Peters update Jan 2015

Peter has been a trooper through is brain injury.  One can only imagine how hard it must be to go from a functional person to relying on others to help.   Just when we were making great strides along came a new diagnosis that is heartbreaking. Cancer , even though it is not malignate,  it is still life endangering.  It complicates his already complicated diagnosis.  

We are super luck to have a great family and with out Frank and the kids I am sure to have lost my mind at this point.
For the past years I have treated and felt as if Peter is my child, I have since quit my job to stay home and take care of him,  not an easy decision for being a single parent you must provide for your children in anyway possible.  I have faith and hope that because I am at his side we will survive this struggle too.  
His insurance however is not doing its job,  multiple appts a week, to and from Denver , Casper , and around Cheyenne including therapy sessions makes for a busy life.. Whew who woulda thought it would turn out this way?
Not me for sure ,  I look to God for guidance every day to make sure that I am doing what I should be, it's scary, I don't want to loose anyone else.  With prayers , doctors and family hopefully we can overcome this hurdle to.

I am including a link if you choose to help with medical and transportation cost. http://www.gofundme.com/jb3a0k

Vestibular schwannoma (also known as acoustic neuroma, acoustic neurinoma, or acoustic neurilemoma) is a benign, usually slow-growing tumor that develops from the balance and hearing nerves supplying the inner ear. The tumor comes from an overproduction of Schwann cells--the cells that normally wrap around nerve fibers like onion skin to help support and insulate nerves. As the vestibular schwannoma grows, it presses against the hearing and balance nerves, usually causing unilateral (one-sided) or asymmetric hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ear), and dizziness/loss of balance. As the tumor grows, it can interfere with the face sensation nerve (the trigeminal nerve), causing facial numbness. Vestibular schwannomas can also press on the facial nerve (for the muscles of the face) causing facial weakness or paralysis on the side of the tumor. If the tumor becomes large, it will eventually press against nearby brain structures (such as the brainstem and the cerebellum), becoming life-threatening

Eickbush Family Update 03/10/2014

Hello all from the great state of Wyoming,

    It has been almost a year past since the last update on Peter and our family.  Lots of changes good and bad. Lots of struggles, but in that it has taught us only to be stronger and to go forward.
    Peter is doing really well,  he is back in therapy for PT, OT and a few other things that are private.  Overall he is doing really well.  It is now just Dora, Peter, and I (Joanna) however we are keeping our heads up and making the best of the situation.  Peter has really started to enjoy spending time writing letters and drawing.  His memory is continuing to come back.  However his short term memory we are still working on.  His left side is still weak hence the therapy.
    I coach soccer and basketball and try to involve him as much as it allows.  Again this year we all went to the mountains and went tubing.   I know, I know risky, however the smile on his face was priceless.  The people who worked the lifts were so helpful and I was so grateful they made the day a great success.   He  had a great time and is wanting to go back for more.  Not to sure if we will get back this year but we now know that he is capable of doing it so we will try again.

Dora is doing very well in school and is loving basketball and soccer.  Soccer is about to start up again which she is soooooo looking forward to.  Basketball just got over for the season and it went better then expected.  She seems to be the ever growing child.  These are the days where I miss my mom the most.   We are hoping that with the additional therapy that peter is getting that his left side will continue to improve.  That's the hope at least.  Well that is all for now.  Hoping all are well.

