My
two remaining difficulties from the initial injury were relating to
my muscular control and the
topical sensation to my skin. For the
longest time, I was dealing with a burning sensation multiple
times throughout
the day which was pretty nasty. I am happy to say that I do not experience
this burning sensation any longer! I believe it is a combination of
good old healing as well as a
change in my medication by adding an Eli
Lilly product called Cymbalta. Cymbalta works
predominantly for psychological
issues (kind of a next-generation Prozac) however it also is used
for
urinary incontinence, and in my case, neuropathy. It is actually focused
towards diabetic
neuropathy, however there are many similarities between
the difficulties I was having and the
significance of this drug. I cannot
even begin to express what a liberating feeling I have now
knowing that
each day I am so much more comfortable. I still have the tingling sensation,
so my
topical sensation is far from normal, but to be without the pain
is more than I ever knew would
come true.
I am no longer involved in any formal physical therapy. I have a home
program which has
unfortunately falling to the wayside throughout the
holidays. I have had multiple projects going on
as well as simple holiday
laziness, and I can definitely tell the difference in my general strength
and physical condition. I will be getting back down to the gym immediately.
That being said, most
of the muscle tone and various issues I have been
experiencing are more or less the same. To be
honest, I feel that my
hands have actually gotten worse overtime. I was able to record some
music (piano) live over spring break. Now, when I try to reproduce those
same songs, I have
difficulty making it all the way through the song
before my hands become very tight. It is difficult
for me to keep my
fingers stretched out and not end up with tight clenched fists. I'm working
on
that, and I'm not sure if it is a result of medication changes or
lack of exercise/stretching.
Life Update:
I'm a driving
man! Three weeks ago I worked with a company here in Indianapolis called
Crossroads Rehabilitation. I went through a fairly extensive evaluation
in the area of driving. It
began with various cognitive skills tests,
vision, general driving knowledge, correlations skills, etc..
Once completed,
I got into a simulator which allowed me to test my reaction time based
upon
pressing petals which correlated with lights and messages on a screen
in front of me. All said and
done, I was actually "quicker" than
the average driver... and while I am 100% confident in my
driving, I
thought that was a bit scary :-). Once the evaluation was complete, we
decided I
would best be suited with a spinner knob attached to the steering
wheel. I have no difficulties
with any part of driving other than the
strength it takes to make 90° turns left and right from a
stop. I
have found the spinner knob to be extremely helpful in these situations,
and I really do not
mind having in there. Two weeks ago, I scheduled
for a driving test at the local BMV here in
Brownsburg. This test was
pretty much flawless, so we placed the steering adaptation restriction
on my license and everything was completely legitimate from that point
on. I have already been
driving fairly regularly with Corri and really
do feel almost completely natural behind the wheel. It
feels good to
get that bit of independence back!
Music Update:
There was
a brief update placed several months ago (around spring break time
frame) relating
to
some music recording I did down in Panama City
Beach , Florida. Since then, I was never able to
get rid of "the
bug" to continue recording and having fun with my music. Approximately
three or
four months ago I simply jumped in and purchased all of the
equipment necessary to have the
enjoyment we had down in Florida in the
comfort of my own home! Since then, I've been doing my
best to teach
myself to use the recording software and learn about the software approach
in
general. I have purchased the hardware necessary to do this, a package
called Cubase which
does the recording and mixing, and a couple of software
packages which gives me real-life
orchestra sounds to place to my music.
I cannot even begin to tell you how much fun I have had
playing with
these new "toys". I was able to complete a CD to share with
my family for Christmas
and have it available for anybody who would like
to listen. I believe my sister is going to be
setting up a page dedicated
to the music, so I will spare the details for now. All I can say is that
it has been an incredible experience and has given me something to stay
VERY busy with for a
long time! My love and thanks to everyone who encouraged
me to do this.
since I took my full breath...
since finding true rest...
since feeling my best...
and as each day passes I wonder will I ever be the same?
Today marks one year...
that I've traveled uphill...
that I've tested my will...
that I've battled and still...
I have to question what drives me to even continue competing in this
game?
It's been one year...
and the doctors now say...
these conditions may stay...
all to my dismay...
and while I listen for promises, those are lies, and so nobody does.
I'm passing one year...
and I'm begging of time...
to slow down and be kind...
with no chance to rewind...
yet let's say that I could would I remember how to find the man I once
was?
I've gone on one year...
and the life I sustain...
now polluted with pain...
so few memories remain...
at least during times where I seem to forget it wasn't always this way.
Chalk up one year...
while my scars start to heal...
they remind me what's real...
but the anger I feel...
takes me to a place that I understand I don't have to stay.
In only one year...
I've accepted the task...
so few questions I've asked...
with no need for a mask...
I want you to see this face and know I'm prepared for war.
Just one more year...
is all I need...
some sites to see...
my thoughts to free...
and
come next year I'm sure I'll ask "one more?"
-Justin Stichnoth
many changes for the good and we can only hope for many more. Thank you to everyone
from around the world who has given my brother and familly your support and love.
Thank you so very much.
As many of you probably know, I have had a great concern related to a strange issue of not sweating.
I had developed a reputation at RHI for sweating profusely during my workouts, a common thing for
me before and after my injury. It was no surprise. However, after returning home, there seemed to be
a point in time where I just ceased to sweat. There seemed to be no explanation by any of my doctors
as the "common" occurrence would have been in the reverse order (not sweating at first and then
starting to sweat later).
Yesterday, a very
warm day, Corri and I did some yard work. I pushed myself to my limits
of exhaustion,
all the while we were taking my temperature
to ensure everything was safe. Unfortunately, and much to
my disappointment,
after almost 45 minutes of work and completing the entire backyard, I
had not raised
in temperature as much as even a 10th of a degree. I was
the exact same cool 97.7°. I continue drinking
water and pushing
myself, and as I began to notice moisture buildup on my hand, Corri came
over to lend
a hand and put her hand on my back. "Ohhh! Your back
is gross!" Beautiful words for me to hear. :-)
Not dripping heavily, but I was sweating.
I believe I have built up much more of a tolerance than I used to have,
as I would normally sweat just
thinking about mowing the lawn. My temperature
does not seem to raise as easily. Regardless, it appears
I will not have
to worry nearly as much in warm/hot conditions.
I have no idea if
this is new or old since we have not exactly "tested" this
aside from normal workouts.
Regardless, definitely good news.
Love to all,
Justin and Corri
The below is written by Justin -
For a couple
weeks prior to the Patients of the Year ceremony at RHI, I felt compelled
to stand up and say something.
I had no idea
what the format of this event would be, but simply figured if we were
given the opportunity... I had so
much to say. The problem was,
I had writer's block. :-) How do you some up into words what I feel...
this experience?
It came with great difficulty, but I never sit
down with the intention of writing. Instead, I wait until something moves
me
and then I write. For almost two weeks I kept telling
myself "you still haven't prepared anything!" Tuesday evening, the
night before the celebration, I still had nothing and
was
beginning to prepare myself that I would just need to look out at
all
of the other patients and see the unspoken "understanding" which we all had of each others' struggles and triumphs.
