I will never bad talk spare change again!

Ok - I'm the guy who hates spare change...well..used to...

OK - I have thought for some time now that loose change and coins or antiquated and stupid (especially pennies.) I one of those guys that thinks that coins and bills should have been discarded a long time ago. Well.....I have been converted back to this out-dated form of currency exchange. Let me tell you why.

First of all - we've now moved twice since we've been married. Crazy enough, our spare change boxes and bottles and cups and mason jars and old miracle whip jars full of loose change that we empty out of our pockets and managed to move right along with us , including during this last move - some of it was even packed up in a box in storage because I was the one that frantically packed it up..just trying to hurry. Anyway - so we have spare change that's been adding up over at least the past three years..although probably closer to four. Here's where it got good. We had absolutely no money for Christmas, so one morning when I woke up, the bathroom door was closed and locked and the girls were running around the house doing their crazy stuff. I went into the closet and noticed a huge gaping hole where all of our collected change was supposed to be. I immediately realized what was going on and decided to keep the girls occupied. Well - so not to bore you - I'll skip ahead.

This christmas was definitely the less we've ever spent on Christmas (and rightfully so - you shouldn't be spending money if you don't have it.)

I'm going to change the name of our spare change to: CHRISTMAS CHANGE.

WE BASICALLY PAID FOR OUR LITTLE FRUGAL CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR WITH SPARE CHANGE!

Holy hannah...granted..it was quite a few years of change..but who cares...I would have never guess this little blessing. Never.

Thank you Chaney for even thinking that the change could do that. It was money sitting there that I wouldnt have considered because it's always there. Well..it's not there any more and we have gifts. Thank you loose change..or, i mean..Christmas change.

Satuday Morning..

OK - I thought I would figure out how these post work and are organized and I ended up going back the the beginning of them..

I am a dang baby - cause I've been balling for like the past half hour as I skimmed over them and slightly re-lived some of what I went through.

IT WAS CRAZY AND HARD. SUPER CRAZY...SUPER HARD.

If any one reading this is ever in the hospital..If you don't get ahold of me to come visit you...and I find out later...I will break your legs (don't worry - I'll let you use my bright yellow AFO's after the casts come off)

OK - Just had to mention that.

Ppssst...

Just a side note...

For those of you that read this and think that life's all hunky-dory (gotta love that word, even if it's misspelled) - please don't fool yourselves.

We're pretending right along with the best of them (actually I don't know who's the best at it, cause if they were the best at it, then we probably wouldn't know....so..yeah..)

Anywho...I don't live in a big house and drive a big fat yellow Lightning McQueen Car (as my cute niece refers to it) any more.

• We're broke
• We're been force-fed the words "Provident Living" (haha)
• Luckily our closet has enough clothes that people think we recently bought some new ones
• The small change that's been piling up in our closet (in old mayonaise jars nonethelesss) has finally been counted and we CAN have Christmas
• Certain community colleges are massively cheaper than certain state colleges
• Cool sister-in-laws and others have some seriously cute hand-me-downs for my cute girls

So...ya...only post the good pictures..make up a good story if you don't have one..or if you can't or don't want to do that....heck..I think there's a button on here somewhere to post links to other site and pictures....no one will know the difference...at the point i'm at - i'm not going to question it..I'll go right along for the ride.

And don't forget these three words of wisdom (I think either Monson or Confucious said them)

GILLIAN-BARRE ROCKS!

Crap - I think that's only two, seeing how one's hyphenated - sorry..

Woah!!!!!!!!

Holy crap! (lolololol)

I just found this picture on the laptop. I had heard about the depicted event occuring, but until I saw this - I didn't realize that my mental picture of what happened didn't quite coincide with the actual event. To be honest with you, I can't believe it was cleaned up before I came home (probably why I didn't realize how bad it was.) I thought I would be the end of our marriage....well - I would officially like to thank my two cutest girls in the world for stepping up to the plate to keep me from feeling lonely.

Please don't allow small children to see the following. Apparently and innocent bystander had the unfortunate experience of happening upon the ghastly even. The sheer horror one can see in her face is unspeakable.

Neither counseling nor drugs have been able to return her to her previous bystander state. Our prayers are with her.

Hopefully I don't find myself in too deep of crap by posting this on here (quite frankly - I don't own a pair of boots - and the van's I've been wearing lately don't appear to be that poop-proof.) Wish me luck, cause I don't run that fast yet.

OK. I know you think I'm biased, but just look!

My girls are the freakn cutest!!!!!!!

For anyone wishing to contest this statement, please emall a picture of your kid (but be prepared for me to disagree with you, as you can see, for obvious reasons)

OK.....

Ok...The time has come for me to take over my own blog!

Watch out world...I'm guessing it's going to be:

• somewhat cheesy (for effect)
• hopefully intriguing (entertainment)
• hopefully make you smarter (info)
• let you know how the heck i'm doing (otherwise you wouldn't be here)

Unfortunately, there are no guarantees (although you can purchase one...a guarantee that is...and it's an extremely minimum fee*

So - I'm going to be experimenting a lot and with any luck get into somewhat of a habit (yes, those things that clothe nuns and make me and you the creatures that we are.)

I think before I was probably embarrassed to write, not to mention that my fingers were working like crap and they couldn't feel anything when Chaney first asked me to write (so it was the equivalent of doing squats with a 100 pounds for a mile...you probably think I'm joking).

I'm also not going to be big on spell check or grammar check..(notice that correctness wasn't one of my points mentioned above.)

Anyway - Goodluck - hope you get your moneys worth.

* Monthly fee is extremely minimal when financed at a extremely low interest rate over an even more extreme amount of time. They'll get you on that every time - those small print fast talking jerks..lol.

Garage Sale

So we are having a garage sale. Cory has decided to go back to school FULL TIME (the goal is to Medical School) so we are really trying to down size OUR LIFE so we can concentrate on that.

Come visit us this weekend and BUY some of the cool stuff we have.

Here is the info from the craigs listing that I have posted.

******* 4 FAMILY GARAGE SALE*****


We are all cleaning house

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY Oct. 2nd & 3rd

8 am - till you stop coming!!!

In Mesa, East of Lindsay Rd. between McKellips and McDowell

LOOK FOR THE SIGNS!!!
We have everything you would want!!!!
Click on link below to see just some of the pictures.

Tools
LOTS of home improvement items crown molding, new light switch covers, lighting, (we had a fix it upper and we have lots of left overs)
Antiques (50 years of everything she couldn't live with out)
Baby items, New and gently used including an Eddie Bauer Bassinet and a New in Box Fisher Price 3 in 1 swing
12 ft. PRE LIT Christmas Tree from Costco. (has the real feeling pine needles on the ends of the branches)
Vintage Games
All kinds of Books
Furniture
Home Décor
Office chairs and furniture
TV
Computers, Computers and more computers and anything and everything you need for you computer.
Printer
Full Size Pool Table
Beautiful Wrought Iron Chandelier
Full work out Gym with bench, bar bell and weights
Shoes ALL sizes men’s and women’s (many new in box)
Women’s suits
Jr. Girls clothes
Men’s Clothes
Baby Clothes
Floral Arrangements
90 gallon aquarium, marine equipment, lights, pumps…lots more.
Many new in box kitchen appliances and accessories including, microwave, toaster oven, blenders and Pyrex…etc.
PAINT BALL / AIR SOFT STUFF guns, ammo etc. (my husband owns a business and he has tons of OVERSTOCK priced to move!!!!!)
Halloween Decor, including foam head stones, fog machine, costumes....etc.
MANY MORE ITEMS NOT LISTED!!!!

We have so much stuff and we must get rid of it. My husband didn’t get married until his 30’s and he is a pack rat
(we have kept some dang good stuff) I JUST DON’T HAVE ANYMORE ROOM!!!!!