Joanna Eickbush

2/22/2013 Update

   Well, Peter made it home , and it has been quite the eventful week,  We have all got the flu bug and so it has made the transition time quite interesting.  We have started the out patient therapy and it seems to be going well.  It has been nice to have the continued support of the Craig Hospital staff for any question that I have and we now have some other great doctors here in Cheyenne on board that are also helping to follow Peter's care.  For me I had thought things would be easier when we got home but things have been so hectic in getting everything set up and trying to make sure things are safe and getting paperwork done that time for sleep just seems to elude me.
  We have been able to take Peter to Dora's basketball games and he has seemed to enjoy them.  I treated him to a pedicure and he really enjoyed the experience as well.  I have it set up that he gets 3 massage sessions a week as well as chiropractic care and that along with the therapy sessions seems to be making a big difference in how his body is responding to the treatment.  His left side is becoming stronger everyday and for that we are thankful.  
  With just a month until the big moving day, I am trying to make sure we have all he logistic's worked out so there is min. stress on Peter and that things will go smooth. We hopefully will have enough people to help that one day and we will be moved and I can at least get all of his room done and organized so that it is familiar.  We will just be moving to the east side of Cheyenne so it won't be such a hard move and it will be better all around once we get a house that is more user friendly for Peter. 
  Everyone is more then welcome to come by and see Peter and he would welcome visitors.  Our current house is easy to find and if you need directions just call or our address is 621 Vista Ln in Cheyenne.

We have set up a " For the Benefit Account for Peter Eickbush" at Oregon Trail Bank at any of the branches in Guernsey, Chugwater, and Cheyenne, so those that wish to can contribute. If you would like to have the account information so you can just transfer please contact Naomi Loomis or Joanna Lulf and we can get that information for you

Peter Update 02/03/2013

Update from Craig hospital 02/03/2013:

It has once again been longer then it should have for an update on Peter.  Time seems to get away from me as the days run together as well as the weeks.  He is doing really, really well down here and is improving daily. 

We will be returning to Cheyenne on the 14th of Feb, to Home.  Yay I can't wait to finally have him home.  It has been a long haul since the 16th of November. yet it seems like just yesterday since I got the phone call and I couldn't believe that something was wrong. 

We had a conference with all the doctors and therapists on the 31st and it went well, they all seem to think that Peter, with time and more out patient rehab will make an almost if not full recovery to the point of what he was prior to the accident.  however with ever TBI, there will always be residual issue to deal with like frustration, memory function, anger, etc.  all things that we can deal with we just have to learn the right tools and that is what they are teaching me now.  It is so nice to be somewhere that knows and only deals with brain injuries as it gives us such a better picture of what is to come. 

Peter has become a social butterfly here something that I hope I can help him continue once we get home.  He was the "bat chi" ball champion today and has really enjoyed playing ping pong, the WII, and blow darts,  so far no one has been able to beat him at blow darts.  These are all part of his therapy sessions as they try to make it fun so he doesn't realize he is using that left arm and leg so as not to get him so agitated and it works. 

He was able to attend a wonderful gate clinic which enabled them to see that for now he needs a special brace for his left leg in order to stabilize his walking abilities.  His walking is doing really well, and he can really cruise in the wheelchair now which is his main mode of transportation.

We have had the honor of meeting people from all over the country from all different types of accidents,  but one thing remains in common with all of us, we all pray, we all have hope for a better tomorrow, we all are here for our loved ones, we all have those at home we have left behind to care those who are here,  even though I miss my daughter and family at home it helps knowing that I am not suppose to feel sorry for myself because 1.) I am not the one who has to endure hours of therapy every day and 2.) I do have a 2nd family in those who are also here supporting there loved ones. 
We will be doing our out patient rehab in Fort Collins 3-4 days a week and hope to get him in some type of pool therapy as well in Cheyenne.  It will take up to a year of this in order to complete the process but it will be well worth all the travel and time that it takes to get him back up to speed.

It is great to see Peters new " outlook" you could say as it is a change from what we are all used to. He used to have flat expressions and now he is a real jokster and he has a great smile and laughter, along with letting us know now when he is in pain or not in pain.  These are all changes for the best since his accident. 

Well that is all for now.  :)
Joanna

We have set up a " For the Benefit Account for Peter Eickbush" at Oregon Trail Bank at any of the branches in Guernsey, Chugwater, and Cheyenne, so those that wish to can contribute. If you would like to have the account information so you can just transfer please contact Naomi Loomis or Joanna Lulf and we can get that information for you.

