Chapter 17 – I thought the hard times were over
I am going to speed things up here a bit, cause it all was a blur to me.
After the Christmas of 96, things got into a routine. Around February of 97 my physical therapy ran out and my therapists no longer came around. It was really a waste of their time, I could run through my exercises with ease. My arms were getting very strong. It was hilarious cause in high school, I had been a runner, and not very big up top; now my muscles in my legs had shrank a bit, not completely cause I did get on the exercise bike that moved them, but now my arms and trunk area were built.
We got the large settlement from the insurance companies, which pretty much set us securely in regards to my medical bills. I was on total disability, as my doctors agreed that I would not be able to work a normal job due to my injuries. I started taking college courses in graphic design and IT, which was going well. With me not needing to juggle school and a job, I was able to devote time to my school work.
Mom, grandma and Aunt Sharon were working making cloth diapers, big baby clothes, or adaptive clothing as they like to call it. It was onsies, sleepers, overalls with snaps in the crotch and such.
Dad got into woodworking, and had begun to build large baby furniture. He was building highchairs, wood cribs, changing tables and whatnot; in addition to normal furniture.
They started a company called Forever a Toddler, which I created the website for, as the orders started pouring in.
Myself, I got into freelance graphic design, and game beta testing. I re-learned how to drive. Which is different when you cannot hit the gas or brake with your feet. Dad says I got a lead hand (instead of a lead foot). LOL, one time I got pulled over and the cop asked me to step out of the vehicle. “it’s going to take a few minutes, I got to transfer out of the seat into my chair” Yeah that shut him up. I mean I was seen driving away from a bar at 2AM. I picked up some friends so they would not have to drive. I cannot drink at all due to my medications.
We bought a little Honda for mom, and I took the lift van as my ride.
I saw my share of hospitals in 97. In July, I got a bug bite on the back of my leg and I could not see it, and it was not noticed for a few days, cause when my pants were pulled down for diaper changes it was covered. By the time it was noticed, I was going into shock and spiking a fever of 104. The body does drastic things when it needs to communicate pain and you are not listening. Yeah it was a little embarrassing. I was at a client’s working showing artwork I had did for them, and I broke out in a sweat (no biggie, I was speaking in front of people), but the seizure that came with the fever sent me flailing around, fell out of my chair, put a knot on my head. Got taken to the ER, even though I just wanted to go home. They started to cut my pants and I screamed NO!!!! pull the inseams.
“what sir” the nurse said
“pull on the inseams, they come apart” I said
“sir we need to get these pants off you, now. We don’t have time to roll you over and get them off without cutting them.” I sat halfway up and yanked on the inseam and the snaps popped open
“there see, they come all open” I said as I collapsed back down on the gurney, mumbling “cut a $100 pair of pants off me, forget it”
Mom had arrived during that all, and was scared, cause she had never seen me like this before. She was also trying not to laugh at me complaining about my favorite pants about to get cut off.
I don’t remember much after that, they got me moved to a regular room and were cooling me down and pumping me up on drugs. So there I lay in nothing but a soaked diaper ontop of ice packs to get the fever down; and in walks a former cheerleader from my high school days “hello Jay, heard you gave us a little scare” It was Jackie Smith the former head cheerleader, she was a year older than I, but we knew each other from high school
“huh, yeah” I said awakening from my day dream and realizing that I was laying in the bed in a soaked diaper. I tried to sit up to grab some covers but there were none. She saw the diaper and could tell I was embarrassed.
“Nothing to be embarrassed about, you need to wear them. But it looks like the previous shift could have at least changed you and covered you up before they left. I am your Nursing assistant for the night, just stopping in to get your vitals, and in your case, change you into something dry.”
