Hey everyone!
I'm happy to report that Steve had a very easy and relaxing night. He slept pretty much the entire night and it's becoming obvious he's getting on a more sleep/wake cycle. This, of course, makes it easier on everyone else as well!!
This morning he was greeted by two rehabilitation doctors. One of the doctors, Dr. Eckner, asked him first to squeeze his hand with his left. Steve did almost immediately. Even though we have seen Steve do this time and time again, he isn't always necessarily on 'top of his game' after he has just woken up. (Of course, that has to be the time the docs come in!) However, this morning was different. Dr. Eckner then asked him to look at Dr. Fitch and he looked directly at him. Steve wasn't even told that he was on his right side. Then Dr. Eckner told him to look at his girlfriend, and he slightly turned his head to the left, looked right at me and stopped. It was pretty exciting...he knows who we are! He was also asked to hold up two fingers, then four fingers, then two again...he did every command. Both docs commented it was the most 'awake' they had ever seen him. Linda then came in a short time later and decided to show me something new that he could do. She wrote "Wiggle your toes" on a piece of paper and told him to read it and do what it says. About 5 seconds later his toes started wiggling like crazy! It's incredible that he is not only showing us that he can follow commands and knows who we all are, but that he is reading too! He just has to figure out a way to express himself verbally. Like his dad keeps reminding him, "It'll all come back".
I decided to stay throughout the afternoon to witness all of his therapy sessions. Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy first visited him at bedside. Then a quick nap later, he was moved to his wheelchair to visit the speech pathologist. I was definitely looking forward to that one the most, especially with all of his progress in speech the last couple of days. The speech pathologist first covered his trach with some tissue and asked him to make a 'voice'. After a couple breaths Steve let out a little wheeze of a sound. She applauded him and asked him to do it again but a little longer this time. He then let out a longer noise. I swear, I almost fell to my knees...I was so proud of him!! A little later on in the session she tried to get him to hold a marker in his right hand. He finally got a hold of it and she asked him to draw a circle on a sheet of paper. She showed him how to do it by motioning his hands in that direction and repeatedly told him to do it. All of a sudden, he drew a tiny circle on the paper. It was so great. =)
Even though his family and myself want to express every single uphill progress that he's making, I still feel as though I should comment that there are still times that he does not answer to commands. He often gets very tired and there are still, of course, some things he cannot do at this time. I'm pretty sure that everyone understands this, but it can be frusterating too after reading SO many great improvements on his behalf. It definitely makes you want to almost shake him and say "Wake up Steve! Talk to me!"...especially when we're all feeling as though he is just so close. With all that aside, there is no doubt he is making notable and huge strides to his recovery everyday. It is also becoming more and more evident already how many people know him throughout the hospital. The staff shares our excitement everyday and continuously makes us all feel he truly is touching a little piece of everyone's hearts.
I know you're all thinking that I couldn't possibly make this blog post any longer than I already have, but I'd like to say one last thing. I'd actually like to thank my Uncle Ronny who came in today to see Steve. My uncle too had a close headed injury 2 years ago and is now walking, talking, working, and doing everything he did before his injury. He is such a great inspiration and I just hope he realizes how fantastic it was that he could come and share his own story with Steve and his family. So thank you Uncle Ronny!!! <3
I wish you all the best...talk to you soon!
Danielle
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Update #42 from Linda and Grams
Hello! We just returned from an afternoon of therapy. The most interesting today was speech. That seems to be the place where they figure out ways to communicate with Steve, and then pass that info along to the PT and OT therapists. Today Steve clearly said "hi" and it also sounded like he said "yeah" although that was a little quieter. Laura, his speech therapist, wrote a note that said "look at your mom" and put it in front of him...he read it and followed that instruction! Then she wrote "close your eyes" and he read it and did that, too. So she made signs that said "yes", "no", and "I don't know" then asked questions and he looked at the appropriate sign to answer. She made an alphabet chart and we tried a few things with that, but she's going to fine tune that system as we go along. She made a sign with a couple numbers on it, then asked him what the answer was to a simple math problem...he was able to do that, too. Pretty exciting (and exhausting) stuff!
Yesterday around 5 PM we had an interesting experience with Steve. He lifted both his arms (the right one higher than the left) and looked at his hands as though he couldn't figure them out. We explained that they were his hands, and used his right one to touch parts of his face and tell him what they were. I showed him my hand and asked him to touch mine with his, and he did that several times. We showed him a picture of Danielle, and he reached for it and tried to hold it. Also showed him a picture from Muskegon and put his hand in a baggie of Lake Michigan sand (thanks, Deb!) and he moved his fingers around in it. Also tried to hold his Michigan hat. After about 20 minutes he seemed very tired, and his arms seemed to hurt, so we stopped. It was pretty amazing.
Take care, everyone!