If you are interested in seeing any of the items before the sale please contact me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CONT.

Cory has always wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride so since it was my birthday, that was my surprise present. It was amazing...the desert was beautiful this morning. We topped the ride off with a delightful sparkling cider breakfast in the desert. Thanks Cory it was a surprisingly enjoyable and relaxing way to ring in my new year.

You CANT Make This Stuff UP & Happy Birthday

It's me again...Chaney's sister. Yeah, that bad. So Chaney's last blog said things were NORMAL, what she didn't know was that it would fall into the New Normal category.

This story begins the two days before Cory was released from the hospital. Chaney spent those two days preparing and learning everything she needed to know to bring her husband home and take care of him. Those two days were crazy and this nursing mother forgot ( or just didn't have time) to nurse or pump. After all she had plenty of milk stored for Scottie in the fridge so Chaney didn't give it much more thought.

I can already hear the groans of pain from all the nursing mothers...I too insert my groan of pain right here. AGHHHHHHHHHH

As Chaney mentioned earlier, she brought Cory home to a large Gifford Family Reunion. She was trying so hard to put on the brave face while helping Cory and staying interactive with the week long reunion that she put her own sickness and pain to the side and acted as if she was just fine. Here is where I insert my own personal OSCAR award to her. So Chaney spent week two of Cory's return just finding their groove and still pushing through her now very painful mastitis infection. By week three she was in so much pain that she was bed ridden and there was a large lump she just couldn't break down. She finally conceded and went to the doctor for herself (keep in mind she and Cory have been to so many doctor / therapist apptmts these 3 weeks, the last place she wanted to go was another doctors office).

Doctor Visit #1: Mastitis confirmed, antibiotics prescribed, off you go now.

Chaney takes her medicine like a good girl and after a weeks time has absolutely no relief at all.

Doctor Visit #2: Shot in the rumpkins and new antibiotics given, off you go now.

Now Chaney has a sore tushy to ponder as she is still sick as ever and the lump, not of much concern to the doctor keeps growing and causing greater pain. She only waits a few days this time to go back as the treatments have renderd ZERO relief.

Doctor Visit #3: Ultrasound of lump (tech freaking out), Dr. wondering how he missed the lump, and a referral to a specialist given, off you go now.

Chaney goes back the next day, a Thursday, and the specialist (surgeon) presents her with a syringe attached to a 5 in needle. Surgeon plunges needle into chest. Surgeon tells Chaney to breath. Chaney cant breath as she is sure her lung will be punctured. Surgeon trys to extract substance forming the lump. Nothing comes out. Surgeon sends Chaney to hospital for surgery.

Hospital Stay #1: Chaney was told that they would go in cosmetically to remove said lump. Chaney being the stubborn supermom is determined to continue nursing and tells the doctor to just go in at the site. All goes well with the surgery and I find myself sitting once again in a hospital room with Cory, his parents, and Chaney's good friend Chelsea. It seems we were all here just weeks earlier. The only difference this time is Cory and his walker are standing at Chaney's bedside. SIDE NOTE: I CURSE MYSELF FOR NOT GETTING THAT PICTURE.

The doctors wanted to keep Chaney until Monday for observation. Did I mention they didn't sew her up nicely and put a big band aid on. No she has a huge gaping hole packed with gauze that has to heal from the inside out. It is possibly one of the grossest thing I have seen. Chaney will have none of this. She is so D. O. N. E. with hospitals and doctors and surgeries, and medicines, and treatments. After just one night she convinces them that she will be fine and they release her Friday evening. I have to give a big shout out to my Dad right here cause this all took place the day after my mom and sister left for Utah for a week and I myself left out of town on Friday. So he and my brother Gabe took care of the girls so Cory could be with Chaney. Good job grandpa! I also have to mention that Cory, still in recovery got to take the girls the night Chaney was in the hospital and neither is sleeping through the night. In fact Scottie usually sleeps attached to said lumpy boob most of the night. I am not quite sure how Cory, gimpy Cory, pulled that off, but again good work daddy.

Chaney has a nurse come and dress her wound (did I mention the gross factor? Just checking) on Saturday and she was feeling good until that point. After the nurse left, Chaney started to go downhill again. Sunday she really wasn't doing well and by Monday night she spiked a fever, starting vomiting, and was generally in miserable pain.

Doctor Visit #4: Doctor and Surgeon send Chaney directly to hospital. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.

Hospital Stay #2: She has a serious infection and thanks to the biopsy results they have now learned it is MRSA! No wonder she couldn't get rid of that lump!!!!!!! And now the concern is that it could be in her blood. So they decide to do a pic line. I don't know much about this other than it requires an X-ray and an ultrasound to get the line of antibiotics directly to your heart. This is the best was to treat MRSA as it is resistant to most antibiotics. No wonder she wasn't feeling any better and only got a sore hinny as her booby prize!!!!!!!! (pun very intended) As soon as they started the pic, Chaney had an allergic reaction and they had to take it out.

So after 2 more days in the hospital and more failed attempts to treat her, she is released with her still painful gaping hole, the best antibiotics they could give her, hopes that it might work, the reality that she now had to stop nursing after all that, the fear that she could have given MRSA to her baby, the threat of a blood infection and the looming knowledge that if they confirmed the blood infection she would be returning to the hospital and staying until her blood was clean.

This brings us to this last week. She played phone tag with the doctors and as far as I know she still hasn't talked to them and is assuming her blood is clear. My mom, who I have seen take on the worst bodily functions, and malfunctions for that matter, changed Chaney's dressing only once and informed her that would be the last time. This brings me to today

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHANEY

YEAH FOR 23!!!!!

You will spend this morning at wound clinic. But after that Cory is taking the girls so we can get our toes done and go to lunch with Chaney's two besties. He also has something up his sleeve tomorrow as wound clinic interrupted his master plan on your actual day. We all love you so much and my personal prayer is that 23 is so good to you that you will call this THE YEAR OF BLISS. Cause heaven knows you deserve a break!

Normal

So its kind of eerie how NORMAL life is starting to be again.

Cory is back to work almost full time again already (I know surprise surprise, you cant keep a work-a-holic away for long). He is no where near being able to drive again so he gets picked up and dropped off everywhere he needs to go. My little brother just laughs because Cory has always talked about wanting to get a limo or some large comfortable car and hire someone to just drive him around to where he needs to be so he can work in the back of the car. Isn't it awesome that Cory's wish came true. HAHA...

Anyways, Cory decided this week that he doesn't need his walker or his braces around the house. I think he's just lazy and would rather take the risk of falling then take the time to put everything on. (But hey I don't blame him its takes a lot of work to "suit up")

He has done pretty good as far as walking goes, he has only fallen "bad" two or three times. Unfortunately it always seems to happen as we are putting Rubi to bed. Don't ask me why but every time Cory stands up after our song and prayer he seems to fall...and then we just laugh for about 30 secs. and try to get out of her room before she gets too hysterical. HAHA!

Cory has continued to go to out patient therapy and he is doing really really great. Last week however he did loose his pants in the pool. I wasn't there but he said that it was Hilarious and the therapists said she has never had that happen before. (I guess that's what happens when you loose 30lbs. I suppose I better go to the store and buy him some new swim suits)

We are sad to say that our insurance wont cover us to go back to Mayo Clinic to get his follow up evaluations done. We were really bumed because we wanted to go see the neurology team that really got Cory through the rough times. My next quest will be to find a good neurologists that is on our insurance. Cory still needs another EMG to see how much nerve damage has been done. His feeling is a long ways from normal so the test should let us know a little better how long it will take for his recovery.

Well that's about it...here's to our NEW NORMAL!!!!

O and one more thing Cory got to go to the movies for the first time. He LOVES the movies so that was such a fun treat for both of us.

