Journal History II

In 2012, I created a new series on my blog based off journal entries from my CaringBridge website that I started after my accident. The first post shared entries from November 5-17th. I thought I would write another post continuing from the last. This one starts November 17th and ends with December 3. If you want to read the first blog post in this series called Journal History I, click here.

Sunday, November 17, 2002 at 09:36 AM (CST)

We would like to devote this journal entry to educate you about Jenni's injury and present physical condition. Jenni suffered a compression injury to her neck, specifically her spinal cord in her cervical vertibrae, (C1-C2), at the base of her neck. As a result of this injury, she does not have voluntary control of any muscles below this point, including her diaphram. She is on a ventilator to provide her breathing. Above the point of injury, she is completely functional with the exception of her voice. The ventilator tube enters her trachea below her vocal cords. 

Eventually she will learn to pass air across her vocal cords allowing her to speak with sound. At this time there is nothing surgically or medically available to repair spinal cord damage. None, partial or full regeneration of the nerve cells may happen, but only time will tell. You can learn more about her type of injury by visiting www.spinalcord.org. We hope to move Jenni from HCMC Peds ICU to Gillette Children's Hospital in St Paul for rehabilitation as soon as we get the ok. 

Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 11:09 AM (CST)

We wanted to keep Sunday's journal as current for a couple of days to provide you with an overview of Jenni's injury and physical condition. We hope someday we will be able to make a point changes to that entry. If you have not seen the entry, click on past journal entries to read it. 

The Hospital Staff and Family are busy preparing Jenni for her transfer to Gillette Children's Hospital. It is still unknown when that will happen, but we are hoping for later this week. Today the OT's will get Jenni in a chair again. It is important her body learns to adjust to a more upright position. All in all she is in good spirits, herself looking forward to the move.

Again we thank everyone for all you have done. We cannot get through this without the tremendous support you have given. "Together". God Bless.

Wednesday, November 20, 2002 at 07:49 AM (CST)

Good morning. A couple of things happened with Jenni yesterday. She got to sit in a chair again..a full half hour! Today she is scheduled to sit again, only this time she may go "mobile" and get to see out a window. 

Jenni also received her long- awaited new trachea tube. This one is much smaller and much more comfortable for her. A speaking valve was temporarily installed, and she worked her vocal cords for about 15 minutes. It was nice to hear her sweet voice. 

Today is packing day for the family room. We are scheduled to move to Gillette on Thursday morning. 

Thursday, November 21, 2002 at 07:41 AM (CST)

Moving Day! This morning Jenni will be transferred from Hennipen County Medical Center to Gillette Children's Hospital in St Paul. Gillette is on the 4th floor of Regions Hospital. Today we will be busy learning more about the Hospital, the routines, parking, visitor hours, and meeting new people.

At this time we do not know the room Jenni will be in, a phone number, or when visiting hours are. Please allow us a couple of days to get settled before visiting. We will let you know the details of visitation, etc on Friday.

Thank you again for helping us through the last 3 weeks at HCMC ICU. We know we have a very long road ahead, but knowing you are all "Together" with us, we feel strong enough to make the journey.

Friday, November 22, 2002 at 08:31 PM (CST)

Today was the first full day at Gillette, filled with a lot of time gathering information, and adjusting to the new sounds, etc. Jenni is worn out. She seems to be adjusting well though. Last night she had a visit from friend Jeremy and his friend Ben. They came with their guitars and put on a little jam session for Jenni. When we recognized a song by Eric Clapton, the boys seemed excited that they were hitting the right cords. Great job guys! Jenni really enjoyed the time you spent with her. Hope you boys can make the stop again. (If the tour allows it.)

At this point there has not been any sign of improvement to Jenni's spinal cord, nor does she have any sensation below the point of injury. She still requires a ventilator to breathe. Regardless, we are filled with so much hope as we look for just one little sign of improvement, and we are so thankful to have our Jenni in our lives, and in yours.

Sunday, November 24, 2002 at 09:11 AM (CST)

Saturday was an active day early, then Jenni fell asleep for the afternoon. The HHS Girl's Basketball team stopped by after practice. Coach Cos and the team brought an autographed basketball from the Timberwolves. Thank you, Jenni will treasure it forever.

