Phillip Sherwood

Today was spent visiting our nations’ capitol and some of the surrounding museums while the temperature rose to near record highs of 102 degrees for this area. The metal rims on my wheelchair got so hot that they blistered my left fingers. I always learn something new when I play tourist in the own backyard I grew up in. The biggest difference now is that when I go downtown, it is rare to hear English spoken as a persons’ primary language. The ethnic diversity of this area is nice when it comes to wanting to branch out and taste different types of foods. After a quick tour of the capitol building, my mother, two nephews and a friend of my nephew and I went to see the new Indian museum to be followed by the Air & Space museum. Everything was not only wheelchair accessible but also wheelchair friendly.

While using one of the restrooms reserved for a family to do a self-catheterization, I was horrified to see I was filling the bag with thick blood clots and obviously bloody urine. The frequency and severity of this has been increasing over the past two months but I felt before going any further I pop into the ER near where my mother lives and get checked out. Fate would have it that when it was time to provide a urine specimen to the doctor, all was clear as a bell. The blood and urine tests came back negative for an infection of any kind so the doctor believed it is a complication from the high dosage of blood thinners I’m taking but recommended to me I make an appointment with my urologist when I get home.

I brought my cat Jack with me and he is having a ball exploring all the new surroundings in my mother’s hose that dwarfs mine in comparison. Tomorrow we’re heading to the beach in Ocean City, MD where I always went as a child growing up here in Maryland. Jack gets to go too. The other day we all went to the Kennedy Center to see the play Mary Poppins and truthfully I was very impressed. I can’t say I really enjoyed the fact that it was a musical but the theatrical stage effects were very impressive. Yesterday we went to the Cunningham Falls State Park and its strange experience to be in a public place that was so regimented and strictly controlled. I’ve also been enjoying the reaping of the benefits of my home automation system from here and am glad to note it’s working as advertised.

I am completely run down and fatigued. Either I’m not eating the right things or my small intestine is not absorbing the nutrients like they should leaving me depleted of vital vitamins responsible for strength and energy. My iron is low thus putting me at the anemic level and my testosterone level is very near zero or no longer being produced. On top of all that I’m dealing with a potential UTI, incontenance and the difficulty of controlling my bowels. When I have the energy, I spend it cleaning up my messes but things could always be worse. That’s the readers digest version however I’m in good spirits and am as positive as I can be. I’m really looking forward to my upcoming vacation with my family and am so thankful I have so many friends who care about me and check in to help keep me continuing to march forward.

During the past several weeks, I’ve been seeing a complete new team of health care professionals due to the lack of patient advocacy with the local Veterans Administration (VA) medical system here in Huntsville, AL. I am now receiving civilian medical services in the form of Coumadin checks, a new family practice physician and a new vascular physician. During my initial visits over past several weeks with these new care providers, I’ve focused on my extreme fatigue and continued swelling in both legs. After a battery of blood tests, it was discovered that my testosterone, vitamins B & D3 levels were depleted far below the minimum threshold levels.

I’ve been away these past six weeks distracted by life issues, poor health and engulfed in the development of my Smart Home. I went through a period of anger primarily stemming from the lack of patient welfare with the local VA health care system. I became totally frustrated with the VA because I was getting sicker and sicker and not only was the medical staff inaccessible, when I was able to get in and see a doctor, I could not get the results from any of the lab tests I took. One afternoon I did an audit of my insurance claims from the last 18 months and found the VA had been charging my civilian insurance even for those things service related. I then decided it was time to cut my ties with the local VA and search out a new team of specialists and care providers. It has been a difficult process because the majority of health care providers are not accepting new patients however my physiatrist Dr. Beck was very persistent and determined in finding me the best doctors who would make considerations.

Things began to spiral down around a month ago where my bowels became loose and I lost any and all intestinal control. Within a couple of days, my bladder became neurogenic causing me to also not be able to control my urine collection output. By now my washer & dryer was in a 24-hr surge mode as I had to clean up one mess after another. Totally exhausted by this point, I began urinating blood to the point that it looked like it was bleeding out so I went to the local ER. After some short tests, it was discovered that I had a Urinary Tract Infection (my first) so the doctor gave me a prescription for Lovequin antibiotics and a foley catheter. The following day I was on board an airplane heading to Arizona for work. For the next couple of weeks I was operating off of 10% battery power at my peak. The antibiotis threw my blood thinning way off the charts and I’ve never felt this level of continual fatigue before in my life. I spent the following Memorial Day weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun & Mon) in bed 20 of 24 hours per day. My UTI cleared up and one of my blood tests came back saying I was anemic but there’s still many more test results pending. I am starting to feel better and with more energy but I’m about 75% at best. My blood thinning has almost stabilized. My girlfriend Denise has been so helpful in being here to help me get through this black cloud.

My next report will come shortly with an update on my home automation systems. It’s come a long way and has become a hobby to occupy my time.

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.

I haven’t been writing much because of the attention my new house has been drawing me away. I’ve been working on it day and night almost every waking moment to get it to a point where I feel comfortable and secure. My mother has already come down twice to help get things in order and her work really shows itself well. I’ve been making many improvements and additions to what already exists or substantially enhancing what is already there. There’s also been many items of poor craftsmanship on the builder’s part I’ve been relentless in submitting repair work orders. My right hand man, Tim Jernigan is a retired NASA engineer who helps me with the many projects in making the hose more functional to meet my needs. He’s spent countless hours making things right where the builder’s fallen short and helping me with just about every other project on my To-Do list. We’ve been working on the Home Automation system for the past several weeks bringing it to a higher level of capability each time we do something to enhance it. I’ve also had electricians, carpenters, HVAC, and just about any other building specialist you can imagine. Right now my shower is getting fixed the way it should have been made in the first place by a local craftsman named Andy Gullion we found on Angie’s List. He is incredible and is determined to make this shower not only more comfortable and safer, but one to be admired.

1. p style=”tab-stops: right 6.25in”>As for my health and well-being, I am doing ok. My pain levels have reached new extremes I haven’t experienced since the accident. I admit I’ve been working on my projects for long hours after work robbing me of needed sleep to the point one night last week I had to force myself to stop what I was doing. I started to realize that the pain level had climbed so much that anymore and I wouldn’t be able to endure the additional pain that accompanies the process of transferring from the chair to the bed. I do sleep without any difficulties but the morning comes too quick. My legs and hips have been cracking/popping lately as I twist and contort my body in different ways as I maneuver in the bed to get up and it’s really strange. It’s as if my joints and ligaments are loosening up. My right shoulder is doing much better but my left side where the thoracotomy was performed hurts like a dickens. I believe I have what is called Chronic post-thoracotomy pain syndrome. Soon I will be going back to the pain doctor to get a pump refill but I shouldn’t have to stay over in the hospital this time. I didn’t wake-up until 2pm in the afternoon on Sunday but I’ll need a couple more of those to get out of sleep debt.

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.