On The Road To Recovery! 4/12/11

Hello!

Yes, I am finally going to make my own post here in our blog. I have been meaning to update for quite some time now. You'd think I wouldn't have anything else to do but somehow I do keep myself busy here at home. I try and relax as much as possible and not do anything too strenuous. I have been facebooking, writing letters, reading and watching lots of NBC (minus the hour of Millionaire and Jeopardy that I turn it to The Dr's). I can't get enough of Days of Our Lives! I have started dusting, sweeping the kitchen floor and as long as Andy carries down the baskets, I will do the laundry. Andy has been super helpful around the house and I have a feeling he's a little relieved I can start doing more.

About three weeks ago, my spine specialist said I no longer needed to wear my back brace. Right after the appointment we visited our friends who have a new baby. I took off the brace to be able to cuddle with their baby and I have not put it on since. For the first few days I was weak in my core and lower back area because I hadn't used those muscles normally for so long. Those muscles have since gotten stronger. I am not doing crunches just yet since I don't want to strain my back or put pressure on my tailbone, as it is still sore every now and then.

A couple weeks ago Andy, Abi and I started walking around our block in the evenings. I was still using my walker and had a little pain in my knees. As the weeks have progressed the pain has decreased in my knees.

Last Wednesday I saw my pelvis specialist. He took a series of x-rays which he reported showed great progress. He examined my knee after I expressed my concern. I didn't feel any pain while he manipulated my left knee. It turns out the pain I was having is due to weak hip muscles. As I exercise and get stronger they shouldn't rub and ache so much. I was given the okay to start Physical Therapy but to continue to take it easy. I also got to kiss my walker good-bye! I will see the ortho doctors again in about three months. I truly think I turned a corner last week. It might have been the peace of mind I received from the ortho doctor, but I have felt so much better than I ever have since the accident.

I started PT yesterday and man, I was beat! Bri, my therapist, warned me that I would be sore in my muscles. I told her that I can handle that; bone pain, on the other hand, I can't handle! When I get sore like that I get kind of crabby, SORRY ANDY! I am so ready to get back to my normal life with movement and activity! I will plan on going to PT twice a week for a while and will adjust my schedule as I improve.

Andy and I would like to thank EVERYONE for EVERYTHING! We are so grateful for all of the support we have received from our family and friends. We love you all dearly! If you're reading this you'll never know how much we appreciate you and how you've helped us during this life changing event. We are very blessed to have you in our lives. My life is forever changed not only from the physical effects but also from the emotional effects.

I hope that you're enjoying the BEAUTIFUL weather! I love the sunshine!

God bless,

Erin and Andy

Ah, They're After Me Lucky Charms...Happy St. Paddy's Day

Howdy...no we haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Just limited blog updating time as we have been keeping quite busy with our day to day. On this St. Paddy's day, we are reflecting on the "Luck of the Irish" that things are going as well as they are and how lucky we are to have such a great support system of family and friends.

In the past week Erin has been doing really well balancing resting with activity. She is getting more mobile with each day and even more independent. Sometimes it is hard to realize the changes since I see her daily, but if you look back a week at a time, it is amazing how much better she gets in just a short period of time.

She has gotten out of the house a few times for trips to the south side target and wal-mart as well as on some joy-rides. I think it is good for her to see the outside world especially with the beautiful weather we have had the past few days. We can't wait to get back to our walks with Abi, but sitting on the deck watching her play will have to suffice for now.

The food that people have been bringing us has been wonderful. I could really get use to this!!!

I think this weekend will be dedicated to watching March Madness, Bristol, and catching up on sleep (and maybe a little housework too). We hope all is well with everyone and happy St. Paddy's Day!

Erin and Andy

Winning, Duh! 3/8/11

Sorry for the title, I just had too. Erin is continuing with her recovery at home and all is going pretty well. I mean, she is winning, duh. She must have "tiger blood" or something because she is so strong and has been so strong through all of this.

We have had numerous visitors and we greatly appreciate the company and gifts of food, flowers, etc. Most importantly though, we just enjoy seeing our friends.

This past week Erin had a doctor's appointment with a pelvis specialist. It went well as the X-rays showed that all of her fractures remained stable. He mentioned that after her next appointment (about 4 weeks from now), she will begin her physical therapy and strength building. I think this will be a welcomed addition to Erin's daily routine as she has always enjoyed working out.