Later, we moved Jenni to a wheelchair. Tessa and Nina stopped by and gave Jenni a clock that has pictures of her friends at the hour marks. Really cool. After about 45 minutes in the chair, she started to fall asleep, so we moved her back to bed. She slept the rest of the afternoon.

Saturday night was the first night since the accident that no family stayed the night with Jenni. We are confident the Staff at Gillette took good care of her. 

Tuesday, November 26, 2002 at 06:36 PM (CST)

Jenni had a great night of sleep last night! She has not slept very good since moving to Gillette. Dad stopped by the Hospital at 7:30 am and stayed with her until Lori and Kristen got there around noon. She was so happy to see us. Jen spent 2 hours in the "chair". 

She had visits from Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Thereapy, Phychology, and Speech Pathoglogy. What a day in the chair! Jen got a new bed today, the old one had trouble rotating anyway. Pillows, lots of pillows, move our Jenni from side to side on the new bed. She's loving it. 

Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 08:57 PM (CST)

Kristen writes tonight’s journal entry:

Jenni did not have very many visitors today, but wishes she had more because she was bored and there was nobody to talk to.(Except Nurses)

Jen spent about 1-1/2 hrs in her chair today and had a visit from her cousins Ben and Bridget on their way home to North Dakota. She got a visit from Bruce from the Casting Department and he made models of her legs for braces. The braces will help Jenni keep her ankles straight. She had a tough time deciding what pattern she wanted on them but she finally decided that she wanted Tweety on right leg and Taz on the left leg.

Things are going well and she was in good spirits today. We will update more on Thursday. God Bless.

Thursday, November 28, 2002 at 08:39 AM (CST)

Thanksgiving Day. Traditions. The Macy's Parade, Families gathering, dinner preparation, John Madden's 6-legged turkey, an afternoon nap, pumpkin pie, lefse, a late turkey sandwich, the wishbone. We have much to be thankful for. This year is a little different for us without Jenni home, but we have many new things to be thankful for.

Jenni is still a BIG part of our lives. Jenni still has her memories, her emotions, her Big Heart, and her sense of humor. Jenni is loved by a lot of people, family and friends, and she loves us right back. We are very thankful for this.

As you say your prayers today before your traditional Thanksgiving dinner, sneak a little "Jenni" in there. She would like that. Be thankful on this day for everything and everyone in your lives, and may God Bless you all. 

Friday, November 29, 2002 at 09:09 PM (CST)

Thanks for the Thanksgiving thoughts! Saw Jenni today, she was in a "bad mood", as she put it. She leaked she has been spoiled by nurse Tessa, who is off until Monday. She is still in good hands, but has found her favorite care givers.

This afternooon she transferred to her wheelchair. Neal, (Modifying Man), completed his work. He changed the chair so Jenni is completely mobile; ventilator, food, monitors, and suction. (Sorry, had to leave the two EMINEM posters behind-darn). 

Jenni took a trip to the shower room with her mom Lori to get her hair washed. They could use a hand -held sprayer in there.

Sunday, December 01, 2002 at 11:45 AM (CST)

We didn't forget about Saturday, it was just a busy day all around. Jenni had a lot of visitors throughout the day and they kept her active. Later in the evening she took a trip to the whirlpool bath. This was her first "full" bath.

This morning the RT removed some air from Jen's trachea tube allowing her to speak without the valve. She is doing a wonderful job of adjusting. Now she can speak at will, anytime. Soon they will remove all the air allowing air to pass over her vocal cords all of the time. 

All in all Jenni is in good spirits. Visitors really help, so keep coming when you can. God Bless.

Monday, December 02, 2002 at 07:39 PM (CST)

Jenni has made some very big strides the last couple of days. The Staff has removed almost all of the air,(actually water in this style), from her trachea insert. Picture a small tube inserted into a larger tube. In this case the small tube is the trachea insert, the large tube is Jenni's actual trachea tube. Around the small tube is a cuff, or balloon containing water. Inflated this cuff seals the trachea tube allowing air to enter and leave only through the small tube. Deflated, it allows air to enter the small tube, but exit past her vocal cords.

