Phillip Sherwood

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.

For the past two weeks, I’ve been feeling the effects of my body withdrawing from the cumulative chemical dependency to the pain and anti-spasm medications I’ve been taking for the last two years to try and keep my spasms under control enough for me to just get through a day safely. Although everything I took was perscribed and managed by my primary physician, I still withheld from taking the high-test narcotics for pain unless absolutely necessary. Since the implantation of the pain pump and its excellent functionality, I originally cut back to less than half of my oral dosages and by yesterday after the last tweak, I discontinued all of my oral meds related to pain & spasms. Although I was never psychologically addicted to the drugs, physiologically the chemicals already impacted my systems in many ways thus the reason I wanted the pump in the first place. My basic symptoms through this weening process have been severe night sweats, irritability, headaches, and itchy skin and scalp. All this coupled with the cold and congestion I’ve had lately has been a tough challenge. One good thing is that the doctor said I can get back up on my stander now and stretch my legs out but it will still be another month at least before I can get back to my regular routine at the gym. Things kinda suck a little bit now but at least this too shall pass.

I spent the majority of the weekend resting because I have a whopper of a head cold with slight upper chest congestion so I went to the VA doctor at lunch and he prescribed me some antibiotics to take for a week. Tomorrow I have a follow-up appointment with the doctor who implanted my pump to do a slight adjustment. The pain medication has almost completely calmed the spasms and pain but I still get the leg shakes once in awhile. I’ve found the pump to be a mixed blessing. The good is that it has been very effective with the pain and spasms but the bad has been a reduced feeling in the lower extremities and my legs fill up with fluids and become very heavy and difficult to maneuver. The abdominal functions like renal and digestive are out of whack as well. One thing is that I can’t feel it when I need to go to the bathroom and now I’m back on the clock. My night sweats have also thrown the hydration factor for a loop. I’m sure things will begin to settle down after a bit but until then I’m still restricted from standing, stretching and any type rigorous upper body activity. I’m hoping for a better night.

I have been fighting a cold for the past week but it’s got a hold of me and taking me for a ride. It’s a productive chest cold with congestion and stuffy nose. I’m staying inside and resting and hoping it doesn’t worsen. Also noticeably my legs are retaining lots more fluid now with the absence of the spasms to squeeze the fluid back up into the body to be filtered and circulated. If I’m not 100% by Monday morning, it’s off to the doctor’s because any type of lung infection can have traumatic effect.

I have been very consumed with long days with not enough hours in it to finish all that needs to be done while at the same time trying do them all regardless. I underwent surgery early last week to have the pain pump implanted and although the procedure went well, it’s been a continual period of changes my body is going through and trying to interpret what is happening as good, bad or needs attention. I went in shortly after noon on Tuesday November 17th to get marked and my final consult prior to going under the knife. I then went over to Women & Children’s Hospital of Huntsville to start the pre-op procedures. I went under the anesthesia quickly without even realizing it was administered. Before I knew it, I was coming out of the artificially induced sleep. I was given something for the anxiety prior to the procedure to help me deal with the nightmare of a memory from the last surgery from my back surgery. The strange thing about awakening from the surgery is that you hear people calling your name and trying to get you to answer them but you still can’t open your eyes yet because you are so disoriented. After I was fully coherent and stable, they wheeled me to a private room. Later the doctor came to tell me about the surgery but it wasn’t long after that I’d totally forgotten about his visit.

My friend Martha who is visiting me from Bolivia was there with me throughout the process and was a great help. I was doing well that night in the hospital for observation expecting to be released the next day when things took a turn and I got very sick. I ended up staying an extra day for additional follow-up and was finally released Thursday afternoon. I was instructed to stay at home and rest throughout the weekend, take my antibiotics, sponge baths only, no standing, no upper body exercises, to twisting and refrain from any physical exertion. My post-op follow-up appointment was scheduled for Tuesday the 24th. By Thursday evening, I had an itch above my transition line in my chest that was so annoying I could have scratched through the rib cage. I was later told they were normal withdrawal symptoms from the surgical anesthetics I was given. Each day they got a little better but I hate itching so much I’d rather have the pain back. Between the anesthesia weaning, the dilated flowing directly to the spinal column through the catheter and the amount of Benadryl I was taking to offset the itching, I was in a virtual zombie state through Saturday. I even had to reduce my oral meds by half just to be semi-coherent.

The rest of the surgical anesthesia left my body and the pump became my primary source of pain & spasm relief, it became obvious the dosage being delivered would need a boost. My back pain was reduced but not gone, my spasms began to reappear at inopportune moments and my right shoulder seared with pain during my transfers. On Tuesday the 24th, I went in to see the doc and he ended up increasing my dosage by 50% to now 1.5ml/day. It’s now Thanksgiving Day and my spasms have disappeared by about 90% except for the occasional beating of my left leg. My back pain is gone and since I have to wear a binder around my waist for about 3-4 weeks, the pressure of it squeezing my slowly dissipating Buda belly makes me feel like I’m always stuffed from eating. The shoulder pain is a little bit less and I can transfer while wincing only moderately but this will be one of my issues to call more attention to during my next appointment on Tuesday. My bowels still have not returned back to normal operating condition but today was my last day of taking my antibiotics so I help that corrects things. Last night my legs were exceptionally swollen so I slept with them elevated on a mound of pillow.

The house is coming along well and it should be done in time by the scheduled closing on December 23rd. I’ve upgraded and optimized my home theater unit so it will easily integrate with the automated home electronics. I’ve left my position as the Production and Foreign Military Sales Lead for the Black Hawk simulation program I’ve been on for the past four year and have started a new and exciting project within fixed-wing aviation training systems and am looking forward to the new opportunities this program will bring. The weather is now dropping into the freezing levels making getting around in the wheelchair more cumbersome thus some actions require more time to perform. Today I slept until 2pm having gone well into my energy reserves. Time to hit the sack.