Final move before home!

The move is complete! Our new home is :

Hook Rehabilitation
Community Hospital East
1500 N. Ritter
Indianapolis, Indiana 46219
Room 1444
Jims Phone # 317-355-8444


Jim's nurse, Laura, from the Va hospital delivered Jim to Hook Rehab about 10:30 yesterday. The move went well but unfortunately, it went downhill a little, from there. There were some changes in his routine, as would be expected, and it was upsetting to him. He thought he might just leave, but, of course, that wasn't going to happen. After he calmed down, the rest of the day was quiet and I stayed the night. I left him this morning so he could start his therapy and he seemed OK. Change is hard.

WE hope this is his last stop before returning home in a few weeks. Please continue to pray for his recovery and cooperation with the Dr's.

What a journey this has been. We have been blessed with so many people who have helped and encouraged Jim.

The staff at the VA were nothing short of tremendous. Our hats are off to them and we will be forever grateful. They gave Jim a going away party with cake and ice cream and we took pictures. I will have my guys post them in the near future.

May God have all the glory for what He has done.

Blessings,
Sue

Progress and moving on!

Hi everyone,



Just a little update. Jim is having a great week. Wednesday the staff took him to the Indian Museum downtown. For those who don't know, Jim is an artist and loves to paint Indians.

They said he really enjoyed his time there and was showing them the different artist. He has begun to paint, again and has his easel and paints in his room.



Yesterday, he got the long awaited feeding tube out. The only outward sign left of his injury is his neck brace.



The VA staff have all been wonderful with Jim. They go above and beyond their duties and treat him as family. My family and I will never be able to thank them enough for their kindness and compassion. Laura, Tasha, Sandi, Dottie, Vicki Sherri, Mary, Carla, Craig, Dana, Leigh Ann, Jenny, Jackie, Audrey, Ramona and everyone else I may have missed, Thank you! Also, Dr. Buschbacher and Carlos. You have all been so helpful during the darkest of times. We consider them friends. But, it is time for Jim to move on. Wednesday, the 27th, he will enter Hook Rehab in Indy for, what we hope, will be his last stop before returning home. As I have mentioned before, Jim does not do change well. He is still focused on going home so I am a little nervous about his reaction to this change.



Again, I want to thank all of you who sent Jim a birthday card. They continue to pour in. (Pete and Pam, we did receive yours on Wednesday, thank you!) (Steve Korn, we look forward to your visit to Indy!) We read each on to Jim and taped them all to his window.



Please keep our son Jason and his wife Lynnette in your prayers. They are in Russia picking up their new baby girl! God's gift to us in the midst of all of this. Jim and I have been blessed with the most wonderful children anyone could ask for. Kelli, Jason, Andrew, Anna and Joe are loving, supportive and kind. Their spouses, Lynnette, April and Mike have been generous and supportive of the time and energy this has taken from their own families. I want to publicly thank each of them for their love.



That's all for now. God Bless. Have a great day!

Sue

Family Time...

today as mentioned in a previous post was dad's birthday as well as father's day. we had a large group of us (kids and grandkids) at the hospital enjoying the time with dad. he was in good spirits and obviously enjoyed the time with us.

we were able to sit outside most of the afternoon and have food and cake while dad took it all in. there was a time that we were all sitting around and dad was expressing what he felt about each of us in his own words. it was cool to see that even when he didn't have the right words to use, he sure knew what he wanted to say. all of the non-verbal communication is there and we were tracking with him most of the time. there was one point in the time, however, that he turned a bit more serious. he made sure loud and clear that he wants to go home to fort wayne. we couldn't do anything but say that we know it is frustrating and that time will come.

dad's progress is slow but steady. please pray that his progress keeps ahead of the frustration for dad. the better he gets, the more frustrated he gets.

thanks for all of your encouraging words and prayers. we really appreciate and enjoy all of your comments.

check out the new pictures. we had a nice time, kelli was there the day before so unfortunately she wasn't in the picture with the kids.

