Steps to Recovery : Healing the Brain

Currently, we are looking for  visitor/s who can sit with Connor on Monday and Friday next week from 5-8pm.  He has a full schedule during the days and doesn't have time for visitors until this time of day. We unfortunately were drained  yesterday evening  and both fell asleep on our mutual ends prior to posting an update.  Connor has continued to progress with his therapy sessions.The OT did E-Stim on his hand yesterday. And t oday  he awoke to more movement in his left hand, which felt like the sun coming out after a rainy day. His mood and personality of old returned and nothing could take that away from him  today . They continued with the E-Stim today. So, hopefully we'll see more progress tomorrow. During his Physical therapy session, he ventured outdoors yesterday to see the world he has missed for the past weeks and was overwhelmed by the stimulation of it all. He had to sit down to take it all in to avoid stumbling while walking...

Currently we are looking for  visitor/s who can sit with Connor on Monday from 5-8pm this next week.  He has a full schedule during the days and doesn't have time for visitors until this time. So, today definitely had a different feel to it as we begin the countdown to Connor being released. After another good night of sleep, he progressed through his therapy sessions and enjoyed another shower - amazing how that simple activity can be such a highlight of the day.  We have gotten his schedule together for his out-patient therapy for his first week and will know more about his care, once they evaluate him at that new facility in 2 weeks.  His humor is quite infectious and is a welcome sign that he is ready to be home also. Seems insane that it has only been 6 weeks since the accident, when Shan and I both feel like we have spent months dealing with this ordeal. Will be unreal to have everyone together again and not be traveling back and forth to the hospital al...

Currently we are looking for  visitor/s who can sit with Connor on Sunday from 5-8pm this week.  He has a full schedule during the days and doesn't have time for visitors until this time. Well we made it to the 6-week mark from the moment of Connor's accident. How far we have come and how far we have to go - seems like we can do anything as a family and we will accomplish what we thought was impossible.  Today  we have found out that the therapy team anticipates that Connor will be ready to come home in 12 days, several months sooner than we had been told to anticipate. His progress on PT & OT has far exceeded what his therapy team had expected to see when he arrived and has blown all of us out of the water. We were hoping to have him home for Thanksgiving and now it looks like it will be an early B-Day gift for Dave next month.  His incision is healing quite well and we got our first look at his sutures and scar which is extensive but healthy looking. H...

Currently we are looking for  visitor/s who can sit with Connor on Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday from 5-8pm this week.  He has a full schedule during the days and doesn't have time for visitors until this time. As we draw upon 6 weeks from the start of this nightmare adventure we have been on with Connor, we actually are quite excited for  tomorrow  to come - will explain further. Today  Connor had a much needed rest day, which allowed all of us to spend time with him and even had an excellent surprise visit from his Cousin Patrick on a layover from his position at United Airlines.  We all even got to have a large  dinner this evening  while our friend Ginger sat with Connor - great to laugh and listen to the chatter of family.  The big deal with  tomorrow  is that Shan and I get to sit down with Connor's rehab team to understand the path of their care while he is at this facility. This path will define how quickly he will be ...

Currently due to Connor's recent move to this new facility, he is  not accepting any visitors at this time.  He needs to get used to his new schedule before we squeeze in visitors. Thanks for your understanding. So, after a first full day at our new facility, we are all tired. Overnight Connor and Shan were able to get a good night of rest with minimal interruptions. They were up early to get Connor moving to only find out his first activity with OT was to remove his clothes, take a shower and get dressed again.  After OT, he went back to his room and promptly fell asleep. His PT began a hour later and he walked up and down the hallway better than the day before. After lunch and another nap, he finished therapy for the day with Speech, in his room.  I was able to spend time with him in the afternoon as he tried to relax, saw that his Uncle had given him an excellent shave and he was wearing his favorite shirt. His Aunt Sue & Uncle Bob came for the dinner hou...

Currently due to Connor's recent move to this new facility, he is not accepting any visitors at this time.  He needs to get used to his new schedule before we squeeze in visitors. Thanks for your understanding.  So, today was quite a full day. Connor was up and moving early. By the time his Trauma team arrived, he and Shan had their bags packed and were ready to get moving to the Rehab facility. After completing the final paperwork and saying some tearful goodbyes to those on his floor, Connor was transported to his new home with his Uncle Steve at his side.  Upon getting settled at the Providence Rehab facility, he was worked over for the next 3hrs by his new Speech, Occupational and Physical Therapists. He was also given a thorough exam by his new attending physician. He realizes he has a long way to go but is determined to climb this hill in order to return to who he was.  His trach is nearly healed and his skull surgery comes and goes in waves of pain that a...

