December 11, 2015

This has been a busy week with continued preparations for Christmas, and some shopping that got accomplished. We also had a dental visit (both Linda and I - I need to go back one more time this year) that we both needed - the good thing here is that with me working again, we have insurance. The cool thing, though, is that Dr. Salgado and his wife Stephanie said that they would help with our dental needs even if we didn't have insurance, and they have in the past. I'm happy that we can pay them for the work, as it is their livelihood.

On Tuesday this week we had an important conference call, with the VA, with regard to a planned trip out to Colorado, for Jason and I. We will be going out there to get some help with a special seating solution that should help him ride in his chair more comfortably. This is not in conjunction with the work that is going on at Cal Poly, and it looks like Cal Poly is making some progress with their efforts as well. We will be visiting a company called Ride Designs, and this is all being done through the VA, and their Physical Therapy efforts. We will be in Colorado for a eight days, which is one day longer than I first thought was going to happen. They are flying us out in an air ambulance, and returning the same way.

On Wednesday Jason had PT, Wound Care and a truck that decided to stop functioning - well, the lift system stopped working properly. The medical visits were good and uneventful (the way we like them), and the drive home was without incident. The problem showed up after he pulled into the garage and attempted to get out of the truck. The lift system just didn't want to operate the way it is designed to operate. Unfortunately I was not at home, as I had taken the car to the service garage to get an oil change and basic service. When Jason and Linda left for Balboa I was working and they didn't return until several hours later, and I was off work by then. Our car needed service and I was home alone, so I thought it was a good time to take care of it. Fortunately Rondra (Jason's health aid, and yes, that's how you spell her name) is big and strong enough that she could help, and she needed to lift him (Jason weighs roughly 175 pounds) out of his power chair which was about 3 feet off the ground while Linda secured the manual wheel chair and they safely transferred him. We were grateful that he wasn't alone. Funny thing is, though, I got home a short while later and I was able to get the lift system to work and got his chair out.

Jason called the Ability Center and they sent out a tech. He checked out the system and said there were some serious issues with it and Jason should not use the truck again until it is repaired. For the time being, I am his driver again, and Linda has said she is going to learn how to operate the van. It really shouldn't be too difficult for her, as it is actually smaller than the van we had prior to her coming down from Livermore. The hands-operations is the part that she will need to learn, and just get used to it being there.

To end the day, Wednesday, we (Linda and I) went to a special Toys For Tots dinner, as guests of the Blue Star Mothers while Rondra stayed with Jason. It was a very nice event and we were able to connect up with a couple of people we hadn't seen in a little while, and then I also connected with the XO of the Wounded Warrior Battalion West, Lt. Col. Mark Campaigne. The meeting has proved valuable already and we are making our house available to Marines who are going to be there, who have no where to go for Christmas. As it turned out, Jason and I had to go to Camp Pendleton today, and we ended up over at the Wounded Warrior Battalion, and stopped in and saw Mark. We got a full tour of the facilities and just maybe, Jason is going to take advantage of some of the things they have to offer, as well as make some time to help with keeping the other injured Marines up and positive. Jason is very good at bringing a positive attitude to any situation, and everybody involved with the tour today was very impressed with Jason and his attitude.

Thursday was much more laid back and though there were a few things that we needed to get done, like Christmas shopping and general cleaning of the house. We decided to just take the time and stay up a little later than normal and watched Unbroken again. The story about Louis Zamborini, and how he survived a plane crash and being a prisoner of War during WWII.  It was a good movie the first time we saw it at the theater and we still enjoyed it. It really isn't your typical Christmas movie, but we like it.

Today was another exciting day. I was up at 06:20 this morning, and was late for work. I typically can be on line and working by 06:00, but because we were up late last night with Louis, I was slow to get moving this morning. As it turned out I really didn't stop until after noon (actually 12:33) when I had to take Jason to Camp Pendleton Hospital. He was dealing with another catheter issue and this time it looks like they figured out what was causing the problem. For whatever reason, Jason is developing stones in his bladder, and they block the flow. Now we have to figure out why he is now creating stones. He will be going in to the Urology doctors to see what they can determine. We ended up being there for more than a couple of hours, mostly because of our "short" visit with the Wounded Warrior Battalion, mentioned above. We had to drive home in commute traffic, and I really don't like driving in traffic... even more than when we lived up in Livermore.

I know this is a long post, and I could have made shorter ones during the week, but what the heck. It is all here now and everyone is just about caught up. The only thing left is that Jason's wounds are doing better, and continuing to heal. Thank you, for all your continued support and prayers. Take care and stay positive.