Phillip Sherwood

I first want to say to everyone out there that I am still alive and kicking. I’ve had so much going on lately that it’s distracted me from updating my website so I’ll try to spend a couple of minutes before I run out to jot a few highlights down. First and foremost I am healthy, happy and have a beautiful woman in my life now embarking upon a relationship based on commonalities and no judgments. I have been engrossed in the continued development and refinement of my home network and smart home systems. With help from so many, I’ve made a lot of improvements to my home with each one increasing my quality of life. For example, last night I had the 2” blinds in my home modified to have the tilt settings controlled via a remote control. Next step is to automate into my Smart Home. I’ve had my master shower modified to accommodate my space needs and make it safer to transfer in and out of thus fixing all the shortcomings by the builder. I’ve had several more custom handmade antique cherry furniture pieces added to my collection and getting rid of plastic bins. I’ve been diagnosed with advance Carpal-Tunnel Syndrome in both wrists with the right one being the worse of the two. The Birmingham VA doctors recommend surgery but I’m not ready for that because it would curtail my mobility and independence.

My week at the VA last week went well and I made a lot of progress in many areas. One thing I went for was to be evaluated for a hand-bike which is something they don’t provide to just any vet because they think they may want to take up the sport because they are expensive pieces of “non-essential” equipment. I had to do a reweigh from my last physical then a Recreational Therapy reassessment and update. This interview took about two hours. I just found out that a scheduled appointment for someone living over 100 miles from Augusta is entitled to free hotel lodging. Although this would have been very nice to know nearly two years ago, better late than never applies here. The drive back went well and I was back in the office Friday morning before I knew it.

I recently went in for my interview for the Big Brother Big Sister of Northern Alabama program and the process is now in motion. One of the requirements is for them to do a home assessment so I have that part delayed until I get moved into the new house. Speaking of which, I was out there yesterday and progress continues to be made. The cabinets and light fixtures are installed and the brick and stonework outside is complete. All doors are installed and locks are on so I now have to go to the office to get the key to enter. I’m making more progress on my smart home planning and will start acquiring the hardware within the next couple of weeks. I met my carpenter yesterday also to review the drawings for the closet, pantry, laundry room and office shelving and cabinetry. This week I expect all the outdoor concrete to be poured.

Saturday I hit the wall and my body told me to chill the f*%# out. I woke up with a horrible headache that just hung on all day and fearing that I may have contracted something while at the VA. I spent the night victimized by my legs acting out the part in a Bruce Lee karate movie while I tried my best to control them. I didn’t have much of an appetite all day either and around 4PM, I laid down for just a long blink and before I knew I was looking at the clock through blurry eyes and it was 8:25PM! If there were any “trick-or-treaters” at the door, I slept through the door knocks. I left yesterday afternoon from Huntsville and arrived at Opryland in Nashville around 2½ hours later in the dark. The fall time change in the U.S. is not enjoyable with such shortened days. This is something while living closer to the equator I had the luxury of averting. As I crunch the new house pictures, I’ll load them up shortly.

Yesterday when I was at the house, I noticed they did the initial coat of paint, installed the doors and put up the trim. They weren’t as far along in the process I’d hoped they’d be but with all the rain we had last week, I think the days ahead of schedule was eaten up. I dedicated this weekend to finish the planning and resourcing for the Automated “Smart” Home system I plan to install. As luck would have it, I met another former Army Vet who also works on Redstone Arsenal that lives only two blocks from my new home being built and installed his own Smart Home system. I met him and his wife and was invited to see the system he built for their home. He also accompanied me to get a look at my home and review my plans and now I feel more confident about the project I’m about to undertake the moment I close on the house. Below is the list of capabilities I will automate, manage and control from my iPhone/iTouch:

1. Indoor/Outdoor Light Controls
2. Intercom System
3. Climate Control with Indoor/Outdoor Temperature Humidity Sensor
4. Front & Back yard Water Sprinkler Control System
5. Closed-Circuit TV Surveillance System
6. Door Strike Release
7. Security Sensors (Doors & Windows)
8. Entertainment System
a. AM/FM/CD/DVD/USB XM Radio Multi-Room Audio System
b. HDTV
c. DVR
d. Bluetooth/DVD/VCR Home Theater
9. Garage Door Openers
10. Window Shades
11. Fireplace & Blower
12. Remote Garage Door Opening
13. Remote Car Starting

I had a nice and relaxing weekend and that came to a screeching halt once I rolled into work and turned on my computer. Tonight at the gym will be another hour long aerobic session on the Nu-Step recumbent machine

Yesterday I had my first surgical procedure to check my candidacy for a baclofen pump implant and it was quite a bit different than I had imagined. I took my 6am anti-spaz meds but skipped the noon dose so I can evaluate the effectiveness of the new stuff I was to be given later that afternoon. At 3pm on Tuesday, I was prepped and brought into the HSV Spine & Neuro Center’s surgical room quickly remembering how cold it is in these places. I transferred from the gurney onto the operating table then over onto my belly. The site right above my left rear hip bone was cleaned then the doctor explained how he was going to numb the insertion point first then insert the long sharp needle directly into the lumbar section of my spinal cavity and inject a trial pain medication then close up and also that it may hurt a bit. I told him I won’t feel any pain but my lower body will and it will react proportionate to the pain stimulus and somebody better be ready to hold me down. With that, the first needle went in and it went deep. My left leg jumped violently and everything from my mid-section down felt as it was electrocuted. Again it didn’t physically hurt but remember nerves work off of electric activity and it seemed as if I was given a jolt of 89 gigavolts!