Jenni has found the joy of talking again-anytime she wants! She's loving it and so are we. She is surely actually talked on the phone Sunday. She called her Grandpa and Grandma Jim and Jean in Arizona, her Mom, her sister Kristen and Aunt Sandy. (We see speed dial and a headset in the near future.) 

Stop by and talk to Jenni sometime, she can't wait to show and tell you what she can do! She is so amazing.

Tuesday, December 03, 2002 at 09:59 PM (CST)

Wow! What a difference a day makes. Yesterday we explained how some water was removed from the cuff in Jenni's trachea insert allowing her to talk...freely...anytime she wanted...and she did...all day...til she was hoarse. Today they removed all of the water from the cuff. She talked, and ate applesauce, and talked more, and drank 7up, then talked about mashed potatoes and how good they would taste, then got mashed potatoes from the cafeteria and ate them, then talked about how good they tasted. What a difference a day made.

It is so inspiring to witness this amazing young lady work with this condensed version of the larger life she had been used to prior to the accident. Jenni is truly one of God's finer children and may the whole world get to know her some day...she would make a difference.

Stories from the Past

This is my creative nonfiction essay I wrote for my online creative writing class. It is just the rough draft, but I don't think I need to change much so I thought I'd post it anyways. By the way, the paragraphs and dialogue are structured wrong only because blogger won't allow me to use the tab key.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

I am 16 years old. It is the end of the first week in November, 2002. I am in the ICU of Hennepin County Medical Center lying in a hospital bed. It has been seven days since I was in a terrible car accident that left me paralyzed from the neck down and on a ventilator. My mother, a beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman is sitting by my bedside. She is examining my long dark brown hair.

"Jenni, I think it would be better if I just cut them all out," she says, staring into my blue eyes, leaning on the edge of the bed softly touching my forehead with her right hand.

"Please no," I beg, "promise me you won't!" I am looking at her with sad puppy eyes and a frown, trying to show her with my face how badly I want her not to do it.

She is talking about the six giant matted clumps of hair on my head. They are like rats' nests; a combination of blood, grease and filth. I have been lying on my hair for a week. The doctors and nurses are more concerned about my health and keeping me alive than my knotted-up hair. My mother is letting me know that it's time to get rid of the nasty bunches. I am pleading with her more, asking if there is any way that she could try to salvage as much hair as possible. My mother's intention is to cut every chunk to avoid further matting.

She spends a grueling 3 hours trying to de-tangle the masses. I am fading in and out of sleep due to the heavy drugs given to me for pain relief. While I am partially asleep, my mother asks the nurse on duty for a pair of scissors. The nurse turns around and looks at my mother with a puzzled face. She tells the nurse that it's necessary; she has been trying so hard, but this one clump is too big and too tangled to get so she is going to have to cut it.

I wake up to the sound of an alarm going off. I am relieved to see my mother still at my bedside. She looks at me with a concerned face. I ask her what is wrong. She tells me that she cut a chunk out of my hair while I was sleeping.

"Don't be mad, I had to do it," she exclaims. "It's just hair, it will grow back."

"But it was my hair!" I yell back. I'm sure she can feel the hurt in my voice.

***

It is mid-October, 2005. I am on my way to Rocco's hair salon a few blocks away from my house. My mother is driving me in our handicap accessible van that is custom fit for my wheelchair. We arrive at Rocco's and I get out of the van using the wheelchair lift. As I enter through the double doors, the first thing I notice is the smell of hair products; shampoo and conditioner, hair spray, gel. I am looking around, checking the place out. There are photos hanging on the walls of people posing, showing off their hairstyles. I go in further and check in at the reception desk. They take me over to a spot that they have prepared for me. They have moved the barber chair before I got there so that my wheelchair can sit right in front of the mirror. As I get into position, I hear blow dryers running and clients gossiping to their stylists about their seemingly busy lives.

I am going to be cutting 12 inches of my hair off and donating it to an organization called Locks of Love. They use the hair to make wigs for kids with alopecia, a disease that prevents them from growing hair. My decision to donate my hair came about when my mother told me that my hair was getting long. It is down to my elbows, the longest it's ever been. I decide that I just want to snip it all off and give short hair a try. My mother suggests that if I'm going to do that, I might as well donate it. I tell her it's a great idea, and wish I'd thought of it myself.

