Phillip Sherwood

Welcome to my website PhillipSherwood.com.  I was also known throughout my motocross adventures as “Gomez” and/or “El Gato Volador”. I took a real bad spill on October 20th 2007 while racing motocross at Pleasent Hill race track in Decatur, Alabama.  I was airlifted to the Huntsville Hospital ER and awaited multiple surgeries to try to fix my broken back but little did I know then that I lost a lot more than just the use of my legs and ability to walk that warm sunny October afternoon.  Thanks to your prayers and the comfort provided by my family and friends, I survived this terrible ordeal and this website documents our story.

I started racing in 1975 on a Honda XR-75 and moved up to 1982 YZ 125 B Class when I joined the Army at the end of that racing season. I picked the sport back up in November 1999 racing a 2000 Honda CR250R in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and supported by VISAL Honda. I then moved to Central Texas and bought a 2002 Honda CRF450R and received race support from Blackfoot Honda and Honda of Houston, I then went back to Colombia, South America and raced the Latin American circuit in the 250 A Class where I was given the name Felipe Gomez to draw less attention. I am now retired from the Army as a Black Hawk Helicopter Test Pilot Evaluator after 23 years of military service and have now made my home in Huntsville, Alabama.

ROLL TIDE!!!

Look how many people have stopped by!

I haven’t been writing much because of the overwhelming attention I’ve been paying in trying to keep all the contracts coordinated for work being done on the house and it’s really been taking a lot out of me. Also I’ve been surging to finish up a mandatory training course required by the position I hold in the government. Last month I went to the Shepherd Center for an appointment with a specialist in fertilization. Since my accident, the continued functionality of this question has been in the back of my mind and it was time to close this issue. This was my first return to Shepherd Center since my accident and the moment I arrived, I felt as if I were in a utopia. Everyone was so friendly it’s as if being in another world. It certainly is not a true representation of the world outside their walls. I visited all my therapists and it was great to see them again. I just wanted to stay there and talk but I did thank them for all their hard work and how it has helped me tremendously in my ability to live independently and hone my problem solving skills. As for my appointment, the bottom line is that I would not be able to go through the process of electro stimulation of the prostrate to extract semen because of the risks and complications. First strike is I would have to turn off the pain pump during the procedure but I would go into withdrawal almost immediately. Strike Two is the potential damage to the pump’s internal circuits once the prostrate is electrically shocked. Strike three is the danger involved should I have any internal bleeding due to the procedure and the high doses of blood thinners I’m taking would complicate matters. Bottom line, the only option available to preserve my DNA would be via an extraction of semen using a big needle and direct immediate insemination of a partner. I appreciated the nurse being straight up with me and not sugar coating the facts.

I’ve been having serious swelling in my legs that required me to go on a lethal dose of Lovenox and Warfarin blood thinners for several months to try to help get the blood flowing better through my legs. By the end of the day, my legs are very heavy and bloated; so much that it’s very difficult for me to manage them and it has made transfers exceptionally difficult. The other week I came off the Lovenox injectables thank goodness because these injections leave horrible bruises on my belly. My leg spasms have increased as well making things more difficult. I can’t sleep on my left side very long because my left leg spasms up by the groin area after a couple of hours. When I sleep on the right side, my arm and hand go numb to the point where it because extremely painful in my forearm to my thumb and forefinger that I have to roll onto my back. In this position I will either begin to strongly spasm or experience the right arm & hand pains or sometimes both simultaneously. As you can see, a good comfortable night of rest is just not happening; especially since I have to get up between 3:00 – 3:30 am to do my catheterization.

