SoMe Of ThE nOt FuN sTuFf

       After a few weeks in the ICU one of the nurses noticed this weird movement that would run down Aaron's shoulder, through his arm, and down to his hand. It was just on the one side. It wasn't long before they were able to give it the name of mycloclonic seizures. One of Aaron's neurologists worked hard to finally find two therapeutic doses of medication that would control the seizures, which we also found out were common with brain injuries.
   
      Once we moved out of the ICU to Wauchula…somehow, somewhere one of Aaron's doctors felt we should be able to take Aaron off one of the two medications to control seizures. (This was a good thing as the one medicine they discontinued wasn't supposed to be used for long term.) Aaron had no problems after going to one medication and every time they examined him and did any testing there seemed to be no more signs of the seizures we had seen in the ICU. We were elated! 


       Fast forward to the facility in Winter Haven almost two years later…what do you know I go out of town for one of the first times since the accident for fun and Aaron has a full blown seizure. This was something we had not ever experienced and truthfully, I thought we were way beyond this point in his recovery so it was pretty stressful. (Especially since seizures can cause falls and with a brain injury, another fall could be devastating for Aaron.) I had left about 10 hours earlier when I got the call. There was a lot of drama surrounding the first seizure and trip to the hospital but thankfully my school secretary was available to go and sit with Aaron at the emergency room to all hours of the night. Did I mentioned that the hospital wouldn't tell me anything because of HIPPA and Aaron was not good on the phone at that point?! 

       From that day on, Aaron has continued to have what our current neurologist has diagnosed as "breakthrough" seizures. I had some of my own theories but since I haven't been able to prove them 100% I will keep quiet, anyone who has ever been a caretaker or parent can probably relate! It seems as if when Aaron gets a mild infection it can easily cause full blown seizures, the infections that would leave those of us who are healthy miserable and might cause us to miss a day of work. Again, it is something that comes along with a brain injury and is unfortunately unpredictable.

      Aaron has had several seizures over the past three years and they never get easier. After each one I go back to worrying and as time goes on, I almost forget to worry about them just in time for another one to sneak up on us. He doesn't seem to remember them, which I guess is a good thing. He has fallen during one. I have witnessed one myself. He has also been sent to the hospital on more than one occasion due to a seizure. 

       Last fall, we were having way more "stay-cations" at the local hospital than either of us would prefer.Throughout this past few years we have learned that due to strong infections, the quick fix for Aaron is to have a strong dose of IV antibiotics which are usually started in the hospital. When they feel Aaron is improving then they are able to send him back to the rehab where they have the ability to monitor the infections closely and continue the antibiotics. Aaron was in the emergency room and then admitted twice in two month time period. There were other complications that made it a little more stressful and anyone who has sat in an emergency room knows how much fun that is. 

     Aaron's neurologist was able to recommend a newer medicine shortly after the last trip to the hospital to go along with what he was already taking. Fortunately it was the perfect match because as of 11/16/13, we have been seizure free for an entire year!!!!!!!!! This also means we don't have to go to the neurologist as often, we have been upgraded to every six months and the last check up we literally spent five minutes with our doctor (who is awesome by the way)! While I hope we stay seizure free, there is always the possibility that Aaron could have another but I will take ONE YEAR without a seizure as a HUGE accomplishment! 

    Here are a few pictures documenting our first hospital 
stay-cation last fall. He was much sicker during the second trip so there were no pictures from then. 

Aaron kept asking for shorts,  I'll be the first to tell you that he is NOT a good patient to have lol! 

Sweet friends from small group brought milk shakes and french fries to Aaron to make him feel better! 

mY aMeRiCaN iDoL

Before Aaron's accident, I wouldn't say we were big TV watchers. We were too busy living life (and both going to grad school) to actually sit down on the couch and watch TV. On occasion I would sneak in an episode of the Bachelor when he had something else to do, I would catch him watching Big Bang Theory or How I Met Your Mother when I walked in from class. Of course ESPN was on first thing each morning and the TV was on for any major sporting event, especially if it involved Ohio State! 

There was a time where I 'd leave work by 4, drive an hour to see Aaron in Wauchula...somewhere between there I'd get take out for dinner and eat it in the car. I would get there by 6 and to make it worth the long trip I'd stay for at least a couple of hours. Most nights I would just crawl into bed with him when I got there. 