OK so the address for the Postal Service is 3425 S. Clarkson St. Engle wood, CO 80113 Attn: Peter Eickbush Room 212 C/O Guest Services
Fed Ex and UPS: 3427 S. Emerson Street EngleWood, CO 80113 Attention: Peter Eickbush Apt: 201

Craig Hospital Update 1/25/2013

Here we are 10 days into a great rehab stay at Craig Hospital and things are going great.
After several rounds of testing they had found that pester still had some bleeding on his brain, so we are watching it closely to make sure that it doesn't grow and are doing some Genetic testing to see if there are disorders that we need to be aware of.
On the bright side Peter is adjusting well, as seems to be enjoying his time here,  his days are filled with classes that help him to recover his memory and to help his brain build new pathways to what is stored inside.  There are lots of activities that we have been able to get him involved in like tie dying, cookie making, he was able to play the WII Bowling game with his left hand all while standing.  It is so exciting to see his progress.  Craig's moto is to push but not to push to hard that they regress so even though to me it seems they are not pushing very hard but they are the experts at Brian injuries and I have to learn at times to take a step back.
This weekend he was able to go on what that call an outing to the museum in Denver with some of the other patients, of which he seems to be growing friends with a few, he has picked up the game of trash, which is a card game that I don't know.   He has taken a fishing class and gardening class, all these things help his thinking skills.
We have a family conference this coming week that will tell us what they expect Peters outcome, stay, ect., to be so we are looking forward to seeing what they all have to say.  It has been a great experience seeing that it is not only just us that has hard times and I have learned so much from everyone and all the other families at Craig.

Well that is all for now and Peters says HI to everyone.

We have set up a benefit account at the Oregon Trail Banks in Cheyenne, Chugwater, and Guernsey to help with expenses related to Peters stay in Denver.


Thanks for the continued prayers and more news to come soon
Joanna

Craig Hospital Update 01/20/2013

    Well I know it has been awhile since I have posted an update, but it has been quite a whirlwind of a Trip once we got down here to Craig.  We arrived safe and sound on Wednesday the 16th of January 2013.  It was sad to leave the comfort of the ARU unit in Cheyenne, but exciting know that we were going to a great facility that deals only with brain injuries.  I was extremely worried since I was the only one in the car driving Peter to Denver that we may have issues, but prior to the trip I explained what I expected out of him, i.e. , good behavior, if you need something ask, please don't grab for the door, and then I asked if he would like to watch a DVD, and was so excited that I had an old western and he said " Yes" With enthusiasm, I put it in and put his headphones on and away we went.  It was just about noon when we were just a few blocks away and i realized that he would have already missed lunch and I saw a McDonald's, I turned to him and as him if he would like to have a Double Quarter Pounder and some Fries with a Shake and he was all SMILES, I took that as a yes and pulled right in.  I waited there for him to finish before, making the short trip down the street to the hospital.
As I pulled into the bay to unload him I asked that he sit there while I find someone to help me get him checked into his new room and he did so without question.  Autumn was the nice lady that helped get a chair and told me where I need to park and that she would take him up tot the 2nd floor and he would be in room 212 where I should meet her and him as they were all expecting him and they would all get started right away.  Hmmm I said to  myself what does that mean.

    Well I soon found out that here they waste no time.   They get right down to it.  OT, PT, Physc, Speech, Rec Therapy, CNA's where all ready to get to know Peters story and take notes so that they know the best way to start and end. He was soon fitted to the bed, (they added padding as Peter said it wasn't very soft),  he was fitted to a wheelchair, (although it maybe only temporary it helps him to be more mobile on his own and to use his left leg more by pulling himself around more and that helps with his independence allot more as well),  He as adapted very well to this change better than I, his doctors, and anyone could have hoped he would have. 

    He was soon wheeled off for another round of precautionary test, CT, MRI, Ultrasounds, X-rays, Pictures, etc, they error completely on the side of caution.  I even had to take training and test to be able to help him with transfers and to be able to take him, without a CNA or a tech, outside, to the rec center, to his meals, so I was able to do the training in the 1st two days that I have been here and amazingly I passed and have been approved to have the on campus pass,  I must do more testing in order to have the off campus pass, I will continue this, this week so that it will only improve my knowledge for when he comes home. 

