Aren't we festive??

Hellloooooooo! Just wanted to give a little update on Benjamin....and share our very festive photo with everyone. Wednesday night we slept a full 7 hours! It was very exciting! His head was hurting but it wasn't super bad. He could just tell it was beginning to hurt so I got him up, he took some pain medicine and it didn't last very long. Thursday was pretty much the same thing.
We also went on an outing! Benjamin hasn't been anywhere except for the hospital since we got back from Thanksgiving. We rode his chair down the road to Zaxby's and had a lunch date and then rode down to Publix and got some stuff to make dinner. It was fun but also very coooollllllddd. There seemed to be an exceptionally nippy breeze that day. Later that night, with our combined kitchen skills, we whipped up some stuffed mushrooms, fettuccine with sauteed mushrooms (you can never have enough mushrooms in a meal) and chicken. It was very tasty! Thursday was a fun day!
Friday Bebe (John Mark's girlfriend) and I drove home. I came home for the weekend for my mom's birthday (which was today) and I'll be going back Monday. Bebe will be coming back with me to stay for the week. We'll all be coming home next weekend for MY BIRTHDAY!!!!
That's all that's new.

This is from yesterday. Benjamin's head starting hurting again today but it wasn't as bad as it normally is. He's chilling at the apartment right now.

Back in the hosipital again.....

We're back in the hospital. Benjamin's head pain has continued and is coming more often and lasting longer. Like clock work, yesterday morning he work up a little before 5 with excruciating head pain. He says it just feels like fire from the back of his neck to behind his eyeballs. From the way he acts I believe him. Poor fellow. He acts like he is in VERY serious pain. Saturday he came to the hospital around 10. Once again it was by ambulance. John Mark had gone home for the weekend so I stayed at the apartment with Mrs.Sherri while Mr.Greg went with Benjamin. They gave him an IV and some stronger stuff that knocked him out and eased his headache. Also prescribed him stronger pain medication. His head started hurting later that day and even the stronger pain medication did not work.
Then again this morning, like clock work, around 5 he awoke again in serious pain. He took some pain medication but it didn't ease up. Benjamin was also having trouble catching his breath. We waited until a little after noon before calling an ambulance. I stayed with with Mrs.Sherri again and Mr.Greg went with him. When they checked his blood pressure it was 220/183. WAY to high. They gave him an IV to bring it down, however, it went down too much. It was like 83/over another low number I forgot. So he's staying overnight so they can monitor him. Which is where I am right now. I'm staying the night with him. He has a sinus infection so they are giving him antibiotics for that and heavy pain medication for his head.
It's weird to be in this hospital as opposed to Shepherd's because the staff isn't that aware of the care taking of quadriplegics. We're used to the staff being even more cautious than us but you can tell these nurse's weren't schooled in quad 101. I still have to turn him and do all of our other quad responsibilities just like as if we we're at home. However, everyone here is super nice and this hospital is HUMONGOUS!
I have also been sick. We have just been balls of fun this weekend. I've medicated myself with over the counter stuff and it's worked. I'm no longer congested but I have nasty cough. Besides the sickness and frequent hospital visits everything is going good. John Mark's girlfriend had a week off work and decided to come visit. I'm thrilled to increase the amount of estrogen in our apartment for a week. It'll be be nice to have a girl around.

TAH DAH!!! I came up with the most brilliant idea! We're going to do video blogs! This would our first. Benjamin had the honor of doing the first one. Hope it turns out ok. We recorded it on my camera. I can't believe I did think of it sooner.

Hello Everyone! I'm sorry I haven't been posting on here. We don't have Internet in our apartment in Gainesville so I'm not able too. I have been going to a little coffee place every now and then that has wi-fi so I had a serious talk with myself and I'm going to start just writing it on Microsoft word and then coping it to my blog. Soooo....there will more posts.

Another reason I don't blog much is because not much has been going on. We still don't have a van so we are pretty much home bound. We have to ride the transit handicap bus to go somewhere and you have to call two days ahead and it only runs Mon. thru Fri. 8-4. He rides that to therapy every Tues. and Thurs. However, we have been able to plan ahead and had two outings.

The first was to Wal-Mart. It wasn't so much the shopping that Benjamin enjoyed but the smooth vast open floor. I would be looking at something and talking and slowly realize I was talking to no one. He would just zoom off to zig zag in and out of the aisles. It was raining that day and Benjamin has learned how to drift in his chair when his wheels are wet. He had quite a time.

