Happy to be in Thailand

It seems as if the forces of nature are somehow trying to prevent me from completing a post, I've been trying to post an update since the day after arrival. The first obstacle to overcome was the power difference between Thailand and US. Then I spent 2 hours 2 days ago writing a post, I saved it to come back to proof read before publishing, when I came back, it was gone. I spent a lot of time yesterday trying to recover the lost data to no avail so started writing a new post. I had to take a break to take Jerry to therapy so I carefully saved it, I came back to find it was gone again, really???? What the monkey??? So here I am again, let's hope third times a charm....this time I am writing in word and will paste and publish at the same time.

The electrical differences proved to be more of a challenge than I anticipated. Thailand electric receptacles are 220 volts as opposed to the US's 110 volts, which requires a converter to avoid damaging equipment. The hospital here does not generally provide a converter however they did have one left from a previous patient they let me barrow. The converter only has one plug so Jerry and I had to keep switching back and forth to power our laptops. The converter kept overheating so I went on a mission to find another. I walked a few blocks to the mall, got lost a few times but finally managed to buy another converter and make my way back to the hospital, only to find the new converter also over heats. After much research I figured out that the laptop drew too much amperage for the small converter however the power supply for the laptop is capable of handling 110 to 240 volts. So after all that hassle  it turns out we can plug our computers directly into the wall....whew obstacle overcome. 

The journey to Thailand was quiet the adventure, we arrived at SFO 3 hours early fully expecting that it would take at least an hour to an hour and a half to get through security. Upon arrival I had assistance curbside to transport all the luggage to baggage check. I had made arrangements with the airline a week prior to departure to have an assistant at every airport to help with whatever I needed from transporting bags, to transferring Jerry onto plane, to disassembling the wheelchair and getting stowed to cargo. SFO fell short and was a bit of a disappointment in the assistance program. They will assist if you rely on them for a wheelchair, if you have your own wheelchair they will not assist you to the gate, go figure. It was a small challenge for me to drive Jerry's wheelchair and manage 3 carry-on's but I managed to still get to the gate an hour early. Getting through security went very smooth, the process was much easier than the last time we flew. Once we got to the gate I had plenty of help to load Jerry onto the plane, disassemble and bag the wheelchair parts.

Jerry was so excited with his seat, first class far surpassed my expectations. Jerry was able to stretch out completely and recline, it was almost as comfortable for him as being at home. I had plenty of space to get in the seat with Jerry periodically to stretch and manipulate his legs. Jerry was like a kid in a candy store having his own TV with hundreds of movies to choose from including new releases. He watched 4 movies and pretty much stayed awake most of the time. 

 Jerry's very own command center

The food on the plane was absolutely fabulous, there was a constant flow of food, snacks and beverages. I think we both may have gained 10 lbs on the flight, lol.....it was to good to resist, I felt as if I were about to bust at the seams at any moment pretty much the entire flight....just because you can doesn't mean you should, lol. Here's just a sampling of the delicious food served in first class....

 h'orderves...sushi

 delicious salad with fresh mozzarella and greek olives

 filet mignon, potatoes, asparagus

 gourmet cheese, grapes, wine and ice cream with caramel sauce

 cheese omelet with ham and saucage

 curried chicken and rice

The transition in Tokyo was so smooth and easy, the staff in Japan were so AMAZING! I had about 8 people helping me with bags, transferring Jerry, getting the wheelchair from cargo, I had 2 people to escort us to the VIP lounge which by the way is pretty cool, free buffet and bar, we were too full to partake, but cool none the less. Two people came to the VIP lounge to escort and help us at the gate, it was so great and stress free, SFO needs to take lessons. We touched down in Thailand about 11pm on July 1st, I felt such a sense of relief, all our efforts paid off, we were finally here. I was so grateful that everything had gone so smoothly. As we prepared to transfer Jerry off the plane the wheelchair was being retrieved from cargo. We were informed the chair was ready we could bring Jerry out, I transferred Jerry into the isle wheelchair and it took 3 of us to roll him off the plane. You have no idea the shock and disbelief I felt when I saw this...