As I sat down for lunch Wednesday afternoon, I began to formulate some thoughts for what I might like to say and as I
sat down to
dictate... I didn't even need to think about it. The experience spoke for
me. I called my good friend Jim
Graham, the program MC,
and left a voice message that if he could spare a minute I had something
to say. If not, I
would
not be upset. Fortunately, he was
able to organize the program such that myself and one other patient or
able to
share
some of our thoughts. These were mine:
"It's amazing, in life, how things can change so easily in the blink of an
eye for better or for worse... but what an
opportunity. While it
goes without saying that I would give up a lot to go back to the morning
of July 17 and make some
changes... what an opportunity
his has been. Each one of us here has a story, and each one of us here
has many
victories
on a road to recovery. Each one of us
here have been surrounded by outstanding support, and have confronted
challenges
in the past and defeated them... all in
preparation for this opportunity... to show our true colors.
This experience has opened my eyes to what is possible and what we are truly made of. Everything had to come into
place
for me,
and it did. From a mother choosing not to panic, but rather to give her
son breath as long as it takes to
survive... to
a three-year-
old boy telling my sister not to worry, "Uncle J’s going to be OK." From there it was my turn.
In no way do I discount the help of others... without it, I certainly wouldn't be here today receiving such an honor.
However,
this has
been an opportunity for me to step up and be an example. People know
who I am... they know my
heart, but do we
truly know what
we are capable of until we are face-to-face with such a challenge? Me?
I knew I was
a lion. I knew I had
strength. I knew I had
courage, but this has been a test…a test of all of these things and a test of
my spirit.
We've all been tested. Because we are here today, I guess you could say we are at the head of the class. We all have a
different
spirit within us, and we all see life through a different set of lenses
now... which I feel is a gift. We see what's
behind a smile. We feel
what's encompassed within every embrace, and we understand the importance
and the
significance
of just one more breath. Can
you beat that?
So this is one of those days. I'm not going to stress about therapy, and I'm not going to worry myself with where I go
from
here. I'm
going to look at where I was in comparison to where I stand today, and
I stand proud... a 27-year-old
soldier of life.
I thank my wife
for her undying love, her trust, and her insurmountable passion to see
others succeed
at all costs. I thank my
family as my
foundation, the guides to my journey when I have lost faith that I am
moving
forward. I thank my friends for their
patience and for
the fact that through all of the metal and screws, and despite the
silly
walk... they never saw anything other
than "Justin." I thank
my fellow patients who have all gone to battle with me
in our efforts
to win the war. We all lean on each
other from time to time and it
is those that are strong that show others
the way. And finally, I thank
RHI... an institution that
gives wings. It is not your
responsibility to make miracles happen...
but you do. It is here that
we gain the tools and the
knowledge to succeed on our own. In
essence, we are all recent
graduates at a top-ranked Ivy League school
whose focus,
or major, is "life appreciation," and it sure
feels good to
graduate with a 4.0. Thank you."
~ Justin Stichnoth - 2004 Patients of the Year ceremony Wednesday April 13, 2005 ~
I have some more exciting news to share with all of you.
Last night when I got home, I opened a letter from RHI assuming it was
yet another somewhat depressing financial statement of some type. I
was pleasantly surprised to read the following:
Dear Mr. Stichnoth:
Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana takes pride in the many patient
success stories which occur every year within our organization. As we
enter our 13th year, we are pleased to announce our 2004 Patients of
the Year.
Congratulations! By the recommendation of the RHI staff that were
touched by your story, you have been recommended to be one of the
recipients of this honor. RHI invites you to join in celebration on
Wednesday, April 13, at 4 p.m. in RHI's Main Lobby (Shore Drive
location). Feel free to bring any mementos about your recovery with
you including photographs.
It is interesting to me, in some ways, to be receiving an award from an
organization that I feel deserves just the same. Then again, I am also
aware of how they do indeed receive these awards on an annual basis.
It goes without saying, that I am incredibly honored. It is by no
means the recognition that warms my heart at this point, but rather
throughout the situation I have very few moments that I am able to step
out of my body in spirit, take a look around, assess the situation, and
say to myself... "you're doing good, kid!" Most of the time, I am
simply putting my head down and staying with the attitude that this is
"all in a day's work". I simply realize that it is what I have to do,
and nothing more. On these few occasions, the other most likely being
the case study at Methodist hospital much earlier in my recovery, I get
to let my guard down, lift the focus of my eyes from the floor up to
the many faces that I have impacted and that have impacted me
throughout this ordeal. I very much look forward to it.
That being said, I have only a small number of guests that can come
with me. I am sorry that I cannot bring each and every one of you, as I most
definitely would if I could. I just wanted everyone to be able to take
pride in the accomplishment above, because you are all most definitely a
part of it in one form or another.
Love to all,
Justin
PS: aside from being honored at the ceremony on April 13, there are a
couple extra honors awarded to the recipients. They are as follows:
* name listed in the event program
* name displayed on a personalized brick which will eventually be
"planted" on the RHI Path to Independence on the RHI grounds
* photograph taken during the ceremony and presentation of
certificate. Photos may be used on RHI's web site, in its publications
or on RHI Legends (as most of you know, this is a hallway outside of
the gyms at RHI which honors past patients by displaying their
pictures, stories, poems, etc. on the wall)
* name listed with all honorees to be placed on RHI Legends
(This
is a letter that I wrote that Eli Lilly & Co. volleyball club
a couple of weeks ago. When I was first injured,
the volleyball club
came together and signed a volleyball with wonderful messages of inspiration
and brought
that to me in the hospital along with a
portable DVD player
to keep me busy in my hours of boredom. The volleyball
club has been
a wonderful source of friendship for
myself and Corri, in fact bringing
people like Jeremy Keeton into
my path. Their gifts and their friendships
were amazing inspiration
for me in the hospital, and this was one
of my
ways of thinking them. Notice the volleyball on the bottom shelf
in these pictures -
see Photo Gallery 1 page.)
Greetings!
I didn't even know where to begin in writing this, but
simply wanted to say thank you. Thank you from myself.
Thank you from my
wife, Corri. Thank you from my family.
It goes without saying, it has been a difficult road
for me to travel lately. I am back in the office, actually preparing
to go on spring
break with my wife next week... one of the fringe
benefits of marrying into the education system. I
have
seen amazing progress over
the past eight months, and today I stand in
shoes that once seemed impossible
to fill.
With a tear in my eye, I am not ready to
return to the court. It is a
dream of mine, one which I will strive to
accomplish
forever, but I have more to travel before a get there.
My sister and I continue to update my web site with gradual
pieces of rehabilitation.
Please continue to feel free to visit at: http://www.blueskydays.biz/justin_spinal/justin_home.htm
.
When I woke up in the rehabilitation hospital on September
9, 2004 (my birthday) I was simply prepared for another
day
of working
on rehab. I was awakened by members of my family wearing T-shirts
dedicated to me. With a picture
of me from
Purdue on the back,
and the word "elevate" with its definition
on the front... my family was celebrating
my success and the
strides that I had made at
that time... less than two months from the
date of my accident. I,
also, wore an identical T-shirt.
My T-shirt was a double extra-
large and had a huge hole cut out of the
neck such
that it could fit over my halo. With my
usual entourage of 8 to 10 people
following me to therapy (all with T-shirts
with my face on them), we created quite a stir.
