We are now going through the options of continued therapy for Jeff. We are considering both long term and short term options. Do we get him a gym membership? a treadmill? or as my co-workers and Gayle are opting for, is a dog.
The daily walks would be good for Jeff and the dog. But as I have no problems telling everyone, in the pecking order of the Wadas, I consider myself number 5 in a family of 5. With a dog, I fall to number 6. My co worker says, don't worry about it because in the dog's eyes, I will be number 1. Somehow I am not buying into this yet. I am envisioning a treadmill with a video screen and a dvd of UP.
In converting the web page to the blog, I noticed I start repeating certain topics. The main reason for the switch over is to provide a broader view of Jeff's condition through other modes whether it be pictures or links. It is from my "unique" perspective and more appropriate as a blog.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Thurs. Oct. 29th Recovery: They did what?
Since Gayle went off her family leave, I took Jeff to his appointments last week. One was his check up with his neurosurgeon and the other for disability. The neurosurgeon greeted Jeff cheerfully and was generally upbeat on his progress. I mention this because he is not known for his cheerful disposition. He was encouraging and generally pleased with Jeff's progress. Being the curious type, I asked what exactly was done during surgery.
Not knowing what the terminology means, it was explained that one disk was removed and the other trimmed. In order to do that, they have to remove part of the lumbar vertabrae on either side of the disks. I was trying to better describe the process, but after looking it up in google, I am better off just saying they had to remove sections of the vertabrae to get to the disks. So he is missing one disk.
When asked what that means in terms of his functioning and long term affect, his disposition returned to normal and gave me a vague doctor-ish answer, which means you just don't know. But he should be able to function ok with those parts missing and modified.
One observation, while in the waiting room for both doctors, it was obvious that Jeff is an anomaly. The average age of the patients waiting made me feel quite young. Most of them thought I was the patient until they saw jeff walk with the cane. The look of surprise was familiar even from the drs. staff. One of his doctors described his condition as one of those you read about in text books but never see. Another doctor modified that statement by saying you don't read about this even in textbooks. Im not sure what to make of those statements.
Not knowing what the terminology means, it was explained that one disk was removed and the other trimmed. In order to do that, they have to remove part of the lumbar vertabrae on either side of the disks. I was trying to better describe the process, but after looking it up in google, I am better off just saying they had to remove sections of the vertabrae to get to the disks. So he is missing one disk.
When asked what that means in terms of his functioning and long term affect, his disposition returned to normal and gave me a vague doctor-ish answer, which means you just don't know. But he should be able to function ok with those parts missing and modified.
One observation, while in the waiting room for both doctors, it was obvious that Jeff is an anomaly. The average age of the patients waiting made me feel quite young. Most of them thought I was the patient until they saw jeff walk with the cane. The look of surprise was familiar even from the drs. staff. One of his doctors described his condition as one of those you read about in text books but never see. Another doctor modified that statement by saying you don't read about this even in textbooks. Im not sure what to make of those statements.
Weds. Oct 14th, Recovery: Another Grey Hair
I forgot to mention the significance of Pastor Carl in Jeff's life. He was responsible for us naming him Jeff. For some reason we had plenty of girls' names. He would come in each day with suggestions. Names were eliminated by repetition (too many Wada's) or association (Gayle's students that did not leave a positive impression). Jeff is the name of his second son, Jordan his third.
A few entries ago, I talked about how in the back of our (Gayle and myself) minds' is a fear that something else will occur. Yesterday Gayle and I drove Jeff to school. His first class was cancelled, so it was a later start. Since the remaining class was only for 3 hours, we decided to go eat dinner out in Fullerton. After dinner, we just figured we would wait in the parking lot.
As we drove up to the parking lot to pick him up, a Campus Police car came driving by with lights flashing. He pulls up to the building and runs up the stairs. Right after that a second Campus police drives up with lights flashing and she runs up the stairs. We get out of the car to observe and Gayle has that look on her face. To reassure her, I said "I would not be too concerned unless a paramedic pulls up, then I would worry". As soon as I say that we hear sirens.
