May 18th - I've been a bad blogger

Wow - Can't believe that I have been away from this for so long (Is it really 6 weeks) We are all just getting better!!! It has been 6 months (+ a few days) since everything came crashing down and look how far we have come!!! It has with out a doubt been the hardest 6 months of my life but things are all going in the right direction.

Kristi is back riding a little and working at going back to school in September. She was just down in San Luis meeting with her counselor and mapping out what she needs to do to graduate. She is very determined - I (of course) am a little worried about her going back there.

She is riding again - playing around on cutting horses - something that she has never done before but having a good time with it. She recently cut her first cow, feel off. Worried everyone that she might have been hurt - but in her usual style she brushed it off and got back on. Also trotting around on her horse Storm plus working with a few little pones. Since she still only weights a little bit of nothing she is the perfect person to work the little guys. She is bummed because most of her hair has fallen out but it is already growing back. This is something that has just happened recently but is not unexpected given how sick she was and all of the crazy drugs she was on.

She continues to work at getting stronger but is really struggeling to gain weight but we are going to try a nutritionist. She is going to take some classes this summer to get her mind going again. She still goes to Physical therapy an hand therapy 2x per week. Her hand is really coming along and though she doesn't have full use yet, she has regained most, if not all of the feeling. Still struggling with the right foot - it is still numb but she says that the feeling is moving down. We were told that it will take up to two years to get this back. Even if she doesn't, she just has a little limp but she can ski and ride horses too- so accoring to Kristi it doesn't really matter.

So...we just keep working, praying and moving forward. We thank God every day for where we are and that we still have our family in tact!!! We are so very blessed! I also think of all of you, and silently thank you too!

I do have one more favor to ask - Do any of you know anyone that could help Kristi get on the show "What Not To Wear" We have decided that she could use a little help in that department. Skinny, in need of a new hair style and look at those outfits - don't you think that they will bite on that one. (HEHEHE)

Love you all! Jayme

To long since my last blog

My apologies for not having visited lately. It is so inept to say that we are busy (rude too, who isn't!) Needless to say we are all working hard - Kristi, Mark and myself too-to get our rythem back. I am trying to get my head back around work and also get Krisit to all of her appointments and activities. (I had forgotten what is was like when our children didn't have driver licenses) Very time consuming at best!!! She has been having 9+ appointments a week but as of Monday we will go to 4 and then it is up to us to suppliment treatment with other healing activities.

Kristi is doing amazingly well - if you need to see a miricle just come visit! We had this great appointmnt last week with a new doctor and she told Kristi that she expected her to have a full recovery. She described her as a lightening bolt. (How quickly she is improving) Now... a full recovery does not mean that all will be the same for her - she will most likely have some short term memory and focus issues that she will have to learn to navigate but there are so many good tools out there. Also, still no feeling in her right foot and lower leg but I saw her ride the other day and you would never know that anything happened; she may have to take up dressage but she is riding. etting on is the hardest part. As of today -not strong enough to jump. DA!!! She has only been out of a wheel chair for 5-6 weeks but she is riding, one of her big goals!She tells me she will be trooting "XXs" very soon

Her pain, thankfully, is much better! She jokingly told me that she wants to try and ski this weekend - joking aside, I know that she is not. Call me a helicopter parent but I won't be available to drive her. (hehe). Her therapists already think that I let her do but to much and am crazy to let her ride but it is so good for her soul what can I say.

BAH... I don't beleive that I should tell her what she can't do and she is determined to do it all!!!

She did walk 1/2 mile the other day, it may not seem like much but it really was. Unfortunately, her feet are so skinny and have no padding that they really hurt her today and she had to lay low. Have you ever heard of your feet getting so thin that there is no padding for your bones? We are working hard to get some weight on her. We had a Dr appointment last week (different Doctor), ran lots of tests and her blood chemistry appears normal so she just needs to eat more. Easier said than done; after not eating for so long her stomach has shrunk so her meal size is really small.

Kristi - if you read this -three servings of ice cream a day! Who ever thought that putting weight on, or in this case, just not losing it, would be so difficult?

She has also been going to Pilate's which she loves. We all recognize how much atrophy our muscles have when they go unused but I never realized how stiff you can get. Pilate's is great because it works both strength and stretching. She says that she can feel her body working to compensate for the weakness and the lack of feeling.

Kristi is doing so well!!! Lots of work still ahead of us - they say two years- but we are giddy with joy knowing that we have dodged a bullet. We went to San Luis last weekend and had a great time. We visted the hospital and all of the loving people that took such good care of Krisit; it was joyous!!! Also, it was wonderful to see those that became our great friends and took care of not only Krisit, but all of her family!! Their love and caring will never be forgotten.