I’m all moved into the new house and settled in. Lots of folks have been helping me with my projects but Tim Jernigan in particular has been spending nearly every weekend at the house since moving in accommodating the house to facilitate better accessible or developing ways to protect certain areas from damage my wheelchair does to some wall and doors. I enjoy our political discussions and taking heart (Dark Chocolate) medicine  together while also learning from him skills I’ve never learned before. This past weekend I went to see the Supercross race in the Atlanta Georgia Dome with my friend LTC Kevin Mobley and his son and we had a great time. Everything worked out well by getting great parking up front and great discounts on seats. We went to the bike pits and strolled around letting the pretty models have their pictures taken with me and talking with friends and racers we’ve known throughout the years. The show was great and this year I was even able to see it because I brought my standing wheelchair. Last year I watched the back of peoples’ heads every time they stood up when something exciting would happen. Although it was inside a stadium, there was a freezing draft chilling us down to the bone marrow. We planned on getting a hotel nearby and actually had a wheelchair accessible room reserved but the hotel gave it away before we got there so we ended up just driving back home. I finally got to bed around 3am, woke up at 9am to do my IC and open the door to let the cats in then went back to sleep until 12:30pm. I got up and went to the grocery store at Wal Mart behind the house and was back in time to catch the beginning of the USA vs. Canada hockey game. I got a bite to eat and settled into my spot on the couch. Next thing I knew it was 7PM and the news was announcing Canada was the winner of the Gold medal. I must have been really tired.

Mom is here visiting this week for “Pimp my House Phase 2” and tomorrow will be super Tuesday because I will be changing out the HVAC, installing the Home Security System, Electricians doing their thing on the To-Do list, Painters and cabinet makers will all converge to carry out my vision I’ve had to automate my house and improve areas to enhance accessibility. As I oversee the functionality projects, Mom will oversee the aesthetic ones. As soon as spring comes and the weather warms up, I plan to start organizing the garage and beginning to execute the landscaping plan that I just had approved by the homeowner’s association run by the builder. All the “Before” pictures have been posted to my facebook site so I will be posting the “After” shots next week. There’s more to tell on what’s been going on so I hope to get caught up on my posts this week.

I’ll get something out really soon. Been very busy. I’m doing well overall but my leg swelling has been very difficult to get under control now that the clotting has worsened. The new kitten has been a lot of fun watching all his antics

I really appreciate all that everyone’s done to help with things around the house. Everything keeps getting better and closer to meeting my vision every day. Tonight will be my first night back at the gym since my surgery but I found a local company on Angie’s List from the internet and there was a local company that looked like they could handle Home Automation so I gave them a call. They happened to be in South Huntsville after work so I came home to meet with them for what ended up being a couple of hours. I will be contracting them to setup my Security Systems (Alarm, Sensors, Cameras, etc), and integrating the Lighting Control and HVAC to begin with. Later I’ll add other features like the indoor gas fireplace, irrigation system, emergency water shutoff valve to the house and more goodies. Everything will be controllable and programmable on-line via the computer and/or my iTouch.

My right leg continues to be swollen however it is not as bad as when I began these lethal doses of blood thinners. I meet with my new local doctor this week who will take over monitoring this from the VA in Augusta, GA. Although I’ve had no more night sweats since moving into my new house strangely enough, I do find the backs of my legs are damp when I wake in the morning from laying on my back. My quivering clonus spasms still act up at times (especially when I’m in the shower) and my pain is doing much better, I will only need to tweak up the dosage drip rate a very small fraction on my next follow-up at the pain clinic so I’m just about where I need to be in feeling as comfortable as possible. I’m sleeping well only not enough it feels like when the alarm goes off and I have to find the strength to get myself up then out of bed. I’m not sure which of the two parts is more difficult than the other. I think if I get some automatic blinds I can control remotely from the bed, that will help some. Next I’ll have to find a way to integrate it into the rest of the home automation.

My little kitten Jack is really keeping me as entertained as he busy with his antics. He now likes to climb up the back of my wheelchair like a little commando and slip into my backpack and sleep. The other day I was about to leave the house when to my surprise I reached back and felt a warm and fuzzy fur ball. The other night I was curled up on the couch at night with my nice thick handmade blanket from Ecuador watching a movie and drinking a glass of wine just enjoying the evening. When the movie ended and I turned the overhead lights (remotely), I found my wheelchair had drifted away from the couch slowly during the movie without my noticing. This took some serious problem-solving to fetch it back like I eventually did. Next time I need to set the parking brake!  Last week I finally bought a nice new cherry executive desk for my office and retired my two filing cabinets and a piece of countertop that I’d been using “temporarily” since 1992. I was sad to see it go but this new desk is huge and fits all my stuff in it nicely allowing me to keep the top relatively clear and clean. Tonight I think I’m going to hit the sack early so adios.