A fire truck pulls up, and shortly thereafter an ambulance. I turn around and Gayle is texting Jeff.
What goes through my mind is, is that why both of us came tonight? Something happaned to Jeff and we were there to be with him?
I told Gayle that I would follow the paramedics to see what was happaning. So giving them a little distance, I tailed them up the stairs and to a classroom. I could not see into the room due to the small opening and people surrounding the person. But I did hear some of the students refer to the person as "her". A sigh of relief, briefly. As I headed back down the stairs, the two campus police take off running for another emergency call. I decide to follow them just in case. But shortly after losing sight of them, I came across some other students refering to the student in need as female.
A sign of relief on Gayle's face as I told her and the burden of a shortened life span due to stress slowly faded away. A few minutes later Jeff comes strolling out between the police cars, fire truck and abulance wondering whats going on. He shrugs and gets into the car.
A few entries ago, I talked about how in the back of our (Gayle and myself) minds' is a fear that something else will occur. Yesterday Gayle and I drove Jeff to school. His first class was cancelled, so it was a later start. Since the remaining class was only for 3 hours, we decided to go eat dinner out in Fullerton. After dinner, we just figured we would wait in the parking lot.
As we drove up to the parking lot to pick him up, a Campus Police car came driving by with lights flashing. He pulls up to the building and runs up the stairs. Right after that a second Campus police drives up with lights flashing and she runs up the stairs. We get out of the car to observe and Gayle has that look on her face. To reassure her, I said "I would not be too concerned unless a paramedic pulls up, then I would worry". As soon as I say that we hear sirens.
A fire truck pulls up, and shortly thereafter an ambulance. I turn around and Gayle is texting Jeff.
What goes through my mind is, is that why both of us came tonight? Something happaned to Jeff and we were there to be with him?
I told Gayle that I would follow the paramedics to see what was happaning. So giving them a little distance, I tailed them up the stairs and to a classroom. I could not see into the room due to the small opening and people surrounding the person. But I did hear some of the students refer to the person as "her". A sigh of relief, briefly. As I headed back down the stairs, the two campus police take off running for another emergency call. I decide to follow them just in case. But shortly after losing sight of them, I came across some other students refering to the student in need as female.
A sign of relief on Gayle's face as I told her and the burden of a shortened life span due to stress slowly faded away. A few minutes later Jeff comes strolling out between the police cars, fire truck and abulance wondering whats going on. He shrugs and gets into the car.
Monday Sept. 21st Recovery: Parental Paranoia
Monday Sept. 21st
I am continually amazed at how Jeff handles the injury. He continually comes across someone he hasn't seen in awhile and the question is always what happaned? Kind of hard to hide as he walks by with a cane (his walking reminds me of the old string puppet shows when I was growing up like the Thunderbirds, only slower). It's always interesting to watch people's reactions as he walks past them. Its one of those situations where they see him and don't say anything, but turn their heads after he passes by. The look of curiosity in their eyes. I would be paranoid by now, but Jeff takes it in stride.
Our neighbors across the street have been very supportive of Jeff. For all these years we have not had much contact with them. But when they noticed Jeff and the walker, they came over to ask what happaned. Ever since then, they make sure when they see him, they ask how he is doing and offer words of encouragement.
One benefit of his return to school is that he sometimes stays up and studies with Jared. Jared's school schedule is tough with honors classes, band and now cross country (long story).
Being the big brother never ends and we see the influence of Jeff and Jordan on Jared. Mostly good...........
I still catch myself being a paranoid parent. I used to get mad at Gayle for being over protective. But I catch myself every now and then. The other day he score kept at a basketball game. I was concerned about the chair he would be sitting on. Did it have enough back support? Did I need to bring one from home? What kind of pillow or support did he need? Did he have enough drinks? Was the rest room close enough where he could take a break during half time?. I ended up going home to get a cushion and ice chest of drinks. There is always something in the back of the mind that worries something else will occur..........or more accurately a fear deep seated in the heart.