Within minutes afterwards I was wheeled into the recovery room and was connected to more monitoring equipment with the same eerie beeps and tones I hoped to never again hear in my life. Shortly after, I began to feel the euphoric onset of narcotics bring about and my rigor-mortis spasms that I’d been fighting with for the past six hours were gone. The strange thing was that I could feel the electrical agitation in my legs welling up like I do before a spasm explodes but the spasm never came. It was like when you have the hiccups and right before it hits, you can feel it building to a crescendo right before it busts loose… but it doesn’t. Entering my tiny little recovery area a familiar angel appeared with a big giant beautifully warm smile. It was my favorite NICU nurse Stephanie from when I was her patient nearly two years ago when all this began. She gave me a big giant bear hug and told my attending nurses they better take good care of me. About a year ago, she and some of her colleagues transferred over from the Neuro ICU to the Tennessee Valley Pain Center located in the new Neuro & Spine Center building. I was asked if I’d like anything to drink but I wasn’t thirsty when the nurse rephrased the question and said I had to show I could drink liquids. When she offered me a Mountain Dew, the deal was done.

The doctor came in and we discussed the procedure and what I was feeling. He instructed me to take note of the effect over the next 24-hours then released me to go home. Curtis dropped off his wife Melisa to drive me home and we talked about the progress of my home the entire way. I have to go back in a week for a follow-up and discuss the next step. Later last night the pain in my back by the fracture site began coming back but the spasms were still quiet. I went to bed not taking my evening anti-spaz meds and fell asleep quickly. I woke up about 2:30am having to pee then watched a little late night news. I fell back asleep somewhere shortly after 3:00am. It wasn’t long after that I was woken up by a serious of bad leg spasms requiring an immediate dose of anti-spaz meds. I fought them for another hour while sweating and writhing like I was going through detox or something so I took a Vicodan tablet that helped me get the last few hours of sleep I had left. Luckily today was a work from home day because I was in no shape to be able to get it together enough leave the house. I started feeling better by later in the afternoon so I went to the gym and had a killer workout. Time to go to bed… phillip

I can’t remember as I look back in time any moment where I’ve been as busy as I am now. I want to pick back up from my trip to Maryland from the 3:30am start Saturday morning the 19th on my way from San Antonio. The flights went well and I made all my gates. That evening we celebrated my youngest brother’s 40th birthday at my mother’s house and it was crazy and full. I finally had to call it a day by 11pm when everything inside and out began shutting down telling me it’s time to rest… or else. My trip to Maryland was very short and I head back home to Huntsville and first thing on the agenda was to check progress of the house. They were well into installing the HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems and as I rechecked yesterday, everything was completed and all the bricks and stone were laid out to begin the exterior masonry this week. My updated photos are under the Construction Tab of the Photos page.

I had a really nice birthday yesterday and started the day with a batch of homemade pancakes. Huntsville had its annual Big Spring Jam this weekend but its historical curse returned and the show was hampered by intermittent rainstorms as has happened for several years now on this big concert in the park by multiple top recording artists in several different genres. This week I need to get back into my normal Physical Therapy, gym workout, stim bike routines. I went over to my friend Julia’s yesterday to blow candles out on my birthday cake but to get inside, I had to negotiate a series of short steps to get onto her back deck because going up the front way was a no starter. After a tip over while thinking how to get up these stairs, the neighbor came over to help me get back in and like after every “miscalculation”, a thorough skin check followed.

On Saturday, my friends Kevin & Carolyn came to the house to discuss a school empathy project Carolyn is doing for her degree in teaching. I had mentioned it earlier but as a reminder, it’s an empathy project to make the “youngins” aware of and empathetic towards people with disabilities. I made a checklist of indoor tasks to do from both in and out of the chair to give her some familiarization with the challenges of dragging around 70% of your body as dead weight. Not only did she quickly become aware of the fatigue factor but the extended length of time it takes to complete even the simplest task. After several hours of lecture and practical exercise, it was time to add adapting to life in public with both personal and structural accessibility issues however it was raining too hard for the two of us to go outside to continue lecture, demo and PE. We put outdoor tasks and interacting with the public off for another day.