Happy Fathers Day

The week went by fast in some respect. Jim had his first outing. He was taken to a restaurant by staff. This was a big step and allowed them to see how he would react to the outside world and all its confusion. He did very well. Although it has caused a slight problem. He no longer cares to be inside the hospital. Depression and frustration encompass each visit I have with him. Going out has made him more aware of missing home and a normal life. Bottom line, he wants to go home.

To complicate this problem further, he had a visit from Hook Rehab, evaluating him for further rehab at their facility here in INdy. The plan is for him to leave the VA the end of the month and go on to there. He, in no way, wants this to happen. Home is his only target. Please pray with us during this change, especially for wisdom to make the right decisions.

Sunday is his birthday as well as Fathers Day. The kids will be coming to celebrate. On a funny note, Jim was very surprised to learn how old he will be! 66 was not what he was thinking.

I hope all of you fathers enjoy your day and count your blessings for the joy of having the gift of children. Praise God for our heavenly Father.

Sue

HOORAY!

THE MUCH HATED HALO CAME OFF THIS WEEK END! HOORAY! Jim and I came in from outside on Friday afternoon and the nurse happily announced the Dr was on his way to remove the vest and halo. Jim's neck has mostly healed and he was well enough to go to a neck brace.

It was a great time of celebration. The whole nursing staff gathered around as we watched the Dr disassemble the barbaric contraption. Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for it, but until you see one up close you have no idea how awful they are. We held our breath(as did Jim) as he slowly unscrewed the bolts from his head and loosened the screws on vest. When the last screw popped, Jim looked at the Dr with the most grateful eyes and said, "Oh, thank you, thank you."

There is only one drawback. The Dr warned that the brace must stay in place a month because the healing is not complete, and ....may not be complete. If it doesn't completely hear, Jim will be facing a neck surgery. He said this is no small surgery. I am also a little concerned with the fact that the neck brack is held on with only velcro. Jim could easily remove it if he gets the notion.

But we will celebrate the moment and praise God.

Jim is one happy person. He is now sporting a hat and regular shirts and a new beard. He truly is looking like his old self.

It is a new turn in the road of recovery and I am so thankful.

I will keep you posted.

Sue

Thank you all for your support on my time away. I had a restful time and was encouraged as I spent good friend time with Merrie and her family. It did rain or was cloudy the majority of the time I was there but it was a blessing for them, they needed the rain.



Jim did pretty good the first two days I was gone but unfortunately the rest of the week was hard on him. He is very focused on going home and is pretty sad and lonely. It's so hard to get him to understand that his need to stay and continue to improve outweighs his need to go home. The kids and I are struggling with this as we see his sadness. His birthday is June 17th and I had high hopes to take him out for a day but the Dr. doesn't feel this is a good idea. We will try to do what we can at the hospital but have to balance it with not over stimulating him.



If any of you feel led, would you consider sending him a birthday card or maybe a phone call that weekend. It's hard to make him believe he hasn't been forgotten.

VA Hospital

1481 W 10th StreetIndianapolis IN 46202

Patient: Jim Maley Rm C-4146

Phone: 317-988-3590

On an up note, the Dr. said today, he continues to improve but feels he may benefit from another facility here in Indy to continue rehab. I should be very happy but I know this will make Jim unhappy. I keep telling myself that it is in Gods hands and he will guide us. But my heart wants to take him home. Please continue to pray for guidance and wisdom.



I want you all to know I read all your comments and they lift me up. May all praise and glory go to Him who has given us so much and many miracles.



Sue

Greetings from sunny(rainy) Florida! I am on a prescribed, mandated time away. Jim's Dr. suggested(made me) I take a few days away to reflect on all that has transpired the past 4 months. I am staying with my dear friend Merrie and have not done a thing all day.



It's been great, but different. My hardest part was telling Jim I was going on vacation while he was in the hospital. But he did very well with the information. (Could he possibly be tired of me?) He is going forward in his therapy and improving some each day. He is rather bored and restless. The halo is still in place and is healing slowly.

