Happy Snow Everyone,
I woke up to at least 10 inches of snow in Sparta. What were we thinking moving to the snow capital of the world! The wheelchair walkway and ramp were finished yesterday just in time for the storm. Luckily, the snow was of the ‘light’ variety and I was able to shovel the ramp in just under 1 1/2 hours. Rob is lucky he married such an athletic and hardworking women Needless to say, we are now in the market for a snow blower! Unfortunately, on my way to work I blew out my tire and didn’t realize it for at least a 3 miles. I’m at work now though thanks to AAA. Hopefully, fixing the tire won’t be too much of a production tomorrow morning (I just can’t catch a break these days huh?). Anyways, last night Rob had a rough night. Apparently he drank too much fluid and became dysreflexic (his Autonomic Nervous System became overactive and caused his blood pressure to rise dramatically). Luckily, his roommate’s mother was in the room and was able to get a nurse quickly. After that drama was over, Rob rolled over on his belly but because his side rails weren’t up, he started to slowly slide off the bed. Luckily, his roommate’s mother was still in the room and came to the rescue (again). Today, Rob attempted the “Light Gate” treadmill again but unfortunately his body was not in the mood for a stroll. He wasn’t able to stand at all because his blood pressure kept dropping. He was okay with the defeat though and is eager to try again next week. I brought in our video camera with him so hopefully we’ll get some footage. We heard from Cigna today. Our doctor spoke to the medical director of Cigna and acquired another 3 weeks of inpatient rehab. Cigna’s stance now is “since he is doing so well, he can do therapy on an oupatient basis”. You may recall, they stated previously that “as long as he is making progress, he has an unlimited inpatient rehab benefit”. Funny how your damned if you don’t and damned if you do. We’ll start another boxing round in 3 weeks when the time expires and we’ll probably end up getting Senator Corzine and the Department of Insurance involved. Our doctor at Kessler said that if Rob remains at Kessler he could leave the facility with the ability to walk with some type of assistive device. This should give us enough ammunition. Even though the week ended a little rough, at least our doctor is confident in Rob’s future. Have a nice weekend!

Let’s play a round of name that tune… “I’m still standing, yeah yeah yeah!”. We’ve posted some new photos that are sure to delight the masses. This week’s (yes, I know it’s only Monday) progress includes: Rob was able to get on his hands and knees from his belly and he is now able to stand using the parrallel bars for 2 minutes 15 seconds. Tomorrow, Rob will try what’s called the “Light Gate” which is a device that suspends him over a treadmill. On a sad note, Cigna has asked our case manager for a discharge date. They are having a phone conference today so hopefully it will go well. Our Kessler team is confident they will be able to secure at least a “couple more weeks” but let’s all hope that Rob has the opportunity to continue to make strides. Work has begun on the walkway/ramp at home. Hopefully, the snow will hold out for a few more days so that they can finish the job. It is quite a scene at 1 Alpine with all the equipment. I’ve never seen such a production. Marley went to Long Island for the week so she wouldn’t disturb the workers and by the sounds of things this morning, she would have been barking all day. She is quite the guard dog believe it or not.
In addition to keeping Rob in your prayers, please add Brian, a state trooper age 30, who is a new admission here at Kessler. He arrived on Thursday and his level of injury is C0. The fact he survived the accident is a miracle. He is unable to eat or breath on his own. He cannot speak and is disoriented. He has a wife around my age so please include her in your thoughts and prayers as well. Thank You!