    Dad, Mike and Dora were able to come down on Friday night which was very nice to have the company as Peter does ask what dad and Mike are doing on a daily basis,(sometimes I feel like chopped liver lol), it was very nice that they had that time together and Mike, Dora and I were able to spend some family time together as well, we haven't had much of that lately and I am sure Dora feels the effects of that too. 

      We were able to make it to the Stock show for the Wild West Show which she was overjoyed to Video the whole thing to show to Peter, bless her heart she thinks to much of him and she misses having him at home, she ask all the time when he is coming home and I wish that I had a concrete answer because that would mean I would know when I am going to be home as well. We were also able to make it to the late Rodeo of which we sat in front row by the roping chutes which of course she loved because she was on camera the entire time the ropers, steer wrestlers, or anything else was going on at that end of the arena.

  Today was a rough day for me saying goodbye to Mike, Dora and Dad knowing that once again I would be here by myself as I miss my family, but I know that Peter really needs me here and that Sharleen and Mike have it under control and I need to learn to let someone else take on that burden as much as I will let them.  I have been attending all of the OT, PT, Rec. Therapy, Speech Therapy, Physc. Therapy, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and it makes for a very long day just for me, Peter seems to be handling it very well,  Today he even went to the recreation room and WATCHED FOOTBALL with HIS GUYS,  it is great that he is getting to know those on the floor with him, it really makes me smile as he starts to socialize a little bit more, he does get tired and has been getting in rest in between which is good the team says, and they a right on top on anything that we have concerns about, wither it be, hearing, eyes, weight, walking, etc. and they have a wonderful open door policy.  All the doctors, nurses, cna's, techs are all great and Nice to work with and are so willing to help us all learn which is what I and our whole family need at this point because this is such a different injury then what he had before that after rehab we will still be dealing with issues at home and having tools in our so called toolbox to take home with us will be worth so much.
    I am hoping to be able to pick up Dad and Dora again next Friday in Cheyenne after her basketball game and bring them back to Denver to spend the weekend with Peter as the have a outing to the Museum of Nature History which I am hopeful all will enjoy :) and it really gives dad and Peter that one on one time that Peter is desperately craving at this point from dad.
  
      Peter has a full week already planned out for him which includes recreation time, speech, OT, PT, Physc, rest time, I am fully involved in all of the therapy session as that is what the doctors and staff have asked and I am willing to do as much or ask little as they want just as long as it is a help in getting Peter home sooner and in the best shape that he can be in. They have even been able to upgrade him from having someone in the room with him all the time since he has learned to push the nurse button and talk to them and let them know what he needs to just having them watch him on the camera from a nurses station just a few doors down which is a big big big improvement.

     Right now the visiting hours are fairly limited and are from 5pm to 730pm and I would ask that you call me at 307-631-6797 ahead of time just in case we have some rec activities planned so that we can be in the room and can expect you.

     A big thank you goes out to the ARU unit in Cheyenne as they did a fabulous job in getting Peter to this point because without that team of doctors, nurses, CNA's, techs Peter would not have been able to make it to Craig hospital and get this level of care so for that I will forever be grateful and once we get back to Cheyenne you can be you will be one of our first stops to show you how much he has improved.

     I am staying on campus here at Craig full time for the time being the apartment phone number is 303-789-8477 or my personal cell phone for which I carry all the time is 307-631-6797

We have set up a " For the Benefit Account for Peter Eickbush" at Oregon Trail Bank at any of the branches in Guernsey, Chugwater, and Cheyenne, so those that wish to can contribute. If you would like to have the account information so you can just transfer please contact Naomi Loomis or Joanna Lulf and we can get that informaton for you.

    OK so the address for the Postal Service is  3425 S. Clarkson St. Engle wood, CO 80113 Attn: Peter Eickbush Room 212 C/O Guest Servies
    Fed Ex and UPS: 3427 S. Emerson Street Engle Wood, CO 80113 Attention: Peter Eickbush Apt: 201