Home Sweet Home

Well, as some of you may know, James was finally discharged last Tuesday night from GF Strong! It was so exciting but a bit surreal at the same time. I had been looking forward to that day for so long but knew it was so far away and now it finally happened.

James is doing really well and is obviously super excited to be home. We were so appreciative of the amazing staff at GF Strong, but being in hospital for that long was definitely taking its toll on both of us.

James had a busy celebratory weekend. He was able to go to a hockey game with a friend on Friday then was greeted with open arms at his “Freedom Party” at the Railway where his good friends, The Pack AD played along with the Beladeans in celebration. Thanks to Doug, Maya and Becky for making James as comfortable as possible in that very crowded bar. It was a great night but very tiring. For the remainder of the weekend we were visited by a few great friends from the island and went to a pub to celebrate our dear friends birthday. Happy Birthday PJ!

James has certainly been asked to attend a lot of outings since being discharged however after experiencing this very busy weekend we would like people to know that he has been advised by his therapists to take things easy.  It is very common for people with brain injuries to get very fatigued very quickly which is obviously not ideal when he needs to be focusing on rehab. Right now James will take things one thing at a time and will make it out to whatever he possibly can but please don’t be offended if he is not able to make it out. This is tearing him up a bit because after he has been shown so much support, all he wants to do is be supportive to his friends.

This week James has been organizing appointments with an Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapist so he can continue his rehab at home. He’s walking only with a cane now for indoors and outdoors, and can walk for a good 30 minutes now. 

James has truly amazed me in every way possible throughout this awful experience. His body and mind have come so far in the last few months even with the setbacks he had. 

I suppose this will be our last blog entry since James is well on his way to recovery at home. Before we end this however we really would like to thank both of our families for their unbelievable support. Judy, Brian, Tara, Brooke, Chris, Bill, Tara and Rachel have been absolutely incredible and have made this journey that much easier to handle. James and I are so thankful from the bottom of our hearts because we would not have been able to get through it alone.

Our friends, (there are just too many of you to name but I hope you know who you all are), have also been amazingly supportive. We’ve asked so much of our friends in the past several months and we are so so grateful to have you all their to lean on.

Lastly we would like to thank everyone out there who sent all the positive energy they could muster. I believe this is the reason why James is doing so well. Thank you everyone for your thoughtful support. There are not enough words to express our gratitude. We will simply never forget the support we've received from family, friends and complete strangers out there.

Love always,

Kim and James

Less than two weeks!

First of all, I must apologize to those of you who have been checking the blog and seeing no updates for about a month. James and I have been rather busy with rehab, appointments, coming home for weekends and just plain life.

James is doing incredibly well. He’s now using a cane for indoors and the walker for outdoors. He’s playing and writing more music, which is so lovely for me to hear. He’s working really hard on the “thinking” skills that were shaken up from the brain injury and I’m seeing a little more of the real James everyday.

Our weekends are fantastic. We’ve been going to movies, going out for dinner and having friends over. James even went to a music show without the loving support of me! One of our dear friends was able to take him and help him throughout the night while I was able to have a night on the town with some girlfriends. Thanks PJ!

James and I were also able to go to see our friend Rod from the Hurricanes play the Canucks but were disappointed when the Canucks decided to choose the one game we don’t cheer for them to pull up their socks and play well! We went to see Rod afterwards and had a great visit. I think it lifted both our spirits.

In the last few weeks James had several appointments. One was with an orthopedic doctor who was very happy with how his pelvis has healed. He said the surgeon in Winnipeg did an incredible job with lining up the bones and making sure it would heal well, which it has. At the time when they did the pelvic surgery we weren’t sure if James would be able to walk or run again. Now, I’m amazed at how well he’s done and how quickly the time has gone. James started jogging a little bit with his physiotherapist. This was incredible news!

James also had another CT scan which showed more fluid against the brain. However, we were happy and relieved to hear that it wasn’t putting pressure on the brain causing clinical problems. They plan to observe James clinically for the next month or so, then will do another CT scan to see if the fluid has moved. We’re hoping it won’t cause any more problems and will be reabsorbed.