This weekend is the final playoff weekend where the best two teams of the NFL will head off to the super bowl; the event that finalizes their entire season’s efforts to do their best to be their best. Every day is like the super bowl for me. I wake up in the morning with extreme fatigue and pain but know I have to find the inner strength to get up and start my day. It’s been real difficult lately in reaching down deep into my intestinal fortitude and harnessing that burst of energy to get up and going. It’s almost like those big booster rockets of the space shuttle that gets it up and headed through the thick resistance of earth’s atmosphere where its momentum will carry it through its mission. I have a new baby mackerel tabby I named Jack that is 7½ weeks old and I’ve been enjoying watching his antics as he discovers his new world. I rescued him from the local animal shelter to give Bob my other cat some company.

As of yesterday I have now been in my new house exactly one month and it’s taken a lot of work to get things where they are now in both functionality and organized. There’s still a lot left to do but I’m at the point where I am far better off than when I was living in the cramped apartment. I’ve had a lot of help from close friends and co-workers and getting things the way I want them in the house. I haven’t been able to start on the home automation part yet but I have configured several items through remote control to make things easier. I’m almost at the point now where I’ll need a carpenter and electrician soon to begin some larger projects the builder would not do to accommodate either my condition or need. Shortly I’ll be having the final modification done to my truck and get the chair lift installed into the truck bed. This lift mounts in the bed and has an arm (boom) that swings over the side to hook up my chair and lift it up and into the bed. Once that is done, I will be able to utilize my truck more often.

My shoulder pain and spasms have been much better lately. The extreme swelling in my right leg is finally going down but the Lovenox blood thinning injections have left my belly with very few places not yet bruised however I did prepare for this and increased the surface area to allow me more injection site options. I am very well supplied with medicine and medical sustainment materials from the VA. I will be heading back to the gym tomorrow finally after having been told by my doctor to cool it for awhile while waiting for the pain pump to “anchor in” and become stable enough to handle the extra stresses I’ll induce to my body and abdominal and lumbar area. I’m back on my bi-weekly massage schedule now too and that this past Friday’s session was a real workout. It’s late and I need to prep for bed. Now that the storm from moving and all the annual medical exams and acute medical needs have been met for the moment, I can finally relax some and set a more rhythmic pace I can maintain until summer vacation.

I had an appointment at the VA Hospital in Augusta, VA for my annual medical evaluation at their Spinal Cord Injury clinic. I got to the hotel late Wednesday evening after getting off from work earlier that day and hitting the road. Although the location of my new house shaves about 20-30 minutes off the trip now, it’s still a long and very difficult drive to make solo but it leaves one lots of time to think and contemplate stuff. I had to get up early enough to wake up the roosters and get over to the clinic to begin my rounds but I started with my labs so I could get something to eat after my 12-hour fasting. Next was to take my weight and it turned out I dropped five more pounds since my last visit and 25 since my last annual eval! My cholesterol is now steady in the 160’s so I’ve been told to stop taking my SimvaStatin cholesterol medication. Next was my Urodynamic exam which is a very intrusive examination of the entire renal system. This test thoroughly checks the bladder and kidney function. Luckily all is still well and the elasticity of the bladder is in good shape. This test always makes me nervous in receiving potential negative test results because my bladder on occasion will overfill up to 2½ times the recommended max amount because my kidneys have the ability to go into the turbo mode at times.

I had a really good follow-up session with my psychologist with whom I have a great relation with and am able to communicate effectively. I realized after this session with him I need to not only work on some new and personal coping methods for my situation but also it’s time to get a new psych team here in Huntsville that can actually help me. The one area of great concern with my primary doctor is the new development or changing status of existing blood clots in my right leg that cause it to swell up huge during the day causing the need for me to elevate it for sometimes up to 12-hours just to be able to get a shoe back on or off of it. After several hours of consultation with her (My doctor) peer group, the collaborative opinion of the group to temporarily put me on a mega dose of 100 mg/ml Lovenox injections twice daily with a 5mg dose of Coumadin (Warfarin) blood thinners for two weeks and follow-up with blood tests. This dosage is by far more than I’ve ever taken before and the risk is having a cerebral embolism so for the moment I’m on thin ice but with close monitoring I should be back in the clear shortly.