After a few minutes the hairstylist shows up in front of me. Her name is Sandy; she has brown spiked hair with highlights. She is wearing blue jeans with a white button up blouse on top, tucked into her waistband. She has a black vest draped over her blouse and cowboy boots on. Her personality strikes me. I can tell she is an eccentric free spirit who is positive and willing to go for anything, just by first glance.

"Are you ready?" asks Sandy in a husky voice.

I pause for a moment and then say, "I think so; as ready as I ever will be."

Sandy puts my long hair in a ponytail. She picks up a scissors and begins to cut right above the hair tie. When she is done, 12 inches of my hair is free from my head. She holds it up next to me and looks at my face in the mirror. I am overwhelmed with feelings. Thoughts and emotions are filling my head like water seeping into an open hole. My feelings are very strong, and I begin to show it. I am realizing that I am giving a piece of myself away; a piece that I once fought so hard keep.

My hair is now chin length. Sandy sprays it wet with a squirt bottle full of water. She then cuts the uneven ends straight before layering it all around. Then she cuts the front to the shape of my face. When the cutting is over with, she starts blow drying it and uses a round brush to curl the ends under.

"So, what do you think? Do you like it?" asks Sandy.

"It feels so different," I respond, "but I really like it. It makes me look older."

"Great! Anything else I can get you?" Sandy says as she looks at me and then my mother.

"I think we're good," replies my mother. Then she glances at me with a smile, "I am so proud of you! You're an amazing person and I'm glad you're my daughter. You're going to make such a difference on someone's life."

"Thanks," I say as we exit the salon. "I may not be able to walk or breathe on my own, but I can grow hair."

Jenni

Did You Know?

I get autonomic dysreflexia.

According to SCI-info pages, "Autonomic dysreflexia, also known as hyperreflexia, means an over-activity of the Autonomic Nervous System causing an abrupt onset of excessively high blood pressure. Persons at risk for this problem generally have injury levels above T-5. Autonomic dysreflexia can develop suddenly and is potentially life threatening and is considered a medical emergency. If not treated promptly and correctly, it may lead to seizures, stroke, and even death.

AD occurs when an irritating stimulus is introduced to the body below the level of spinal cord injury, such as an overfull bladder. The stimulus sends nerve impulses to the spinal cord, where they travel upward until they are blocked by the lesion at the level of injury. Since the impulses cannot reach the brain, a reflex is activated that increases activity of the sympathetic portion of autonomic nervous system. This results in spasms and a narrowing of the blood vessels, which causes a rise in the blood pressure."

Commen warning signs for autonomic dysreflexia include a fast, major increase in blood pressure, pounding headache, flushed or reddened skin, goosebumps, heavy sweating, blurry vision or seeing spots, anxiety or jitters, a stuffy nose, and tightness in chest or flutters in your heart or chest. When I get autonomic dysreflexia, the first thing that happens is my blood pressure increases. If it goes on for longer, I get goosebumps, a headache, and my skin becomes red and blotchy. I have never experienced any of the other warning signs listed above, but people with lower injury levels tend to get them.

If any of these warning signs appear, there are a few steps that have to be taken. Proper treatment of autonomic dysreflexia includes determination and removal of the triggering stimuli. First, sit up or raise head to 90°. This will bring the blood pressure down. Second, loosen or take off anything tight. Third, check bladder for drainage. Fourth, call your health care professional.

Causes of autonomic dysreflexia according to SCI-info pages:

"There can be many stimuli that cause autonomic dysreflexia. Anything that would have been painful, uncomfortable, or physically irritating before the injury may cause autonomic dysreflexia after the injury.

The most common cause seems to be overfilling of the bladder. This could be due to a blockage in the urinary drainage device, bladder infection (cystitis), inadequate bladder emptying, bladder spasms, or possibly stones in the bladder.

The second most common cause is a bowel that is full of stool or gas. Any stimulus to the rectum, such as digital stimulation, can trigger a reaction, leading to autonomic dysreflexia.

Other causes include skin irritations, wounds, pressure sores, burns, broken bones, pregnancy, ingrown toenails, appendicitis, and other medical complications."