She went about her work getting my temp and blood pressure and pulse in both arms and legs (which the doctor insists on when you have paralysis – to make sure you have circulation). Then she turned towards the shelf on the end of the room and grabbed a diaper, wipes, powder and gloves. “ok, lets get you changed”
I looked at the diaper she had in her hand, blushed a little bit at what was about to happen, and informed her “umm Jackie, what you are about to put on me is garbage, it won’t hold worth a darn. Can you please get in my bag and get one from there, I would feel better with one of them” I said pointing to the backpack on my wheelchair, which my parents must have brought to me”
She opened the bag and got out one of my diapers and marveled at how thick they were. “now if we had these, I would not be changing people so often”
She got me changed in no time and since my fever had gone down, removed the ice packs from under me. “can I get some Pajama bottoms and maybe something to wear on top, I don’t really like laying around in just a diaper” She soon came back with PJ bottoms that looked like they came off the children’s ward.
“these should fit you, you always were on the small size”
“yeah that’s me. Though I must admit it probably makes it easier for people to care for me.” We talked for a bit, she was always dating the jocks, when she went off to college for nursing she lost her boyfriend cause he was now a big jock on campus and wanted nothing to do with her. “Well if you ever want to go out sometime to a movie or dinner, just call me up, here’s my number” I said. I cannot believe I just tried to pickup the person who just changed my wet and messy diaper. I have gotten brave in the last year.
“I would love to, I always thought you were nice in high school, just a little geeky, but since college, geeky is neat to me. I got to get to my other patients, if you need anything hit the buzzer” She said as my parents walked in
“Son you gave us a scare there. Seems that you got a nasty infection from a bug bite, got into your blood and all. We are going to have to be more careful about checking your legs and such” dad said
“The client liked your work, and wants you to do more when you get better, which the doctor said should be in a few days.” Mom said
“ugh, I don’t want to be here now, let alone a few days from now” I whined
“oh quit it, you will survive, I got your laptop and a phone cord, and brought your discman and some CD’s also” Mom said, what a savior she was.
I ended up back in the hospital the middle of August, with a bad case of dehydration, I was trying to limit fluids so I did not have to change as much. Bad Idea – another 2 days in the hospital.
I was seeing Jackie on a semi-regular basis, and it was getting more regular too. Though she had changed me in the hospital and helped me one time in the van, she had not seen my bedroom. One evening we had went out of town and I was really tired, so she drove home. Normally I would drop her off at her house or she would meet me at mine and we would leave without going in the house too much. Tonight was different.
When we got home, mom was still up, so she met Jackie outside getting me out of the van “he is sleeping like a rock, I think I wore him completely out. We went shopping at that new mall at polaris and then ate at Red Lobster. He was dozing off during the end of dinner, so I said I would drive and about 10 minutes after we left I heard him recline back”
“Thank you for taking care of him, let’s get him in the house, have you seen his room” mom asked. Now if I had been awake I would have stopped that, but I was not and I couldn’t.
“no, he always tries to meet me in the driveway, why is there something he is hiding?”
“well with you two being steady, I think you should know…..” mom trailed off as she was lowering the lift “isn’t this remote control for his chair awesome, I can just drive him anywhere” as she drove my chair up the ramp into the house and down the dim hallway. “I am not sure when or if he was ever going to tell you about this side of his life, but it has helped him cope with his new challenges that he has faced.” Mom said as she opened the door and turned on the dimmed lights.
“Oh My!” Jackie smiled a bit at the babyish attire of my room, but was not disgusted about it “well if he is happy, who are we to judge, in fact in my medical books for psych class it says that sometimes patients will tend to regress or change their ways after a trauma like he was in”
That night mom and Jackie diapered me, and put me in a onsie and into my crib. I vaguely remember Jackie putting my CPAP mask on and kissing my forhead “night night little one” and then she snuggled my pooh bear next to me and turned out the light.
After that night, I gained a steady girlfriend and a new caregiver. We spent almost every day off together. This kinda bummed out Jake, cause he was used to hanging around me a lot. Jackie kinda took the lead, and invited Jake every now and then. She said he was like a little brother.