WEek 1

WE did it. We made it through our first week home. And I can't lie we have had a pretty rough go at it but hey we are alive and there's something to be said for that.

Cory started his out patient therapies this week and I think he really likes it. On Monday he had an evaluation so the PT would know what she had or doesn't have to work with (wink wink Cory's a little thin guy these days) Anyways, she made him do some pretty advanced moves that even made Cory a little impressed that he could do them. (Nate it was the stuff on that sheet that Cory was supposed to translate into Spanish for you and never did...we are still working on that ha ha) Cory's favorite part was he had to race against a timer. So he did each race three times and took average of the three to get his results. The first set of races was done with OUT his leg braces and the second set was WITH his braces. If I would have known that Cory was going to have so much fun at his evaluation I would have brought my camera...It was pretty entertaining.

Cory also had his first visit with his PCP and he decided to do another ultra sound of his legs. We are excited to say that we think we are in the clear as far as the blood clots in legs. Cory is even more excited that he can stop giving himself a shot in the tummy every morning.

Tuesday we got to have lunch with some really close friends of mine. After we decided to meet up with my dads family at BIG SURF water park. Cory didn't get in but he enjoyed watching Rubi and I swim and splash and go down the slides. We also gave Rubi her first Dip-n-dots and we got our fav. Blue Icee. We had a blast and for a moment life felt normal again.

Wednesday we spent relaxing. Cory actually didn't relax too much. He spent most of the day on the phone WORKING!!!! Yup you cant keep a work-a-holic away too long. HAHA he also got to go have a guys afternoon with my little brother and his friend. It was a well deserved and NEEDED afternoon for Cory.

Today Cory had PT again only this time is was aquatic. We didn't talk much about it after because as soon as he got into the car he made me take his shoes off because I guess he had a really hard time putting them on after therapy and its because one of his toes was curled under and he didn't know it. After the shoe came off he was in A LOT of PAIN!!! That's what he gets for not wearing his leg braces.

Which leads me to my next point....I want to give a shout out and introduce all of you to the new members of our family...now I hope you are sitting down for this one....


the wheel chair


the walker (we still need to add tennis balls to the bottom)


the shower bench (with arms and back)


the throne..affectionately known by Cory as the "B 1 Bomber" for reasons you can guess...


the braces...I bet you've never seem them in that color before haha. (Cory picked them out after I told him to go BIG or go home...he decided to do both) we are also narrowing it down to what vinyl sticker we want to put on the back of them...to be continued.

WE made it...

So on Thursday Cory was finally released after 9 weeks of this craziness...we couldn't be happier. My little brother was able to help me go get Cory and ALL of the stuff that he comes with these days. You don't realize when you live somewhere (like the hospital) how much you can accumulate over a months time. We had clothes, 6 pairs of shoes, hats, toiletries, toys, medicine, wheels chair, walker, Cory, candy, un opened soda cans/breakfast drinks, computers, bed side commode, shower chair, pretty much you name it we had it. It was funny the nurses looked at us like we were crazy with all the trips we had to make from his room to the car.

We want all of the people that helped Cory at the hospital to know how truly wonderful they are. SO thank you to Nate, Jen, Lindsi, Vasanti, Jennifer, Dr. D., Larry, Jerry and ALL the of the nurses, therapists, food staff, and house keeping. We really appreciate everything you did for Cory. You are all angels to us. We will miss seeing you everyday and hope to come back for a visit very soon.

Since we have been home life has been a lot differnt and very very FULL. We have had a few crazy nights of firguring out how to sleep in the same bed again, Cory is figuring out how to shower and go to the restroom at home (o the things we take for granted). I have the responsibitlity of making sure he gets all of his meds., dosent fall out of his wheel chair, dosent fall when he DOES walk, and I have to remind him that its okay to take it slow on not rush like he used to (this is very tough for him). In addition, all of the relatives from my dads side have come into town for a little family reunion so life has been full of swimming, eating out, bbqing and much much more to come this next week. Cory and I have both been a little overwhelmed at times but its been okay because we have been forced into REALITY again.

I have thought about this a lot lately. It's so funny that when something happens in my life weather its having a baby, loosing a loved one, or now this trial I ask myself "why CAN'T the world just STOP for two minutes a let me take a deep breath and figure out how I am going to be able to get through this?"...don't the bills know that they just need to be put on hold for a while, doesn't my body know I don't have time to eat right now, why is everyone else still waking up and going to work everyday, these are the things I ask myself. And somehow it doesn't matter I still have to keep going because LIFE isn't set up to accommodate these unforeseen circumstances. I have to be strong. My grandpa used to say "you will either make it or you won't" haha and that's kind of how I am feeling right now.

Anyways, we are happy that Cory is home. And he is doing AMAZING. He came home using a walker and his leg braces called AFO's (I forgot what that stands for) but he also was fitted for a custom wheelchair because even though he can walk...its only for short distances before he is completely wasted. His wheelchair will be delivered in a couple weeks so in the mean time he has a loaner.

On Monday, Cory will start out patient PT where we will go to the hospital 3-4 times a week. Cory is very happy that he is finally to this point. He is still mostly numb in all parts of his body but little by little he thinks it might be coming back.

He wanted me to mention a few more things...When he sits for long periods of time in his wheel chair his legs get very swollen and red. He likes to walk because it helps with that blood return from his legs to his heart. His favorite thing to do right now is swim with his girls. Swimming is the only time he can stand completely straight up. It is very hard for him to balance with out some sort of flotation device. And lastly when he gets out of the pool he says his body feels really heavy and it makes him a little sad.

Well that's it for now. Sorry I feel like this post was delayed and now is a little random but once I figure out this new home life hopefully I will be a little more consistent on here again.

Thank you for your continued prayers and Happy 4th of July.

Call me Jenny...

WE have an official release date....








JULY 2nd!!!




We are so excited....OK Cory is really excited. I am scared out of my mind. Yes it will be nice for him to finally be home for good, yes it will be nice to not have to drive 50miles a day, but this is going to be a LOT of work...so please keep the prayers coming MY way now ha ha I am kind of joking...I am excited too.

So today was different. This morning we had another really early morning. at 8 am Cory had a huge meeting (around 25 people) to assess his walking abilities (or the lack there of) and decide on what kind of braces Cory will need to help him be able to walk. Right now Cory has a few issues with his walking and so the braces should actually help him a lot. It was really intimidating for Cory though because he had to walk with his walker and his PT Nate holding him up in front of all these people and they were all talking about him as if he wasn't even in the room. The other interesting thing that he did was he was video taped for "educational" purposes for other people to see how crappy he is walking and see if they can learn how to properly diagnose him. So ya pretty much Cory is a movie star now...get your autographs now they are going to be worth something very soon.

After the evaluation they cast his legs. Oh and Cory got to pick out a cool color for his braces. We will debut them at a later date. I really just can't wait for the day that I can say "run Forrest...run" (that's why you can call me jenny) and the braces break off his legs as he runs as fast as he can...hey a girl can dream right.

Cory also got signed up for cooking class today. It was a lot of fun. He made cupcakes and did a dang good job, with hardly any spills. I was seriously amazed. The other people in the class were funny. This one lady looked and sounded just like Paula Dean...Cory and I were laughing with her the entire time. After she left the therapists said they had never see her smile as much as she did today so it made me feel good that we could make someone happy.

Cory also got another day pass for Sunday. Hopefully we will have a little bit more time to relax this week. But then again this is Cory we are talking about so I am sure he will have some crazy agenda. Also, next week Cory will get to go out with the therapists WITH OUT me so they can see how independent he is, so that should be fun.

Well that's pretty much it for today. I am sure I will have a lot to update after Cory's day home on Sunday.

Time flys where you are having fun!!!

So we have a lot to update...