The most common reason why I get autonomic dysreflexia is if my bladder is full. All I have to do is cath and it goes away. The next most common reason is if I am laying on a wrinkle or somethings too tight on my body. If there is any pressure inside or outside of my body, I will get dysreflexia. My blood pressure has never gotten to dangerous levels, and I have never actually called my doctor because of getting dysreflexia. I'm lucky that I can detect it soon enough and do something about it before it gets bad.

Jenni

Did You Know?

I have hypotension.

Hypotension refers to an abnormally low blood pressure. For most individuals, a normal blood pressure is 120/80. The top number is called systolic and the bottom number is called diastolic. Any sort of drop in blood pressure, even by 20, is considered low blood presure. People with spinal cord injuries usually have low blood pressure due to their injury. The main symptom of hypotension is lightheadedness or dizziness. If the blood pressure is sufficiently low, fainting and often seizures will occur. (Hypertension refers to high blood pressure. The number on the blood pressure cuff in the picture is definitely not mine.)

My normal blood pressure is usually around 90/60. However, blood pressure changes with position change. If I sit up too quickly or stand up in my stander, my blood pressure drops. When that happens I feel dizzy and sometimes things start to go black. As soon as someone lifts my legs up if I'm sitting, or puts me back down into a sitting position if I'm standing, my blood pressure rises.

I do have parameters that I'm supposed to go by. If my blood pressure gets below a certain point (60 for the systolic and 45 for the diastolic) and maintains at that level, my nurses are supposed to notify my doctor. However, in my stander my blood pressure usually drops pretty low and there really are no parameters unless I pass out, according to my doctor. As long as I'm still talking, I'm okay. The lowest my blood pressure has gotten that still registered on the machine is 49/36. If it gets any lower it will read as an error.

Jenni

Stories from the Past

Before my accident I played softball and basketball. I played both sports for about seven years each. Softball was my favorite out of the two. I used to get up to the base and then grin as the outfielders yelled to each other "move back, move back". I averaged 2 home runs a game. The positions I played were first base, shortstop and pitcher. Basketball was also fun. Although, at the time of my accident I was debating whether to keep playing because as I got older the game got way more intense and competitive. I was a post on the team and better at defense than offense because of my height advantage.

The first picture above is of me playing softball. I think I was in the outfield during that game. The next two pictures are of me playing basketball. One shooting a free throw and the other of me running down the court.

I do miss playing sports, running around and being active. Doing posts like this bring back a lot of memories. It is actually a good thing. Someone asked me if I thought it would be hard talking about the past. Sometimes it is, but I just tell myself that things are different now. Not any better or worse, just different. I never would have taken up painting watercolor if it weren't for my accident. Things just have a way of working themselves out. I don't feel sad talking about or sharing stories from my past. I feel blessed with the memories that I have made.

Jenni

"We don't know who we are until we see what we can do."
-Martha Grimes

Series Number Three

So far I have two series going: Life As a Quad and Did You Know. I decided to start a third series that will be called: Stories from the Past. Each post will be a story from my past either before or after my accident. I decided to do this series to share some stories about things that have happened to me or things that I've done whether good or bad, happy or sad. I'm hoping it will give some more insight on me besides just my life now. Let me know what you think.

Jenni

Life As a Quad III: Physical Therapy

One thing that is very important for people with disabilities is physical therapy. Therapy can help in many ways and be very beneficial to someone who is unable to move on their own. Not only can physical therapy help with the body, it can also help relieve stress on one's mind.

I get physical therapy 3 to 4 times a week. My therapist comes to my house for a 45 minute visit each time. We do many activities and exercises during this therapy time to help my body. These help loosen my muscles, help me strengthen my ability to move, and help with pain management. I also gain more energy by working out in therapy which gives me the ability to do more things during the day.

My physical therapist has helped me with being able to tighten any muscle in my body in order to move certain things (i.e. my arms, legs, back, stomach etc.). The picture above is of me sitting on the edge of my bed. This is one of the activities that I have been doing to help strengthen my back and stomach muscles. When I first started sitting up by myself, I could only do it for about 30 seconds before I would start to lean forward and my therapist would have to hold me back up. That was a few years ago. Now, I am able to sit up on the edge of my bed for a lot longer. My record so far is 5 1/2 minutes. If I start to fall forward, I am able to tighten my back muscles and pull myself back up straight. Same with if I start to fall to the left or right. I am very proud of all the work that I have been able to do because of physical therapy.

