Updates 21-15

Sunday, March 22, 2009

#21 Update March 22nd
Yesterday he wasn't talking very much. Today he stood by himself for a few minutes while they were transferring him to his walker for physical therapy. He can walk down the hallway with assistance and "walk" himself down the hallway while sitting in his wheelchair. He was talking a lot more today and a good percent of the words you could understand. Sometimes when you ask him a question you can see him processing it, if you wait you might get an answer. I read him some of his Consumer Report Magazine. He listened and sometimes made comments which was great.Thank you again for your continued prayers and support.
Posted by Paul Andrea at 7:48 PM 0 comments
Thursday, March 19, 2009

#20 Update March 19th
Before I share today Thank you to Aunt Judy, Bev, Sheila and Paulette who brightened Sean's St. Patrick's Day by their thoughtfulness.Today was both informative and challenging-knowledge is power yet it still hurts.Sean's brain damage is located in the middle of his brain the Caudate nucleus and Globus pallidus; both the right and left side are affected. The middle of the brain is the control center for the other parts of the body. The high functions are not affected except by the overall control he needs from the center area. There is no time table for how long it will take or how much will heal at this point. Usually the first 6 months are the most healing but it can take a year to 18 months as well, time will tell. How long it will be before he is discharged from rehab is unknown as well. He is responding and progressing but it is definately a journey.
Posted by Paul Andrea at 7:43 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

#19 Update March 18th
Sean isn't sleeping very much only about 3 to 5 hours a night. Today he walked up and down the hallway and I understood him when he was telling me about it. He was talking a lot today but the nurse and I were having trouble understanding him. Paul and I go see him tomorrow during his physical therapy and speech therapy sessions so maybe we will be able to learn more then. The rash he has been dealing with on his legs is doing a lot better and he isn't itching so that is GREAT!
Posted by Paul Andrea at 7:37 PM 0 comments
Monday, March 16, 2009

#18 Update March 16th
Today was the first full day of therapies for Sean and he did AMAZING! He has 1 hour of speech, 1 hour of physical and 1 hour of occupational each day and we were there to watch occupational today.He didn't sleep very well last night 3 hours at most. Probably because he wasn't understanding what is happening & where he is at even though we tried to explain it to him. They took him off all of the sedating medications so that he is fully awake and able to process as much as possible. He has been very emotional, it is hard to see him so upset. The therapist said that whatever their disposition before they had brain damage is greatly exaggerated afterwards. They(his team) can tell that Sean has a big heart, is tender and loving by his emotions.Last night we told him he could come home after he learns to walk and eat again. Before we left he told us he wanted to walk. We can only stay for 15 to 20 minutes now. As he progresses we will be able to stay longer.He walked up & down the hallway 4 times behind his over sized wheel chair with assistance. He read all of their names aloud from their badges, the team was impressed. He spelled "deer hunting" to the nurse as well.He was less emotional today with us, excited to see us and actually said, " I will learn to swallow again." When we told him goodbye, we'd see him tomorrow and we loved him; he repeated he would see us tomorrow and he loved us and didn't cry. We think after having his therapy sessions today he understands he needs help to learn to do things again. It was so much easier leaving him tonight, he is at the right place and moving forward. Thank you for continuing to pray for him and us it helps so much.
Posted by Paul Andrea at 8:39 PM 2 comments
Saturday, March 14, 2009

#17 Update March 15th
Sean has settled into his room. Since he is off the Percocet his skin looks much better. One side effect of this med is itching, and since Paulette had that reaction, we mentioned it to his doctors, and they have him on alternate medication. When we saw him, he looked almost as though he was in bed at home; almost all of the tubes and lines that he had been hooked up to have been removed, except for the feeding tube. He is aware enough to be kind of overwhelmed by what has happened to him. He asked us several times, "Why?", and we did our best to explain the things that he has undergone. Talking is still difficult; it's possible that either when they put in the airway to help him breathe, or when he pulled it out that there may have been damage to his vocal cords--or else, he's just out of practice.The staff is starting to evaluate his base position for speech, occupational and physical therapy, and we'll be talking with them on Monday. So far, we're very impressed with how well he's being taken care of.
Posted by Paul Andrea at 9:57 PM 0 comments

#16 Update March 14th
Sean did very well yesterday making the move, confused but he is adjusting to the quite environment of Spalding. He slept through the night and will have more evaluations today. We will go up later to see him. They have him in the brain injury unit, they control the environment with absolutely no noise of any kind at first. It gives the brain the rest it needs and helps it to process better. Delaney won't be able to see him for awhile because she has so much energy which is overstimulating for an injured brain. They will tell us when he is ready to see her again. He can tell them his name which is wonderful, he is talking more. When I saw him last night he was responding to some questions and following commands. He is assigned one nurse that stays with him at all times currently until he progresses more. He can have visitors only 1 or 2 at a time. He isn't able to swallow yet but the speech therapist will be working on it with him; so he can have his feeding tube removed. He now has lost 65 lbs, he will be very surprised I'm sure. We are on the right track and moving forward. The therapists had him standing at Triumph yesterday and he patted one of them on the head. He still needs prayers as he faces relearning everyday things now. Thank you for your love, prayers, warm thoughts and kind words. I give him all of your messages and print them out for him to see later.
Posted by Paul Andrea at 8:12 AM 0 comments
Thursday, March 12, 2009

#15 Update March 12th
Sean will be moving tomorrow Friday to Spalding Rehabilitation Center. Paul and I checked it out today and again he will have access to the same doctors at The Medical Center of Aurora should he have the need; continuity is vital to the plan. He stood up 3 times today with help. They did the swallowing test and he is unable to swallow at this time so they will leave the feeding tube in for awhile longer. They will put him in the brain damage unit where it is quieter and he will have one on one assistance for awhile until he is able to do things on his own. He was talking a lot today mainly one syllable words yes, no, on. He is still itching but they are giving him Benadryl which helps a lot. Craig Rehabilitation Hospital doesn't have a bed available for 3 weeks. After visiting Spalding we need to move him now to keep his progress moving in a positive progression. This has been our ultimate goal to get him to rehab so that he can have the opportunity to have a life on his own again.