Today I came in for a scheduled change in the medication for my implanted pain pump that required me to have all the remaining medication siphoned from the pump and catheter going up my spinal cord and refill with 40cc’s of a new pain killer & anti-spaz medication. I was admitted to the Huntsville Hospital this afternoon by my doctor to be closely monitored for 24-hours for any complications. My pain doctor also gave me a “bolus” or extra kicker of meds to “prime the process” that looped me out and nearly made me toss my cookies. It took two full 12 oz. cans of high test Mountain Dew to keep my stomach calm enough to make the trip from the HSV Pain Center on the South side of the street to the main hospital on the North side of the street via the long and freezing cold connecting tunnel. I feel like I live two different lives now. One inside the hospital and the other outside. I was very exhausted after returning back from my trip to the Augusta VA. I slept as late as I could this morning knowing what my day was going to consist of with the zero rest hospital atmosphere. As for the rest of the things going on with the house, I’ll have to get to that later since it’s now past 9pm and I need to prep for bed and my night of continued interrupted sleep until the sun comes up.

It’s been a while now since I last wrote since so much has been going on. With a lot of help from friends, I was able to get the apartment packed, moved and unpacked into the new house. I’d like to give a few shouts out to DJ Brazelton, Nick Nickles and Jama Blair who worked their booties off. Closing on December 23rd went well but lasted much longer than I thought it would. I hired the same movers who moved the safe the last time to move it again except after it was done and they left, I discovered it blocked the drop down ladder access to the garage. My mother came down for the week during the holidays to help unpack and organize. It’s amazing the amount we accomplished together but we put in some seriously long days and nights. It’s functional, everything is unpacked, and now put away into its own organized place. My 25ft enclosed racing trailer sits totally loaded with trash and things for donation that need to be tended to however with temperatures down in the teens, dealing with it can wait.

I had to switch into my temp chair the other day and had forgotten how different the balance is on that one and flipped over and hit my head real hard leaving me nauseous the rest of the day. I must have felt every vertebra as well like a xylophone being played by a gorilla. I have only had time for the stim bike once in the past three weeks and the stander a couple of times at that. My right shoulder is killing me and for the first time ever I think I’m really looking forward to a shot in the AC joint. I’m getting prepped for my annual follow-up appointment at the VA in Augusta, GA. Bob the cat will be left alone by himself in the house for the first time. He’s already freaked out enough as it is. I have to keep reminding myself now that the move is over and I’m going to be in this house for a long time so I need to pace myself for the long run. Time to run and get some dinner before the appliance lady shows up to give me my kitchen appliance demo. Picyures are forthcoming.

I haven’t been able to keep up with my posts lately because I’ve been busier than ever with work and the final touches on the house. I’ve had a lot of friends coming over sporadically over the past week volunteering with packing my apartment and it’s been much appreciated. I hope to spend Christmas Eve in my new house by my fireplace. This afternoon I have the final walk-through of the house prior to closing. Tomorrow the show begins with movers at 0:Dark 30 and I’ll be on straight black coffee for appx 72 hours straight with closing, moving, unpacking and taking care of everything that goes along with the logistics of changing residences. My mother gets here on Christmas day to help with unpacking and organizing everything and she’ll be here all the following week.

As for how I’m doing health wise, my nasal infection has gone away, my pain is still peaking at night, right leg still swelling unproportionately more than the left and right shoulder feels like it was shot by a whale harpoon. My prescreening is done for my annual medical evaluation at the Augusta VA Hospital and I have a pain pump follow-up appointment the day prior. The Christmas holidays are not helping with my diet and trim down plan so I’m hoping the pain doctor will release me to more physically demanding activity on my next visit. Until then, I’m still restricted to light activity, standing and my stim-bike for the legs. Have a Merry and safe Christmas and New Year’s. I’ve enjoyed everyone’s friendship and look forward to more years ahead.