Thank you all for hanging in in there with us. As the days get longer, we are so dependent on your prayers for strength and patience. The road ahead is long and uncertain.

But....Praise Him for all he has done and continues to do.


Sue

constant progress..

I was able to spend a little time with dad today. It was a pleasant time. He was excited to see me and gave me a big kiss (while my head got crushed by his halo ;) )

he was really working hard to tell me some things --- specifically that he things his house is too big and needs to downsize and that he wants to make sure that his disability is coming in every month to take care of mom. You need to understand that it takes a lot of work to piece together what he is saying and come up with a complete thought --- once i repeated back to him what i thought he wanted to say, he emphatically said "yes" and was very pleased.

we are told that the doctor will re-evaluate him in about 3-4 weeks and see where he stands. the halo is still on and very aggravating, but he's dealing with it. they are working hard to get him as much therapy as possible.

please pray that dad will participate in the therapy so he can continue to improve. he really does like company, so if you are in Indy, he'd love to show you around and introduce you to his nurses.

Realized another week has gone by so thought I should drop you all a line. Dad is moving along. He has difficult days and good days but being the strong man that he is, gets through them. The VA hospital has been wonderful to dad. They are very attentive to his needs and are always looking for a better way to get him to the next step.

This week dads visiting hours were cut to how often mom and the family saw dad in order to move him past the fixation of going home so that he could focus on his therapy. Although this has been hard on mom to only see dad 1 hr a day, and the kids 2 hrs at a time on the weekends, the process seems to be working for dad. He is now partcipating in his therapy again and handles us coming and going in a calmer manner. We know this is temporary and will do what it takes for him to get better.

During the times we are not visiting the hosptial has activities planned all day to keep dad busy and more occupied with getting better, we are thankful for all the staff that take care him. Continue to pray for the healing of his brain and neck injuries.

Kelli :o)

Halo

We were advised yesterday that the halo must stay for another 4 weeks. Dads neck is healing very slowly, it is starting to fuse but has not healed.

Please pray for healing of his neck so that it can come off earlier.

Also pray for the healing of dad's brain that he can move on to the next process it has been a very frustrating week for him.

Kelli

Wow, this week just flew by. Our apologies for no updates this week. We will make sure that we write more often.

Dad took a swallow test on Monday and is now eating a pureed diet. The only thing the feeding tube is used for is medications. Dad is enjoying his ability to eat (except for today, he told the nurse it was horrible..ha) and he gets all the ice cream he wants. I brought a gallon of his favorite of which he can scoop in the kitchen at anytime. Dad has always loved ice cream and would live off it if we let him.

We had the family meeting with the hospital on Friday. They took a CT scan of his neck and will compare it on monday with the scan from Parkview. This will determine when the halo comes off and the next steps to his broken neck recovery.

At this point, the recovery period here at the VA hospital is 3-5 weeks. In all, it's just a take each day as it comes and see what tomorrow brings. Dad continues to improve each day and it's up to him how long the treatment will last. We will continue to keep you posted.

The week has had it's ups and downs. There has been a few hours of aggitation per day but in all it's been a good week. Dad really misses the visitors he used to get though. Please see the mailing address and phone number below, we encourage you to write and call so that he knows he's not forgotten. I would like to plaster his walls with drawings from the kids that would like to send pictures to grandpa and cards from his family and friends. The hospital told us to make his room feel as comfortable as possible, I would love to see it full of love from everyone he knows. He really needs to feel the love right now.

VA Hospital
1481 W 10th Street
Indianapolis IN 46202

Patient: Jim Maley Rm C-4146

Phone: 317-988-3590

Keep in mind that if you call that Dad's conversations do not always make sense. He will do his best to talk to you, therapy advised that if you grasp what he is talking about to repeat back to him so his mind can work on putting it into perspective.