If you have ever been to Wauchula you know that the TV is the only thing we had to entertain ourselves at night. Aaron wasn't a fan of all of the crime shows and that was pretty much all that seemed to be on around 8-10pm in the evenings so we had to find something else to watch! 

This was the time when he was starting to whisper FINALLY, I was desperately trying to get him to talk and encouraging everyone who was visiting to do the same. I had become irritated trying to spell things from a print out of a computer keyboard, although Aaron was getting good at it! 

The therapists also told me to do things with him that he enjoyed before the accident. It would probably have been easier to stick with watching ESPN but I soon found out that American Idol was much more entertaining! 

We spent the rest of that season singing our hearts out, well I tried to sing and encouraged Aaron to join me! It became even more fun when the contestants performed "old" songs that Aaron began to mouth (and eventually sing) the words to. At this point we were still dealing with some major memory glitches as well so I was amazed at how much he remembered!

It wasn't long before we took American Idol on the road with us when we started being able to travel outside of the facility, I'd turn on some of our old favorites as loud as I could and sing along with Aaron! 

It's been almost five years of singing to the radio or American Idol together and it is still one of my favorite things to do with Aaron!

I couldn't think of a better ending to this blog than to share some of my personal favorite songs to hear Aaron sing: "Whoomp There is Is", "Fresh Prince of Belair" (theme song), "Baby Got Back", and my newest favorite..."Thrift Shop" lol! 

mAnS bEsT fRiEnD

I probably should have added this entry just a little sooner but my hands were a bit tied up with our new little four legged best friend! I had a chance to post some pictures and comments onto Facebook but here is a little more of the story about our newest addition!

Meet our adorable little 4 month (almost 5 months now) Schnoodle (Schnauzer/Poodle mix)...

I have talked to Aaron's therapists in depth and they all had agreed that a dog would be great for Aaron! I thought and thought for about aaaaaaaaa......yEaR! After looking at many different dogs and narrowing down my must have list...no shedding, small, etc. I was able to find the perfect one for us finally! Plus it helped that I emailed the woman on Friday night and she said I could see him Saturday morning, so no time for me to really debate! 

First thing was first, he NEEDED a bath! My poor dirty little dog, being white didn't help him! He didn't actually did not get a bath in the garden tub but I put him in here to contain him long enough for me to go get some doggie supplies!

Meeting Aaron...Aaron knew I was looking but he didn't know I actually had gone to get a dog! I didn't take him with me since I had to go to someones house and I didn't know what kind of situation I would be walking into. (I did take a friend however who was a huge help!) After eliminating a bunch of names and having Casper somewhere on our list (because he is white) we noticed Jasper on the list of dog names. It seemed cute, no one we know had a dog or kid named that so that's what we stuck with!

The family we got him from had been crate training him, another of my musts! Thankfully a friend was able to loan their crate to us (I have great friends if you haven't figured that out by now!) He wasn't too crazy about it at first but he's definitely settled in and we have gotten all the cozy accessories to make it "home"! He stays in the crate while I am at work and at night. He started in the kitchen but has been moved to the bedroom since he doesn't cry all night long!

He LOVES toys! Here is a picture of his first shopping trip to PetSmart! He wasn't very good at helping me decide but he sure did look cute in the shopping cart! Actually, I found out that a good old clean water bottle is more entertainment for him than any of the toys we have bought! 

He is getting better at staying in our yard but we are working on getting a fence put up so he can run free without me worrying about him or having to run after him! We tried to tie a line outside so he could stay a little longer unsupervised but all he does is bark...of course unless one of us is out there! 

Aaron LOVES him,  and that makes Jasper worth the trouble! I often catch Aaron whispering or muttering something I can't understand. When I tell him that I can hear him he glares at me and let's me know "I am talking to the dog!". He helps me feed him and take him out when he's home. He also plays with him!

I find myself laughing at a lot of the silly things Jasper does, I try to capture the ones Aaron misses when he is not at home in pictures! Although, Jasper and Aaron now FaceTime lol!

Having a dog definitely adds a best friend in the family and we are full of puppy love! I am not sure that I would willing agree to do this job again...it's a lot of work! He is good company when I am home and he is even allowed to visit Aaron with me! Jasper has been ours for almost two months already and we are finally getting this potty thing down, I thought I was gonna lose my mind if I had to clean up one more mess. We are also working on a few "tricks" including come, down, sit, speak, and the newest one is lay!