As I arrived to the gym, I was surprised to
see every therapist and
staff
member dressed in my T-shirts. This was simply
the start to an exceptional day.
Throughout the process of rehabilitation on September
9, 2004... the idea that it was my birthday quickly faded away.
It
was
time
to get back to business. I worked through the morning, and as we
came to my session for lower body
therapy, I proposed
a question
to my therapist. "When I get out of bed to get into my
wheelchair and back, I take
steps to the side and I turn to
sit down. When I
transfer from one chair to another to sit down, I take
steps backwards...
to sit down. I walk sideways, and I
walk backwards... why
can't I walk forward?" My therapist was mildly
taken back
by this idea, but agreed to let me try. What
took place over the next half hour, were the first steps I ever took
unassisted and evice free.
I walked alone. September 9, 2004... my birthday.
Over the past couple months, Jeremy Keeton volunteered
to help me with a project and a vision. I have attached
some pictures
that I will be posting to my web site, however I have not posted them
yet
as I have some people
who I wish to see it in person
before visiting
it on the Web. Jeremy built the structure, and Corri and I finished
the details. I wanted to share with you all the
finished product... something each and every one of you had a major part
in.
Two words. Two words that I can't say enough. Thank you.
Justin
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is an e-mail that I sent out today that I figured I could share with
all of you via the web site! Enjoy!
Family and friends,
I will not
take up much of your time, but I simply wanted to send you an update to
my latest "progress".
As many of you probably knew, the impact from my accident damaged most
of my front teeth to the point
of chipping or breaking several of the teeth. As of yesterday, my teeth
have been rebuilt if needed and
smoothed out such that my smile has returned to normal.
Here are some links so that you can see what was done:
Here is the
way my smile looked before:
http://www.boomspeed.com/lilj55/BeforeSmile.JPG
Here is a
close-up from before:
http://www.boomspeed.com/lilj55/BeforeUpper.JPG
Here's the
way my smile looked after:
http://www.boomspeed.com/lilj55/AfterSmile.JPG
Here's a
close-up from after:
http://www.boomspeed.com/lilj55/AfterUpper.JPG
I was not
as concerned with the cosmetic aspect of this, but rather the way they
felt to my tongue.
Needless to say, I am very pleased with both aspects at this point. I
have one more trick to make,
where they will finish off fixing a couple teeth on the bottom row. Other
than that, no work will need to be done.
Feel free to pass this on to others, and no funny remarks about how I need to shave!
All is well, and I hope everyone is doing as wonderful as I am! Take care of yourselves.
We love you,
Justin
I do not know if any of you will have problems, but I noticed that when
I click the links in my e-mail above,
my pages were getting errors.
If that is
the case for any of you, simply copy and paste the picture links above
into the address bar of a
Web browser and it will take you to the picture page. Hope that helps!
All my love,
Justin
Justin
and Corri are back in the routine from Christmas vacation. They are both
doing very well.
Justin has made tremendous progress and you can view it on the short video
clips in the Photo Gallery. He had
been keeping most of his progress a secret for the best Christmas gift
a mom and dad could get....and sister. He
wrote a beautiful letter to mom and dad Christmas morning and then let
them in on all that he has been working
on. WOW.
Justin starts back up at Lilly next week and continues with therapy at
RHI. The pool time is still his favorite at RHI.
He has collected some great pieces of equipment to aid in his therapy
and to add to what he had. His neighbors passed
along their treadmill, his family made him a balance beam & floor
ladder like what he uses in his therapy, plus other
very useful items.
He is able to work on stretching his neck muscles to stand up more straight
than he has been. His sensation is the
same. Pretty uncomfortable at times throughout each day and then the others
are just tolerable.
Corri has continued, of course, to be such a supportive and loving wife.
She is amazing and I am so thankful that
my brother has someone by his side like her. Thank you Corri for every
second of everyday that you give to him.
Also, a thank you to all of Justin's friends and other special people
in his life that are there for him. Thank you!!
Well, a short update but just watch the videos in the Photo Gallery. If
you have any questions or concerns, just post
them on the message board.
Take care
and I wish you and your families well.
Rachel
To
make a change--- Justin's schedule for starting back up at work will be
more towards February sometime and not
January 3rd.
I second
my parents' Christmas and New Year wishes. Thank you to all that read
this site. Thank you for all of your
support. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! It is the love and support from
everyone..and the big guy upstairs...that
gets you through something like this.
Love you. Merry Christmas and a Special New Year!
~Rachel
Life
has been very full and productive for Justin and Corri. Corri continues
to really enjoy her career. They keep her very
busy and she likes it. Justin has continued with rehabilitation at RHI
and will at least through December. He really enjoys
the pool therapy. His body his getting stronger and stronger, little by
little. He feels like he is able to move is neck around
better and stand up even straighter. His walking looks wonderful. He looks
wonderful! His sensations are still the same.
Some days are tolerable and some are pretty uncomfortable or painful.
They are still playing around with medication and
the dose to see if any of that can be made more tolerable. He felt a bit
under the weather earlier this week. I can't imagine
if my body already feels pretty bad, having an illiness on top of that.
Pretty crummy to say the least. Justin continues to
work on his book and do a lot on his computer. New computer! His voice
activated software works so much better on the
new set up! He loves it. It is set for now, that he will go back to work
on January 3, 2005. He will go for much shorter periods
of time and work his way back up to full-time.
Thank you to the children, adults, doctors, nurses, EMTs, firefighters,
friends, pastors, families, churches, people all over for
your prayers, thoughts, meditations, what have ya! Thank you!! They have
been much needed and appreciated and still are.
I wish you well. ~Rachel
Well,
a couple of weeks have past since the last updates have been posted. It
will be about
another week before I get up any others. Jayden and I are in the process
of relocating to
Monticello, In. We are looking forward to the move!
The below is the message that was written by Kathryn Stichnoth and stuck
in each and every
balloon that was let go at Justin and Corri's welcome home gathering:
On
September 25, 2004 this message was sent via balloon to commemorate the
homecoming of Justin
and Corri Stichnoth. On 7/17/04, Justin suffered a spinal
cord injury. Through
prayer, the outstanding response and expertise of all medical
professionals involved
in his care, the support of family and friends, and the self-
lessness, courage,
and constant presence of his loving wife, Corri, Justin will begin
again in a new body
and renewed spirit.
To
learn more about Justin's journey, we invite you to visit:
http://www.blueskydays.biz/justin_spinal/justin_home.htm
A message board is
available online.
However, if you would like to correspond by PO, exclusively to
them, please write
to: Justin and Corri, P.O. Box 295, Brook, IN 47922.
With
this message, we raise our voices to the heavens and Praise God for his
healing power and
presence in all our lives. We look forward to sharing your
blessings with you
should you respond. Throughout this time of healing and renewal,
we have been reminded
countless times what a truly small world we live in and the
many ways we are
all connected through God's glorious network of love.
May the discovery
of this message bless you and yours.
I had a wonderful conversation with my brother via typing over the computer this morning. Here are updates in his words.