If you want to come to Indy and visit dad my house is always open and you are welcome to spend the night. You can call me at 317-578-4525. I know that Dad would love seeing anyone that can come.

Kelli :o)

Just keeps getting better

Dad moved to the VA Hospital on Thursday, April 26. Mom says that he had the best day yet on Friday. Dad took the move very well, we worried about set backs but there have been none. The staff at the VA Hospital are very attentive to dad's needs and continually teaches him independence. He told us this weekend that he like that they let him do things. He has already charmed the nurses with his humor and has started drawing again. He gets frustrated but know with time he will only get better. We are all excited about his progress.

Today they are going to do another swallow test so hopefully he will be getting some real food soon. The halo is due for review on May 3 so we should have so up and coming news on the removal of that.

If you are able to come to Indy and see dad he is missing the company. Andy and Anna and thier entire families came down over the weekend and Joe has been here since last Thursday, he really enjoyed this. Things will be quiet during the week as everyone goes back to work so feel free to come and see him when you can.

Thank you for your continued dedication of prayers. Continue to pray for dad's healing and that he will have patience in the recovery.

Have a great day!! Kelli :o)

changes again.....

the last time we posted, we were planning on the move to Minneapolis. mom had her mind set and was going along with the plan. well, change is the name of the game when it comes to the VA. the VA decided that dad is too far along in the recovery to send him to Minneapolis. they then proceeded to tell us that there was no room for him in the Indianapolis facility --- where he belonged. after some really hard work on kelli's behalf, the VA has agreed to open up a room and move dad down to Indianapolis. this is a rehab facility for brain trauma patients. needless to say, it will be nice to have dad closer to home so we can help with the recovery process. this move will take place tomorrow (april 26th) at 10:00 a.m. please pray for an uneventful ride down there.

mom will be temporarily moving in with kelli since she lives in fishers. i believe that all things happen for a reason....including the closing of the Minnesota door and the opening of the indy door. also, kelli just moved back from arizona a little over a year ago and i am convinced that God brought her here for this whole process with dad.

dad's recovery steps are daily. he has passed all of the milestones that the therapists put in place. he is very determined to get home. we have to continually tell him that we will go home at some point, but not yet.

please pray for the following: 1) the move will go smoothly without much of a setback to dad -- each move has been a little bit difficult. 2) mom will continue to have strength through the process -- it has been very tiring to say the least 3) wisdom in planning future housing arrangements

finally, if you happen to find yourself in the indy area, feel free to stop by the VA hospital and visit with dad. he always likes company (I'm sure mom wouldn't mind it either :) )

thanks for partnering with us in the rehab process.

Another Move!

I am beginning to feel like a gypsy. Just as we are settling into our new room at Parkview we get the news we will be moving. Due to Jim's VA status, it would be in his best interest to go to Minneapolis, Minnesota VA Brain Trauma Center to continue his rehab program. This may happen as soon as next week, or at the latest, the following. There are a lot of logistics that will have to be worked out in this move, including, how to transport Jim. It's possible he will go by air and I will drive. Needless to say, many details to plan for, in a short amount of time. His length of stay is undetermined at this time.

So far, his time on the rehab floor at Parkview has been good, but not uneventful. He's had some rough days but is improving each day. He talks constantly and this is not Jim. But it is great to hear. He is also interested in his art again which is another answered prayer. He seems to know most people who have come to visit if he's had an ongoing relationship with them. I would encourage you to come visit if you like, before he goes.He does enjoy visitors. But, please check with the nurse before you go in to see if he is doing ok. They do ask for no more then 2-3 at a time. He is in room 1403.

This move will be a strain on our kids. Being 10 hours away from their dad while he is so ill will not be easy. I, also, will miss their help and comfort. I know that God has been faithful through this whole journey and will continue to be.

We will keep you posted as soon as we know more.

I pray you all enjoy this wonderful weather and your families this week-end.

