Sunday was not a good day for me. I had blood in my urine the last few mornings. This morning, my supra pubic catheter was clogged so urine was trapped in my bladder and unable to drain into my catheter bag. I went to Spectrum ER and was diagnosed with another urinary tract infection. Fortunately,… Continue reading

I approached Lauren, the assistant supervisor, about accessibility concerns at Maplewood. I cannot leave or enter the building without staff assistance. I’m not able to hit the door open buttons either because of limited arm mobility or location of the buttons. The bathrooms and showers at Maplewood are small with a little storage area. Because… Continue reading

It’s been more than a week and I have managed to stay out of the hospital! I had a pic line in my left arm for two weeks that dispensed a liquid antibiotic to kill off the infection. This was removed last Friday. I’m close to being back at full strength. Being in the hospital… Continue reading

Acceptance that I am a quadriplegic vacillates even to this day, three years post injury. It was extremely difficult the first year. The thought “I don’t want this” still resonates though less frequently. I will never like this. I will forever miss my previous life and abilities (I will delve into this in a later… Continue reading

Sorry for the delay in posts. I had a few medical setbacks. I now have an app on my phone and tablet that should help me blog regularly. My goal is to send out a post at least once a week. Ideally, two times a week. I was thinking one entry could be current update… Continue reading

I’m having surgery on 7/12 to replace the catheter that attaches my intrathecal baclofen pump to my spine. Baclofen is a muscle relaxant medicine used to decrease spasticity related to any spinal cord injury. An intrathecal delivery system, which provides the baclofen right to the target site in the spinal cord, is an effective way… Continue reading

Hello my name is Howard. I suffered a spinal cord injury on October 18, 2018 and I am a quadriplegic. have lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan almost all of my 58 years. I was… or still am a social worker and have practiced continuously for 32 years until the accident. Work was a large part… Continue reading