Sensation:
Not too much has changed. I am on a new medication that seems to help
manage the burning sensation on
the surface of my skin. I still have moments where I am very uncomfortable,
but it seems to be pretty manageable at this
point. Sensation has not improved, however, and I still have the tingling
sensation which has always existed. Hot and cold
have not really improved, but I believe I can feel when something is burning
hot. I touched a very hot bowl the other day and
I am pretty sure it hurt. I will test it more in the near future. I do
not know if the hot sensation is anything new. It may have
been that way from the beginning, but all I know is that I have touched
two very hot things in the past couple weeks and am
pretty sure I got a decent staying from each of them. I will need to do
some testing to make sure it was not in my head.
Legs:
doing very well. I have officially gotten rid of the Walker.
It has sat behind the oversized chair in our living room for
over a week untouched. This is a fairly significant improvement. Strength
is doing very well. Corri and I are using the home
gym in the evenings, and I am actually not far behind what I was doing
with my legs before the accident. Definition is starting
to return, and I am now looking for bulk and size. Control is pretty good,
but I have some remaining tone does not allow me to
do certain things like jumping or jogging because I have an extra bounce
with such actions.
Arms:
very slow progress. I hesitate to say they are not doing anything,
but it is very difficult to notice improvements
day-to-day. I have had several achievements that I am excited about. I
can bench press my weight bar which is 45 pounds by
itself. I am also doing various other exercises to try and improve my
strength, but so far it has not seemed to increase my
ability to use my arms for daily tasks. This often still remains pretty
difficult
I
arm wrestled Corri for high stakes, and I lost after a good battle. I
owe her a one hour massage. This is going to be a good
gauge for improvement in my strength.
Neck
movement has slowly increased. I am still very stiff and often turn my
body to look to the side, but I can tell various
positions that I get into when I lay down that have become more comfortable
overtime as my neck loosened up.
Fingers
are something that I am frustrated about. They are fairly close to the
same as they have been, but they are very tight.
They like to close out and make a fist, and that is annoying.
I
do not feel like I am wearing the halo anymore, but my chest and ribs
feel very strange. When I lay on my stomach, it feels
good for a while as I stretch out my body, but putting pressure on my
ribs and chest feels very strange.
Hugs are strange, but much appreciated.
I
have been curious when I am in the pool if I would be able to keep myself
above water should I not be standing on my feet. I
will tell you that it is very uncomfortable for me not to be standing,
as and I get the feeling that I am going to sink and drown.
Yesterday, I tried to keep myself above water and I was able to doggy
paddle very awkwardly from one side of the pool to the other.
Regardless of how difficult and awkward it is for me, I made it.
I keep trying to take time to get on the message board. I will do my best in the near future.
________________________________________
I have also added some photos of Justin's rehab in the pool at RHI to the photo gallery.
Wish you
well all over the world! Thank you for your prayers! HIS presence is so
strong in my brother's life, his wife's
and family and yours. Thank you.
Rachel
Justin and Corri are well and doing good. Justin had his checkup and x-rays
yesterday
and all went great!! The doctor made the comment that if someone didn't
realize what
Justin had been through, it would be difficult to tell anything happened
really with his spine!
So, things are healing great.
Justin's medication for various things have changed and he is also trying
some new things to
help with sensation issues and other issues.
Justin has noticed a difference for the good with his walking. A little
less effort and maybe concentration
is needed to take each step. His arms and hands really frustrate him but
he is continueing to get stronger
with them.
His sensation
needs our prayers big time! From the shoulders down it is uncomfortable
and things don't feel right at all to him. Tingling, burning, etc.
Justin is
trying to focus on tomorrow and each day after that. He is trying to keep
in mind
what he can do and what he wants to try and be able to do. He doesn't
expect everything
to be perfect. He has his up and down times and I would ask to add to
your prayers that
he finds strength and courage in each minute of the day, with each task
that he performs, that
he never gives up the fight. And the Lord keeps his focus and fills his
heart with hope.
Jayden has prayed from the beginning that Jesus gives Uncle J hugs and
kisses. Those have
to feel good to anyone especially to Uncle J so may I ask another thing....to
add those
hugs and kisses in your prayers too.
I wish everyone
a fun, safe Halloween weekend! Hopefully, next week I will be able to
add some
photos that I didn't get to this week. :)
Rachel
I
have added some photos to the gallery.
Justin and Corri are doing good. Corri has had Fall break this week. Yeah!!!
Justin has had some discomfort with his neck since the halo came off but
he believes it is due to it needing
to be strengthened having had the halo on for 3 months.
He goes back on November 28th to follow up with various neck x-rays.
Justin will
be sending me photos of this but his therapy the other day consisted of
finally being able
to get in to the pool there at RHI. It sounds like he really enjoyed it.
No fears of the water and he got a
great work out it sounds. I am looking forward to seeing the photos.
Justin is able to shave himself now! Corri said she only cut him once.
:)
We all continue to see improvements slowly.
Happy 2nd ANNIVERSARY!!!! (October 19th) What a blessing for the two of
you to have found each other.
At
4:23pm today, the doctor started to take the halo off. At 4:27pm, it was
off! It went very well!
Justin had some discomfort with one of the pins but the rest went pretty
smoothly. Corri had cut his hair
around the back pin sites in hopes that would help to not pull on his
hair. He did AWESOME!!! First, he had
to give each of us a hug. Unfortunately, for him, touch still does not
feel the same but it was great to be able
to put our arms around him and not have the armor in the way.
He wears
a soft collar for a few days. He goes back for another X-Ray in about
10 days or so. Today's
x-ray looked great, the doctor said. So, provided things continue to go
well, there won't be a need for
surgery. The soft collar is basically for comfort. Within the next couple
of days as he gets more used to
not having the halo and being able to move his neck more, he won't have
to wear the collar. He felt stiff still
after the halo came off. Afer a couple of days, I bet Justin will be moving
his neck around much more.
Justin is taking suggestions as to what to do with the halo. After all
is said and done though, I quote...
"I might just take a sledge hammer to it and burry it!" Justin
said.
What an awesome
day!! I LOVE YOU JUSTIN!!!
Rachel
There are photos added to the gallery.
Gallery. There will be more photos coming within this next week and some video clips.
Justin is SOOOOOOO ready for October 14th. Just a few more days and the Halo
comes off!
will be a lot of great things up. I apologize. I have been so excited to get things up on the
website but have literally not been home to do it. I have a few days here to work on it.
The below invitation has been sent to various email addresses. We are
going to try and keep Justin from
the computer until he goes home so he doesn't see this! We just wanted
to make sure that everyone
possible could be reached with this invite. Please let anyone you know
that would be interested in
welcoming home Justin and Corri about the following:
OUR MIRACLE IS COMING HOME!!!!
The
day has arrived! Justin and Corri will return home to live at 1308 Jefferson
St.
in Brownsburg on Saturday, September 25th. Dismissal time is tentatively
set for 10:00 a.m.
However,
by now, you all know we do not do things in a small way, so in order to
welcome them
home Stichnoth/Washburn style, we invite anyone who is freed up that morning
to congregate
along Jefferson St to greet them as they arrive. Oh-- but that is not
all. We are going to
release helium balloons to the heavens with a message attached. The message
will include the
website address/contact information, brief words describing our joy at
welcoming Justin & Corri
home and our Praise to God.
PLEASE
ARRIVE BEFORE 9:30 A.M. at the house. Parking may be a hurdle we will
have to
overcome-without using anyone else’s drive or yard, you may have
to be creative. We can pass
the wait-time in the backyard and refreshments will be available.