The one benefit of Jeff's injury is that it has reunited us with many friends we have had not seen in a while. Pastor Carl Yoshimine called the other day when he found out about Jeff. Pastor Carl performed our marriage and did our pre marital counseling. That is another story....... He is by far the most caring pastor we have ever met. Everyone has a pastor Carl story. When Gayle's mom was in the hospital, he would come out from Anaheim to Gardena to visit her. On the day of her surgery we got a phone call from him wondering why we were not there yet. He beat us to the hospital on the day of her surgery and we live only minutes away. He would be sitting in the waiting room and soon strike up a conversation with a stranger and soon they would be laughing and telling him about their life.
I am continually amazed at how Jeff handles the injury. He continually comes across someone he hasn't seen in awhile and the question is always what happaned? Kind of hard to hide as he walks by with a cane (his walking reminds me of the old string puppet shows when I was growing up like the Thunderbirds, only slower). It's always interesting to watch people's reactions as he walks past them. Its one of those situations where they see him and don't say anything, but turn their heads after he passes by. The look of curiosity in their eyes. I would be paranoid by now, but Jeff takes it in stride.
Our neighbors across the street have been very supportive of Jeff. For all these years we have not had much contact with them. But when they noticed Jeff and the walker, they came over to ask what happaned. Ever since then, they make sure when they see him, they ask how he is doing and offer words of encouragement.
One benefit of his return to school is that he sometimes stays up and studies with Jared. Jared's school schedule is tough with honors classes, band and now cross country (long story).
Being the big brother never ends and we see the influence of Jeff and Jordan on Jared. Mostly good...........
I still catch myself being a paranoid parent. I used to get mad at Gayle for being over protective. But I catch myself every now and then. The other day he score kept at a basketball game. I was concerned about the chair he would be sitting on. Did it have enough back support? Did I need to bring one from home? What kind of pillow or support did he need? Did he have enough drinks? Was the rest room close enough where he could take a break during half time?. I ended up going home to get a cushion and ice chest of drinks. There is always something in the back of the mind that worries something else will occur..........or more accurately a fear deep seated in the heart.
The one benefit of Jeff's injury is that it has reunited us with many friends we have had not seen in a while. Pastor Carl Yoshimine called the other day when he found out about Jeff. Pastor Carl performed our marriage and did our pre marital counseling. That is another story....... He is by far the most caring pastor we have ever met. Everyone has a pastor Carl story. When Gayle's mom was in the hospital, he would come out from Anaheim to Gardena to visit her. On the day of her surgery we got a phone call from him wondering why we were not there yet. He beat us to the hospital on the day of her surgery and we live only minutes away. He would be sitting in the waiting room and soon strike up a conversation with a stranger and soon they would be laughing and telling him about their life.
Tuesday Sept 16th Recovery: Foot Pain Panic
Who would have thought that they do sell canes with flames? Apparantly the tv series House has spawned a cane revival. The Ashcrafts even sent a link to ebay where you can custom order canes..... I find myself looking at other people's canes (mostly the retired type) and asking where they got them. Most are standard hospital issue. We were told of Robert who decided to create his own with a shift knob from his Porche.
Well after going through the past events as a parent, you get a little paranoid. Last week one morning Jeff was complaining about pain in his right foot. This put us in a panic mode. Our thinking was what did he do to cause this? Was he out too long, is his school backpack too heavy, did he tweak his back doing something, is the car ride to school too long? Of course someone forgot to tell us he had a dr. appointment that afternoon. According to Dr. Long it is indicative of nerve regeneration in the area. We didn't realize that it was in the area of numbness since the surgery. The left foot still has problems with drop foot, but he is trying to wean himself off of the braces on at least the right foot. While all of this is good, the Dr. did extend his handicap placard another 6 months.
I have a difficult time describing how he walks. He uses his hips more than he should to compensate for his legs and his feet tend to point out. These are the things we will continue to work on in addition to strengthening the legs.
He drives short distances while we take turns driving him to school and back two times a week. The time in travel and in class does seem to tire him out more. I went with Gayle on Monday to accompany her to Fullerton and back using the carpool lane. Her only comment was that we were not much company as we slept (she says snored) as she drove. Traffic has gotten worse these past weeks as everyone is back in school.