First, the Dr. said that after he looked again at the ultra sound results and consulted with the ultra sound tech. that he feels like everything should be fine. The blood clots are there but they are small enough to be taken care of with medicine. Cory is now sporting some very sexy thigh high compression socks aka women's nylons but hey I guarantee that by the end of the week everyone will be coping his awesome fashion sense.

Now, last week Cory said that he had a surprise for me and said that sometime this week he was going to be getting a "day pass" to come home for one day. So I asked if he could get it for Sunday because it was his BIRTHDAY and FATHERS DAY!!!! and guess what he got it. We were so so so surprised.

So Sunday morning I got to the hospital at 6:30am we got him showered and dressed got the meds. and by 8:15 am we were on our way home. It was a little scary but very exciting. On Sat. I had come down to help Cory learn how to get in and out of the car and then how to fold up the wheel chair so that it would fit into the trunk. We have a big car but Cory wouldn't be able to get up into it so I brought Cory's dads small car....so in order to fit the wheel chair in I had to take it apart into what felt to me like a MILLION PIECES!!! and let me tell you I swear it turned into 2 million pieces in the HOT Arizona SUN!!! So after I loaded him and the chair up we were well on our way home.

When we got home Rubi was still in her bed so Cory got to go in and get her....she was SOOOOOO excited to see Dad at home. Then Rubi, Scotti and I gave Cory his first gift of the day which was a DVD that I made of pictures of this last year of Cory and his girls. He of course loved it and cried the whole time...it was really sweet.

Next, he was feeling so good that he decided that he wanted to go to church about an hour before it started...soooo on even a "normal" Sunday an hour wouldn't be a do-able task but some how we got to church and we were only 5 min late. It was really amazing for Cory to be there.

We decided to only stay for the first hour of church because we felt a little over whelmed. After church I still needed to get Cory's main gift and his family was coming over later that night so we needed to get some things for the PARTY!!! So we headed to Costco. YUP that's RIGHT I can now officially be committed to the LOONEY BIN!!!! I took Cory and Rubi. Cory pushed himself all around the store and enjoyed EVERY SAMPLE (no joke) he could get his hands on. I was on a mission to get the heck out of there so every time I turned around to make sure he was still following me I saw his little short head rolling to the next sample station. HAHA at the time I was too stressed to see the humor but now looking back it was pretty cute. He was loving it. And after all it was HIS birthday so I am glad he was enjoying himself. So 5 pizzas, 1 birthday cake, salad, his new VIDEO CAMERA (to help document this craziness, and 3 hot dogs later, we were finally done with our store outing.

Finally after getting in and out of the car (what felt to me like 50 more times) we finally made it back home. We relaxed there for a couple hours and then our extended family came over to help us Celebrate. It was a good time filled with dancing, eating, singing, DVD watching, and lots of talking. Thank you to all of our family for coming over and helping us celebrate not only Cory's birthday and fathers day but also Cory's first day home. We really enjoyed it.

So by 9:30pm we had tucked the girls into bed which was very bitter sweet and we took Cory back to the hospital for hopefully only 10 more days.

It was a lot of fun and a lot easier on Cory then he thought it would be....and a lot MORE work for me than we thought it would be but all in all it was good to see what life will be like when Cory finally gets home.

Now, yesterday, Monday the big thing that happened was Cory walked with a WALKER for the first time. I wasn't there but it is such a blessing that he is progressing so fast. We are so grateful for this HUGE MILESTONE. And then again today he was able to walk even farther and it was even easier for him.

thank you all for the prayers. I know that's what has made all of this possible.

PS.

This new song was put on per. request of one of Corys therapists. HA HA good song!!!

Prayers NEEDED!!

So I just wanted to give a quick update. So for the past few days I started noticing that Cory's lower legs have looked swollen and I mentioned it to the Dr. and therapists and I just figured it was from all the intense therapy Cory has been getting. So finally last night they decided to do an ultra sound of his legs and they found 2 blood clots.

The Dr. reviewed the results and wants to hold off on having surgery...please pray that the clots dissolve on their own.

Shout OUT!!!

So this is Cory and Chaney this time...Cory is going to talk and I am going to type.

Hey this is Cory...today was a great day even though I feel completely beat up right now. How do I start...today I slept in till 7:50 am and then much to my surprise they brought in my schedule and they said that my OT started at 8:00am today instead of 9 am so I was still trying to wake up when they came. Let me explain that in the mornings, I don't know why, but my body has been extremely sore and hard to move. It takes me quite awhile to get myself up and moving. I was happy today even though it was early because the reason for the early morning was because I got to shower myself today. I am going to go ahead and start using my therapist names...they have started reading the blog too so hopefully they wont mind. (if they do I am sure they will tell me)

Anyways, I got to have a wonderful shower today with my OT Lindsi and Jenn. Don't worry my wife knows...ha ha tomorrow Chaney is going to come help too. Its crazy after being in the hospital awhile your sense of modesty goes to pot because you really don't have a choice. By the way tomorrow is Lindsi's last day...She has been GREAT and I am really going to miss her a lot. We have had some dang good times.

Now for ST. I want to give a special SHOUT OUT to Vasanti, Jennifer and Jackie. I worked with Jackie today for the first time and she actually had me do the "icing" to myself. It was cool because we actually used "ice" today in addition to the special metal ice stick we usually use...it about froze my face off. After that she wanted to see the blog so today part of our ST therapy was actually reading the blog. She was a little disappointed at the LACK of commenting on the ST so we decided to give this special shout out to ST. I had ST twice this morning so Vasanti read the blog to me wile Jennifer did the icing to me. It was cool because I haven't gotten to read the blog a whole bunch. So thanks Jenn and Vasanti. I wish we would have commented more on ST because I know its so important but then again there are only so many ways you can describe facial icing. (oh and vasanti i am touching my nose right now)

Afterwards while I was waiting for PT my friend Bryant came to visit me. He was able to stay for my 1/2 hr of PT and the 1/2 hr break after so we were able to talk. It worked out great. I just want to say thanks to Bryant and everyone who have come to visit me it has really meant a lot to me and I really appreciate it. It was cool because Bryant got to see me in PT stand with the parallel barres.

After a lunch of baked ziti I went to motor skills class for the second time with Jerry who is a previous stroke victim. I like it because he understands what we are going through. We basically exercise our upper bodies with pvc pipe type weights because regular weights would be too heavy. Jerry sits there and tells stories and motivates us while we do it. I really like that.

Next in PT my therapists Nate did E-Stim on my legs/ankles. It was a little uncomfortable but nothing compared to some of the other pains that I have experienced. It was also cool because the electrical shock gave me sensation in my feet. I say that because I haven't had any sensation in my feet since this has all began that Sunday night. And even though it was a shocking sensation it felt good to feel something in my feet.

My other surprise during PT was my friend Chris walked in with a car magazine and a Chick-fil-A bag. Needless to say I was able to enjoy an awesome Chick-fil-a sandwich and fries while we sat and talked.

Later Chaney came and couldn't resist taking a picture of me and my sandwich.

Well...dinner just got here and Chaney is probably tired of typing so until next time.

Its ME CORY!!!!

Hi guys! Well, I got my trech out last week on Thursday at about 6 o'clock.

This is Chaney now, Cory typed that first line and then he got to tired to finish. It took him a good 5 min. to type that line. But hey I am proud that he did that much. I told him that he is going to have to start blogging his story because it will be good therapy.

Anyways, sorry I haven't blogged for a while, I have been a little selfish and I have been watching the show "So you think you can Dance" during the time that I would usually blog. My friend Ashley who I used to dance with made the top 20 so if you are into that show PLEASE VOTE FOR ASHLEY!!!

So like Cory said he did get his trech out...and let me tell you it was a happy day. Its so weird they do not even stitch it up after they take it out they just let it close on its own. I wasn't there when they took it out but it was pretty gross looking in the pictures seeing a huge black hole in his neck. But at least its out.