The physical therapy that I receive is private pay. That means that I pay for every visit with the therapist. Unfortunately, insurance will not pay for physical therapy. With most cases insurance will only pay for a couple of months of therapy directly after the persons injury/accident. That's what happened to me. I was able to get two months (16 visits) of physical therapy paid for. I went to the Courage Center to complete my therapy. After that I was on my own to pay for therapy.

This is very difficult for the people who do not have the funds to pay for physical therapy. They spend the majority of their life with extremely tight muscles, making it difficult for them to be moved and transferred. They also experience great pain due to their tightness and end up taking pain pills to try to alleviate pain. I am very lucky to be able to pay for my physical therapy. However, this may not be the case forever.

I recommend physical therapy for anyone who has a disability and has trouble moving themselves, has tight muscles or needs help with strengthening.

Jenni

"To believe in yourself and follow your dreams, to have goals in life and a drive to succeed, to surround yourself with the things and the people that make you happy-this is success!"
-Sasha Azevedo

Did You Know?

I can't sneeze or hiccup.

Sneezing is caused by an irritation in the inside of your nose (i.e. a dust particle, swelling from an infection, cold air, pepper etc.) According to http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/sneeze.html, "When the inside of your nose gets a tickle, a message is sent to a special part of your brain called the sneeze center. The sneeze center then sends a message to all the muscles that have to work together to create the amazingly complicated process that we call the sneeze.

"Some of the muscles involved are the abdominal (belly) muscles, the chest muscles, the diaphragm (the large muscle beneath your lungs that makes you breathe), the muscles that control your vocal cords, and muscles in the back of your throat."

According to http://www.emedicinehealth.com/, "Hiccups are sudden, involuntary contractions of the diaphragm muscle. As the muscle contracts repeatedly, the opening between your vocal cords snaps shut to check the inflow of air and makes the hiccup sound. Irritation of the nerves that extend from the neck to the chest can cause hiccups."

Both sneezing and hiccuping require messages to get from the brain to the rest of the body in order for them to happen. Because my spinal cord is damaged, these messages are not able to get through. Therefore, most things that one may do involuntary, I am not able to do. Exactly why I am unable to breathe on my own. I am also unable to throw up. All four of these actions require at least some use of the diaphragm as well which is an involuntary muscle.

Sometimes I feel the need to sneeze. My nose tickles and sometimes my eyes water. Either the feeling goes away, or my body does the action of a sneeze without the noise or air coming out of my nose. I think It looks funny to other people.

Jenni

Did You Know?

I pee through my belly button.

For some of you this may be way too much information, but for others it might actually be interesting. I have what they call a mitrofanoff. A Mitrofanoff (mi-troe-fan-off) is a tube created inside the body to drain the bladder. During surgery, a tube is made using tissue from the appendix or small piece of the intestine. One end of the tube is tunneled into the bladder and the other end is made into a stoma (small opening) on the abdomen or in the belly button. A catheter is passed through the stoma and down into the bladder to drain the urine. This is called catheterization.

I get cathed every 3 to 4 hours during the day and every 2 hours during the night. One thing that is good is that I can tell when I need to be cathed. Sometimes it is less than 3 hours. At night I am sleeping so I'm not able to tell and that's why I get it done every 2 hours. This procedure has changed my life. It is much easier than cathing the other way. It is not painful. In fact I can't even feel it.

Many people are often fascinated with this procedure. One of which is my little cousin. She understands that I do things differently than other people. Her favorite thing to do (besides riding in the elevator) is to watch me pee out of my belly button. Whenever I need to be cathed, I let her know, and she will stop whatever she is doing to come watch. I love looking at her face as she stares in curiosity.

Jenni

Did You Know?

I eat regularly.

There are many people with traches/ventilators who are unable to swallow properly. In that case they are unable to eat regularly. Most are fed through a gastrostomy tube, otherwise known as a G-tube, that is implanted in the stomach. A feeding pump can be connected to the G-tube and can run at whatever rate it is set. After my accident I had a G-tube and was tube fed. I was unable to eat regularly until a few months after my accident. Even then I was getting a mix of tube feedings and eating real food. I finally was able to eat real food and skip the feedings altogether. I went in for surgery to get my G-tube taken out and replaced it with a Mic-key button. It is also a G-tube but unlike the one I had before, the button gets changed every 4-6 months. My nurses give me water and some medications through there while I'm sleeping.