I was notified with the results of my last blood cholesterol check and it was 161 however the doctor wants me to stay on the statin for now. While doing a skin check last week, I noticed an area on my left outer calf that caught my attention. I couldn’t remember how I may have scraped my leg but what I fear is possibility that this may be the onset of poor circulation ulcers I was previously warned about that may happen. Right now the protocol will be to just monitor and report as needed and keep wearing my compression stockings. I still haven’t heard anything back from the pain management center to reschedule my appointment for the Baclofen pump implant. My new manual standing wheelchair has a set of “Grade Ade” breaks that were customized at the VA that really don’t function as advertised so the Prototype Integration Facility here where I work is going to develop an adaptive device that will enhance this modification so it will be functional. These guys are the Army’s High-Tech, High-Speed, Low-Drag, Wind Tunnel Testing inventors that create more cool things for rapid deployment on the battlefield so I’m sure it will be a piece of art. I’d like to thank everyone who sent me their best wishes yesterday to celebrate my birthday. Thanks…phillip

This has been a week of catch up and recovery. I went to check the house to see the progress made during the past week and it looks as is most of the plumbing and HVAC is done but there’s still a bunch more to do on the wiring. They have a pathway for me set-up to facilitate my being able to get from the street to the garage. I’ve posted updated pics on the Photos>Construction tabe on the progress made on the inside. More in a few…

US Paralympics Archery-Sherwood

The US Paralympic Military Training Camp was a great experience and not only for the athletic exposure to various activities but interacting with all the veterans with disabilities. The US Army Ft. Sam Houston Garrison donated the airline tickets and lodging. The US Paralympic Center from Colorado Springs provided all the adaptive equipment, coaches and actual team members to provide instruction. The Army provided soldier helpers to assist with everything. There were also several sponsors that donated money and services to put on the camp at no cost to the participants.

The days were very long and strenuous but sleep at night came quick and deep. There was only about 30 minutes to an hour of personal time in the evening before having to go to sleep. There was one quadriplegic and his sport was tennis. Since he couldn’t grip the racquet, they taped it to his hand. The next most debilitating injury and newest was mine.

The events I participated in were wheelchair tennis, basketball, kayaking, archery and handcycling. I elected out of the floor volleyball and horseback equestrian events. I like horsepower but not horses. I didn’t do the floor volleyball to not risk any skin breakdown issues. I couldn’t do the sculling (team rowing) because my level of injury required more control of the lower abdominal muscles and better trunk stability. Fridays activities took place in Austin, TX and I don’t there’s a single one of us who isn’t whooped. I met a lot of great people. Wednesday night we all went to the horse track and really enjoyed it. We all pushed our own limits and were constantly doing problem solving. All the disabled helped one another with each’s shortcomings and taught a lot of the volunteer staff how to assist someone in a wheelchair. As for me, I learned a lot from this trip about myself and new “awakenings” from within. This camp required serious independence and adaptability. I learned new activities I can do either solo or with “walkers”. We packed six months of workouts into three days. My upper body is super fatigued and sore. Many of the walkers put themselves into wheelchairs for some of the events. Of the five spinal cord injured participants, only the quad from Kentucky and myself had no use of our lower extremities.

All but one in wheelchairs were struggling with weight issues. When asking amputees if they’d rather have their limbs back even if they didn’t work and be confined to a wheelchair they weren’t too hip with the idea however they do miss seeing their missing limbs. None in the group seemed dependent on someone or massive medication. All were in great spirits but two whiners who probably like that before their injuries. Tonight are the closing ceremonies and dinner then Saturday morning will be my flight to Washington DC at 6am. Although this was an absolutely awesome experience, I plan to keep my day job; at least for a little bit longer while I continue training my replacement.

I am here in San Antonio, Texas this week attending the US Paralympic Games and it started with a 6am flight out of Huntsville this morning. It was a super early morning for me so I was real happy to see the curb-side assist guy already there when I rolled up. For a tip, he takes the bags to the check-in with ID and money to process them while I parked. When I came back around, he had my boarding pass in hand and I proceeded right to the gates. There was a changeover in Dallas but the aircraft I was on was the same going to San Antonio so I didn’t have to get off the plane. Shortly after takeoff I started feeling like I had to pee which was strange since I just went about 2½ hours earlier. By the time we landed and I got to a bathroom, I had a severely bloated bladder of 900cc! This is really bad. This is another thing that’s been happening lately too. I can go and it not be much but a couple hours later it’s like I haven’t gone all day. I still haven’t heard anything back from the VA doc.

I was met by a rep at the baggage pick-up and was led to a waiting van outside that already had a couple of other passengers inside. We arrived at the Powless Guest House on the Fort Sam Houston military base where we registered for the program and were assigned our rooms. The Powless Guest House is primarily used for injured soldiers who are transitioning out of the service due to injuries sustained while on active duty. The majority are folks returning from Iraq or Afghanistan grossly disfigured some with burns and most were caused by IEDs. In our group there are 46 people with injuries sustained while serving on active duty or after having left the service like myself. The extents of the injuries are as varied as the imagination can conjure with 19 of us in wheelchairs. Of those 19, very few are spinal cord injured. Compared with some of the others here, I’m in pretty good shape. The vast majority don’t work by choice since they have disability from the service and/or social security for disability.

We will be very busy with group activities during both days and nights. Tonight was the newcomer’s reception and dinner where they explained the program and all who are supporting the US Paralympics military programs. It’s late and I’ve had a super long day and the days start at 7am sharp. More coming tomorrow as time permits…phillip