Paulsen Family Support Fund
Donation protected
On Tuesday, November 13, 2018, a devastating event happened to our family. While prayers, hope and encouraging words are insanely appreciated, the reality of living this new normal can weigh on anyone.
My husband, Joe, had suffered from debilitating headaches & vomiting the afternoon of November 9th. He visited urgent care the next afternoon. He was given steroids for what was originally diagnosed as migraines. The steroid shots provided Joe with temporary relief. After a 2nd visit on the afternoon of November 13th, he collapsed & was unresponsive. A call to 911 was placed and he was rushed to the hospital. Upon admission to the ER, an initial MRI revealed a golf ball sized tumor on the pituitary gland, causing hydrocephalus. A shunt was inserted to drain spinal fluids, and relieve pressure on the brain. The procedure was successful and the tumor was found to be benign. The tumor was undiagnosed for over 15 years.
After waiting the crucial 24-48 hour period, Joe was still unresponsive, and developed a high fever overnight. A second MRI was completed, and found Joe had suffered 2 massive strokes on the Occipital Lobe,BrainStem, and several mini strokes throughout the brain. The doctors stated the brain was severely damaged. They expected 2 outcomes; a “locked in”state, the mind is conscious, but unable to control the body and its functionality or death. After several days in a comatose state, a miracle happened and our hope was restored! During a routine check, Joe started wiggling his toes. Then, he started nodding to yes or no questions. Our endless prayers had been answered! The doctors and nurses were amazed that he survived.
After spending 2 weeks in ICU, the tumor was removed, and a post op CT Scan showed there was a clear path for spinal fluid to dissipate throughout the body. Joe continued to regain consciousness and limited physical mobility. When he was medically cleared, he was transferred to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, NE, 3 hours away from home. He received 3-5 hours a day of occupational, physical and speech therapies. Joe spent the next 2 ½ month in Nebraska, until he was accepted to On With Life, a non-for profit organization for brain injury rehabilitation. A major bonus, it's in our home town! During his stay, he continued to receive extensive therapies, and most importantly, the support of family and friends. After 3 months of being in-patient, Joe graduated, and moved back home with me and our 5 year old son. He was then admitted into On With Life’s out-patient program to continue his therapy sessions 3 days a week. During these sessions, Joe has been able to gain some independence. He is able to walk short distances with a walker & minimal assist, transfer from wheelchair to car, as well as become independent in our handicapped accessible apartment. Through it all, Joe has never given up! He is strong willed, motivated, and determined to get his independence back! He is a true inspiration to me, our son, and anyone who has been lucky to meet him. We have been fortunate enough to have We are Iowa Local 5 News follow Joe’s journey through his stay at On With Life, transition back home, and celebrating his 1 year of recovery. You can currently find all of his segments on the We Are Iowa news website.
Due to his Traumatic Brain Injury, Joe is required to have follow up MRIs for the next 3 years. During a routine MRI in May 2019, the Neurosurgeon noticed there was a smaller undiagnosed tumor on the optic nerve. He determined that it was on top of the initial tumor, and had dropped after the repair sight settled. He continued to monitor the tumor. Luckily, it was benign and never changed in size.Our plan was to remove the tumor 6 months after discharge so as to not interrupt recovery and progression. The projected hospital stay was 3-4 days.
On January 23rd, 2020, the 2nd tumor was successfully removed through the sinus cavity. Joe was required to have a lumbar drain and stay in ICU for a week before it could be removed. Because of the location of the repair sight, Joe was required not to cough, sneeze, and blow his nose. Unfortunately, he coughed 10 minutes after surgery. Pressure built up, and blew all the packing and gauze out. This required additional surgery to repair and add additional packing. He also had a PEG tube inserted in order to receive nutrition. A few days later, an internal shunt was placed to control the flow of spinal fluid.
Due to the unexpected additional surgery’s Joe’s ICU stay was extended. His case has been extremely complicated since the beginning. His body hasn’t been able to regulate body temperature since surgery. He has pneumonia, but is unable to cough until his packing is removed. And yesterday, we were informed that he has a small amount of yeast in the spinal fluid. They are administering anti-fungal medication as well as several antibiotics to fight off or prevent infections.
Once he is discharged from the hospital, our plan is for him to go to a rehabilitation hospital to continue to receive medical treatment, and rehab to build his strength. Afterwards, to On With Life for in-patient and eventually out-patient. We are basically starting this whole process over again, but we are more mentally prepared than we were a year ago.
As you can imagine, this journey has brought a whirlwind of emotions, difficult decisions, sacrifice and hardship. Joe was required to exhaust all vacation/sick pay. He was let go from his position as a Special Needs Associate, a position he held near and to his heart for 8 years. We’re currently paying increased premium cost for COBRA family plan. We sold our home and rent a handicapped accessible apartment. As my husband’s primary caregiver, I am unable to contribute to household income. We rely on Long Term Disability and Social Security Disability Income. We also have to withdraw from savings monthly to cover living expenses such as utilities, gas, food, and anything else we require to meet our basic needs.
As we plan for the next phase in recovery, we also have to plan for an unforeseen future. Joe's recovery is ongoing, with no expiration date. Although we receive some community support, we still have a 1-3 year wait until we are eligible for an assessment for waiver services.
This has been an extremely challenging time for Joe, our son, myself. In order to help alleviate financial stress, especially in the next phase of our new normal, we created this Go Fund Me Campaign. Please consider a donation to help our family as we start towards the next stage towards recovery.
Thank you for your love, support and continuing to follow Joe's story and his road to recovery.
