#35 Update April 30th

The last couple of days have been GREAT! The training classes have gone very well and tomorrow night we will be staying overnight in the hospital apartment taking care of Sean full time just Paul and I. There is the call button if we need help, but we aren't planning on needing any help. We took up his Hummer today for him to transfer sitting in it. He didn't want to get out and would hardly give back the keys. :o) He is looking forward to sleeping in his California King size bed again. He hasn't complained but the twin size hospital bed is getting to him for sure. The training is being done with the Occupational Therapist and the Physical Therapy Therapist. We will train again tomorrow, spend the night and train again Saturday morning. Some more training next week will include Delaney. My notes will be a good reference for what to do in various situations. We still do not have a dismissal date; but we are really getting prepared for his release whenever that will be in the future. He will still have therapy sessions after his release but they will be here in Colorado Springs. We are looking forward to being at home and enjoy each other.

#34 Update, April 27th

Paul and I started our at home training today with the occupational therapist. We need to have between 5-10 hour sessions in the next 2 weeks and an overnight stay to see how to take care of Sean so he and we are safe. We don't have a date for his coming home as of yet but it could be soon. It went very well today and he is excited to work with us because it means he is getting closer to coming home to his California King bed instead of the hospital size bed he has been in since January. This Friday he will have been at Spalding Rehab Hospital for 50 days which doesn't seem possible. He has come a long way in such a short time. Thank you everyone for continuing to pray for him and supporting us with warm wishes and thoughts. We have another challenge right now I have a blood clot (DVT) in my upper left arm from when a box fell on me just over a month ago, they found it last week. The challenge is my arms are weaker than normal but I will be going to therapy soon for strengthening them so that won't be a problem. The good news is they took enough blood before I started the blood thinners that if my side of the family has a gene that is causing this we will be able to identify it and it may mean Sean won't have to be on coumaden for the rest of his life. They couldn't determine why Sean had all the blood clots he had because they gave him Heprin the blood thinner right away and that modified the test results. He has good days & bad as expected but he is moving forward. We are so excited that he is getting stronger and better with each passing day.

#33, April 24, 2009

We took Delaney up to see Sean this evening, and unfortunately both Delaney and Sean had just woke up, so neither of them were very social. We'd let Delaney know that Sean had a tender tummy (due to the feeding tube, which they only use to give Sean his meds), and she seemed a little tenative due to that. He was able to say her name, though. If they both are awake, they'll probably do much better.
Sean went outside yesterday and got to play catch with his physical therapist for a while. There is a semi-enclosed area off the first floor dining room with paved areas, cobblestones, grass, and landscaping for different therapy challenges, and with the warmer weather, Sean likely will be spending more time there.
We've had a cold front move in this morning, but we'll be heading up to see Sean soon.
The next step for us in Sean's journey back is to receive training in how to help Sean with his daily activities, including an over-night stay in Denver. When we finish, then we'll be preparing for his discharge, with the goal of his being able to live an independent life again.

#32, April 21, 2009

Today we met with Sean's therapy team, and they all are happy with the progress that Sean is making, but noting just how long of a road is ahead of us. The main thrust of each therapist is that sometimes he does really well, and sometimes, not so much progress.
After the meeting, both Andrea and I worked with the physical therapist to help Sean stand, walk to and from the toilet, and sit back at the bed. When we came into the room, he was sleeping, so we didn't do much more than feed him some pudding and a quick run-through of getting his gait belt on and the therapy. He'd actually been outside earlier today, so was kind of tuckered out.
We're beginning to talk about when Sean leaves the rehab center and comes home , what things we'll need for the house (grab bars, ADA toilet rails, etc.) and just what our expectations are for him vs what his needs are going to be.

#31, April 19, 2009

Due to the snow, this was the first time we'd been up to see Sean since Wednesday, and he is still doing well. We got to take him around the hospital in his chair, and fed him both pistachio pudding and his regular supper. If the weather had been a few degrees nicer, we could have taken him outside, but that will be coming very soon.
Tuesday will be the first "formal" team meeting with his therapists. We've spoken to them all individually, of course, but we will be sitting in on their daily meeting where they let each other know about what Sean has been doing in the individual sessions. The communication among nursing and therapy staff really seems to be excellent here, which helps the healing process tremendously.

#30 Update April 15th

Sean had a great day! His appetite is back; he ate 2 helpings of his dinner tonight. He is working really hard and making great strides. He is able to sit up for hours at a time now and occasionally only needs one person to help him with his walking. We asked him if he wanted to get a haircut today and he said "no". Not to brag but when the nurse asked him what kind of cooking he liked best he said "my Mom's".

#29, April 11, 2009

Sean has moved up a room, from the stimulus-controlled section to a room with more of a view (of I-225) and a little more room. Tonight, we helped Sean walk from his bed to the restroom and back, and Andrea and I fed him his supper. His walks are with help, but not necessarily with mechanical support. He can go up stairs pretty well, but has trouble going down the stairs. The staff has mentioned several times that we seem to be having a good effect on him; he is less likely to balk at their attempts at helping him or giving him medications through his feeding tube than before we arrive.
We're hoping that either we can walk him to the dining room or that he can come out there to see Delaney tomorrow. When she is in the ward, she sometimes gets a little loud, and we don't like to feel that we're bothering the other patients.
Thanks as always for your prayers and positive thoughts; we feel that Sean is responding to them.

#28, April 8, 2009

Andrea was able to feed Sean his supper tonight. He's progressed to the point where he can have pretty much anything he wants; in fact, the aide told us that he'd picked out his meal this evening. Somehow he got salmon and asparagus on the plate, and he didn't really care for them. He's a lot more alert today. We think that the doctors have been adjusting his medications to help him be more in tune with his surroundings. His speech is improving as he regains control of his tongue and lips. The therapists are also happy with his progress.

#27 Update April 6th

Sean is doing better, he seems to be processing a lot. Some of the answers to questions are coming a lot faster. Granted these are yes or no answers but that is a huge step. He is very tired lately so we are hoping that is due to processing more and his brain healing more. He told us 1 + 1=2; there are neat windows of light that some signals are there, working and we are hoping/believing with more to come.
He is not as combative, mainly he wants to do things on his own so he can come home. He told us yesterday that they won't let him come home. We were able to help him understand that he will be able to come home as soon as he is capable we promised. He had to promise that he would let them help him get better so that it could happen faster. A "I promise, you promise" exchange and he understood and repeated "I promise, you promise" back. He has gained back some of his weight loss so that is good.
The biggest thing that has upset him lately is he now understands it is April and he has been in hospitals since January. Bless his heart!

#26, April 5, 2009

We went up today to see Sean, and he was sitting up on his bed, with his feet on the floor. Andrea brought along some tapioca, which had too many "pearls" for him to be comfortable with. We explained the best that we could that he needs to be able to do more things for himself before he can come home. Tomorrow will be a chance to meet with his therapists to set some weekly goals for him. It's our hope that if he understands that he needs to do more than walk and swallow before he can leave, he'll be more cooperative with the therapists and staff. Thank you all for keeping us and Sean in your prayers.

#25 Update April 2nd

Sean is improving but is extremely frustrated as he has had to relearn the basics of life. They are trying new medications to help with the movement he has that is like but not Parkinson's disease. The new medication made him combative and so they stopped it and will try something else. He has another urinary tract infection as well. April Fool's day was a blustery winter snow storm for us but seeing him and being able to calm him made the trip all worthwhile. Thank you again for your warm thoughts and prayers; it is making all the difference.