This weekend Erin went out to eat with me and a group of friends. I think that it was really nice to be back "out" and not going to a doctor's appointment. We had our favorite waffle fries at Jethro's and enjoyed the company of Matt and Sara along with numerous SAE friends.

Erin's main task is to rest as her fractures need time to heal. We have "slumber parties" on the weekends where I will sleep on the couch downstairs with her. on the hospital bed. It is kind of nice getting to share the room during the night, but it just won't work during the weekdays when I am getting up early for work.

Sorry that the updates have been sparse as of late. Hopefully as Erin continues to make strides, I will be able to update more often.

Once again, thank you for the outpouring of support. We couldn't do it without all of our "angels".

Best,

Erin and Andy

We're HOME! 2/26/11

Sorry for the delay in posting. We have had a lot going on since our return back to Carlisle! It has really been great to be home.

On Tuesday the 22nd, Erin was discharged from the Sunrise Desert Rehab Center. We took a taxi to the airport and made our way through security. This was a little different than just the average stroll through the airport security, but we gave ourselves plenty of time so it wasn't stressful at all. We even left ourselves enough time to get a Cinnabon (we used the excuse that Erin and I had lost a lot of weight and therefore it was actually a healthy decision for us to consume the thousands of extra calories from the ooey, gooey, sweet cream cheese frosted goodness). I also snuck in a hot dog:)

The plane ride went really well. We weren't able to get a front row seat, but Erin was quit comfortable in the second row with me. We met my brother and sister-in-law and Erin's uncle, Jeff, at the airport. We didn't know Jeff would be there so it was a really nice surprise. We got in our car and swung through McDonald's for our first meal back home. I never knew a cheeseburger could taste so good! We got home around 1:00 a.m. and put a few things together in the house. We finally hit the sack around 2:30.

On Wednesday morning we had a doctor's appointment with Erin's primary care physician. We figured we would do this as she could prescribe her pain medicine as well as help us obtain a temporary handicapped placard for the car. After that, we went to Wal-Mart and Erin scooted around on the motorized cart. I was a little worried as I think she thought she was a NASCAR driver half of the time. I think the tires were smoking a couple of times!

On Wednesday afternoon we went to a physical therapy appointment. This led us to referrals to our two ortho specialists that we will continue to follow up with. We were very happy with the PT that we met and we are excited to work with her as Erin tries to regain any lost strength and mobility in the near future. He also set us up for an appointment with the pelvis specialist for this Tuesday. We really hope he has good news as well and doesn't recommend any type of surgery. I think it would be a real surprise if he does as every other doctor has not recommended surgery thus far. Wednesday night we got to see our dog Abi (pictured above looking all cute) for the first time in 20 days. It was definitely uplifting to get to give her a big squeeze again!

Thursday, Erin's mom stayed with her and I was able to return to work for a day. It was nice to get organized and get back to a "normal life". I think Erin enjoyed the company of her mom as well as ALL of the visitors that we have had since our return. Anyone is welcome to visit, just call first to make sure that we are up to it or not away from home!

On Friday, Erin had a meeting with her spine specialist. He was very kind and had good news. Erin may be able to get out of her TLSO brace within a month instead of the 3 to 6 months previously predicted. We also were told that we shouldn't attend PT just yet because the stretching that I can help Erin with is adequate at this time. He wanted us to save our PT appointment allotment from insurance for when she is more mobile and can do more with machines and weights.

Today, Erin is home with her sister and some visitors. Everyone is welcome to visit, just make sure to call before you come to make sure Erin is up to it and that we are home. She also appreciates your calls and emails throughout the day! I am at work trying to catch up on a few things from the past two weeks (just taking a quick blog break!)

We would like to thank everyone for all of their generousity and support. We couldn't do it without each of you! We are so blessed to have you all in our lives. We said numerous times that we had many angels helping us get home.

We will try to continue to keep the blog updated as much as possible. It is tough since we still live in the stone-age and don't have internet access at home.

We hope that you have a wonderful weekend and God Bless,

Erin and Andy

Destination Iowa -- 2/20/11

Good News! The tickets are booked, the bags are half-way packed, and we are ready to bust out of this joint. We are more than likely returning to Iowa on Tuesday. We have a nonstop flight that leaves at 4:35 p.m. and we should be back to Omaha at 9:15 p.m. We will then see if we have the energy to make it back to Carlisle or if we will stay in Omaha or Harlan. We are so looking forward to returning home.