The other exciting thing that happened last week is that he is now able to push himself around in his own wheel chair. It scares us a little because of the numbness he still has in his hands but he is just careful not to get his fingers caught in the spokes.

Cory has been continuing to do so good. His strength is coming along remarkably fast. The therapists are all in awe. The Dr. said last Thursday that he thinks Cory will be able to come home in 3 weeks so now that means 2 1/2 from today. And let me tell you what Cory is ready.

In OT Cory learned in a simulation room how to get in and out of the shower on his own. He transfers from his wheel chair along a "slide board" that helps him make a bridge and then he slides across onto a shower chair in the tub. He also did the same technique to learn how to get onto the toilet. Wow it is amazing the things I take for granted. Its hard for Cory to do these things but he is such a trooper and keeps me and the therapists laughing the whole time. Seriously he comes up with some of the wittiest comments and he doesn't stop talking the whole time. I think it must be therapeutic for him haha. At least it keeps things interesting and entertaining for the rest of us.


Today in PT Cory was put in this crazy machine that suspends him in the air while standing and he was able to put weight on his legs and WALK!!!! it was amazing. but SOOOOOO PAINFUL!!!!! Tomorrow Cory is going to be Beat!!! He still has numbness everywhere so that is why it is so hard for him to type and do other fine motor skills but we are happy that his strength is coming back.

After therapy Cory was too tired to push himself around so I was able to take him outside for the FIRST TIME and we walked down the street and around the hospital a few times. It was so amazing for Cory to be able to look at the birds and grass and trees. He was kind of anxious and but excited and then he was sad because he just wants to go home. I am glad that we are getting close to that point because this has really been a loooong and rough hall for ALL OF US!!!

I am so so grateful and proud of Cory and all of the progress he is making. Today we were talking about some of the hard days that we have had from the lip reading (without his lips moving) and me not knowing what he wanted when he was paralyzed, to the long nights with nightmares. Its so hard for us to even remember how bad it was but I really am glad that I have blogged it and have taken pictures to remember all the BAD and GOOD things that have happened.

Cool Things are Happening...

Today was a really good day.

First of all Cory shaved his face all by himself. And he did a dang good job.

Second, in OT he was able to sit himself up on the side of the bed almost all by himself...THAT IS MAJOR!!!!

Then in PT Cory played tennis on the Wi while he was in the standing frame for almost 15 min. He said he did good until he started thinking about it haha. Then he did this machine where he was "bicycle peddling" with his hands for 10 min. straight. Sadly, right after that Cory felt really nauseated and he threw up. It was pretty bad. Luckily right after that he felt instantly better.

Next, Cory had ST and they continued with the icing therapy. We actually saw some really big improvements in his facial muscles. His left side has had a pretty good smile and movement and now his right side is starting to have twitching and some movement.

During lunch is when the most exciting thing happened. Cory was still feeling a little queezy from the above event but, while he was eating the stomach Dr. came in and looked at his g-tube and said "o I can take care of that" so he got a pair of scissors and snipped off part of the tube and then pulled it right out. It was crazy and Cory and I both were freaking out. It didn't even hurt. I got lots of pictures but I think I will wait to post them...they are a little graphic haha. And I also kept the feeding tube to show our familiy....now the last foreign object we need to get out of him is the trech....we are still working on that front.

Cory had a very busy day and he was pretty tired this afternoon but he was able to visit with a few friends today and that really made him happy. He even had the chance to talk to someone who recently has guillain-barre himself. I haven't had a chance to talk to Cory about all the details but it sounded like it really made him feel better to see someone else who had this same disease and make such an awesome recovery.

Still Moving Forward...

So Sat. Cory did get a new smaller trech. Its called a Jackson. Its metal which kind of scared us because metal seems so permanent compared to his plastic one that was originally put in. They say that its smaller so his trech site will close up a little more before we actually take it out all the way.

Sunday Cory was able to get a hair cut from his sister in law and he looks mighty dapper if I do say so myself. Thanks J you are the BEST!!! The girls got to come down on Sunday again. It is so good for Cory to see them.

Today Cory worked very very very hard in therapy. In PT they did a new exercises where they have a large 2' x 3' cylinder that he laied on top of and he had to roll himself backwards onto his knees. He said that it was SOOOOO hard and really painful and tiring.

Then in OT Cory got to do "DOG THERAPY" They bring in a dog and Cory threw toys to it. Then it would do tricks like rolling over and playing dead. He also practiced putting hair clips in the dogs hair. The dog was a Schnoodle and his name is Nietschze sounds like neee chee

Finally in ST he did the ice therapy two times. Also, part of speech therapy is cognitive tests. He does really well on all the tests and most times answers faster than I can. For example they asked him to count backwards from 50 by 3's. He did it really fast. However today he was asked to put a line OVER some words and he wasnt really paying attention and put a line UNDER the words. haha I think he would have done that no matter what condition he was in. Its funny how we all miss little details sometimes.

We just talked to the Dr. and we are still waiting to see when we can get the trech and the the g-tube out for sure. Cory has been having a lot of pain at his g-tube site so hopefully we will be able to get it out sooner than later.

The Girls

So I was able to bring the girls down to see Cory today. He was really happy to see them because I haven't had a chance to bring them to see him for a few weeks.

Cory was so funny he really wanted to have some "AMMO" when I brought Rubi so that she would want to come see him. Cory was fully loaded with Nerds candy and it totally worked. She climbed right up onto his lap and it brought tears to my eyes to see Cory holding his little girls for the first time in a month and a half. I know that he must have been having a lot of pain but he loves them so much he just suffered through it and didn't even care.

I was by myself when I brought them down so I forgot my real camera so the only shots I got were on my phone.

Cory worked very hard today and he was even able to stand in the frame for 10 mins.

Tomorrow they will be switching his trech to a smaller cuff less one and then if he does ok they will take it completely out Monday or Tuesday.

Good Day

I mentioned in some earlier posts that Cory's IV just popped out of his arm during a PT secession. Well ever since then he has had the WORST luck with IVs staying in him, or failing once the nurse finally gets it in. So finally 2 weeks ago at the skilled nursing facility they put a mid line in with the help of a specialists and so when he went to the hospital for his stay and now his rehab center he has refused to let them take it out at either place. At both places they have refused to use the mid line at first because they were not the ones who put it in but both times they have ended up using it because theirs DIDN'T WORK!!! Poor Cory has seriously 25 poke marks where people have tried and failed. With that said after deciding that finally we think he wont need his mid line any longer they took it out last night. Yeah one less foreign object in his body.

Also, the Dr. is hoping to take the trech and the g-tube out probably early next week!!!!!!

Today was a good day in therapies...In OT Cory did more arm exercises to build up is beautiful biceps. He also got some rubber bands to do exercises in bed and his favorite part was he got a huge wad of silly putty to help with his fine motor skills.

In ST Cory got the ice therapy again where they take these freezing cold metal sticks and rub them along different muscles in his face. We are seeing some big improvements in his facial muscles. He has an awesome half smile on his left side and he is now moving his left eye independently and can close it all the way if he really concentrates. His right side is still weak but Cory and I think its funny that when he tells jokes the nurses sometimes don't know if he is serious or kidding because his face just stays the same.

Finally in PT Cory got very worn out. They started him on the double barres and just stood him up for a second. This was very very difficult and the therapists and his "Muscle" (his name is Larry) were standing on either side of him pretty much holding him up because he is still to weak to do it on his own. Since Cory is still pretty unsteady and in so much pain they decided to put him in the standing frame and he was able to stand for about 5 min. before the pain became unbearable. Cory says that as soon as he puts any weight on his legs, feet and hips he feels excruciating pain and like his energy gets immediately ZAPPED out of him.

All in all in was a good day.

And it begins...

