Day 62 - Happy Valentine's Day

Day 62 with just two weeks and four days to go!

If Jan feels well enough for the short trip, we are going to the Shaker Tavern for Valentine's Day dinner. A group at her church organizes one every year. We haven't gone to one for a few years. A couple from the church has been offering to take us out to dinner more than once but circumstances have not been with us. They were the ones that invited us to Valentine's Day dinner. I hope she feels up to it this time. I will post pictures if there are any that turn out well.

Yesterday I took Jan by her work to visit with coworkers and to do a bit of work. Any excuse to get her out of the house and walking around is a good thing. It is the only exercise she can do.

I'm working from home with the odd day at the office so I've not used up as much leave time as she has. Her work's policy is to use all paid sick leave and then paid vacation leave before going into unpaid status. We asked if she could go unpaid immediately since we don't need the money and I'd rather have her not use up her vacation time. After this is all over, we need some time out of halo away from everything. But, I don't write the policy and her last paid day is probably next week with no vacation time to speak of for the rest of the year.

While we were on campus, I suggested she go volunteer in the nursing class so the students could get an idea of how to deal with a halo. There is a dearth of information and education on the subject, especially in the medical community.

On the way home, we went by her favorite store and picked up a single-serve blender-ish device called a Magic Bullet. We are hoping it makes getting her daily yogurt requirement easier by mixing it with fruit and ice to make a smoothie.

Magic Bullet Website

The insurance is all screwy now. Our primary health carrier is paying the bills when it should be auto insurance. I've called, futile as it seems, to inform them they are not responsible for the charges due to it being an auto accident. All that got me was another form to fill out and the explanation that it would all be ironed out in subrogation. My only concern is they actually paid Bilkmore for stuff I have contested, such as two collars and too many morphine injections. At this point, I don't care enough to worry about it. My only focus is on March 4th!

She felt really achy on Thursday and I gave her half of one of her better pain pills. It really helped. I let her have the rest of it at bedtime and she is back to Tylenol all day Friday and nothing so far on Saturday.

Now for some picture updates. Here's how it looks when she stands, as viewed from all four sides. You will notice how far forward her head is craned to "preserve" the all critical, overriding and comfort-be-darned spinal alignment!

Day 60 - Taxing Experience

Jan has only today and tomorrow to go on her latest antibiotic. Her neck muscles and the pins are all the pain she has at this point. The calcium intake and yogurt are continuing right up to the minute the halo comes off! I might let her slack off on the yogurt after the halo comes off but I'm still debating.

I took her to vote on Tuesday at Natcher Elementary. I'm sure a teacher had some explaining to do to her students as they looked at Jan walking the hall. We saw one of Tessa's former teachers and he recognized her and asked about Tessa. When Tessa voted later that same day he asked about Jan.

Then, the wind and rain were terrible on Wednesday! My mother arrived to stay with Jan for the day before it started the worst. She brought a pecan pie and a pumpkin pie with her. She also made supper before she left. It is a good thing Jan didn't get out that day. I went into work the whole day since I knew she'd have company. Her friend that originally cut her hair after the accident dropped by for a touch-up. It was a pretty busy day and she didn't even have to leave the house.

She wants to go grocery shopping today. If the weather holds and the day starts off well, we will go get some more yogurt that she loves so much.

If all goes well, on Valentine's Day we are going to a church function at the Shaker Tavern at South Union. She is a bit worried it will be a long trip but US 68-80 is a nice, smooth four-lane road and it is only 20 minutes away. I think she'll enjoy a night out, around other people.

Here's a picture of the halo and her head from the top. You can see that the left front pin has considerably more threads into the halo than the right front pin by a noticeable margin.



On a sad note, I finally started our taxes. How depressing.

Day 58 - More Antibiotics

Day 58, 22 to go until the halo comes off! Three weeks until the CT scan, also known as The Scan! I intend to have slides of the scan up before we leave for Bilkmore along with the report. There should be no surprise on the actual neuro visit.

I still have not received a call back from the doctor that we were promised last week by the Neurosurgery Clinic manager. His office called because he's the doctor Jan will be seeing at the children's hospital. There is only one acceptable outcome at this point.

While at the GP on Monday for lab results, the doctor looked at the pins and decided she could use another antibiotic. Third one in a month! These are not great pictures but they do exhibit what the back pins look like. I have trimmed as much hair away from them as I can from time to time but it is very hard to get to them. It is even harder to photograph. Her hair is a little damp from just being washed but that is the best way to see the pins. When it is fully dry the hair has to be held back with clips to even get a look at the rear pins.

The GP also had some advice for getting through the CT scan, take a whole valium an hour before the scan. He said it would be a better anti-vertigo pill than the plain dizziness pills she has.

Day 56 - Eight Weeks Later

Today is eight weeks since the accident. Jan doesn't take anything but Tylenol for pain for the last week. She can go almost all day without anything. I give her two Tylenol at night to get past the neck pain so she can sleep. She doesn't take anything stronger unless we are making a trek rather than a short trip. Unfortunately, the halo still causes her pain in her pins and the weight of it all is as tiring as ever. It was never properly fitted and pushes on her head rather than holding her head up. This, in turn, makes her shoulders sore from the constant shrug she subconsciously does to alleviate the pressure. So goes the endless cycle of needlessly annoying pain.

At present, Bilkmore is showing an appointment on March 4th with the doctor and on March 5th with the NP. We aren't going to cancel the appointment with the NP until we are certain that everything is falling in place. The last thing she wants is any delay getting out of the halo.

As an observation, I've noticed she no longer involuntarily moves her eyebrows and, by extension, her forehead. She still can if she tries but it doesn't happen automatically anymore. A smile doesn't result in any movement above the eyes. If you look at the previous picture at the WKU President's Recognition Luncheon, you can see it in her face. So, a halo has the same effect as botox! Doesn't everybody want one now?

She's been averaging at least one yogurt a day and sometimes two so that gets her more calcium! I'm positive March 4th will be THE DAY!

Jan had non-accident related lab work done on Saturday. She sees her GP to get the results late Monday. Nothing out of the ordinary. Routine cholesterol and glucose checks. While we are there she is going to get her inner ear checked as well as the pins looked at to be sure they are both OK. No more speed bumps to this recovery.