Well after going through the past events as a parent, you get a little paranoid. Last week one morning Jeff was complaining about pain in his right foot. This put us in a panic mode. Our thinking was what did he do to cause this? Was he out too long, is his school backpack too heavy, did he tweak his back doing something, is the car ride to school too long? Of course someone forgot to tell us he had a dr. appointment that afternoon. According to Dr. Long it is indicative of nerve regeneration in the area. We didn't realize that it was in the area of numbness since the surgery. The left foot still has problems with drop foot, but he is trying to wean himself off of the braces on at least the right foot. While all of this is good, the Dr. did extend his handicap placard another 6 months.
I have a difficult time describing how he walks. He uses his hips more than he should to compensate for his legs and his feet tend to point out. These are the things we will continue to work on in addition to strengthening the legs.
He drives short distances while we take turns driving him to school and back two times a week. The time in travel and in class does seem to tire him out more. I went with Gayle on Monday to accompany her to Fullerton and back using the carpool lane. Her only comment was that we were not much company as we slept (she says snored) as she drove. Traffic has gotten worse these past weeks as everyone is back in school.
Monday Aug. 31st Recovery: Flames
I figured that Sat. was as good a day as any to see how Jeff does driving. I was still in the jet lag mode, therefore in a perfect state of mind for a test drive. He hasn't driven since May, but to my surprise he did not show it. I even suspected he has been taking the car out on his own practicing but he assured me he has not. He drove around the streets of Torrance and on the freeway (did I tell Gayle that part?) with no signs of difficulty or fatigue. He was a bit tired afterwards, but I didn't have to jam my foot on my imaginary brake pedal on my side. Another step towards independence.
I have been looking on line for a cane for Jeff. He can use a normal cane instead of the quad cane now. Who would have thought that there were so many types, styles and materials. So I am looking at function, yet something that does not say octogenarian. Other than the light weight carbon fiber canes (OK,its the engineering side of me), they don't design for the under 30 crowd. Not that I am looking for skull and crossbones or flames (OK, I was), but something a little bit more youthful. Or is that a oxymoron.
I have been looking on line for a cane for Jeff. He can use a normal cane instead of the quad cane now. Who would have thought that there were so many types, styles and materials. So I am looking at function, yet something that does not say octogenarian. Other than the light weight carbon fiber canes (OK,its the engineering side of me), they don't design for the under 30 crowd. Not that I am looking for skull and crossbones or flames (OK, I was), but something a little bit more youthful. Or is that a oxymoron.
Friday Aug. 28th Recovery: Happy Birthday
Well it has been a month since the last update. Gayle and I were able to see him finish his last PT and OT yesterday. He has made a lot of progress these pasts months but has to continue his exercises. He will still get checked by his doctors periodically for the next year. When you look at him, he looks like he is doing well. But his walking is still not quite there yet and and his strength is lacking. Jeff should be progressing to a regular cane as soon as I can find one that in not endorsed by AARP.
We now have to figure out what course to take in continuing his PT which will now be out of pocket. We are fortunate that my work will now pick him up on my health insurance due to his being a full time student again and will cover the pre existing condition... His work has been great in extending his coverage to the end of this month.
We can tell he is progressing due to his independence. Gayle is finding that he needs her physical help less and less. So the timing is good as she gets off of her leave of absence and goes back to work in late Sept. Being the mother, she still worries about his falling, setbacks, overall health, etc. as the son, who hit 23, he is craving his independence from a slightly over protective mom. The dad just makes sure he keeps them from strangling each other, physically and emotionally.
The goal was to minimize the affect of the surgery and recovery on his life. The doctors were adamant about him not abandoning his educational and career goals. Well when Jared and I were in Japan for the Yonsei basketball cultural exchange, Gayle and Jordan had the task of figuring out how to get him to school, around school, plot a course to his classes, find out what handicap services were available, figure out areas where he can rest, get his books, get him to orientation, etc. Well it went smoother than they could ever imagine.