Currently due to Connor's recent surgery, he is not accepting any visitors at this time. After a day of resting, or at least attempting to rest, Connor is looking forward to some solid sleep  tonight . Not much action  today with finally feeling well enough to sit up in bed with shade open late  this afternoon . He even changed into his civilian clothing and ate dinner - still has jaw pain but getting better. He is scheduled to get a shower later  this evening , which is certainly well overdue.  Off to sleep and a hopeful day  tomorrow  - goodnight everyone. *Arnica 1m 6 doses

Currently due to Connor's recent surgery, he is not accepting any visitors at this time. Overnight, Connor was able to manage his surgery pain and find comfortable spots on the other half of his head to lay on his pillow. The nursing staf,f as always, was awesome and provided the attention he needed while not overloading him on medication. I was glad one of us stayed overnight, though with hardly any sleep, it allowed me to make certain he was cared for throughout the night for all items of comfort.  Today  is a rest day, as you can imagine. Therapy has been put on hold for the morning. However, they intend to get him up this afternoon and have him sit in a chair.  No rest for the recently cut upon.  Connor has been doing an excellent job of breathing through his pain, when he is between medication times. The trauma doc came in and informed us that Connor will be transferred to the rehab facility tomorrow for sure. Good restful vibes is what is needed...

Currently due to Connor's recent surgery, he is not accepting any visitors at this time. Aaannnnd we can breathe again - the surgery has gone well. The skull piece fit perfectly and the entire procedure had no complications. They returned Connor to his room by  3:30  and he has been trying to wind down. Amazingly he has been talking the whole time, but is experiencing pain in his head, as we all can imagine. Sleep is prescribed for him  tonight  and they are looking to monitor him over the next few days to watch for reactions and/or infections. We are not anticipating that he will move from this hospital until the beginning of next week to begin his Rehab, due to the surgery. But he has surprised us and the staff so far. So you never can tell what will happen.  Looking forward to a sleep-filled night without thoughts of an impending surgery and on to continued progression hereafter. Thank you all for you continued homework on the subject Buckley Skull. ...

Currently due to Connor having surgery tomorrow, he is not accepting any visitors at this time. Today  ends with Connor continuing with his progression and steadily struggling with the awareness of his accident. He continued to practice walking with his therapist Dana, who is excellent at pushing him further each time. He got to visit with the Cabatic family who came and brought life into his room for an excellent visit.  He then went to the basement for his swallow test which required barium ("Dad that is not milk that they have you drink") to ingest to verify that he was swallowing properly - passed! On to have some lunch and a nap that caught him mid bites. Later in the day, he had an additional therapy session with a therapist who persistently was able to push him out of a  mind funk  and was able to get him occupied on working his left arm and not focusing on where he was at.  The last visitor of the day was Bree Roche who will be assisting Dr Soldevil...

Connor can have visitors on a 1-on-1 basis and they need to go through Shan.  He has been asking to see his friends. So if anyone would like to visit, please make arrangements with Shan.  360-984-4780 At the 5 week mark, Shan and I reflect back to how far we have come. From the shear horror of an accident that potentially could have taken all that matters in life, to seeing the amazing individual we love and adore come back alive. We cannot say thank you enough to all of you who have been on the other end of this blog reading, quietly sending good vibes, commenting, praying, helping financially and those that are close to provide assistance with sitting - our hearts go out to each of you. This has been an exhaustive experience that we could not have endured without your response and involvement. When you feel alone, your darkest thoughts surround you. Thankfully all of us have had limited exposure to dark moments with all of the interaction each of you has provided.  ...

Connor can have visitors on a 1-on-1 basis and they need to go through Shan.  He has been asking to see his friends. So if anyone would like to visit, please make arrangements with Shan.  360-984-4780 Well, it has been some kinda day today with Connor.  After sleeping well overnight (as well as you can in a hospital), Connor consumed his first breakfast in 5 weeks - chopped French toast, puréed eggs, yogurt and keifer.  He then went off to rehab where Dana, his therapist got him out of the wheelchair for his first steps. They proceeded over the next 30min to walk up and down the walkway with rails for an impressive three trips. By the end of the third trip, Connor was exhausted and sweating from working himself to the bone. His therapist was blown away by the progress over this week, she has been with him all week and has seen him go from barely balancing on the side of the bed to now walking.  Next up was his first lunch in 5wks which he proceeded to fa...

Connor can have visitors on a 1-on-1 basis and they need to go through Shan.  He has been asking to see his friends. So if anyone would like to visit, please text to arrange a visit.   360-984-4780 Well,  today  was a long day on little sleep for  both Connor and Dave. Overnight he has been learning to cough all the way up to his mouth, in lieu of utilizing his trach at the mid point. With the cap on the trach, the struggle has been having a throat full of a pipe and trying to get phlegm from his lungs up and out. He is getting the hang of it  this afternoon,  but it meant a pretty restless night for him due to using stomach muscles that have been dormant and a sore throat. It was restless for Dave due to it sounding like Connor was choking on each cough, then waiting for him to take his next breath.  Today  was a down day from PT & OT but he still had the Speech Therapist come by to watch him eat his breakfast. Afterwards she grad...

