is really moving that hand and arm much more than he could a few months ago. And I am excited to say that his speech therapy finally got approved right before we left, so we can get that started again too.

And now I really need to try to get some sleep. Kevin's been calling pretty regularly the last couple of hours though, so I doubt it's gonna happen...

Day 884 - Oct 30, 2010

We had a very lazy day today. I mostly slept all day while everyone else handled Kevin's needs and I guess they all just swam and had fun. Tonight we all played a rowdy game of UNO which lasted forever, but was a blast.

I am going to sign off early tonight though, because there really isn't much to say.

Day 883 - Oct 29, 2010

We had a most wonderful day today. The WHOLE family went to the beach and spent hours just lying in the sun and swimming in the ocean (even my dad who hasn't went to the beach in thirty years!). We all had a blast. The water was just perfect. The sun was just perfect. And the company was just perfect.

I can honestly say that I probably haven't been that relaxed since May 31 of '08 - the day Kevin was wounded. Kevin did fantastic and even when he didn't want to swim anymore he just pulled out his iPad and played his games. Nobody wanted to leave, but we had to as the kids all had plans to go out this evening.

And that they did. Kevin, Breezy, Chris, Anthony and my sis Kim, all went out and they didn't get home until almost 2am. From what I gather Kevin sang Karaoke and danced quite often. I believe he even shot a game of pool. I thought about going, but I really wanted Kevin to go out without me being there so I opted to stay home and I just watched tv all night long. Total mindless fun. All by myself even.

And I am going to end the post with a bunch of pics from the beach.