The airline had destroyed Jerry's $35,000 wheelchair, how did this happen? ...how was this even possible? I stood there for what seemed like forever, my mouth open, my hands on my head, I couldn't speak, I just stared at it. There were about 15 cleaning crew waiting for us to get out of the way so they could board and clean the plane, there were about 6 people who brought the chair up from cargo, there were about 10 airline attendants waiting to get off the plane and a supervisor that had been sent to assist me. Everybody was silent, looking at the chair and then looking at me, so many thoughts running through my head in a split second but it felt like slow motion. The feeling of fear was overwhelming wondering how I will manage without a wheelchair. I began to shake as tears welled up and then I lost control and unleashed a fury that I'm not proud of, I'm sure to all the non English speaking staff I looked like a raving lunatic. Nobody offered an explanation, an alternative, a game plan, nothing ...everybody just sat silent and absorbed the tongue lashing. It took a minute for me to come to my senses, calm down and formulate a game plan. I requested an airport wheelchair to transfer Jerry into, I had someone go to baggage claim and get my bags, I sent someone out to look for the hospital van to explain to them what had happened. I requested maintenance to bring tools to try to fix the chair. The wheelchair that Jerry was forced to sit in was not designed for a quadriplegic, no tilt or recline, no head rest, no straps to even hold him up or prevent him from falling out of the chair, he was too tall so his legs would not stay on the foot rests, it was a mess. After 30 minutes of trying to fix Jerry's chair I realized we just need to get Jerry out of the crappy chair he was in, he cannot hold his head up so we had to hold his head for him. It was beginning to cause him a lot of pain so I knew it was time to go, forget the repairs to his chair, just get him to the hospital and worry about the chair later, I had an entourage of people assist me to the van. By the time we reached the hospital and got settled into bed it was 2 am, not sleeping much on the plane we both were exhausted and ready to sleep. We got about 5 hours sleep then it was time to start the day, breakfast then blood work and an assessment by the doctor. Next was an assessment for occupational therapy then lunch, after lunch was a physical therapy assessment. By 3 pm we were done for the day. The hospital maintenance man brought tools and supplies to our room and helped to get Jerry's wheelchair fixed, praise God his wheelchair is now back in operation. 

I needed to go to the mall to get some food supplies for our room so I arranged for the hospital van to take us. The mall is walking distance however the walk is not wheelchair accessible the sidewalks are very bad if any at all  so unfortunately we will not be able to walk the neighborhood to explore. We were given 2 hours to get our shopping done before the van returned to pick us up. We unloaded went through several obstacles just to get into the mall, it sure makes you appreciate the ADA compliancy of the US. Once in the mall Jerry's chair malfunctioned resulting in the joy stick operations program being completely erased, I don't know if this was a result of the trauma the chair experienced at the airport or what, I just knew that now the chair was non-operational and yet again I was faced with a situation. Thank God I thought to bring the programmer to Thailand however it was not going to do me any good at the moment it was back at the hospital. I'm thankful to be blessed with the gift of problem solving, it comes in handy, lol. The only alternative was to push the chair manually which is doable but with Jerry in it, it does weigh almost 550 lbs. I managed but boy was I tired after pushing that chair around for 2 hours. Jerry was not happy with all the obstacles we faced and vowed he will not leave the hospital again, we need to work on his patience and tolerance. The hope that we will be able to do some site-seeing on Sundays is slowly diminishing. The hospital customer coordinator said the train is not accessible in this area because you have to climb several flights of stairs to get to it and there are no elevators. There are no taxi or handicap accessible vehicles to transport Jerry, only the hospital van which is likely not an option, I put in a request we will see what happens. I'm a little sad to think our first time overseas and  we are confined to the hospital. :(

I forgot to mention our room is awesome... big bedroom with two queen beds, nice bathroom with roll-in shower, a living room/ kitchenette. 

Wednesday was Jerry's first day with a full schedule starting with breakfast at 8am. The therapies all last an hour each with the first therapy OT starting at 9, then acupuncture at 10, break for lunch and hyperbaric chamber at 1 ending with PT (physical therapy) at 2:30. The hyperbaric chamber is a new therapy that was just added to the hospital. Jerry was the first patient to use it, so it was a very big deal for everyone here, it was so cute, all the staff were taking pictures and so happy, everybody was getting in the pictures and there was at least 10 camera's, every picture had to be snapped with every camera, lol. I need to do a little research and learn a little more about the benefits of the hyperbaric chamber, I'll let you know when I've learned a little more about it. 

Jerry received his first injection of stem cells at 7 pm Wednesday evening, which were administered by IV. The most common adverse reactions are head ache and fever and luckily Jerry didn't experience either. We waited so long and worked so hard for this moment, I hope and pray it will improve the quality of Jerry's life.

Friday Jerry had aquatic therapy at 9 am, it was nice for him to get in the pool. I need to find out a little more about the pool I think the water is specially treated with minerals or something, the nurse was trying to explain but it was very difficult to understand. Jerry had hyperbaric treatment at 1, PT at 2:00 and acupuncture at 3. Jerry is done for the day and resting in bed, he's pretty exhausted. So far Jerry is very excited about all the treatment he's getting and his hopes and spirits are high. 

All for now

Katie