Birthday bunch-T-shirts would be great.
PLEASE CHECK YOUR E-MAIL and/or the website THE FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE FOR
ANY
UNFORSEEN LAST MINUTE CHANGES.
If you have any questions, or are coming from a distance and want to make
a last minute check-in
Saturday morning before coming, please feel free to call Rachel at
219-869-8695.
The
immediate family will share a first-day-home meal around the dining table
at noon. Time,
practicality, and numbers prohibit us from inviting everyone to join us!
You
have all shared in our pain, our waiting and wondering, our praying, our
hoping, our
anticipation, SO, we invite you to share in this occasion of JOY!!!!!
OUR LOVE AND GRATITUDE, The families of Justin and Corri.
If
anyone ever has any questions for me (Rachel - Justin's Sister), email
rachel@blueskydays.biz
or you may call 219.869.8695
Thanks and wish you all a meaningful and productive day and week.
Rachel
Early in the week,
Justin spends some time without family/friends at his side
and does great. Nurses are close by and he has become capable of doing
much
for himself and simply needs someone close by to insure safe transfers.
Corri
is signed off on all of these types of tasks because she has become trained
to aid him in most any situation that might arise.
Justin began using
a “rickshaw” machine for the first time. He had been looking
forward to using this because it is an excellent workout for his arms.
It is
sort of an upside-down bench press!!
Justin can snap, button
and tie. If the buttons are small, he uses a button hook
and the aid of a mirror is a big help. One of the drawbacks to the halo
is not
always being able to look down at what you are doing! He has devised ways
to get
around that in most cases.
Speaking of ‘getting
around’ things, Justin and a fellow patient have such
a good time in Fine Motor Skills class ‘helping each other out’.
It is a fun time
to be an observer, because laughter is such good medicine for everyone
involved.
Justin is able to
take care of most of his own personal hygiene and feed himself,
so he becomes more self-sufficient everyday.
October 14 is the date set to remove the halo.
Justin is relinquishing
his motorized chair to someone new coming in who “is in
greater need of it than I am”. He will use a manually driven model
until he goes
home, but could get around with a walker if he should decide to. After
test driving
several models, he chose a contemporary model that is designed with a
seat so that
he can take long walks without the fear of fatigue. He does not plan to
go home
in a wheelchair!!!!
Friday evening, Corri
and Justin were given a 2-hour leave, and as things worked
out wonderfully, the group included Corri, Justin, Kathy, Judy, Ryan,
Whitney Larson
and her parents, Ann and Hugh. We enjoyed a meal at Cracker Barrel which
is just a
little walk/roll away! Sunday, Justin and Corri were given a 6-hr furlough
to their
home by themselves for the first time!
Check Photo Gallery for added photos.
he shaved tonight!!! All of his therapists are going to freak tomorrow!! I can't wait to get a photo!
Justin
had a great weekend! A relaxing Saturday with friends and family. Sunday
he got to go
bowling! His Recreational Therapist took him and another patient to the
bowling alley. Justin
wasn't quite sure how the heck he was going to do that. The bowling ball
he used weighed around
6lbs and had a retractable handle. He was able to walk with his walker,
use his left hand for
balance on the walker and stand and use his right hand to bowl. It was
a lot of fun for Jayden
and I to watch. I forgot to bring the camera so no photos...sorry! Usually,
that thing is always
by my side.
Monday, his
therapy classes went along great. He worked hard as usual. He picked up
his pace
yesterday with walking. He has a lot to concentrate on while walking but
it will all come back to
him.
Today, he
had another class added to his schedule - a 9am leg workout. I am not
so sure if he
was thrilled with the early time but he was happy that he was going to
be in the class. So, his days
are even longer now but what a great workout he is getting.
Today or
tomorrow, he and Corri will be finding out exactly when he will be going
home. Justin
had requested a two week extension. He would like to be at RHI as long
as Insurance will allow.
He likes the workouts there and enjoys seeing the progress plus the less
time at home with the
halo would make him happier. If they don't get any extension...this Saturday
the 18th is when
he will be going home! I will update the website as soon as I know the
'Going Home Date'.
Corri has
been back at work full time for a little over a week now. She really misses
being with
Justin through the therapy classes!
Wishing all
of you a good day and week!
Rachel
P.S. If you
have troubles with the 'Message Board' page, try refreshing your page
once or
twice. You can do that by right clicking your mouse and clicking on 'Refresh'
or by clicking
your Refresh Button at the top of your browser.
There are two new video files added to the Photo Gallery.
Justin is doing fantabulous!!! I have added one photo from yesterday's birthday celebration.
THURSDAY - September 9th -
Please, no visitors after 4pm.
Much to report! :)
As of this
morning, Justin is completely tube free! His final tube, the stomach tube,
was removed.
Yeah!!
Justin played
Ping Pong in Recreational Therapy today. Yes, you read that correctly...ping
pong.
Justin played while sitting in his chair...I can't wait to see that. He
played against his recreational
therapist....I don't know who won but....she tends to like to make up
her own rules or
conveniently end the game before it is finished! LOL....
On 8/31, I posted photos showing Justin stacking is first 10 pegs....today, he stacked 14.
There are
bells on the wall in the therapy gym that patients ring whenever they
reach a goal. Justin
said that when he first took a step, he would ring it. He did that a couple
of weeks ago. He rang
the bell again today... He took off his own socks and shoes...then put
them back on and tied
them!!
He used another
piece of equipment for the first time today. It is a bike machine you
sit on but
the pedals are out front vs below like a regular back. He work really
great at that for a good
while. Then after working his legs on that, he walked around the gym area
a couple of times with
his walker.
....I'm not done yet....
He fed himself
lunch today with a fork! They have a rubber piece that fits over the stem
of the
fork. It makes it thicker to grab a hold of. It sounds like he did a really
good job of that.
He gets a
long weekend with Monday off too. :) I know he is pretty worn out after
his last
therapy session each day so maybe he can get some good rest.
What a fantastic day for him!
(See Photo Gallery for 8/31/04 photos)
He walked again today with the walker. He looked even more controlled than yesterday.
A Great Day!
In
my last update, I mentioned this past weekend was not good for guests
for Justin and Corri.
Corri was in a wedding Saturday afternoon. She wasn't there alone...Justin
went to the wedding!!
Escorted by Don Washburn, Justin and Don had a great trip. It was to be
kind of a suprise for
thier friends getting married so that is why I couldn't explain any more
details other than, 'Saturday
is not good for Justin'. His trip there and back via a special taxi went
well. The church
was airconditioned nicely so he didn't have any problems overheating.
It sounds like the wedding
was wonderful and Corri was beautiful. Justin couldn't express enough
how beautiful she looked.
I will be posting pictures up soon of the special day and of the two of
them. He was exhausted
once he got back to the hospital and was able to relax and have a very
nice Sunday.
I have been
gone from Indy since thursday and got back here Sunday night. Justin did
so much
today! I was just as tired as he was after all his therapy. My excitement
for him just takes over.
I don't even know where to start.....okay....let's start with his walking
today. He walked with
a walker. A walker that has two wheels on the front two legs and regular
back two legs. On
either side of the walker were pads for him to rest his arms on and lean
on. He did awesome.
They really commended him on the good work. His control with his legs
is getting so much better.