He started his masters program in accounting at CSU Fullerton on Monday. We were concerned about him being able to get from class to class each night. He has two classes per night (Mon and Tues) all in the same building. It turns out it is a brand new building that just opened. It includes new ergonomic chairs with high backs and lumbar support so he is able to sit for the 4 hours with no problems. He gets dropped off at 4pm, then picked up at 9:45. The first night Gayle got delayed and a couple of his classmates stayed with him until she got there.
Gayle and Jordan have been driving him out there which has been no problems due to the use of the carpool lane. The challenge will be when Jordan goes back to San Diego and Gayle goes back to work. The doctor has ok 'd him to start driving. Gayle and I are flipping a coin see who takes him out. Hmmm.... forgot to include Jordan. The problem is that it is a long drive without the carpool lane, then 3 hour classes. We are shooting for next semester to get him driving to school.
Jeff did turn 23 on the 20th of August. It was somewhat uneventful as Jared and I were out of the country and they made their way to McCormick and Schmidts. Gayle and I were trying to figure out what we were doing at 23. But it somehow progressed as to how Jeff was born. Other than being on one of the hottest day's of August, remembering hearing Joyce Miyamoto across the hall in labor, the emergency C section due to Jeff being posterior and me falling asleep between contractions. Jeff has been a blessing. Were we ready for parenthood? Pastor Carl Yoshimine kept having to come back to the hospital with name suggestions and the threat from the hospital that we were not being discharged unless we came up with a name. Now that I think about it, Gayle did want to stay a little longer......
We now have to figure out what course to take in continuing his PT which will now be out of pocket. We are fortunate that my work will now pick him up on my health insurance due to his being a full time student again and will cover the pre existing condition... His work has been great in extending his coverage to the end of this month.
We can tell he is progressing due to his independence. Gayle is finding that he needs her physical help less and less. So the timing is good as she gets off of her leave of absence and goes back to work in late Sept. Being the mother, she still worries about his falling, setbacks, overall health, etc. as the son, who hit 23, he is craving his independence from a slightly over protective mom. The dad just makes sure he keeps them from strangling each other, physically and emotionally.
The goal was to minimize the affect of the surgery and recovery on his life. The doctors were adamant about him not abandoning his educational and career goals. Well when Jared and I were in Japan for the Yonsei basketball cultural exchange, Gayle and Jordan had the task of figuring out how to get him to school, around school, plot a course to his classes, find out what handicap services were available, figure out areas where he can rest, get his books, get him to orientation, etc. Well it went smoother than they could ever imagine.
He started his masters program in accounting at CSU Fullerton on Monday. We were concerned about him being able to get from class to class each night. He has two classes per night (Mon and Tues) all in the same building. It turns out it is a brand new building that just opened. It includes new ergonomic chairs with high backs and lumbar support so he is able to sit for the 4 hours with no problems. He gets dropped off at 4pm, then picked up at 9:45. The first night Gayle got delayed and a couple of his classmates stayed with him until she got there.
Gayle and Jordan have been driving him out there which has been no problems due to the use of the carpool lane. The challenge will be when Jordan goes back to San Diego and Gayle goes back to work. The doctor has ok 'd him to start driving. Gayle and I are flipping a coin see who takes him out. Hmmm.... forgot to include Jordan. The problem is that it is a long drive without the carpool lane, then 3 hour classes. We are shooting for next semester to get him driving to school.
Jeff did turn 23 on the 20th of August. It was somewhat uneventful as Jared and I were out of the country and they made their way to McCormick and Schmidts. Gayle and I were trying to figure out what we were doing at 23. But it somehow progressed as to how Jeff was born. Other than being on one of the hottest day's of August, remembering hearing Joyce Miyamoto across the hall in labor, the emergency C section due to Jeff being posterior and me falling asleep between contractions. Jeff has been a blessing. Were we ready for parenthood? Pastor Carl Yoshimine kept having to come back to the hospital with name suggestions and the threat from the hospital that we were not being discharged unless we came up with a name. Now that I think about it, Gayle did want to stay a little longer......
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