What a journey we have made - the world seems a little brighter and we are all OK!!!
WE MADE IT -family in tact!
Love you all, Jayme

Sunday - March 21st

Its been three weeks and 2 days since Kristi came home from the hospital and a little over 4 and 1/2 months since she got sick. What a journey - today Kristi and I were talking about how far she has come - 1 month ago she was not walking; today she uses her cane but never her wheel chair or walker. She continues to struggle with intense pain but that too seems to be lessening and the doctors tell us that as she continues to get stronger the pain should settle down.

As of yesterday she added on more therapy - Hep pa-therapy; yes she went for ride yesterday. A fat little pony, quit lazy, walked her around on a lunge line. A double edged sword but this ride was for her soul and to help her build strength, especially her core. She was exhausted afterwards but left with her next "lesson" scheduled. She rode bareback with a vaulting pad that has handles instead of reigns and she was stronger than the therapist anticipated (even got to do a little sitting trot) She is still very weak but is getting stronger ever day. When she gets sad and frustrated I try to remind her where she has come from and that this is a process that you just have to muscle through. We have been told that it takes 3-4 days of work for every day that you spend in bed, to get back to where you were before. Yeep - that's a year but as hard as Kristi is working I will bet she is back sooner!

She is worried about her short-term memory but I have noticed improvement there as well. We work lots of Sudoku and cross-word puzzles together. She is going to take some summer school classes at the junior college up the street. This will give her an opportunity to test herself and get back in the groove. She will then decide whether to go back to school in September or January - either way, she is determined to go back and graduate.

All and all - we are "hanging" tough!!
Lots of love!
Jayme
PS - love your comments and I will respond to them directly.

March 16th

Mark has been giving me a little grief because I have not been very diligent about keeping all of you updated. The truth is these last few weeks have been emotionally draining, very exhausting and its been harder than usual for me to focus on the positives- it has definitely been a whirlwind! Not only does Kristi need full time care but she has 8 therapy appointments a week and at least one doctor appointment.She also started an "adaptive" swim program this week which she loves! It helps her manage her pain while making her strong. It feels like just managing her schedule is a full time job!

She is in intense pain and it is very disabling (we are working on some new strategies for managing)and she often wakes up crying 2 or more times a night. The Doctors tell her that as she gets stronger it should lessen but it may be something that she deals with all of her life. She has more cognitive issues, especially short term memory and attention deficits, than I had previously realized but we remain hopeful that it will improve. When I ask the medical staff what to expect in terms of improvement in this area, they are very vague and not necessarily very positive. (So many unknowns in brain injuries)She still has a great deal of weakness in both her right hand and lower leg and foot but she has a really great brace that helps her walk. Improvement in this area is also about 50/50 but in terms of statistics, Kristi continually beats the odds so I am betting on her!!!

Most of the time her spirits stay positive but she misses her friends and is pretty lonely up here - she doesn't have many relationships in this area as she never lived here. We are working on ways to get her involved in the community and she did go with her therapisttoday to enroll in the handicapped program at our local junior college. Due to budget cuts scheduling classes is very difficult but she will get priority this way. She just wants to take something fun and is very interested in cooking classes. I think that she will take a chocolate making class - maybe she will gain a few pounds too! Speaking of that, we are working hard at getting some weight on her; trying to hit 100 but so far I seem to be the only one feeling the effects of this. OPPS! OH WELL!

I'll try to write sooner - miss seeing all of you!!!
Love Jayme

March 3rd

Things jus't keep getting better! It's almost crazy how quickly her strength improves; we can measure Kristi's improvement daily. She started walking with a cane only on Thursday (just a few steps)and as of date both the wheelchair and walker have been parked. Her spirit remains strong and determined. You can see how far she has come - The first photo is the day she left the rehabilitation hospital, the second is the day she left ICU and the third is Christmas. Love to all Jayme

Sunday -Feb 28th

WE HAD A GREAT WEEKEND!!!! It was wonderful to finally have Kristi home. She is doing so well - mostly walking with a cane though she does get tired pretty easily. I love that we proved everyone at the rehab hospital wrong; they didn't think that she would be walking when she came home. We still have lots of work to do and tomorrow at 9AM we start with all of her new therapists. She will be working with a PT, OT and Speech Therapist (working on her short-term memory) on a daily basis. We are also going over tomorrow to sign her up for a modified swim program at the nearby college-needless to say, she is working really hard to regain her strength. She remains steadfast in her goals to return to school and graduate, hopefully in September and to ride again. She actually went to a horse show on Saturday to watch and visit a friend. I couldn't be prouder of her as she fights to get her life back -such an inspiring spirit she has!
Love to all - Jayme
PS - I have some great pictures and will try and get them up in the next few days.

Wednesday -Feb 24

CELEBRATE!!! Kristi is coming home on Friday - YAHOO!
Today she walked - climbed the stairs using only a cane. She is so excited to come home but also nervous; she gets sad and scared too when she thinks about her journey - where she has come from and where she still needs to go in order to get her life back. She has come so far but feels like she still has lots of work to do - she is afraid . BUT...I know that she will get there!!!
What a miricle that we are finally here.
Love you! Jayme