I like a lot of foods but my favorites are potatoes (baked and baby red), steak, and grilled asparagus. I couldn't imagine going back to tube feedings. Not only did they make me feel sick, but I don't think my taste buds would allow it. I actually eat pretty healthy. Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and meats are my staples. However, I do enjoy snacks here and there.

Jenni

Another New Series

Along with my series Life As a Quad, I will be starting another new series called Did You Know? Each post will feature one fact about me that people probably don't know and an explanation along with it. If anyone has any questions that have to do with things that I can or cannot do please feel free to either leave a comment or e-mail me and I will try to answer them in this new series. I will be happy to answer anything and everything so don't feel limited about which questions to ask me. I am very open.

Jenni

"Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go. Only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be."
-Karen Ravn

Life As a Quad II: Sensory and Motor

On Monday I went to an appointment at a clinic with a physical therapist. They did something called sensory testing. By doing this, they can tell how much sensation I have and where throughout my body. I have feeling everywhere but it is more predominant in some places than others. It is hard to explain what I feel and where, so this was just a way that they could measure how much sensation I really have. They only did my lower extremities this time. The physical therapist had me close my eyes and then he took a small poker (it kind of looked like a needle but it bent easily and was not sharp) and touched certain places of my legs. Each time, he asked me if I felt anything and where. There were a lot of inconsistencies with what I said to where he was touching. Most of the time I didn't say anything because I couldn't feel it. When he was doing the testing, I had a few frustrated looks on my face when I didn't get it right. I was feeling disappointed that I didn't have as much feeling as I wanted to.

After a while of using the poker, he started using his hands to touch certain places on my legs. I was able to feel where he was touching. That means that on my legs, I can only feel deep pressure. I kind of knew that but it was nice to actually have a test done. He told me that it is important not to get discouraged and the fact that I have any feeling at all is a good sign. My greatest sensation is on the top of my arms. Hopefully I will be able to do a return appointment at a later time to see if I have gained any more sensation. I have to tell you that it isn't typical for someone with my injury to have sensory or motor.

I am a C1C2 incomplete quadriplegic, with incomplete sensory and motor. I usually just tell people that I am paralyzed from the neck down even though I do have movement below my injury. The reason I tell people that I am paralyzed is because it is just easier that way. It is hard to explain how I move things and specifically how it is possible that I can move things. I basically have to know exactly which muscle or muscles move what. Then I have to pick out the muscles and tighten them to move certain parts. It was a difficult process in the beginning but now that I know all of the muscles and what they do, it is a little easier.

I am able to move all of my toes, five fingers , and my shoulders and I can bend both of my wrists, elbows and knees. I'm also able to tighten the muscles in my stomach and pull myself forward and tighten the muscles in my back to pull myself back. I have attached a video of myself bending my elbow. After my arm gets to 90°, gravity takes over. I'm not able to bring my arm back down.



I will try to post more videos of me moving. If you have any questions for me about this post or want to know something in more detail than what I have described feel free to comment below.

Jenni

Life As a Quad I: The Basics

In the first post of my new series I would like to start off with the basics and some history.

Types of Paralysis - Quadriplegia (Tetraplegia) and Paraplegia

When a person suffers a spinal cord injury, information travelling along the spinal nerves below the level of injury, will be either completely or partially cut off from the brain, resulting in Quadriplegia (Tetraplegia) or Paraplegia.

The body will still be trying to send messages from below the level of injury to the brain known as sensory messages, and the brain will still be trying to send messages downwards to the muscles in the body, known as motor messages. These messages however, will be blocked by the damage in the spinal cord at the level of injury. Nerves joining the spinal cord above the level of injury will be unaffected and continue to work as normal.