His physical therapists only had her hands close to his hips to help with
balance. He made 3 trips
around a certain area in the gym. Incredible. He continues to get more
and more back with is
lower half.
He can do
more and more with his upper body too. He can lift his arms higher out
to the side. I
got my first hug today from him!! He could raise his arm and put it around
me. That was so
wonderful. He can shake your hand. He manuevers his chair really well.
He touched his mouth,
tongue, nose and eyebrows for me today withouth any assistance of any
kind.. In fact, his OT,
Amy, wanted to see him touch his nose, he did, then she wanted him to
pick his own nose....he
did....then...he wiped his boogers on her! LOL That was so funny. He can
lean over far enough
to he situate his leg rests on his 'Caddy'.
His spirits
are still doing very well. He feels good about his progress. We are getting
many short
video clips of all of his progress now and pictures too.
I hope I
havn't left anything out but if I have, I will add it tomorrow. He is
doing wonderful, if you
can't tell. They are very excited and pleased with all of his progress.
I made a comment today
that usually you think of physical therapists keeping on you to work hard
and do more
repitions, etc. but they have to ask Justin..."Do you want to take
a break?". He works so hard
and it is paying off for sure.
Until the
next one....
Rachel
This
weekend (28th and 29th of August) is not a good weekend for guests. Everything
is fine but
would prefer no guests. I will send the next update, Monday. :) I wish
everyone a great
weekend!
I just got
a call from dad....Justin touched his finger to his tongue while just
sitting in his 'Caddy'!!
That is a first, especially without ANY assistance. Then dad handed Justin
his toothbrush, and he
stuck that in his mouth!!!!! SO AWESOME!!!!!!
machine and he walked a little further today than his first time. He walked around 480 some feet
today. He walked today with a little more control of his legs. Awesome. Dad said Justin's day
was a good day today. He didn't have much discomfort today with the tightening of the halo pins.
That was really good to hear!
looked good and if things keep healing like they are, in about 7 weeks or so, Justin's halo will
come off! That will be one heck of a celebration!! Unfortunately, the pins had to be tightened
though. I guess that has to happen about every 3 to 4 weeks. It is very uncomfortable for
Justin to say the least. He took a Loritab shortly before he saw the doctor so that helped a bit but
he was in some discomfort for awhile.
Justin
has a great weekend. A little less working out and a little more R&R.
He watched his first
movie, since his friends on the Volleyball and Baseball Team bought him
his laptop DVD
player. He watched 'Starsky & Hutch'.
Today
was AWESOME! Justin walked again! 4 TIMES on the parallel bar path.
It went a bit
more smoother this time.
His
arms are continuing to grow stronger and stronger. He can now lift them
just a bit higher
from is elbow to his shoulder. He is controlling his chair so much better
now.He puts his hand
on the controller himself now with not much of an issue. He can turn on
and off his chair too!
Oh, ...side note...he ran someone over this past weekend in his 'Caddy'.
LOL :( Literally!
Thinking he was 'all clear' behind him, he gave it a go ahead and ran
into a fellow comrad. For
some reason, the guy hasn't spoken to him all weekend! lol No, today they
spoke and laughed
about it some more. You can ask Justin about the story....halarious coming
from him.
The
best time to visit, if you can, is between Noon to 6 or 7pm, Monday thru
Saturday. I know I
have listed a few different times before but as time goes by, he knows
a little more how things
go and feel. By the time he is done with his workouts, he is really exhausted.
He enjoys having
people there during the workouts too. He would like Sunday more for himself
and Corri, but if
that is the only day you can visit, please visit.
We
have been given permission to photograph and video Justin as long as we
don't include other
patients. SOOOOOOOO......lots of photos being taken and we are looking
forward to having
video of his progress.
It
is getting pretty late and I am addicted to getting the site put together!
Justin had a really good
day and he is in great spirits. He amazes himself. There isn't a day that
goes by where some
progress has been made. Every single day, I see new things. What a beautiful
sight!!
God
Bless.
Rachel
P.S.....Remeber
that shrimp tray I was so excited to whip out at the lunch table for Justin?
He
DOESN'T eat shrimp!!!!! (Yeah, yeah, yeah, I should know this stuff about
my brother)
Yesterday, (Thursday), during his physical therapy hour, they had Justin do the parallel bars.
There was a mechanism that was over top the bars that allowed him to rest his arms and hands
on that just rolled along the top of the bars with each step he took. He had a lot to concentrate
on and did AWESOME! His therapist kept her hands close to his waist to help keep that
centralized. He picked up each leg and took a step. He went half way, sat down and took a
breather, he cried, we all cried, he stood back up….and walked the rest of the way! He
probably ended up taking 20 -30 steps. This email cannot even come close to share the
excitement and amazement! I left the hospital yesterday around 5pm to head back to Corri and
Justin’s house. I know it is not good to talk on cell phones and drive at the same
time…BUT…before I reached Corri’s house I had called all the family and some of their
friends to tell them!!!!
Today, his physical therapy is at 10am (because his therapist is taking today off) and his
occupational therapy is at 2pm, unless his schedule has changed.
Love you, God Bless, got to get ready to get to the hospital soon!
Rachel
that yesterday, Justin stood again but this time his physical therapist loosened her arms around
him so it was 90% HIM!!!!!! Jayden, pretended to take pictures at that moment! What a
sight. The Hospital does not allow cameras or video cameras.
Justin also when lying down on the workout beds, rolled over to his left side. That is a sight
with all that armor on. He did wonderful!
I picked up a shrimp tray to go with lunch today for him! (a small one, so ya’ll don’t get any
ideas for lunch at RHI today! ..lol ) They have him practice at picking something up with his
fingers and raising and moving his arm toward his mouth….thought this would be a good
incentive! …and of course good tasting for whomever is in the room.
The Hospital’s website is…. www.rhin.com There, you can look around to learn more about
the facility and see what the building, staff, equipment, etc. looks like. Go to RHI’s link
http://www.rhin.com/virtual.htm and you can see great photos of the place. The ‘Room View’
pic looks exactly like Justin’s except his isn’t blue…more like a mauve and to the right of the
bed there where you see a board to pin things up, we have lots of photos, notes, etc on. They
said we could do pretty much anything with his room but paint it. The ‘Center Court’ photo
is where sometimes we eat lunch. It is great to be at when there is quite a group around. The
‘OT’ Gym is where he does is OT and PT. Lots of great equipment in there. It really is a nice
facility.
It’s address is : Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana, 4141 Shore Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46254
He loves visitors but I think we are working on getting him one day he can have to himself.
Crazy, huh! lol J Sunday seems to be the best day. Again, you will notice visitors can be there
from 6am to 9pm but what works best for Justin is from Noon on or till about 7 or 8 pm.
Take care and God Bless. Thank you for all the great email replies!! You all are incredible
people!
~Rachel
PS ~ has anyone been getting attachments with my emails? If you do, don’t open them. I have
not purposely sent any.
you…
Monday – Justin plays Connect 4 with his recreational therapist! His arm was in a type of slip
for the aid of gravity free assistance. The slip on his hand and arm held it up in the air for him
and he would pull his arm down to the table to pick up a game piece, then allow his arm to
move up and position it in the right slot for the game piece to be dropped. His Recreation
Therapist won the first game (some other therapist, from a distance in the gym, yelled,
“Cheater!”) and then conveniently their second game was stopped….lol…supposedly due to
‘Out of Time’ for that session….We of course teased his opponent!!