Sue

Moved to the 4th floor

Dad has been moved to the rehab floor on the 4th floor. He will begin his grinding rehab at Parkview today, so pray for him to have patience and not to refuse the help. He has his in and out moments of which he justs says "no".

We had a great day yesterday with only a little aggrevation in the middle of the day. We have found that limiting his stimulation to music and a few people at a time works well, although with this there are still those moments. We are praying that getting back into the rehab program today will give dad new perspective and encouragement for his recovery.

Yesterday was an exciting day for me because it's the first time he actually remembered things he did. He spent an hour telling the nurse about all his drawings and photography shots that are in his room. Although his words didn't always make sense, there was enough right words to figure out what he was saying. I just sat there and cried. Later in the day he spoke to others about his time in Germany and Japan. What a blessing to know he has part of himself again. Since I only come on the weekend, he always amazes me with the new steps he has taken.

Continue to pray for his patience and healing. Each day is a new day.

Kelli

one long day at a time...

it's been a while since i have posted out here. mom has been a faithful "poster" but i figured it was time for me to get something out here. i recently had the opportunity to spend a few hours alone with dad and have a new appreciation for what my mom has been going through day after day. in the past few posts, mom has referenced "the phase that we are in". we are all praying that this "phase" comes and goes quickly. while it is a wonderful thing to see dad heal, the flip side of that is that he is currently very angry and agitated. he requires "round the clock" observance and this is really wearing on mom.

in the phase that dad is in right now, he understands enough to know that he doesn't want to be there anymore, is mobile enough to get to the doors/elevators/etc and is very determined. the hard part is, he doesn't yet have the reasoning or logic to understand that going out is not yet safe for him. this is why he gets angry. this is like dealing with a determined toddler in a strong man's body. frankly, it is hard.

you see, this is a delicate balance. we are so very thankful that we can be in this stage as we all know at one point we wondered if dad would even make it through the night, or open his eyes, or "move with purpose", etc. He has done all of this and much more. He walks, talks, and is getting stronger each day. it is just hard to balance knowing what is best for dad and yet wanting to keep him "happy" in the immediate term.

please pray that we have patience, strength and wisdom during this phase. please pray that this phase quickly moves on and that we can get dad home soon. finally, continue to pray that the insurance stuff is all worked out. mom has some decisions that need to be made within the next week and needs answers and wisdom.

thanks again for partnering with us in lifting up dad from our knees.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all of you!

I was spending time alone with the Lord this morning, praising him for all he has done in our lives since Jim's accident,and also praising him for what he has personally done in my life since I gave my life to him almost 30 years ago. Easter is a celebration of hope eternal and present. There has never been a time of realizing that in my life, more than now. There is an old gospel song that rings true the words in my heart. It says, "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow; because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, life is worth the living just because He lives!" AMEN!

I would be a fool and a liar if I told you I never have fear or sadness or anxiety. If this would all depend on me, I'd be so hopeless. But, He does live. And he holds the future for each of us, including my Jim. With the help of all of you and trusting God is leading, we will keep walking in Faith.

Thank you all for the encouragement on my last post. It really helped on a bad week. Jim is still going through a very hard time. It's not only hard on him but on our kids and grand kids, as well. Please continue to pray they will stay encouraged.

I do have a prayer request beyond Jim, that would mean much to me because it is a big concern right now. The week Jim had his accident, my mom lost her husband, my stepdad, Ed. Her and I spent alot of time together during his long illness and I now do not have that time to be with her. My sister and brother are taking on my time and help with her, but she is really struggling with depression and loneliness, not only with her loss of Ed, but Jim's accident. She does not drive and is dependent on us to take her anywhere. Please pray we can find a way to help her not feel so lonely and isolated.

Thanks to all and I will keep you posted. Jim may be moving again this week.