Quadriplegia / Tetraplegia

Quadriplegia / Tetraplegia: is when a person has a spinal cord injury above the first thoracic vertebra, paralysis usually affects the cervical spinal nerves resulting in paralysis of all four limbs. In addition to the arms and legs being paralyzed, the abdominal and chest muscles will also be affected resulting in weakened breathing and the inability to properly cough and clear the chest. People with this type of paralysis are referred to as Quadriplegic or Tetraplegic.

Paraplegia

Paraplegia: is when the level of injury occurs below the first thoracic spinal nerve. The degree at which the person is paralyzed can vary from the impairment of leg movement, to complete paralysis of the legs and abdomen up to the nipple line. Paraplegics have full use of their arms and hands.

Level of injury (Lesion)

The level of injury, otherwise known as a lesion, is the exact point in the spinal cord at which damage has occurred. The levels are determined by counting the nerves from the top of the spine downwards, and these nerves are grouped into four different area’s. These are the Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar and Sacral parts of the spinal cord.

These area’s are important in defining quadriplegia and paraplegia, as damage to the spinal cord as these points directly determines how groups of muscles, organs and sensations will be affected.

How the spinal cord has been damage is also a consideration when evaluating a spinal cord injury. There are two types of lesion, these are a complete injury and an incomplete injury. Someone with a complete injury will have complete loss of muscle control and sensation below their level of lesion. An incomplete injury is where maybe only the muscles have been paralyzed, or where there is impaired sensation.

*This information was taken from apparelyzed.com

According to dictionary.com, quadriplegia is "paralysis of all four limbs or of the entire body below the neck". In other words, to be labeled as a quadriplegic may not mean complete paralysis of the body. Some quads have limited or almost full use of their arms. It just means that they have some type of paralysis in all four limbs. I know some quadriplegic's who have paralysis in just a couple of muscles in their arms and are able to drive with their hands.

I am labeled as a quadriplegic. I broke my neck at C-1 C-2, the highest vertebrates of the spine. The norm is that the higher the injury is on the spinal cord, the more paralysis the person will have. My injury to my spinal cord is incomplete. I am mostly paralyzed below my neck, however, I am able to move some things. I can move all of my toes and five fingers. I can also bend both of my wrists, elbows, and knees. There are other muscles I am able to flex and move with assistance. I also have feeling everywhere, some places better than others. Because I injured my spinal cord at the highest point, I am unable to breathe on my own. I am dependent on a ventilator to breathe for me, and I have 24/7 nursing care.

After my accident happened, I was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center. I spent three weeks in the ICU, before transferring to Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul where I spent five months rehabilitating. Because I broke my neck, I had to wear a halo, which is an orthopedic device that was used to immobilize my head and neck. It consisted of a mental band placed around my head and screwed into my skull with metal pins. It was attached by metal extensions to a plastic vest that I had to wear. I had my Halo on for three months before I had surgery to remove it and to fuse my neck bones together because they weren't completely healed. Since then I have had many other surgeries at Gillette that would help me either at that time or in the future.

My journey to where I am today has not been an easy one. There have been complications, near-death experiences, overdoses and withdrawals on medications, etc. These experiences have been minor bumps on my road to recovery. Despite my challenges, I am thriving as an individual and moving forward with my life. The remainder of the posts in this series will mostly contain information on my current situation and the things I am doing to maintain my life these days.

Jenni

Ready to Go Back

I am excited for school to start next week. I went to the college today to get my book for my Public Speaking class. I have had a good break, but usually after the first week I start getting bored. I like keeping my mind busy and getting out of the house. I am ready to learn all there is to know about speaking. After all, it is my passion.

I am working on the first post post for my new series called Life As a Quad. It is taking a while to complete the first one. I really want to portray what it's like to be a quadriplegic. This series will be complete with pictures and videos so that others can actually see my life. Hang in there; you can expect the first post within the next week.

Jenni

New Series!

I wanted to let everyone know that I'm going to be starting a new series of posts called: Life As a Quad. I will probably do one post a week about what it is like to be a quadriplegic. It will contain information about quads, my feelings and progress, videos and pictures, and detailed information about what I go through in my day-to-day life. If anyone has any questions during this series of posts, feel free to comment and post your question and I will try to answer it either in the comments area or my next post in the series. I'm not sure how many posts I will do to make up the series, but I promise it will be enough so that people will have a better understanding of what it's like to be me.

Jenni