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Living with Pain

  Pain. We endure pain in many forms. Depending on one’s tolerance, will determine if it needs to be treated. When I was abled-bodied, I basically took Tylenol for headaches or muscle pains. Even when I had gallbladder attacks, I just took Tums and a heating pad to relieve my pain.   Guillian Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a rare autoimmune disease affecting the peripheral nerves. 1-2 people per 100,000 per year are diagnosed with GBS. Depending on your GBS sub variant, will determine how to treat you or the severity of the residual effects will be. Recovery can be quick or it can take up to 2 years to recover fully. Then there are GBS survivors who after 2-3 years where residual effects become permanent (that’s me!). There are some sub variants, such as AMSAN, which will fall in the 5%-10% range of those diagnosed where recovery impacts the autonomic system and could have a life-threatening or fatal outcome (that’s me too!). Recovery outcome is poor and will have residual effects remaining
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Char James

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This past month it has been filled with emotions and remembering friends who have gone through similar situations. Then remembering when I had to face a similar situation. Definitely a mood roller coaster ride.  Last week, I was told a family friend received the diagnosis of terminal skin cancer. Gosh I hate that disease! Her name is Char James. From nearly dying of Guillian Barre Syndrome (GBS) in 2016, it gives you pause to reflect on your life and those in it. Looking back, you reflect who has made a significant impact to your life. For me - Char James is one of those people. Reading peoples comments from her daughters’ Facebook posts, you will see a common theme - Bible Camp. Be it from Dorion Bible Camp (Dorion, Ontario) or Chestermere Bible Camp (Chestermere, Alberta). For me, it was Dorion Bible Camp. I began attending at age 7 and attended for next 14 consecutive summers. I began a wonderful friendship with Char, when I began working as a kitchen girl, to head kitchen girl to a
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Linking my “Abled-body journey “ with my 6 year journey with GBS-AMSAN

  They say, “Life is a journey. ” A journey of ups and downs as well as some bumps along the way too. From my perspective, my first part of my life’s journey, I experienced bullying from kindergarten and onwards and experienced bullying throughout my career as a Coding Specialist in acute care hospitals in Thunder Bay and Calgary. That bullying shaped who I became as an adult. As a child I was an introvert, a loner, not one with many friends. I had issues with self-esteem issues, self-confidence, and self-worth growing up. Of course, why would anyone like me when I didn’t even think much of myself? Growing up, my brother Bruce was an artist so his artwork or sculptures were on display around the house. Then my younger sister Kathryn seem to excel in basically everything compared to me. So I see her trophies on display around the house too. But did I have anything on display in my house? Absolutely nothing. It was hard for me to compete against those things growing up and I am seemed to
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GBS: Learning to Accept and Adapt

  When one experience repeat traumas or major changes in their life, I feel we gain tools to help us through the next trauma or change. If you have many, you can find the strength to handle them as well as find better coping mechanisms, to see us through to the other side. Though I wished I didn’t have to go through these multiple traumas within a 10 yr period (my mom and sister Kathryn being diagnosed with cancer (‘86 - ‘89); Kathryn’s death (‘94); my mom’s near-fatal post-op complication (‘97); and parents divorce (‘97)) - but I did. Then from 2010-2013, I sought counselling to deal and begin healing from these traumas and other things as well. I was told I had very good cognitive skills to be able to move forward in my life. What learned through my counseling, I forgot about the emotional pain that one deals with any trauma. For example, I thought I had dealt with Kathryn’s death. The answer was yes and no. Cognitively, yes I healed to allow me to enjoy living. I buried my emotional
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Addiction Personality Traits

  Addiction. What is a addiction? For me, alcoholism, drug abuse and sex addiction comes to   mine. Definition for addiction is an inability to stop using a substance or engaging in a behaviour even though it is causing a psychological and physical harm. It should be noted - addiction does no only refer to dependence on drug substances.   Working in Health Records as a coding specialist, and type of addiction falls under the umbrella of mental health disorders. Having alcoholism in my family history, one wonders if this is passed on genetically. There is being an alcoholic but there is being a “dry alcoholic”. Another term is called “ Dry Drunk Syndrome ” which describes somebody who has stopped drinking alcohol, but who still engages in “the actions and attitudes that characterized the alcoholic prior to recovery ”. In my 20s and early 30s, to me drinks like Hard Lemonade drinks, Rum & Coke or Long Iced Tea were like water. Had no problem downing those drinks. I remember being i
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Videos: Videos of my Trial of a Powered Wheelchair

