‘Til You Can’t

I need to start writing more about my experiences during my long 76-day stay in the hospital and the short four-day stint I spent in that nursing home. Although those times were wrought with some very unpleasant memories, I believe that I am far enough away from them now that they will not trigger any of the anxieties that I developed at those times. I will also give you the details and updates of the current state of affairs concerning my LiS, and any complications that may arise. For those of you in the healthcare field, this may come in handy for you someday, should you ever come in contact with a patient that has LiS. It is of course, important that you know and can differentiate the three types of LiS that there are; Classic, Total, and Incomplete. The three types range from total quadriplegia to having some voluntary muscle movement, though slight. I’ve never been told which type of LiS I have, but based on their definitions, I believe my type to be Incomplete. I am able to move my head and neck to shake my head no, as well as nod my head to indicate yes. I can shrug my shoulders, wiggle my toes and move my foot on my left side. Also on my left side (all other movement is contained to my left side), I Can rotate my leg in and out from the hip. When my elbow is supported, I can raise my left hand to a vertical position sometimes I can lift my elbow off the bed as if I’m going to raise my hand above my head. It started out that I could only manage to lift it one or two inches. But has increased to eight to ten inches. My wife will arm wrestle with me, and I am able to generate considerable strength. Both hands have grip strength, however, my fingers curl up into fists and I can’t Straighten them (except my left index finger, which is nearly completely straight. Overall – I have shown improvement, though not as much as I would like. I am by no means a poster child for recovery from this hideous affliction. There are people who have made complete, to near complete recovery in a shorter length of time, even though they were written off as dead by medical professionals. These stories I am just learning of, due to my newfound freedom with my laptop, and I am more determined than ever to create a story of my own.

Side note: each week I have been including a song title and some lyrics to that song. They are always tied to the BLOG and the general content of what I have written. Some weeks my choice is better than others. While I was trying to think of a song for this post, my wife started playing a song that my son John-Riley had suggested she might like. As I listened to it in the background and started balling like a baby. Though I’d never heard it before, I realized instantly, it was exactly what I was looking for. God sent? I’ll let you decide. For me, my mind is made up. I’m going to keep working ‘Til I Can’t.

If you got a chance, take it
Take it while you got a chance
If you got a dream chase it
‘Cause a dream won’t chase you back
If you’re gonna love somebody
Hold ’em as long and as strong and as close as you can
‘Til you can’t

Song by Cody Johnson