Yesterday was spent meeting all of Cory's new therapists. Everyone seems really nice but last night Cory was really anxious for todays new adventure. He did give HIMSELF a sponge bath yesterday its was AWESOME!!!

Today Cory's new schedule began. In order to be accepted to the acute rehab facility he was required to be able to withstand 3 hrs of therapy a day and guess what....

HE DID IT!!!

He is very tired this afternoon now that all of his therapy is done for the day. Just for my documents this is how his day went:

OT 9:30-10:00= He learned how to get dressed. Which included how to pull his shorts up and put on a shirt. He did another sponge bath, brushed his teeth and got into his wheel chair.

PT 10:30= He learned how to roll over on a mat in the gym. This will help him learn how to get out of bed on his own. He also learned how to sit up. His muscles are still way too weak to do any of this on his own but at least his muscles are getting the memory of how to move again.

Speech Therapy 12:00-12:30= Cory ate lunch with the ST and they decided that Cory is ready for SOFT FOODS so I will be going out for Cheese Burgers for dinner. :)

OT 1:00-1:30= They measured his "pinch" strength in his fingers and this "grip" strength in his hands and they discovered that his left had is exactly 1/2 as strong as his right. Also, they had a peg board with 12 pegs and she timed Cory taking the pegs out and putting them back in.

Speech Therapy 12:00-12:30= They did a technique called "icing" and they ice different parts of Corys face and then it stimulates those facial muscles.

PT 3:00-3:30= Cory practiced in his own bed sitting up and more strength training.

All in all it was a very busy day. He is doing really well and feeling very encouraged. They said that they hope he will be out of here in 4 to 6 weeks. O HAPPY DAY!!!

Last side note WE HAVE MOVEMENT IN HIS TOES!!!!! I was so excited to see it. Again it was very slight but by golly it was there.

8th and hopefully final

So since this whole ordeal started we have moved 7 times and hopefully tonight we made our 8th and final move before we go HOME!!!!

This afternoon Cory was accepted by the acute rehab center. So at about 6 pm tonight we went ahead and made the move. We were a little sad though that we didn't get to go back to our skilled nursing facility to say goodbye to all of the amazing people who worked with Cory. However, I have a feeling they haven't seen the last of us. Cory has expressed to me a number of times that he will go back to all of the places that he has been treated and visit not only the wonderful people that helped him get through this but also patients. He really feels the need to GIVE BACK after all is said and done. He has already been sharing some very cleaver plans that he has. I wont share them with you now but I am sure that if you follow the blog long enough you will see them come to pass.

Anyways, the most exciting things that happened today were first....HE HAS MOVEMENT IN IS ANKLES!!!!! Its very micro but if you look close there is no denying that its there. He is also having A LOT of PAIN in his feet which is GREAT!!!! Every time he starts having this really bad nerve pain in parts of his body its soon followed by more movement and then strength.

The next exciting thing that happened was Cory was able to eat his 2nd favorite meal which is from Rosa's Mexican Grill (its a restaurant my parents own). He was able to eat 2 cheese enchiladas with rice and beans...YEAH!!!!! I forgot to get him flan, his favorite dessert, but I guess that will just have to be a treat another day. All in all it was a perfect meal for his diet because it was the perfect soft texture for him to eat. He was such a happy boy that I was able to bring him that meal.

So, I have to apologize to those of you that have wanted to come see him lately. We have just been in limbo for about a week. But now that we are at a more permanent place again I will let you know where he is at. Again just e mail me at corysvisitors@gmail.com and I will let you know where he is. Thank you to everyone that have been able to visit. Right now is when Cory needs as much encouragement as he can get. We are really excited to start his intense rehab tomorrow but I also know that Cory is very very very nervous and needs everyones support now more than ever. So please try to remember him in your prayers as he starts this new endeavor.

5 weeks

It was 5 weeks ago tonight that Corys first symptoms started.

We are still at the hospital. Cory got changed to whats called a mechanical soft food diet yesterday. That just means that instead of all of his food being pureed he just eats really really soft food very slowly and in small bites. We have to sit him up as close to a 90 degree angle as we can so that it is easier for him to use gravity in controlling the food in his mouth. He seems to really enjoy eating it and we are even noticing that with his taste that has come back that he might be more sensitive to taste; just like he is really sensitive to touch. He doesn't want me to put salt on anything and thinks everything is delicious.

Unfortunately every time he eats he gets a headache and doesn't feel very good. So that's why we are still in the hospital. They just want to make sure that he does ok with the food before they send him back to the other facility. He still has his g-tube just in case something goes wrong but so far so good.

He also still has his trech but it is capped full time now day or night. I believe that they are waiting until he can eat "normal" food without aspirating before they take it out.

Cory has been very emotional the last few days. He really gets down on himself because he thinks that he should be doing better. But I want all of you to know that he really is doing well. We just have to help him see and know how good he is doing. So my job lately consists of constant encouragement.

His left calf has been really really sore for a few days and he feels like he probably hurt it some how.

We are still hoping to move to the rehab center this week so lets keep our fingers crossed that we make it there.

Yesterday.

Sorry I didn't post yesterday I have come down with a sinus infection so I have been feeling a little under the weather my self.

Anyways, the CT scan of Cory's chest came back clear. He does have what is called atalectisis which is not that big of a deal it just means that there is some leftover stuff from his pneumonia. Unfortunately we had to stay another night because they wanted to do another CT scan today of his stomach to see if they could pin point the pressure and pain that Cory was experiencing. He just got back from that procedure and we should get the results back shortly.

Yesterday was a pretty relaxed day. Since we got here to the hospital they have been giving Cory a new pain medicine that has been working wonders. He has been really comfortable so that's a plus. Cory feels like his trunk exercises have been helping a lot. He even said that sitting up on the side of the bed in PT yesterday was a lot easier. So over all as far as the GBS is concerned he is making some GREAT progress.

Well the Dr. just came in and said that the stomach CT looks good. So we are thinking that the pressure and pain that Cory was experiencing was from starting on a puree diet, and or his feeling coming back inside his body.

We will probably go back to the skilled nursing facility for the weekend and then on Monday they are wanting to move Cory to the REHAB FACILITY!!!! Yeah we are really excited that we are another step towards our goal of bringing Cory home!!!!

Thank you for your prayers...they are working!!!

Ok so I wasn't going to write about this but Cory thinks I should.

So last night I came to the hospital to drop off some stuff to Cory and while we were talking about the day he told me that earlier they had a fire drill and when that happens all of the patients doors close automatically and it was really scary for him. We even joked that if there was a real fire that there was no way that he would be able to get out of the hospital and he would die.

As I was leaving it was about 10:30pm and I was waiting in the elevator hallway and all of a sudden...yup you guessed it...the fire alarm started going off...and yes the "fire doors" started CLOSING in on me in the elevator hallway....And I was like "o heck no I am not going to be stuck in the elevator hallways by myself" so I make a mad dash for the waiting room before the doors close. Well it didn't do me much good because the waiting room was also all blocked off. So I am standing there trying to look in the window to the nurses station and the nurses are looking back at me like I am some crazy person. Then on the loud speaker they announce that the smoke alarm in the break room on level two is what sounded So I start thinking. "o great some appliance blew up and this a real fire" I started freaking out. And out of no where a construction worker comes into the waiting room and asks me if I know what to do and I say no but do you know where the stairs are and hes like ya follow me.

Let me interject here. First of all we were on the 6th floor. Secondly he was a younger like 25 year old Mexican with a really strong accent and I could barley understand him.