Love, Linda and Grams
Yesterday around 5 PM we had an interesting experience with Steve. He lifted both his arms (the right one higher than the left) and looked at his hands as though he couldn't figure them out. We explained that they were his hands, and used his right one to touch parts of his face and tell him what they were. I showed him my hand and asked him to touch mine with his, and he did that several times. We showed him a picture of Danielle, and he reached for it and tried to hold it. Also showed him a picture from Muskegon and put his hand in a baggie of Lake Michigan sand (thanks, Deb!) and he moved his fingers around in it. Also tried to hold his Michigan hat. After about 20 minutes he seemed very tired, and his arms seemed to hurt, so we stopped. It was pretty amazing.
Take care, everyone!
Love, Linda and Grams
Saturday, April 5, 2008
update #41 from Linda
Hello! Today Steve had a shower (the first since his accident), which was a pretty huge operation but I'm sure felt great. Afterwards they covered him with a blanket that had been warmed, and he slept for hours. We got him into his wheelchair so he could take a ride down the hall to the lounge for a change of scenery, and to visit with friends. It's been nice to have a relaxing day!
He's been pretty sleepy for the past couple days. They're adjusting some of his meds to see if that helps.
Beth reports that he slept well last night, and that his left hand was doing some moving. There's a good chance that it's just reflexes, but it's more movement than we have seen.
Have a good night, everyone!
Love,
Linda
He's been pretty sleepy for the past couple days. They're adjusting some of his meds to see if that helps.
Beth reports that he slept well last night, and that his left hand was doing some moving. There's a good chance that it's just reflexes, but it's more movement than we have seen.
Have a good night, everyone!
Love,
Linda
Thursday, April 3, 2008
update #40 from Linda
Hello! Three very exciting things happened in speech today...thought you'd like to hear about them.
The first was that the therapist let Steve eat ice chips. He had to open his mouth, then close it, then move the ice around with his tongue and/or chew it, then swallow. He did a great job and I know it felt so good to him. Up until this point the only moisture he's gotten in his mouth is from a little sponge.
The second was that he's trying hard to speak and the therapist said she doesn't think it will be long before he does. She tried to have him say "yes" and eventually he (twice) said something that we both thought, without a doubt, was "yeah".
The third was that the therapist gave him a flashlight in his right hand, turned off the lights, and asked him to move it so that it shone on his mom's face. He did!
The rest of his day was busy and exhausting. But when they got him into bed this evening, he was wide awake and moving his head from side to side looking at things in his room, so we're hoping that he's getting used to his rehab schedule.
As always, thanks for keeping him in your thoughts and prayers. Have a good night!
Linda
The first was that the therapist let Steve eat ice chips. He had to open his mouth, then close it, then move the ice around with his tongue and/or chew it, then swallow. He did a great job and I know it felt so good to him. Up until this point the only moisture he's gotten in his mouth is from a little sponge.
The second was that he's trying hard to speak and the therapist said she doesn't think it will be long before he does. She tried to have him say "yes" and eventually he (twice) said something that we both thought, without a doubt, was "yeah".
The third was that the therapist gave him a flashlight in his right hand, turned off the lights, and asked him to move it so that it shone on his mom's face. He did!
The rest of his day was busy and exhausting. But when they got him into bed this evening, he was wide awake and moving his head from side to side looking at things in his room, so we're hoping that he's getting used to his rehab schedule.
As always, thanks for keeping him in your thoughts and prayers. Have a good night!
Linda
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Update #39 from Linda and Rob
Hello! Hope all is well with all of you.
Today Steve slept through his morning OT and speech sessions after being given a pretty powerful pain killer last night. Spoke with the doctor today and he now will be given tylenol at regular intervals for pain...we'll try to avoid anything stronger. This evening he was having pain in his legs, so we used massage to help him, and turned on the tv for a distraction. Seemed to do the trick.
They are really working him hard. It wears him out, and is hard for us to watch sometimes, but so good for him. Today when the PT people sat him up and helped him balance his head, he was able to hold it there for quite some time. Then they tapped on it to un-balance it, and he often was able to keep it in position. He could also turn it very slightly to both sides. They have built a wheelchair for him that is long enough for his legs and supports his head. It keeps his back nice and straight and has an air cushion seat, so he sat in that in his room for a couple hours today. It's pretty amazing to watch them create/adjust those chairs. They have all sorts of tools and spare parts, and work hard and fast to build something that fits perfectly. The OT people had him hold a small cone in his right hand and then open his fingers and let it fall. That was a little different for him...usually someone is just asking him to move his body parts - not involve something else.
Tonight Beth asked him a couple questions and he shook his head (slightly) to say "no". That's a technique the speech pathologist likes - it's something you or I would just do naturally. She's all about making things like requests seem natural. For example, she asks Steve to introduce me to her, rather than just telling him to say "mom". He can't say that yet, but I look forward to that day!
Also tonight Beth asked him to move his pointer finger, thumb, etc. on his right hand, and he was able to do that. All good stuff!