I am nearing the end of the road and within 10-days will be taking possession of my new house. There still seems like a million things to get done beforehand so I’m keeping my fingers crossed everything will work out. Friday night Becky, Mike Magee’s wife, organized a birthday dinner at the Thai restaurant in Madison named Surin’s. It was nice to see a bunch of the old SNAG gang once again. Today my little buddy DJ Brazelton and his MX racing companion Chase stopped over for a little bit. It was really nice to see him after so long. He never ceases to impress me in every way imaginable. My right leg continues to be over swollen in comparison to the right so I’m going to consult with my doctor about resuming the Lovenox blood thinner injections once again until I can get a Doppler sonogram to look at the deep femoral veins to reassess the clotting. I am still sweating profusely at night leading into the early hours of the morning. I don’t like waking up in the darkness with my head lying on a wet sponge-like pillow. Sue from Publix is the lady who cooks and prepares the meal samples for the customers. I see her almost all the time and I’ll stop by her booth and chat with her for a while from time to time. She’s really nice and always hooks me up good. COSTCO samplers can’t hold a candle to her. It’s been a tiring weekend and I’m going to bed early tonight. Peace out…

My cold has finally left me and I feel so much better. Previously I reported that my spasm’s were bothering me during the second phase of my sleep so last Sunday morning I took an oral dose of my standard spaz meds so I can get a good morning of sleep. Low and behold I didn’t wake up until nearly 3pm in the afternoon! I have never slept that sound and deep before and I was lucky to be dehydrated from the sweating to negate the need for doing an IC. I called my doctor’s office to request they look at pumping up the program from the hours of 10pm to 8am to allow me to sleep and bathe without the additional difficulties of dealing with dancing legs. My right leg continues to swell beyond the amount the left does which will be number one on my list when I go to the VA for my annual. I will need to get another Doppler sonogram to verify the status of the clotting.

The house is almost done. I went in today during lunch and there were a cleaning crew and electrical guy who was putting on all the light switch covers. The cleaners have their work really cut out for them. The heater was on and set to 74 degrees and was working great. All the light fixtures were now installed and working. The outside landscaping and screened in back terrace still have yet to be done. We received a serious soaking last night so I’m not sure when that will be done. I have the home inspection set for the 16th and the walk-through with the contractor on the 18th. The day is coming soon to move out of this apartment. Recently I changed jobs as much as I was hoping not to but the bottom line came down to the fact that I can and will not compromise my moral integrity for someone who has none. Even as a civilian now, there are qualities as a military officer I will always carry with me and live by.

I am sitting here on the couch watching the SEC Championship game between Alabama and Florida all warm and cozy while it’s freezing outside. This morning I woke up and turned on Headline News when they reported snow in Huntsville and sure enough there was. I’ve started feeling better with my chest cold and sinus infection but I keep waking up in the morning in soaked sheets and pillows from sweating so bad during “second shift” and I don’t know why. With the sheets so wet, they just stick to me and everything feels so cold. My legs are also super sensitive and react to any movement of the sheets over my legs stimulating the hairs sending the legs into spasms. They also feel like they’re sunburned until I get out of the bed and about my business. The “second shift” is the time after my 3am catheterization to my wake-up. I can’t go an entire night sleeping without waking up because when I lay down flat, my swollen legs drain causing my bladder to fill in about 4-5 hours. I also need to shift my body into a different position to avoid pressure sores. It’s been the same routine since the accident. I have a follow-up appointment with my pain doctor on Jan 7th however I need to see the doctor this week or next to discuss my condition.

I have my annual SCI exam scheduled for Jan 7th at the Augusta, GA VA hospital. This will take about 2-3 days to complete everything. BREAK. Alabama is spanking Florida at the moment. I was by the house yesterday but the office was closed and there was no key available to get inside. There were lights turned on both inside and out so that’s a good sign. The closing on the house is set for 11am on Dec 23rd. While I am there, I’ve hired a pair of corn fed farm boys with a truck to move all the stuff from the storage in Madison to the house to include the big safe. I’m also having the new washer, dryer and refrigerator delivered and hooked up that same day by Home Depot. The 24th will be the big stuff from the apartment. My mother gets in on Christmas. It will be a busy two days and if anyone is available during this time span the additional elbow grease would be appreciated. That’s it for the moment and it’s 26-13 BAMA halfway through the 3rd quarter.