The last one was to the Gainesville mall. Benjamin wanted to get some longer pants because he felt like all of his other ones looked like high waters when he was in his chair and to get some other things. We had a good time there too. It was lame though because the aisles in department stores aren't really made for handicapped people. The big main aisles are but not when your trying to look in and out of clothes racks. Sometimes he couldn't fit or would knock clothes off and tables and what not. So a lot of times we had to bring the clothes to him. Which was fine, it's whatever, we still had a great time. Benjamin got a lot things he enjoys wearing.

Mr.Greg rented a van for about a week and a half and we came home for the holidays. (I'm writing this from the comfort of my own home. It's nice) It was lame though because he waited until the day before we we were leaving and was only able to get a mini van. Which Benjamin is to tall for, so when he gets in and out we have to lean him forward so his head doesn't hit the top. He needs a full size van. We make it work though. We drove home on the Thursday before Thanksgiving and then Benjamin's birthday was that Saturday. He is now officially 20. Yep, I date an older man now, ha! It just so happened that Saturday night was the night of Benj Fest. Benjamin's friends that are in bands had their bands perform and all the proceeds went to Benjamin. Benj Fest was held at The Barn in Pelham (a very cool place) and the bands that played we're Triple Vision, King Palm, Neural Implosion, and Last. It was a whole bunch of fun because it was like one big birthday party for him. Someone from the WALB also came and interviewed him. He was on the news that night. You can check it out if you want on their website.

Sadly on Sunday he came down with a UTI. He felt terrible. His temperature got up to like 103.8. He just had to take antibiotics and wait it out. By Wednesday he was himself again. He and his family had planned to leave that day to go to Alabama for Thanksgiving. (that's where Mr.Greg's family lives) However, his Dad thought they should stay home since he had just gotten over being so sick. So, they spent Thanksgiving at their house. I spent it with the Eunice family. Then that night Benjamin and I attended the Festival of Lights on the Square. Of course we couldn't move more than a foot an hour (not really, but that's what it felt like) for all the people coming to talk to Benjamin. It was all good though. We enjoyed seeing everyone again. Once again Benjamin enjoyed driving on the open street and weaving in and out of people.

The rest of the holiday break was spent just hanging out with all our friends and family. We had such a good time being at home. Bummer we have to leave. The Daniels left today to go back to Gainesville and then I'll be leaving tomorrow.

You will be hearing from me more. I left my camera in Gainesville so I wasn't able to take any pictures of us over the break. (I'm very mad at myself) I put some kind of recent ones. Hope everyone had a Great Thanksgiving!!!!!!

Gainesville is going very nicely. There is no Internet in the apartment so I'm not able to keep up my blog like I would want to. At the moment I'm at a nice little coffee shop a couple of miles from our apartment using their wi fi. Everything as been going good so far. The apartment is nice and roomy. Benjamin is able to move around nicely. He has left some nice marks and taken off some of the wall and door frames but for the most part he's able to get around. Our apartment is located on like the outside of Riverside Military Academy so we don't have much interaction with the "militarians" (as I like to call them). It doesn't feel like we live at military academy to me.
Benjamin and Mrs.Sherri have started therapy. So far they go twice a week. We've been once, it's a nice place and Benjamin likes his therapists. We don't have a handicap accessible van for Benjamin to ride in so we have to call the Red Rabbit. Red Rabbit is a public bus service for the handicap. They are nice. The only problem is you have to call 48 hrs ahead and none of us are planners. We are hoping to call tomorrow and make plans to go to the mall and on a movie date this weekend.
For the most part we just chillax all day. I can't think of anything interesting to write about. Nothing interesting has been happening.

The Daniels had a successful move to Gainesville yesterday. Benjamin's therapy ended Wednesday and they spent yesterday packing and then moved late that afternoon. Mr.Greg rented a handicapped van for the day. Benjamin likes the apartment. He said it's spaced out and he's pretty sure I will like it too. Space is very appealing to me. He'll start therapy at a place called Regain Tuesday.

