Thoroughly Thankful Thursday

 Thankful for eleven years of compassionate, accountable, accommodating care from Jones Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation Services Staff while they did damage control for an unprecedented medical injury that they did not cause. There is no cure. There is only adaptability and accommodation. The arts empower us to do that.

Art| Still Standing Shadow Box Installation - 2009, paper sculpture & photos from Genesee Valley Greenway State Park trail in Belfast, NY. Taking photos to document my progress, I walked this section of the Greenway for physical rehabilitation and mental wellness. It is such a blessing to reside so close to nature. These shadow boxes were a six-month, independent creative wellness activity to rebuild fine motor skills. You can find out more about it on my website here. .................................................................................................. Medical Harm = CYA. Gaslight the patient. Instantly. Daily. For Years. Until the statute of limitations has passed... and beyond. There is no team. No personal, medical, or legal advocate. The patient is on their own. With limited confirmation (a.k.a. accountability/proof), support, or resources from the medical community, the JMH staff stepped up to the daunting task of navigating a plethora of physical and psychological symptoms with sincerity and empathy even on my worst days. Faced with mysterious devolving physical abilities, intractable pain, and a lack of solutions that could provide any relief, they were willing to partner with others and accept new information from outside sources. Some even did research after their regular work hours. They saw me. They heard me. They knew it was REAL. When modern medical options were evidently aggravating existing issues and admittedly not going to be the solution, they helped me to track the outcome of the alternative methods I found and develop ways to incorporate that into my care plan to retain the maximum possible range of independent mobility and mental health support during my search for solutions. I am infinitely thankful for all that they did. On this day of Thanksgiving, I also extend additional gratitude to the ARA Counseling Center staff for the quality of care I received for the adverse outcomes of experimental non-narcotic pharmaceuticals, ptsd-related concerns, and event-specific anger management. [Improvise, adapt, and overcome. Indeed.] ..................................................................................................... Though this uncompensated injury was deemed by NYS to be a result of the "acceptable average standard of care" with no medical misconduct present; thankfully, the hospital where it occurred was eventually required to initiate a corrective action plan regarding a violation of patients' rights. (i.e. The right to informed consent, failure to disclose the off-label use of a medication not approved for spinal use.) In their defense, frontline practitioners were not, at that time, generally informed about these risks. In my in depth experience with the medical community, most invest a great deal of heart into their work and do the best that they can with the information that they have. Awareness IS the only prevention. Though they are sometimes worth the risk for some patients, you can read more about the risks of spinal injections and the power of informed consent here. ............................................................................................... Arachnoiditis is a preventable spinal cord injury caused by the neurotoxins in spinal injections and invasive spinal procedures. You can find out more about it and access free online resources on my creative wellness website for survivors: artforarachnoiditis.org. #GRATITUDE #StillStandingSometimes #PTSD #mentalhealthmatters

"Moments of stillness are sometimes pushed upon us while others need to keep moving. It is only when we stop watching them leave, that we are able to see the grace in front of us." 

Still. Standing. Still. Sometimes. #TheOneWhoStayed