Journal entry by Carrie Harper —
Hello!
I'm so sorry it's been so long! We've been working hard every day to relax (which I realize is an oxymoron) and get in to our groove. 3 weeks ago we left rehab and moved in to our new home in South Carlsbad, which we closed on from his hospital bed on September 20th. We absolutely love it here! It's been a beautiful place for Stephen to continue progressing quite incredibly as he battles the waves of rehabbing.
Specifically, he is up straight and walking faster and more frequently than I could have ever imagined this soon. He has taken it upon himself, despite my best efforts to get him to lay down, to help unpack boxes and set up our home gym as quickly as possible so he can keep up with his own of physical therapy here. We are on a waitlist to get in to "full-time" out patient rehab which will allow us 4 hours a week in an SCI facility, and in the mean time Stephen is working with an awesome therapist at Camp Pendleton near our house a couple of times a week. He tries to start each day by riding our stationary bike, and is currently able to complete around 8-10 miles which is pretty freakin' awesome.
His dorsey flex has improved significantly and he has had no problem handling our stairs, although as he regains strength he gets quite the workout just by going up and down a few times a day. His right hand has also made tremendous progress in that the full range of motion is there now on it's own! It does still take quite a bit of focus to squeeze tightly in to a fist and even more so to extend his fingers. From an outsider's perspective, it looks like he's able to move around almost like his normal self. What we can't see is how much mental strength it takes him to make each small move, like pick up a cup. What's crazy about the healing process is that the daily progress is sometimes hard to see, but as a week or two passes I realize the the incredible jumps he's made. For example, I feel like he gets about 5-10 additional minutes of energy each day, so after 2 weeks you realize he's been up for a couple extra hours moving around and it's really miraculous. The same goes for his hand, neck, and other motor skills and small movements he needs.
The part of recovery that we've learned takes the longest to come back is sensation. His left side still cannot tell the difference between hot vs. cold, or sharp vs. dull. He's learned to do things like stretch his right side first so he knows his flexibility level and then mirror that on his left side to be safe, since it's hard for him to feel the full muscle sensation of stretching.
We have complete confidence that as we continue to push through the next year of rehabbing that Stephen will be able to do all the things he loves whether it's nursing, racing, swimming, or surfing.
Last week, we took a visit back to the Trauma 1 SICU he was in immediately after the injury to drop off donuts and thank you cards. There were a lot of tears, photos, and hugs from the staff as they watched him WALK in with his neck brace to thank them himself. The nurses and surgeons there took such good care of both of us and our families during that time, and it was really special to show them how far he has come. It's become utterly clear to us that the brilliant action taken by our friends at the time of the accident and quick decisions made at the hospital by our surgeons were crucial to the success of Stephen's recovery. We don't take any of that lightly, and are so grateful.
I went back to work a couple of weeks ago, my new company was incredibly gracious and gave me a full month, no questions asked, to focus solely on my husband (talk about a dream boss). I work from home most days of the week, so I am still able to take Stephen to his appointments and build my schedule around where he needs to be. All that said - we're very busy :) We are so unbelievably thankful for our amazing friends who helped us move and unpack, otherwise I am quite certain we would be living in a maze of boxes for the foreseeable future. What a wonderful set of human beings we have in our lives.
Lastly, for those who don't yet know, I feel it's critical I share that Stephen has grown a mustache. He's still very handsome.
Love y'all,
Danielle
I'm so sorry it's been so long! We've been working hard every day to relax (which I realize is an oxymoron) and get in to our groove. 3 weeks ago we left rehab and moved in to our new home in South Carlsbad, which we closed on from his hospital bed on September 20th. We absolutely love it here! It's been a beautiful place for Stephen to continue progressing quite incredibly as he battles the waves of rehabbing.
Specifically, he is up straight and walking faster and more frequently than I could have ever imagined this soon. He has taken it upon himself, despite my best efforts to get him to lay down, to help unpack boxes and set up our home gym as quickly as possible so he can keep up with his own of physical therapy here. We are on a waitlist to get in to "full-time" out patient rehab which will allow us 4 hours a week in an SCI facility, and in the mean time Stephen is working with an awesome therapist at Camp Pendleton near our house a couple of times a week. He tries to start each day by riding our stationary bike, and is currently able to complete around 8-10 miles which is pretty freakin' awesome.
His dorsey flex has improved significantly and he has had no problem handling our stairs, although as he regains strength he gets quite the workout just by going up and down a few times a day. His right hand has also made tremendous progress in that the full range of motion is there now on it's own! It does still take quite a bit of focus to squeeze tightly in to a fist and even more so to extend his fingers. From an outsider's perspective, it looks like he's able to move around almost like his normal self. What we can't see is how much mental strength it takes him to make each small move, like pick up a cup. What's crazy about the healing process is that the daily progress is sometimes hard to see, but as a week or two passes I realize the the incredible jumps he's made. For example, I feel like he gets about 5-10 additional minutes of energy each day, so after 2 weeks you realize he's been up for a couple extra hours moving around and it's really miraculous. The same goes for his hand, neck, and other motor skills and small movements he needs.
The part of recovery that we've learned takes the longest to come back is sensation. His left side still cannot tell the difference between hot vs. cold, or sharp vs. dull. He's learned to do things like stretch his right side first so he knows his flexibility level and then mirror that on his left side to be safe, since it's hard for him to feel the full muscle sensation of stretching.
We have complete confidence that as we continue to push through the next year of rehabbing that Stephen will be able to do all the things he loves whether it's nursing, racing, swimming, or surfing.
Last week, we took a visit back to the Trauma 1 SICU he was in immediately after the injury to drop off donuts and thank you cards. There were a lot of tears, photos, and hugs from the staff as they watched him WALK in with his neck brace to thank them himself. The nurses and surgeons there took such good care of both of us and our families during that time, and it was really special to show them how far he has come. It's become utterly clear to us that the brilliant action taken by our friends at the time of the accident and quick decisions made at the hospital by our surgeons were crucial to the success of Stephen's recovery. We don't take any of that lightly, and are so grateful.
I went back to work a couple of weeks ago, my new company was incredibly gracious and gave me a full month, no questions asked, to focus solely on my husband (talk about a dream boss). I work from home most days of the week, so I am still able to take Stephen to his appointments and build my schedule around where he needs to be. All that said - we're very busy :) We are so unbelievably thankful for our amazing friends who helped us move and unpack, otherwise I am quite certain we would be living in a maze of boxes for the foreseeable future. What a wonderful set of human beings we have in our lives.
Lastly, for those who don't yet know, I feel it's critical I share that Stephen has grown a mustache. He's still very handsome.
Love y'all,
Danielle
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