Phillip Sherwood

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.