So as we are RUNNING down these flights of stairs a few thoughts are running through my head. First I am saving myself should I be going back to try and save Cory haha and second this probably isn't the safest thing for me to be doing being in a stair well with some strange man. O well I just kept running. So after checking every floor to see if the doors we unlocked yet we finally got down to the lobby and the security guard tells us that it was BURNT POP CORN!!!! OMG I could not even believe this. So I tell the security guard that I was parked at the ER entrance and asked him where to go and he said well its a long walk but go to the right and follow the building around. So George or Jorge who knows which because he was Mexican said that he was parked in the same place and so we started walking. So Gorge was talking my ear off the whole time, he was really nice but I could barley understand him and the words that I did understand was the "F" word every other word haha WOW!!! Finally we hit a dead end. Luckily there was a nurse there that said we were sent the wrong way HAHA. Also she asked if we had been locked out and I said no we were locked in and she said o no if the fire marshall even knew that we broke through "fire door zones" the hospital would get fined a bunch of money...I wanted to say WHATEVER lady I wasn't going to get burned to death because of your FIRE ZONE CRAP hahah.

So George and I turn around and walk all the way back to our cars. Wow it was quite the experience. Then when I got to my car where I had left my phone I called my sister in law who was in the room with Cory and told her what happened and she just started laughing because they were just chillin in the room.

Good times. I hope that story made enough sense and you got a good laugh.

xoxo

I swear....

Well my dad would tell me "Chaney don't swear" but seriously life is weird....

Yesterday there wasn't really too much to report so I took a day off from the blog. The only really significant things that happened was in PT Cory sat on the side of the bed and did some trunk exercises to try and strengthen his "core" muscles. And then the really exciting thing that happened was during speech therapy she decided that he is doing so well that she started him on a puree diet. So he was able to start getting food trays...he has done really well on it too. The food is a little scary looking and he doesn't really touch the mashed up bread haha but really who would.

Then today, again, was a pretty relaxed...until....

I went home for about an hour and Cory's mom called me and said "Somethings wrong with Cory he is having a lot of pain in his stomach and he is having trouble breathing"

So here we go again...I rushed down to the hospital and about 20min later we were on our way back to the hospital.

I am literally sitting here in the ER right now with two nurses pushing IV meds in and the other one is trying to get another IV line into Cory's other arm. They did an x-ray and an ultra sound and a urine analysis because there was blood in his catheter when we got here and everything came back ok. But they are going to do a CT scan in a few min because his lower left lobe in is lung still has a weird spot in it. So I will post tomorrow the results of that.

I must say that I am scared right now. I am sure everything will be fine but the unknown is always terrifying.

Cory is not too excited to be here but he is most disappointed that today was shower day and he missed it. haha.

rough morning...

So the physical therapists called me this morning as I was on my way out the door and asked if I could bring Cory some CLOTHES!!!! because she wanted to take him into the gym. Thus far Cory has been wearing the all too fashionable hospital gowns and I am not gonna lie he really likes it haha.

Anyways, I ran back into our room and grabbed the first shirt, b-ball shorts, sneakers and hat (of course) I could find and raced to the hospital because I was so excited for Cory to get to go to the gym.

The PT had decided to go work with some other patients before I got there so Cory and I had a few min. to talk and he told me about his rough night he had. Yesterday I mentioned that during PT that Cory's IV just popped right out of his arm for no reason...well...it did it again!!! So I guess last night they had to call in a specialists and it took her another 4 tries and Novocaine which didn't even end up helping, before she could place what they call a "mid line" in his arm. Cory said that it hurt really really bad. His poor body has been through so much in such a short period of time. Hopefully after tomorrows x-ray we will be able to see if his lungs have cleared up enough to stop the antibiotics completely and maybe ditch the IV for good. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

So, PT came back in and we got Cory in the crane machine I talked about yesterday and hoisted him into a "Geri" chair and rolled him to the other side of the facility to the gym. We had to wait in the gym for a few minutes for another PT to come help us and in the mean time Cory began slipping out of the chair so we had to keep lifting him back up into it. Then we got him over to the standing machine and the PT asked me if he had any shoes for him and so I had to run back to the room to get his shoes. Next, we tried to put his shoes on but they would not go on and after about 5 min of trying Cory offered up some advice that we should probably take off the HUGE hospital socks with grip on the bottom. DUH!!! we were so dumb and so after we did that the shoes slipped right on. Lastly, it was time to stand Cory up so...before we put Cory in the Geri chair we had a belt placed under his bum so we strapped the belt onto the machine and cranked Cory into a standing position with the belt supporting his butt and his arms were on a large tray type thing. Unfortunately the PT forgot to raise the tray part of the machine up and it was on a setting for someone 5ft tall not 6 ft tall so as he was on the machine we had to try to lift the tray up with him still on it...ugh...it was such a fiasco. Finally, only after about 3 min. of standing Cory was DONE his face got really pale and he started sweating so we had to sit him down quick. So that was it for PT for the day.

Cory was really really emotional after getting back to the room. He is so scared of how hard his recovery is going to be. He really can't see or literally FEEL how well he is doing but he really is making so huge strides. I just have to keep reassuring him of how well he is doing. I know that if Cory could just stay positive he will be a lot better off. When his mind is in the right place he really does make incredible steps forward.

The rest of the day was spent RECOVERING!!! Cory had a few friends come to visit which was really nice for him. His sister spent the afternoon with him and then tonight his Dad had a shift and he brought a little refrigerator that with the help of his sister is now fully stock piled with apple sauce, yogurt, chocolate milk, and pudding.

I am starting to laugh because we have seriously "MOVED IN". Between the huge lazy boy chair and now the stocked fridge Cory's room has become quite the hangout. Cory even mentioned that his nurse (who we love to pieces) yesterday was pulling a 16 hour shift and came in a couple times just to rest in his chair. haha

As most of you know Cory is quite the people person and he has seriously captured the hearts of the people caring for him. He is really making such an impression on the lives of these people. Most days when I go in he will be surrounded by more than one nurse or therapists just enjoying a good conversation about life. It was really hard for us to move to this new facility but we knew it was what we were supposed to do. I am beginning to see why. God works in mysterious ways and he is defiantly using this hard experience for Cory to touch the lives of many people.

Memorial Day

So this morning I woke up to a phone call from the facility where Cory is at and, I seriously get so nervous when they call. However, this morning it was ok. They called to say that today Cory was scheduled to get a SHOWER!!!!

Now, I have to interject a few background facts here. First of all, Cory LOVES showers probably more than anyone reading this blog...seriously...in fact, if you are in our old ward you probably remember when we first moved in we were asked to speak one Sunday and, who knows what the topic given to us to speak on was, but Cory, trying to make a point and use an object lesson, spent 6 of his 15 mins of his talk describing his morning shower in great detail and that talk or rather, that part of the talk, was NOT forgotten by anyone in the congregation that day haha. He has a strange love affair with his showers and most days takes more than one and some days if time allows more than two and when we were sick with the flu as a family before this very ordeal he was...no joke...taking FOUR SHOWERS A DAY... because he said it was the only thing that made him feel good.

Second fact...Cory hasn't had a REAL shower in 3 weeks. They have been giving him bedside sponge baths but come on how many times can you put leave in / no rinse shampoo on a persons head...I really don't think that's very sanitary.

So now that you have the facts let me describe the shower. First of all when they called me this morning they said that I was allowed to bring Cory his own shower supplies if I wished. So you better believe I went to the store on my way this morning and bought EVERY good scrubbing pad, scrubbing gloves, lufa, yummy shampoo, shower gel, anything that I could find that might be beneficial for this event.

Next, Cory and I both when we heard that he was going to get a real shower we were wondering how the heck they were going to pull that off since he is still mostly paralyzed. So this is what they do. They bring in a human sized sling and put it under him and attach it to this crane type machine that has a hydraulic system and pick him up and he looked like a baby in a blanket and the stork was going to drop him off. Then they roll him over and set him down on this bed made of PVC pipe and this weird foam cushion stuff and they un hook him from the crane and roll the shower bed into the shower room. Now the shower room has just been newly remodeled and it was gorgeous. The whole thing floor to ceiling is beautiful tile and they have one huge stall with two shower heads and if he got cold they had heat lamps that we could turn on.