Yesterday morning Benjamin and I woke up, got dressed and headed down to the therapy gym. The pillow case contraption one of the therapists rigged to help him drive had been messed up so he asked me to drive. I jumped in his lap and took off happy to get to drive. I, of course, drove it full speed and made race car noises down the hall. As we neared the elevator I decided not to slow down and make a smooth swoop into the elevator. This would have been impressive if I had cleared the elevator door........however, I did not. My foot that was sitting on top of the front wheel was smashed between the wall and the death machine (otherwise known as a wheelchair). Pretty embarrassed by my graceful display of skill I quietly drove into the elevator. By the time we got to the 3rd floor tears were starting to come from the pain in my foot. I slipped of my sandal and it was already swollen. We headed back to the room and by then it was swollen even more and looked like a Cheeto puff was under my skin. When I stood on it to unlock the door it hurt SO bad......I proceeded to panic hysterically.
I telephoned my mom, who called Sara to come see about me. LUCKILY it just so happened to be the day my grandparents were coming to Atlanta so I called them to please make haste. I laid down and propped my foot on Benjamin's death machine. After a little while John Mark took him to therapy and I continued to lay there until Sara came. She held ice on it and we contemplated on what to do......blah blah.....my grandparents came and my foot was blue....blah blah....I decided that I could wait to get an x-ray and just tried not to walk on it.
Benjamin got back from therapy. He is able to drive his chair now but he sits hunched over. When he first got his chair he was sitting hunched over so they put this foam block behind him that pushed his back so he could sit straight. However, those were what was making it so he couldn't drive so they had to remove them and nobody can do something that will make him sit upright. He hates it. He's very frustrated about it. Hopefully someone in Gainesville will know a trick.
During his therapy sessions they just worked on loosening his shoulder muscles so they aren't so painful.
Chadwick arrived for a surprise visit. Benjamin was happy about that. My grandparents had to leave and I continued to sit there all afternoon. By 7 I was miserable and wanted my mom. So I talked to Benjamin, packed my things and headed home. Benjamin wasn't thrilled about me coming home but he said it was ok.
So, I'm typing this from the comfort of my room, bed and nick at nite. My foot still hurt today to walk on it. I hurt like around the last 3 toes and up a little. I can walk if I walk on the side of my foot and big toe. It's not attractive though. If it's not better by Friday or Monday I'm going to go get an x-ray. But for now I'm just chillaxing.
I've talked to Benjamin and they have been packing stuff up and getting things figured out for tomorrow. Chadwick stayed and will be going with them to Gainesville. I won't be going to Gainesville until at least Monday. Bo is coming home for the weekend and I want to see him. Hopefully my foot will be ok by then. I'm not happy about my current injury.

We had a good weekend (our last weekend at Shepherds, whoop whoop). Friday my family (my mom, Bee-beep, Pop pop, Hayes) came up for a visit. I went and stayed with them at Sara's. It was nice to go to sleep and wake up naturally. Mr.Greg came and took Mrs.Sherri back to Gainesville for the weekend. So it was just John Mark and Benjamin for the night. Wes joined and hung out, they had a good time. Stayed up until about 3 and then didn't wake up until about 3 Saturday afternoon.

While they were sleeping on Saturday I was hanging out with my family. We went to breakfast, Betsy and Dan's and then did a little shopping...mostly just window shopping. Then we went back to the Shepherds apartment, hung out with Benjamin and John Mark and ordered pizza. Sadly my family soon departed.....we continued to chillaxed. I woke up Sunday at 12. Benjamin and John Mark didn't wake up until about 2:30. So for that 2 hrs and 30 min everyone was quiet and I was alone in the living room/kitchen with the T.V. all to myself.........there are no appropriate words to express how wonderful those 2 1/2 hours were......no words. I made some coffee, spent some time with God, had leftover pizza for breakfast and then watched Nickelodeon. I don't think I'll ever forget those 2 1/2 hours of peace in Leah Land. Then Benjamin woke up and we had breakfast in bed until I was forced to physically exert myself and get him up and dressed. We did nothing Sunday. I never got out of my pajamas until we made a trip to CVS that night. Which was fun with Benjamin's new chair. It flies! I got a bit chilly, felt like I was on a sleigh ride. I can definitely live with these new means of transportation.

Then 7 o'clock Monday morning came. Actually it was supposed to be 7 o'clock but I overslept so it was more like 8:30 Monday morning. Tomato, tomado. I got to drive Benjamin's chair super fast speed and make race car noises down the halls though. (He still wasn't able to drive his chair this weekend. That didn't make him to happy, pretty frustrated actually. I enjoy sitting in his lap and driving.)