 Some more videos of during my trial of a powered wheelchair 🦼 using the Vigo technology with Bluetooth to move my chair with head movements.
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 Received great news yesterday (Oct 13, 2021) - AADL (Alberta Aids to Daily Living) has officially approved my application in purchasing a powered wheelchair 🦼. They will be purchasing the wheelchair itself, the cost of the tilting mechanism (~$3500.00) plus granted me another $4000.00 towards the cost of the Vigo technology to run the wheelchair. Maximum Healthcare is the name of the vendor providing me with the wheelchair as well as other accessories to help with my daily living such as a lifting of the wheelchair seat so that I can speak to someone at eye level for a change. The total cost for me will be $8003.00 for upgrades and accessories. So just like buying a new car or a house even, that is what has gone into purchasing my powered wheelchair. There is the basic powered chair (~$20,000) + all the upgrades (~$12,000) Excited to see what doors will open, literally. The major accomplishment for me, is going through the door of the sunroom area. My manual chair’s width prevented m
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A Glimpse into my near future

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  2021 in now in the Autumn Season. It has been a long year so far. I began the year suffering from Covid-19 (original virus). Followed by a few weeks of depression triggered by going “cold turkey” after steroid medication to help heal my lungs along with supplementary oxygen. I was happy that I was able to receive the care at my facility and didn’t have to be admitted to the hospital. March 2021 was the time of hoping to find some answers about my GBS disease - so I had a MRI of my spine and brain. Sadly, it wasn’t what I was hoping for. Hopes dashed, reality sucks. It was good to know there were no issues with my spine, but no picture to say my paralysis would improve. BAM!! Reality hit me like a ton of bricks. It was tough to feel joy. How could I? All my hope and my wish to get my hands back to go to my career was completely dashed. This has been a tough pill to swallow having to realize I will be, moving forward, remain a quadriplegic from shoulders down and will need to livid in
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Letter to AADL Application Committee (for Powered Wheelchair)

  September 20, 2021 Dear AADL Application Board. Hello my name is Laura Jean Rutherford. I am 51 years old and have been living at AgeCare-Skypointe since August 5, 2018 on a LTC unit. September 9, 2016 I was diagnosed with Guillian Barre Syndrome (GBS) - Acquired Motor Sensory Axonal Neuropathy (AMSAN). Due to extensive damage to the axonal component of the peripheral nerves, I have been left as a quadriplegic from the shoulders down, with limited extremity movements. I require total care as I am unable to perform any of my daily basic needs.  Aside from GBS-AMSAN, I am morbid obese, as well as have a neurogenic bladder and bowel, edema of my extremities and have long term indwelling Foley catheter. I am in constant pain due to the neuropathy and ongoing tingling and numbness associated with GBS-AMSAN. With the multiple comorbities I am dealing with, I have been referred to multiple specialists - neuromuscular physician, gynaecologist, nephrologist, dermatologist, respiratory p
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Letter to Kenney - Covid-19’s 4th Wave Response

  September 7, 2021 Dear Honourable Jason Kenney (Premier of Alberta), Honourable Tyler Shandro (Minister of Health for Alberta) and Dr. Deena Hinshaw (Chief Public Medical Officer of Alberta). Hello. My name is Laura Jean Rutherford. I am a Calgary resident living in a Community Care Living facility on a LTC unit. I am 50 years old. I need to live in this facility as I contracted a virus which caused an autoimmune disease - Guillian Barre Syndrome, which has left me a quadriplegic. I have resided at my facility since August 2018, therefore experienced what it is like living in LTC during a national/global health crisis of COVID-19. I have also worked in the healthcare field for over 25 years in the Health Records Department in acute care hospitals. During our second wave (October 2020 to February 2021), our facility was hit the hardest in Calgary with over 350 COVID-19 cases of residents and staff and too many preventable COVID-19 deaths, in my opinion, due to the UCP government’s
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Advocating for improving Thunder Bay’s Covid-19 response

  Monday, March 15, 2021 Dear Honourables Michael Gravelle, Judith Monteith-Farrell, Patty Harju and Dr. Marcus Powlowsky.  My name is Laura Jean Rutherford, and I am currently a resident at AgeCare-Skypointe Community Care facility in Calgary, Alberta on a Long Term Care unit. I have lived in Calgary since March 2005. I was born, grew up and lived in Thunder Bay for 34 years (Sept 1970 to March 2005). You must be wondering why I am writing to the politicians representing NWO constituents in both the federal and provincial governments. There is a simple reason - you are all failing the citizens during this second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, who live in the NWO communities including the city of Thunder Bay. I might not live in Thunder Bay now, but I care what is happening to my hometown as my parents and friends still live there. I am writing this letter advocating for my dad (82 years old), my mom (78 years old) as well as being a voice to any citizen of Thunder Bay and in other
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