So lets just say the scrubbing began and Cory said it was heavenly to take a REAL shower. (who wouldn't want to just lay in a shower and let someone else do the work...I know that most mornings I would love that haha) so that was Cory's first real shower extravaganza. And let me tell you he felt and looked and most importantly SMELLED like a new man.

As far as the rest of the day went...

Cory sat up in his leather lazy boy that his brother was kind enough to bring down for him. Then during PT on his legs Cory's IV just popped out of his arm for no reason so they had to try to put it back in and it took 4 tries to put back in because his veins are seriously "shot".

Also, after I went home this afternoon, I got several pic. messages from Cory's brother and sister of Cory practicing his writing skills on a white board and it wasn't half bad.

And finally when OT came by, he is the head of the rehab department at the facility, he couldn't believe how well Cory is doing and he said that tomorrow when they have their meeting with the Dr. and Case worker that he is going to push for Cory to be moved to the acute rehab facility sooner than expected.

Wow, what a full and AMAZING day its been. All I can say is THANKS to each and every one of you for yours Prayers and Thoughts. I know that is what is causing all of this good news and speedy recovery. I know we still have a ways to go but I am in awe at all of the good things that have been happening lately.

work

So not too much has happened in the last two days. At this new facility PT and OT take the weekend off so Sat. and Sun. Cory gets "CT" aka Chaney Therapy. And let me tell you what we have made some huge strides haha. I have just been making sure that Cory stays limber in all of his joints and muscles. He says that he is in a lot of pain now. I hope that's a good thing meaning that he is getting feeling back. I don't know for sure though.

Cory has been enjoying being able to swallow. He has now had 3 chocolate shakes thanks to his brother and my dad. And two Bahama Bucks Shaved Ice (strawberry, in case you were wondering). He has been sipping chicken broth too but tonight he got really bad indigestion and threw up in his mouth. He isn't too happy about that. He is still getting the majority of his nutrition through his g-tube but as he starts to eat more with his mouth they will start to turn down the amount of food through his g-tube.

So, earlier this week after the bloody trech episode and the trip to the hospital Cory received his "speaking valve" that plugged his trech hole so that Cory could talk. Even though Cory at that time was taken off the vent he still had oxygen that was giving him quite a bit of air. Also, even though Cory had the speaking valve, which could be taken off and on, he was still breaking through the trech in his neck. Today however Cory received a "trech plug" which now requires NO OXYGEN and Cory is now breathing through his NOSE and MOUTH. When the RT first put on the plug Cory was freaking out a bit because he said "I think I can feel the air passing through my nose hairs" haha that cracked me up. I guess I should probably trim those for him (I have never done that before so we will see how that goes haha)

Speaking of things I have never done before, I have to tell you I have become quite the face shaving pro. Its amazing how much harder it is to shave someones face compared to your own legs. But thanks to Cory's best friend I even got the technique of putting a cold wash rag on after. I never knew that guys faces got hot after a good shave.

Anyways Cory got quite a few visitors today. He has had several extended family members fly in to see him and and even though its been under such horrible circumstances its been very enjoyable to visit all of our family and friends that have come to support Cory. All of the love that has been shown is really whats been getting Cory through this. So, thank you to everyone that has come a supported Cory.

Cory is really getting strength back in his upper body. We are still a L O N G ways away from "normal" but in "CT" we have been working had and it is paying off. I am going to try to talk to the case worker over Cory either tomorrow or Tuesday to get more of a plan to see what the future holds for us so lets keep our fingers crossed that we will be able to move on from this facility into a more intense rehab facility soon. Cory is ready to start working hard....I told him his arms are the same size as mine and so he wants me to bring in a measuring tape so if I remember I will post those results. haha

Are you ready for this....

Well you know how yesterday I said that the speech therapists was going to come back today and see if Cory would be able to pass his swallow test. She came back today and she had vanilla pudding and ice tea for Cory to try and just see if he was starting to get his bulbar function back. We all were very skeptical and really weren't expecting much to happen. In fact Cory told his aunt this morning who came to visit that this disease has been so hard and everything that he had been through has seemed to always be the worst case scenario so, he didn't think this test was going to be an exception and he was prepared not to pass the test today.

Back to the food that was going to be used to pass the test. Well some of you might have noticed that on the sidebar of this very blog we have listed Cory's "FIRST MEAL" and one of the items listed is DIET COKE not iced tea...the ST (speech therapists) was not able to find any diet Coke so Cory, as sick as he is, turned to me and said "didn't I see a soda machine in the court yard" haha I swear Cory has an amazing sense when he wants to. You have to remember he is in a bed and can only see a little part of the outside but you better believe he saw the coke machine.

So out I went to find the DIET COKE!!!! and find it, I DID!!!!

The ST put some blue dye (just for the record she did not skimp on the dye, he still has the blue lips to prove it) into the pudding and off we went. After three big scoops of pudding we called in the RT (respiratory therapists) to suction out his lungs and see if any of dreaded BLUE DYE went into his lungs and guess what...

IT WAS ALL CLEAR!!!!

So now Cory can EAT...YEAH!!!!! O and the best part, he can TASTE and he said it tasted like it was his first time eating food ever....

Cory is sooo excited and grateful for his new ability to swallow again. He has been expressing how appreciative he is of everything. Now he is excited to be ALIVE and wants to experience everything life has to offer.

You can't make this stuff up....

Every time I think the blog might be getting boring Cory sure likes to make the climax of the story get just a little bit sweeter. The last 48 hrs. have not been an exception.

Well besides the fact that Cory and I are soooo excited that Kris Allen won American Idol. whoot whoot We have had a little bit of our own excitement to celebrate.

Yesterday morning when I went to the facility Cory had acutally had a really good night but his trech site every bloody since we arrived on Tuesday has been bleeding pretty bad ever since. Our nurses and respetory therpists really tried hard all day to try to get the blood to clot and stop the bleeding but after 13hrs of trying to stop it we decided to go ahead and take Cory to Mercy Gilbert to have a pulmanary dr. look at it.

So I got to have my first ride in an ambulance and went with Cory to the hospital. We arrived in the ER and the dr. looked at it cleaned it up and decided that it was bleeding inside further than he wanted to mess with so he recomended we go back to Mayo and have the dr. that performed the trech. fix it.

By this point it was about 3 am and I was fading fast because the day was so emotional and long. So my dad who had followed us to the hospital went with Cory to Mayo and I went home.

So my dad said that Cory did pretty well on the ride per a good dose of morphine. At mayo the dr. who performed the trech surgery decided that he needed to cautarize both sides of his thyroid. My dad was lucky enough to be there for the whole thing and he sad "it didnt smell like baccon it was more like burning hair, but it was really cool to watch" haha he is a crack up. Anyways the Dr. also felt like Cory was breathing pretty well on his own so the decided to try taking him off the vent for a while and guess what.......

HE HASNT BEEN BACK ON IT SINCE!!!!!

WE are sooooo excited....so Cory is now back at his rehab facility and when his plug is in his trech he is able to talk up a storm (but it does make him pretty tired).

Wow!!! what crazieness we have been through...I really did think we were going to loose him again last night but GOD in REAL and he DOES ANSWER PRAYERS!!!!

O and I am home for a bit right now but I just found out our facility we are in has been under rentovation so its a little bit in shambles right now but they are moving us into a newly rentovated room right now and he has a GREAT view of the court yard...another tender mercy.

My little brother who is there now just texted and said that he was doing "very impressive" things in PT even being as tired as he is and he is wiped out now but that tomorrow they are going to try and see if he can eat...

SOLID FOOD!!!!

I am not going to lie all of this good news is getting a little overwhelming for me...but I am sooo grateful for everything.