This morning he had shoulder exercises, stretching on the mat with me, more shoulder strengthening, lunch/practice feeding and then PT. During his PT his therapist showed me how to transfer him using a sliding board. That's where I slide a board under him and the choice of seating, lean him forward so he's leaning on my shoulder and slide him over. It sounds like it should be easy but it's not. Paralyzed people are not easy to slide. But if the Hoyer breaks we have an alternative.

Benjamin's chair guy never showed. However, his brilliant therapist was able to create an alternative. She just simply tied a rolled up pillowcase to the arm rest and side of his chair in such a way that the rolled fabric blocked Benjamin's elbow and he was able to drive his chair. If only we would've thought of creatively brainstorming the problem ourselves instead of waiting for the logical chair man. So, now Benjamin has been able independently maneuver himself around and about.

Since then we have been chillaxing in the apartment. Wes came over for a little bit but besides that nothing as happened. It's been rainy. Rain seems to be the ultimate unmotivator for us. So, here we sit.

Today marks one week until we leave!!
I got Benjamin up and dressed all by myself again this morning. He had PT first. She massaged his shoulders and did some soft tissue shoulder strengthening. His therapists said Benjamin has the tightest shoulders they've ever seen....but they can only get better from here so it's all good.
He had OT and she showed me how to e-stim his shoulders. Then a black slick and shiny new chair introduced itself to us as Benjamin's new wheelchair. It's very new and pretty. We sat for the next 3 hours while the wheelchair man adjusted everything. We were excited about the new chair but it was a long 3 hours. The man got everything pretty much situated except he has to put an elbow block on the left arm rest. His arm keeps slipping back so he's had a little bit of trouble driving. That's supposed to get done sometime this week.
Afterwards he had massage therapy for his shoulders. He enjoyed that but he says they still hurt. We came back to the apartment and our friend, from Albany, Sara and her friend Ashley came for a visit. They were going to a concert tonight and came early to hang out. That was fun, we enjoyed company besides ourselves.
We have just been chillaxing since then. Wes just got here and we're still chilling. I posted some pictures earlier.

Here are some recent photos.....

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All of us after Benjamin's graduation. From left Lisa (favorite nurse friend), me (awesome), John Mark (middle brother), Natalie (Wes's wife), Wes (oldest brother), Luke (Wes and Natalie's son), Mr.Greg (dad) and then at the bottom Mrs.Sherri (mom) and Benjamin.

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The graduate

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One of the pet therapy dogs

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Benjamin and John Mark strolling down the hospital hall

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Moving day

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Thanks for wigs Ben Scurry family!! We had fun!

Hello and welcome to our blog! If you are not already aware I've been keeping the interested public informed on Benjamin's progress and what we have been up too by sending out a daily e-mail. However, we have now made the decision to become bloggers. Indeed, we will now be posting updates to the cyber world via blog. Here is the first.....

Well, today wasn't that interesting. We woke up and had some breakfast and then for the first time in history I got Benjamin dressed, stretched and in his chair all by myself. Indeed I did. John Mark is always willing to help but I decided I wouldn't wake him and try it solo. It was smooth sailing.

We made our way to the third floor gym for his PT. During therapy they worked on loosening his very tight and discomforting shoulder muscles. After Benjamin, me and his OT trotted down to the social eating area, also known as a cafeteria, for some lunch/Benjamin's feeding workout. Also for the first time in history (post Benjamin's "bamboozle") he completed feeding himself a bite of food all by himself. I think about 3 were an independent success. He was using his mobile arm support but that's all for assistance.

Benjamin had soft tissue shoulder stregthening exercises next. He went and stregthened. Following that we were forced to attend an Advanced Bladder Education class.....cause I guess the two other 1 hour long classes about the bladder were just warm-ups. It was the SAME information. We are well acquainted with the bladder.

Since then we have just been chillaxing in the apartment. Benjamin is expecting to get his new chair tomorrow. This one will be custom fit to his body and will be HIS chair. He is still using the hand drive and getting better at it everyday. Everything is going well with his body besides a pesky pressure sore on his heel. Every time we think it has scabbed over it reopens again. Other than that everything is looking good. Wounds are healed, putting Merderma on the fresh scars, voice is getting louder, lungs are clear, been about a week since the last time we had to cough him, is able to cough some of it out himself and has a good appetite.