Justin had a neck X-Ray taken. It hasn’t been read to us yet by the doctor and we are
anxiously waiting to hear about it. It was shown to Justin and told it looks normal. That is just
so wild to hear. Looks normal? Are they saying it has healed already? WOW. I don’t know.
That just sounds like another huge miracle to me. That would be so wonderful if it is all healing
correctly. Hopefully we will hear from a doctor this week.
Justin was put on the ‘Tilt Table’ for the first time. It was a slow process with some dizziness
included but he made it to 75 degrees. It was incredible to see. Exciting.
It was Corri’s first day of school for teachers. Lots of meetings on Monday – No students.
She got back from school just in time to be able to see Justin on the ‘Tilt Table’. That was
cool. Today (Wednesday), is Corri’s first day of school with kids. The school is working very
well with her and giving her whatever time she needs to have. They agreed to let her change
her part time hours so she can work mornings and then be at the hospital from about 12:30 or
so on. Awesome! She gets to be in on all the big therapy sessions, education classes, etc.
Justin wears tennis shoes now. Cheepy, whities, from Target, but they look so GOOOOOD
on him! lol He looks complete now from his Pegs to his toes! The shoes help with support but
also for medical reasons so he does not get what they call, ‘Drop Foot’ – where there is no
bend in his ankle and the foot just dangles. He is doing just fine with that and doesn’t have a
problem.
Justin has no more I V’s in him. He still has stomach tube but they don’t use it. He is doing
great eating regular foods.
Justin was operating his ‘Caddy’ better on Monday. Still having a harder time stopping but
doing better at getting it around.
Tuesday – His trake hole is closing a little more each day. He is guessing at about one more
week and it will be healed up. His voice is becoming stronger because of less air leaking
through. It was funny because he told us that during his breathing session, they have you
breath in for so many seconds, then hold for so many, then exhale for so
many….Well….Justin can breath in, then holds….but by the time it is time for him to exhale,
all his air has slowly squeaked out the trake hole! LOL He was joking about that. He said you
could here the slow squeak.
Justin stands!!!!! He stands!!!!!!!!! One more time……. He stands!! They were practicing
transfers from chair to work out benches. The therapist had her arms around him, he pushed
with his legs, and he stood up. Amazing. Roxy (his Physical Therapist) said he did 75 percent
of it on his own! He felt really good doing it, a little light headed but it didn’t last to long. He
did it twice.
He has great leg strength. It continues to get stronger and stronger. Justin was getting cocky
and was working hard at raising his right hand and arm enough to give a low 5 with a therapist
close by…..His stomach muscles along with legs BROKE the seat belt around him.
During his Occupational T class, he got cocky again and said, “watch this.”…so we did. He
proceeds to lift his right hand up at the wrist and extend his fingers…ALL of them! Once
again, tears, laughter and joy!
Justin and Jayden played kick ball. Justin was balancing on the workout bench while Jayden
would roll a ball to him and then Justin would lightly kick it back. Jayden loves to do whatever
he can with Uncle J. And by the way, that brings me to his balancing while he is sitting. If you
remember in my last email, his balancing his first day was for just a few seconds, he next
balancing was for 5 minutes, now he can balance himself sitting for however long he needs to.
They don’t even try to support him. NO NEED. He doesn’t even use his arms to do it.
They are lying folded over in his lap.
Want another cocky move by J? He was sitting in his ‘Caddy’ ready to relocate to his next
session. “Watch this.”, he says. He lifts his arm, puts it on the arm of the chair and places his
hand on the controller!!!! First time for that too! Today, he is going to show it off for his
Occupational Therapist, Amy. I am looking forward to seeing that again.
Well, as I keep saying. Every day there is progress. Every single day. I live for these therapy
sessions in the afternoon. If you ever can get the chance to be there, do it. I can’t put into
words the feeling of seeing him do these things and the look on his face either. All things
possible through Jesus Christ! I also wanted to share a verse I came across in the Bible and
that was brought to my attention.
Ephesians 6:13.
So use every piece of armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over,
you will be standing up.
What adds to that is that from the get go, Justin has called his Halo, his ‘armor’.
Well, please continue to send me email addresses to add to the Update List. It is building and
it is wonderful. I love sharing the good works the Lord and my brother are doing. Continue to
pass along these emails. Take care and God Bless.
Rachel
219.869.8695
Today starts an exciting week, I believe. Today, Justin will be trying out the ‘Tilting Bed’ to
reach a standing position. I am guessing he will have to work up to completely being straight
up and down but I bet he will accomplish that this week sometime at the rate he is going!
Corri has to be at school all day, today, for teacher meetings. Not sure she was really
looking forward to that. Justin’s doctor, Dr. Pike from Kindred, wanted to come back this
morning to be with Justin for the first couple of hours. Mom and Dad are getting there around
9:30 and then Jayden and I will head in…..just in time for lunch!
Not a whole lot happened over the weekend. It is kind of nice and slow around there. I think
Justin would like to make Sundays ‘Movie days’ where he just sits back and relaxes all day.
Justin is getting better at maneuvering his ‘Caddy’.
I will give another update tonight on how Therapy went today.
Wish you a good day.
~Rachel
Yet, again, Justin is continuing to make progress! It is just so much fun to report such great
things to you all.
Yesterday, he was given a set of powered wheels! Yeah, that’s right. He is set up now with
the ‘Cadillac’ of wheelchairs. It is motorized. His Occupational Therapist is still working out
little kinks in trying to help Justin be able to maneuver it better. Yesterday, Corri pretty much
was controlling it along side of him but today he was able to do most of the driving. His OT,
Amy, is working on getting is arm positioned better so he can move the controller enough
forward and backward to ‘stop’ and ‘go’. He controls the chair with his right hand. The chair
can lift up, down, completely recline, etc. He has a little button for a horn to getcha out of the
way! I hear he can even do some good wheelies in it.
His trake hole is still healing. It is going to take longer than initially expected. Nothing is going
wrong with it but originally some nurses at Kindred Hospital thought it would just take a
couple of days to heal but I think we are looking at more like a week to 2 weeks RHI says.
He has no pain with that at all.
Justin still gets some pain medication and sleeping medication to help. But not to the point he
can’t function.
He still has sensation of touch everywhere. It has continued to not feel like sandpaper
anymore when people touch him. So, we touch him a lot now!! It still isn’t the normal feeling
but hopefully moving in that direction.
He continued to do great in Physical Therapy today with Roxanne (Roxy)! Just two days ago
I reported that they were trying to get him to be able to balance himself sitting up on the
workout beds. He was able to do it a few seconds 2 days ago….today……5
MINUTES!!!!! He sits on the therapy beds in the gym, puts his hands out to the side and
uses his hands and arms to help balance. AWESOME!!!! He works out hard - Still
determined with an outstanding attitude. He uses ankles weights with his leg workouts now.
Next week, (therapists are planning for Monday), they are going to strap him onto a special
tilting bed that will actually stand him up! That will be interesting to see how he feels. We are
all looking forward to that. The closest he will be at standing since the accident!