Sue

It's been a rough week. The move to Parkview has been filled with many obstacles and new challenges. The stimulation of the transition seems to have brought on a new phase of Jim's injury and it's not a pleasant one. He's very aggravated and confused. He does not do well when I am not around but has become more mobil. He impulsively gets out of bed, causing much anxiety to the staff and myself. He is not steady on his feet but is getting stronger every day making him harder to navigate. This particular rehab floor does not typically provide sitters for this type of patient so I've needed to stay at the hospital from morning till night, for his safety. After Monday, they were able to secure a nighttime sitter who comes at 11pm till 7am. This has all been extremely hard on Jim. The immediate future plans are up in the air due to paperwork and authorization from pending insurance sources. Please pray that this will be worked out in the near future to help Jim get the best care he needs.

I hate to keep asking for your prayers, but God listens to his people and the need is urgent. Thank you for allowing us to be so open and needy. You are being used by God for great things and a powerful witness to many. Thank you all.

Sue

Moving Day!

Moving day came quickly. Friday afternoon it was decided that Jim's return to Parkview would be imminent. Packing up all that we had accumulated in the 5 week stay and hugging goodbye all our new friends at St Joe Select, we began our next step in the healing process. Due to forthcoming paperwork from the VA, Jim is on the 5th floor rehab, room 515. Hopefully we will soon get him moved to 4th floor, intensive rehab. Praise God that we have come this far! It has now been over 10 weeks.

If you still would like to know how you can pray for him, this would be one we would request. That his paperwork would go through as we hope and there will not be any setbacks. Also, that he will adjust to the changes and not take a step backwords. He is getting impatient with the halo and it has caused some concern. Also, I have been down with a bug and my family has been overloaded with extra of my time. We are all getting tired. Pray we will not fall down, but finish the race.

Again, and again, thank you all for your support and prayers. The journey continues, with God leading the way. I do not know the end, but I do know the Keeper of the end. May God bless each and every one of you.

Sue

SMILE

It seems the times are getting longer between post and I'm sorry. But the reason is good. Much is going on and we are all busy trying to regroup and make up for lost time, both with our lives and helping Jim each day.

The week-end, and Monday and today has been somewhat eventful. With waking up, Jim is discovering more items to mess with. Like his trach(he decided on Friday to yank it out. Sorry Dr Culp!) Bill Culp had just been so kind to put a shorter one in on Thursday. Fortunately, Joe, our son, was there to help; and fortunately, I wasn't! It was no easy task getting it back in. Mr Independence also decided to try to take a walk on his own and gave the nurse and I a good scare, not to mention aging me more than he already has. He now has a companion to keep him company at night.

Therapy is going fairly well, although he is having a lot of back pain so it's harder to walk for any length of time. His therapy team, Andy, Connie, Toni, Jolyn, Grace and Mike, have immense amounts of patience, skill and compassion. They treat him as they would a family member and we all see their dedication.

We have been able to enjoy a few outings in the courtyard, due to nice weather. I can't imagine how it must feel after being cooped up so long. Jim's smile blesses all of us and he already has most of his nurses wrapped around his finger... in the nicest way.

Jim's halo, for his broken neck, comes equipped with a wrench for emergency. I saw him eyeing it and trying to unscrew a couple of bolts. I forewarned the nurses he has a construction background and they'd better hide the wrench! They took heed. Dr. Young was summoned to make sure Jim didn't make any headway on his de-haloing project.

Yesterday, I walked in as Dr. Young was examining Jim's work on the halo and I pulled him aside to ask when he thought the trach would be safe to come out. "It's out!" he announced. Boy, things happen fast around there. Apparently the pulmonary Dr agreed with Jim and thought it should come out. (Surprise, Bill!) That husband of mine has always been one step ahead of his time.

One more thing to share. I was with him all afternoon on Sunday and he didn't utter a word to me. I was getting ready to walk out the door, said good by as I heard, "Where you going?" I looked back to see Jim smiling.

This truly is a walk of faith and surprises. God is so good.

Love to you all....please keep praying.

Sue
For those interested, I sometimes post about our journey on my own blog.
http://mariesue.blogspot.com