As some of you may remember James had a fall back in November and chipped his tooth. Last week he was seen by his dentist and finally had a permanent crown inserted! He’s now got a beautiful smile that looks just like the old James.

We had our last team meeting today. James has a week and a half left at GF Strong before he’s discharged home. Despite our appreciation for the GF Strong staff, James is definitely ready to get home! 

Happy Times and Hard Times in our brand New Year

In the past couple of weeks, James and I have had incredibly amazing times and incredibly hard times. After our wonderful Christmas at Grandpa’s, James’ physiotherapist had him doing stairs, which meant he was able to spend New Years at home. It was so special and meaningful to James and I to be able to start the New Year together in our home. After a night out with my family, James and I cheers’ed our ginger ale filled wine glasses together and celebrated the New Year.

Just a few days later James celebrated his 28th birthday and was again able to come home. His family came over from the Island and took us out for a nice dinner then his friends came over to our home the following day to celebrate and visit. I felt unbelievably lucky to have my James here to celebrate another year.

After the hype of the holidays it was back to work for James. The therapists have been blown away by his progress and are now starting to reassess where he is at so they can work on new things.

Getting weekend passes home is becoming a regular thing for James. Something for him and I to look forward to throughout the difficult week. This past weekend James and I went to see a movie with my sister and her boyfriend who kindly helped with getting James in and out of the car along with hauling the equipment James is coming home with these days. I must say it felt really good to do something we used to enjoy doing before the accident.  Doing these kind of activities, lying in bed looking at him across from me, eating meals with him at home, playing with our dog Bettie, listening to our favorite music… these were the things I hoped for and looked forward to when he was lying there, helpless in that ICU bed in Winnipeg. It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was hoping for what I now have.

The hardest part for him and I now is saying goodbye on Sunday nights. It’s so hard to take him back to GF Strong after having a somewhat normal weekend with my husband. It seems I just get used to him being home, then before we know it, I am obliged to take him back.

Since things have stabilized over the past several weeks, James and I have been really missing Mike, James’ wonderful and true friend that was tragically killed in the accident.  Our grieving was put on hold as James fought for his life several times in hospital and although I have been thinking of Mike and his family since the day of the accident, it wasn’t until the last few weeks that I have truly missed him. It seems there is something missing from our lives and we are so unbelievably sad. Our hearts go out to Mike’s girlfriend, Melina and the Gurr family in Nanaimo. There is not a day that goes by that we do not think about Mike and his family.

For now, James continues to work hard at GF Strong and we are trying to get the most out of the time we have together.

It was a Merry Christmas after all

Thank you everyone! All that positive thinking paid off. James was seen by the Neurosurgeon on Tuesday morning and said that because James was doing so well there was no need to do a CT Scan urgently, instead they plan to do a follow up CT Scan in January. James was transferred back to GF Strong that day and even better he was given a two-day two-night pass! James and I spent Christmas with my family at my Grandpa’s house.  We were both extremely thankful that we were able to spend Christmas together outside of the hospital! Hurray! 

James is now back at GF Strong. He’s walking with a walker for very short distances and still using the wheelchair to get around.  His left side is much stronger although still has some weakness.  All together, James is doing amazing. He struggles with having to stay at GF Strong and looks forward to the day when he comes home so we can start our married life together. James is so strong and I truly believe that he will get through this.

On another note, James and I have a new landline to cut down on our cell phone bills. If you would like the number please email me. (kimbos81@hotmail.com)

Thank you everyone so so much! 

Bumps, bumps and more bumps...