Joseph, Nicole & Nate Paulsen
My husband, Joe, had suffered from debilitating headaches & vomiting the afternoon of November 9th. He visited urgent care the next afternoon. He was given steroids for what was originally diagnosed as migraines. The steroid shots provided Joe with temporary relief. After a 2nd visit on the afternoon of November 13th, he collapsed & was unresponsive. A call to 911 was placed and he was rushed to the hospital. Upon admission to the ER, an initial MRI revealed a golf ball sized tumor on the pituitary gland, causing hydrocephalus. A shunt was inserted to drain spinal fluids, and relieve pressure on the brain. The procedure was successful and the tumor was found to be benign. The tumor was undiagnosed for over 15 years.
After waiting the crucial 24-48 hour period, Joe was still unresponsive, and developed a high fever overnight. A second MRI was completed, and found Joe had suffered 2 massive strokes on the Occipital Lobe,BrainStem, and several mini strokes throughout the brain. The doctors stated the brain was severely damaged. They expected 2 outcomes; a “locked in”state, the mind is conscious, but unable to control the body and its functionality or death. After several days in a comatose state, a miracle happened and our hope was restored! During a routine check, Joe started wiggling his toes. Then, he started nodding to yes or no questions. Our endless prayers had been answered! The doctors and nurses were amazed that he survived.
After spending 2 weeks in ICU, the tumor was removed, and a post op CT Scan showed there was a clear path for spinal fluid to dissipate throughout the body. Joe continued to regain consciousness and limited physical mobility. When he was medically cleared, he was transferred to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, NE, 3 hours away from home. He received 3-5 hours a day of occupational, physical and speech therapies. Joe spent the next 2 ½ month in Nebraska, until he was accepted to On With Life, a non-for profit organization for brain injury rehabilitation. A major bonus, it's in our home town! During his stay, he continued to receive extensive therapies, and most importantly, the support of family and friends. After 3 months of being in-patient, Joe graduated, and moved back home with me and our 5 year old son. He was then admitted into On With Life’s out-patient program to continue his therapy sessions 3 days a week. During these sessions, Joe has been able to gain some independence. He is able to walk short distances with a walker & minimal assist, transfer from wheelchair to car, as well as become independent in our handicapped accessible apartment. Through it all, Joe has never given up! He is strong willed, motivated, and determined to get his independence back! He is a true inspiration to me, our son, and anyone who has been lucky to meet him. We have been fortunate enough to have We are Iowa Local 5 News follow Joe’s journey through his stay at On With Life, transition back home, and celebrating his 1 year of recovery. You can currently find all of his segments on the We Are Iowa news website.
Due to his Traumatic Brain Injury, Joe is required to have follow up MRIs for the next 3 years. During a routine MRI in May 2019, the Neurosurgeon noticed there was a smaller undiagnosed tumor on the optic nerve. He determined that it was on top of the initial tumor, and had dropped after the repair sight settled. He continued to monitor the tumor. Luckily, it was benign and never changed in size.Our plan was to remove the tumor 6 months after discharge so as to not interrupt recovery and progression. The projected hospital stay was 3-4 days.
On January 23rd, 2020, the 2nd tumor was successfully removed through the sinus cavity. Joe was required to have a lumbar drain and stay in ICU for a week before it could be removed. Because of the location of the repair sight, Joe was required not to cough, sneeze, and blow his nose. Unfortunately, he coughed 10 minutes after surgery. Pressure built up, and blew all the packing and gauze out. This required additional surgery to repair and add additional packing. He also had a PEG tube inserted in order to receive nutrition. A few days later, an internal shunt was placed to control the flow of spinal fluid.
Due to the unexpected additional surgery’s Joe’s ICU stay was extended. His case has been extremely complicated since the beginning. His body hasn’t been able to regulate body temperature since surgery. He has pneumonia, but is unable to cough until his packing is removed. And yesterday, we were informed that he has a small amount of yeast in the spinal fluid. They are administering anti-fungal medication as well as several antibiotics to fight off or prevent infections.
Once he is discharged from the hospital, our plan is for him to go to a rehabilitation hospital to continue to receive medical treatment, and rehab to build his strength. Afterwards, to On With Life for in-patient and eventually out-patient. We are basically starting this whole process over again, but we are more mentally prepared than we were a year ago.
As you can imagine, this journey has brought a whirlwind of emotions, difficult decisions, sacrifice and hardship. Joe was required to exhaust all vacation/sick pay. He was let go from his position as a Special Needs Associate, a position he held near and to his heart for 8 years. We’re currently paying increased premium cost for COBRA family plan. We sold our home and rent a handicapped accessible apartment. As my husband’s primary caregiver, I am unable to contribute to household income. We rely on Long Term Disability and Social Security Disability Income. We also have to withdraw from savings monthly to cover living expenses such as utilities, gas, food, and anything else we require to meet our basic needs.
As we plan for the next phase in recovery, we also have to plan for an unforeseen future. Joe's recovery is ongoing, with no expiration date. Although we receive some community support, we still have a 1-3 year wait until we are eligible for an assessment for waiver services.
This has been an extremely challenging time for Joe, our son, myself. In order to help alleviate financial stress, especially in the next phase of our new normal, we created this Go Fund Me Campaign. Please consider a donation to help our family as we start towards the next stage towards recovery.
Thank you for your love, support and continuing to follow Joe's story and his road to recovery.
Joseph, Nicole & Nate Paulsen
Organizer
Nicole Paulsen
Organizer
Johnston, IA