He has his up days, down days, and up and down days. (that is how Corri and Justin put it). I
am so proud of him EVERYDAY. Justin’s response to me when I told him that once when he
was still at Methodist…heavily medicated…”You damn well better be! “
Today, Dr. Pike (from Kindred) came and spent time with Justin during his Therapy classes.
Mr. Pike is a wonderful man and doctor. He has came to RHI at least 3 times since Justin has
been there as of Monday. He thinks very much of Justin and Justin feels the same way about
him. We all really appreciate Dr. Pike and his kindness.
Justin is sitting up at 90 degrees now without any difficulty as long as he works fairly slowly up
to that point and not just someone taking him from a lying down position straight up….which
a nurse did this morning… But, usually that doesn’t happen.
Justin continues to be very pleased with the staff and hospital. He is very encouraged by all
there and appreciates all that they are doing.
Corri trusts us to take care of Justin while she starts her counseling this coming week but she
is not looking forward, at all, in leaving Justin for half days. Family and friends are just
working out various shifts so that someone is always there with him. Corri is going to see if the
school will allow her to do half days in the morning instead of afternoon like originally
scheduled. By doing that, she would be working in the morning at school and then there with
Justin in the afternoon during is OT and PT classes everyday, which is pretty important not to
mention such a great thing to be apart of.
Justin will be done with Antibiotics tomorrow. He has been completely off of any diet through
his stomach tube. He eats regular foods very well. He still has the tube but hopefully not to
much longer.
Corri and Justin have mentioned the best visiting hours for them are between Noon and about
8pm or so.
Every night before I leave Justin, I ask him how he feels his day was. Tonight, he said he felt
good about his day.
Good night, all. Love you.
Rachel
******Please continue to send email addresses, to me, to add to this list that receive the
updates. Thanks!!!
my update list or feel free to forward this email to others.
Over the last couple of days, new things have occurred. Justin has continued to make
progress from day one!
Tuesday evening, Justin got his trake removed. It was a smooth, simple, painless procedure.
He has some gauze over it with tape holding it to his neck. A couple more days and it should
be all healed up.
Corri is holding up very well - Probably exhausted but never the less being a devoted,
supportive, loving and caring wife. She is awesome (in the greatest sense of the word). The
only way I can leave my brother’s side is knowing that she is there with him - A woman to be
admired with her strength and faith. She starts back at school on August 16th. She has to put
a full day in at school that Monday. Doesn’t have to go at all on the 17th but then starting the
18th, she will be doing half days from noon to 4pm. Family and friends will be taking turns
with shifts when she is not able to be there. Someone will always be with Justin and at this
point, it is needed. This is going to be a difficult week for Corri coming up and the others to
follow - An adjustment for Justin too.
Wednesday (yesterday), I got to be there through his whole day - Incredible. I sat through his
Respitory Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy classes. I participated even
a little in the Respitory classes! HEY…we all could use some deep slow breaths!! J All his
classes went very well. Some of the breathing exercises he had to do just minimal because of
the hole in his neck! No big deal though. His Occupational Therapy session was OUT OF
THIS WORLD! Amy, the therapist, was great! Justin did more movement with his arms and
wrists than he has been doing! We were all in amazement, tears of joy, laughing, etc. This
includes Justin. He was so happy, to say the least, to see that he could do these various
movements. He is so determined and dedicated to this process and to getting better. He
works very hard at everything they have him do. Roxanne, (physical therapist), is wonderful
too. Justin’s legs continue to have great strength and movement. Today, she will be adding
some small ankle weights to him while he does some various leg lifts. He was ready for the
next stage. Yesterday, they also started for the first time in teaching him how to try and
balance himself while sitting on the edge of his workout table. That was interesting. Trying to
do that with the Halo on is very difficult. We asked them what they thought that weighed on
him but they weren’t sure. He was able to balance himself with his hands on the bed for a few
short moments.
On Tuesday and Wednesdays, there are classes from 4pm-5pm on various things.
Yesterday’s was an educational class on the spinal cord -Just an overview of how it all works
and how to classify one’s injury. Justin’s injury is considered ‘incomplete’ which means, no
one knows how much will come back if anything, for some. But the improvement that Justin
has made within just the first few days, weeks and first month are wonderful signs of more
great things to come. Yesterday, the Occupational Therapist said that she really like what all
his arms, fingers and hands were doing. She thought he had a great chance to get good use
back with them but of course she can’t say for sure. But she kept going on and on about how
great he was doing. She said all the signals were being sent! It is going to take time to build
up the various muscles again and re-teach them but he is going to do it!
His schedule varies a little but so far his Respitory class has been before lunch and then
Occupational Therapy at 2pm then Physical Therapy at 3pm all Monday thru Friday. His
weekends are much slower with some therapy but not near as much as during the week. They
encourage family and friends to be apart of it all. We had a crowd around him yesterday, of
family, and it was just a really great feeling for all. The Therapists love all the support Justin
has and they have been looking so forward to working with him! They say is the one who
really make their day. They know he has the potential to do great things. Justin is very pleased
with all of his nurses and therapists so far except for one nurse one evening, who didn’t
transfer him from bed to chair very well to say the least. Hopefully, he won’t have to deal with
that nurse again. No one knows at this point when the Halo will come off. Just over time they
will see how the spinal cord is healing.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support. The Lord has been hearing them and
blessing my brother everyday with HIS healing touch. As far as specific prayers to be prayed,
Justin’s immediate goals are to be able to walk into his home and be able to walk from one
end of the house to the other when he gets to leave the hospital. He wants to be able to do
the simple things on his own such as going to the bathroom and just personal care. He hasn’t
asked for this to be prayed for but ever since his first days in the hospital, he was in a rotating
bed. There were pads that were on either side of his head, to help brace his head and neck,
but they were right up against his ears. Justin has very, VERY sensitive ears from this or at
least we believe that it was a result of this rotating bed. The slightest touch or brush up against
his ears sends extreme pain through him. He can’t wear any type of headphones or even have
someone hold up a phone to his ear without it being very painful. They can’t take a wash cloth
to them without it hurting. So, let’s add that pain my brother experiences in our prayers to the
Lord’s healing miracles. Jayden prays everyday for God to give Uncle J a kiss and a hug!
Love you all. God Bless.
~Rachel
Just
a short note:
I am back online. We may correspond via phone (219.869.8695) or email
(www.blueskydays.biz). My brother is now at the Rehabilitation Hospital
of Indiana (RHI) located on 38th Street in Indianapolis. No phone calls
please
to the hospital for now. He is continuing to make great progress. In the
past 3
days he is doing new movements with his arms and hands. He went against
gravity with his forearms yesterday!!!! He was so excited to see that
happen.
Yesterday was his first day there and he got settled in okay. Today starts
his
regular schedules of Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, etc. Visiting
hours
are from around 7 or 8 AM till 9pm. People may be with Justin as he goes
through his day as long as he continues with his workouts! Please pass
this
info on to your families and friends. Anyone else who wants to be included
in on the updates may send their email addresses to me. Thank you so much
for all the love shared and felt through all of this. Your support is
needed and
welcomed. Please continue to keep Justin and our families and friends
in your prayers. Justin has really enjoyed seeing many of you and hearing
from you.
Love you and God Bless.
Rachel Stichnoth