I’ll start with the bad news. After a routine CT scan on Thursday morning showed slight increased swelling, James was sent back to VGH by that afternoon. He was scheduled to have surgery yesterday to remove the skull flap and to see what was causing the swelling. James was not happy with this news and was more anxious than I’ve ever seen him.  The empathetic Neurosurgeon saw his distress and decided to take another look at the CT Scan.  The problem was that there was no clear reason to “go in” again but they were not happy with what they saw on the scan. After a bit of deliberation it was decided to do a smaller procedure instead of a huge surgery. This smaller procedure consisted of drilling a small hole in the space that was putting pressure on his brain. They released pressure and again will send the fluid to the lab to see if it’s infected. James had another CT scan this morning, which showed a lot of improvement. The brain had re-expanded almost to its full size because they were able to aspirate all the fluid that was causing pressure. However, they are fairly certain now that the fluid is caused by infection. The plan is to do another CT scan on Monday. If this scan looks as good as today’s than he should be able to go back to GF Strong and will have another CT scan done in a week for follow up. However, if the scan shows more fluid, we will have to have a discussion about the possibility of more surgery. Their recommendations at this point would be to remove the bone flap and leave it out for at least 3 months, and do another 6 weeks or so of IV antibiotics. This is the worst-case scenario.

James is struggling to stay positive. This was his fourth neurosurgery, fifth surgery altogether. We all feel burnt out, tired and defeated. However negativity is not what we need so on with the positive…

This past week James actually seemed better to me although the Physio and Occupational Therapist both noticed slight decrease in function. Today he was doing incredibly well! Last night and today we were able to talk like we used to. He seemed almost back to normal. The thought of loosing the progress that he’s had today again tares me up but at least I know he’s still there and it will come back.

James was also seen by his orthopedic doctor who was very happy with how James’ pelvis is healing and gave the okay for full weight bearing. This means the physio has a lot more to work with and James will hopefully be walking in no time.

So… although we try to stay positive, James has had enough bumps in the road. I’ve never been so proud of him and never loved him more. In the next couple days we need lots of positive energy going to James’ brain! Think positive and please no more bumps!

Back "Home"

James was thankfully transferred back to GF Strong last Tuesday morning. GF Strong could not accept him back with a peripheral IV therefore a PICC line (central line) was inserted on Monday to manage his IV antibiotics for the next two weeks. James is happy to be back at GF Strong but since the surgery, he has been very fatigued, uncomfortable and flat. He now wants to see visitors, which I’m hoping, will cheer him up (please email me to set up a time: kimbos81@hotmail.com).  James’ left side is still weak but we’re hoping his strength will come back shortly. James is not showing any clinical signs of infection however they continue to monitor the cultures they drew from the surgery. He is scheduled for a follow-up CT scan on Monday.

He’s also scheduled to see the Orthopedic doctor next week. It will have been 10 weeks since the pelvic surgery so we’re hoping the doctor will say it’s okay to start weight bearing on his right leg.

I don’t think I’ve seen James quite this down so far but I know his strength will pull him through this rough patch. If you would like to write to James, I’ve added the address below. He’s not checking his email or facebook at this time.

Thanks everyone for all your support.

James Wood: Room 325

4255 Laurel St.

Vancouver, BC

V5Z 2G9

Post-op update

As planned, James had surgery on Thursday evening to release the fluid causing pressure in his brain and to replace the bone flap.  James was a bit anxious but as usual was cracking jokes with the OR and pre-op nurses.  After a long wait, the neurosurgeon came to speak with us. He explained things went fairly well although they have a slight concern with the possibility of infection. They had cultured the fluid for infection and today they say there is minimal bacterial growth but they are not concerned at this point. They plan to keep James on IV antibiotics for now and keep an eye on him. James has been pretty out of it the last few days and is having a bit of a rough recovery period. However he is showing signs of getting back to being more like himself.

We are hoping James will be able to go back to GF Strong today or tomorrow however if they plan on continuing the IV antibiotics for longer then he will have to stay at VGH as GF Strong may not accept patients with IV needs. He may have to go back on the GF Strong waitlist because they cannot hold James’ bed for much longer. We’re keeping our fingers crossed though.

James is such an incredible person to me. Despite having almost everything that could go wrong go wrong, he keeps his spirits high.

Again if you would like to visit James, email me and I’ll let you know when he is up for visitors.