It sounds like his day will involve morning rehab, a break at lunch time (even though he doesn't get to eat), then afternoon rehab. After that he collapses into bed for a couple hours of napping, we wake him up for a couple hours, then to sleep for the night. It's really important that he get his days and nights in order to make the best use of his rehab time...for the most part he's doing a good job with this.
His chest xray shows one small suspicious area, but the doctors don't think he has pneumonia - just some leftover junk that's working its way out. He's on antibiotics just in case, but he finally seems much better in the coughing/congestion department.
Good night everyone!
Linda and Rob
Today Steve slept through his morning OT and speech sessions after being given a pretty powerful pain killer last night. Spoke with the doctor today and he now will be given tylenol at regular intervals for pain...we'll try to avoid anything stronger. This evening he was having pain in his legs, so we used massage to help him, and turned on the tv for a distraction. Seemed to do the trick.
They are really working him hard. It wears him out, and is hard for us to watch sometimes, but so good for him. Today when the PT people sat him up and helped him balance his head, he was able to hold it there for quite some time. Then they tapped on it to un-balance it, and he often was able to keep it in position. He could also turn it very slightly to both sides. They have built a wheelchair for him that is long enough for his legs and supports his head. It keeps his back nice and straight and has an air cushion seat, so he sat in that in his room for a couple hours today. It's pretty amazing to watch them create/adjust those chairs. They have all sorts of tools and spare parts, and work hard and fast to build something that fits perfectly. The OT people had him hold a small cone in his right hand and then open his fingers and let it fall. That was a little different for him...usually someone is just asking him to move his body parts - not involve something else.
Tonight Beth asked him a couple questions and he shook his head (slightly) to say "no". That's a technique the speech pathologist likes - it's something you or I would just do naturally. She's all about making things like requests seem natural. For example, she asks Steve to introduce me to her, rather than just telling him to say "mom". He can't say that yet, but I look forward to that day!
Also tonight Beth asked him to move his pointer finger, thumb, etc. on his right hand, and he was able to do that. All good stuff!
It sounds like his day will involve morning rehab, a break at lunch time (even though he doesn't get to eat), then afternoon rehab. After that he collapses into bed for a couple hours of napping, we wake him up for a couple hours, then to sleep for the night. It's really important that he get his days and nights in order to make the best use of his rehab time...for the most part he's doing a good job with this.
His chest xray shows one small suspicious area, but the doctors don't think he has pneumonia - just some leftover junk that's working its way out. He's on antibiotics just in case, but he finally seems much better in the coughing/congestion department.
Good night everyone!
Linda and Rob
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
update #38 from Linda
Hello, everyone. Another busy day in rehab - OT, speech, PT in the morning...OT and PT in the afternoon. We are going places and meeting with people from 8 AM until 5 PM. So - visits in the evenings and weekends would be the best for now!
They're working with Steve on supporting his head, which is easier said than done, as he is wearing a heavy helmet while trying to do this. Had him on a tilt table today - his blood pressure did just fine, which is something they were concerned with. The speech therapist is trying to have him talk by covering his trach. He makes some sounds, which is a good first step. He's been dealing with quite a lot of pain as these muscles, etc. get used, but a regular dose of tylenol seems to take the edge off. Already today it was evident that the pain factor has lessened.
Some people are wondering if Steve is still considered to be in a coma...I asked that question today and was told the best way to describe it is to say that he is slowly emerging from one. I also asked about all the exercising they have him do - is that to help him come out of his coma, or to give him strength so that he'll be in better shape when he comes out of it. The answer was that he'll need the strength for later, but that studies have also shown that using his muscles reminds his brain that those muscles are part of him, so it can help him in that way, too. They often ask Steve to look at his hand, etc. so that he can make the connection that it belongs to him. I know this sounds a little strange, but I thought you might find it interesting.
Have a good night!
Linda
They're working with Steve on supporting his head, which is easier said than done, as he is wearing a heavy helmet while trying to do this. Had him on a tilt table today - his blood pressure did just fine, which is something they were concerned with. The speech therapist is trying to have him talk by covering his trach. He makes some sounds, which is a good first step. He's been dealing with quite a lot of pain as these muscles, etc. get used, but a regular dose of tylenol seems to take the edge off. Already today it was evident that the pain factor has lessened.
Some people are wondering if Steve is still considered to be in a coma...I asked that question today and was told the best way to describe it is to say that he is slowly emerging from one. I also asked about all the exercising they have him do - is that to help him come out of his coma, or to give him strength so that he'll be in better shape when he comes out of it. The answer was that he'll need the strength for later, but that studies have also shown that using his muscles reminds his brain that those muscles are part of him, so it can help him in that way, too. They often ask Steve to look at his hand, etc. so that he can make the connection that it belongs to him. I know this sounds a little strange, but I thought you might find it interesting.
Have a good night!
Linda
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