All in all, today was very similar to yesterday with the addition of me washing Erin's hair, watching the Daytona 500 and, most importantly, having a surprise PT session with Shelby who taught Erin how to get into a car in preparation for our departure on Tuesday. Shelby is so sweet; she even brought us bagels when she came in to work today. We are so thankful that we have had such wonderful care during Erin's rehabilitation and we feel like we are leaving here with friends that we will never forget.

It sounds like tomorrow will be a very busy day for therapy and also for organizing our return. We are still trying to get the loose ends tied up with transferring care back home as well as getting the medical supplies we need.

We are excited to be able to share the good news of our upcoming return home with all of you. Once again, thanks for all of your support throughout our time spent here in Vegas and we ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers as there is still a long road ahead.

For anyone that would like to help us out in the upcoming months, our friend Kar G., has set up a care calendar which will help organize meals. You can view this calendar and sign up if you would like at http://www.carecalendar.org/?cid=66412. The login will be 66412 and security code is 5321.

We better turn in as we have a few big days coming up. We hope that you had an enjoyable weekend.

Heading back east soon!

Erin and Andy

Saturday Blog...(couldn't come up with a creative title-too tired) 2/19/11

Just two weeks after the accident, it is great to see Erin continuing to make great progress towards recovery.

We woke up this morning to a slight drizzle and chill in the air. We felt like a little bit of Iowa was with us in Vegas. Although it would have been a great day to sleep in and sip on a cup of coffee with the newspaper, we got up and got straight to Erin's exercises. She walked the entire halls of the rehab unit. This is further than any other excursion she had thus far. I am guessing it was because her substitute physical therapist, was me....and I'm a hard ass. Really, I didn't have to push her at all, she is so motivated herself!

While receiving her morning medications, Erin gave herself her first shot thinking that she would need to continue taking her blood thinner when she got home. Later in the day, she found out she won't have to do this, but hey, she learned that she could give herself shots if needed. More importantly, I won't have to give her shots....I'm off the hook!

Later in the morning we said goodbye to Bennett and had some lunch. We had our favorite from the cafeteria, a "Cuban Ruben". It was SOOOO good and could compete with the best of the best in Vegas. It has ham, smoked chicken, Swiss cheese, coleslaw and a ton of pickles on buttered and toasted rye bread. Just writing this makes me salivate. We'll have to try to reinvent this when we get home.

We did some Skyping with friends back home and took a cat nap during the early afternoon. We also visited with some of Erin's family on Skype after our naps. It will be so nice to see people in person very soon!

We enjoyed meeting our new "neighbor" today and talking with them for some time. Erin also was thrilled that she could "stay in touch with reality" when she brought over the new People Magazine for Erin to peruse.

I helped Erin with her stretches and we walked the halls one more time. We are getting ready for bed now, watching some "Wheel" and will try to get a good nights sleep since we have both been pretty tuckered out today.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and watch for more updates to come tomorrow.

Love ya all,

Erin and Andy

TGIF 2/18/11

Happy Weekend! Have a tasty treat like this gelato that Erin had at the Bellagio!

We hope that you all had a great week. We are happy to look back on the progress that Erin has made this week. Today was another good day with continued strength building exercises.

We started the day with Erin getting ready with a "bedside bath". Not quite as good as the shower, but good enough for the hospital. We had a later start with therapy so we were able to relax with my parents before they left for St. George. PT focused on different techniques to do stairs, exercising, and stretching. Paul taught me how to help Erin stretch for when we are home. It was good to practice with a PT watching so I don't pull her leg off or break her in two when we will do them when we are on our own.

She also had a short wound-care session which brought her total covered wounds down to 1. They are all looking great and it is crazy how fast she has healed.

A highlight for the day was seeing our friend Bennett. He came to visit us for the day and will be leaving tomorrow. It is so nice having another familiar face here and has been a good outlet for me for the day.

The next two days will not have scheduled PT but we will walk the halls. We actually just took a stroll up and down the hallway. I think it was the best walk Erin has had yet. Hopefully tomorrow will be both relaxing and helpful in building strength. We are definitely getting closer to making it back to Iowa!

Have a great weekend and cheer loud for Tony Stewart....oh, you can cheer for Erin too.

With Love,

Erin and Andy