Currently Connor can have visitors on a 1-on-1 basis and needs to go through Shan. Catching up for both updates  today,  due to a busy day with Connor. Therapy continued with more stretching, standing and moving around in his wheelchair. His left shoulder is beginning to bother him with pain at the joint due to gravity weighing on his forearm. The more that he can continue to utilize the arm and strengthen his joint, the more he will increase the tightness of the muscles that surround the shoulder-to-arm connection. They are utilizing a sling to help support the arm when standing so he can focus on the stand in lieu of focusing on the arm.  After a successful swallow test with the audiologist, which involved green fluids and a camera down his nose to verify that all fluids were going down the correct tube, he now has a cap on the trach and is breathing through his nose and mouth. Additionally he is speaking with his vocal cords and he sounds like the old Connor we know...

Currently due to his condition and being in TRACU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. Ending to another day of progress - small at times but continuing to chip away at the never ending task of learning to function all over.  Today  Connor was able to speak even clearer with and without his speaking valve. I got to spend an enjoyable afternoon of listening to him talk to me about all sorts of items. During therapy, the PT therapist was laughing so hard with all of his chatter - It's amazing to see his zest for life.  During PT he was able to stand with only assistance on his weaker left side, a first for him and quite a change from only  yesterday  when he needed help. He also is strengthening his stomach muscles, which are helping to keep him straight when sitting up at the edge of the bed.  We did not realize how beneficial his room has been due to it only allowing anyone coming into the room access to his left side. A week ago he was ...

Currently due to his condition and being in TRACU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. After spending another afternoon with Connor, I must confess I prefer the awake version better. Had many conversations about the day of the accident, the two surgeries and the upcoming surgery. Each day he is remembering more details of our past conversations and piecing together his new reality and what has happened.  Today  he was worried about his schooling and what were we going to do about it. I am in the process of connecting with his college to make certain he retains his status as an active student and can return without any disruption. He worked so hard to make the Presidents list and was concerned he would lose all of that status. Amazing to think that he can even process that and remember with all that is happening around him.  New items  today : he is lifting his left arm nearly over his head. The hand is squeezing tighter each day and he continues to ...

Currently due to his condition and being in TRACU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. After getting a really good nights sleep, Connor is noticeably improved - his left arm and leg is stronger and can move more.  He asked to stand up to get a stretch.  David, his nurse had him stepping sideways and backwards.  He's getting there.   Connor announced that he is hungry today.  His left arm feels tingly as the nerves are reconnecting.  Yesterday, Dave thought Connor was trying to tell him that his arm was itchy.  Now it makes sense what he was trying to say.  His communication skills are much improved today.  He can even get some words out without the speaker valve, so that helps.  My lip reading skills are not very good, apparently because I find myself asking him to try to speak. Even just a little sound is so much more helpful deciphering his thoughts.  Mary, the speech therapist was just here and she said Con...

Currently due to his condition and being in TRACU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. Well  today  has been quite a roller coaster. The activity level of Connor has been amazing with climbing out of bed into his chair (with assistance) to using the portable potty (which is a first) to working out in bed and stretching his back and lifting both arms over his head (right assisting the left for now). This has gone on all day even with him showing signs of tiring as he continues to push himself to improve. We even got to hear him speak  today  with the utilization of the vocal cap (Passe' Muir) on his trach. Connor commented on his own voice that it sounded weird - I could only cry while taking a video, sounded amazing to me. Can't believe how much I missed talking to him after a month of silence and standing by his side waiting for him to speak.    Tonight  he is not wanting to sleep yet while utilizing the vocal cap to talk with...

Currently due to his condition and being in TRACU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. Connor had a peaceful nights sleep last night. Me, not so much. My eyes were wide awake at each of Connor's movements and twitches and the nurse coming in and out every few hours. I'm not sure how he sleeps through all the interruptions. I guess you get good at anything after doing it for 4 weeks! He was up early and in his chair for about an hour. But opted to get back into bed because his head was hurting in the helmet. We've got to figure out how to make it feel better.  Not sure what the answer is.  We keep trying different things.  I'm hoping we'll stumble upon the magic combination sooner rather than later. Since being back in bed, he has used his phone to connect to the bluetooth speaker and turn on his music. So we are now sitting and listening to his music. Dr Engel came by  this morning  to say how good connor looks!  She says the plan for...

Currently due to his condition and being in TRACU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. As we end the 28th day of his stay at the hospital, Connor has had quite a day. He has been active all day getting to stand again to climb in and out of his chair on the way to his new recovery room. He is now settled into a room 1/3 the size of the ICU room- must be a mental way to accelerate your recovery to get home.   The nursing staff is the same - awesome, only difference is the fact that he no longer has one-on-one care. Tonight Shan will be spending the night in his room to make certain someone is watching him. This will make us more comfortable with this latest change. This evening we made the mistake of thinking he was asleep and went to the lounge to eat dinner together.  He woke up and was alone and got scared.  We feel horrible and it cements our feelings that he is not ready to be alone yet. Dr Soldevilla, the neurosurgeon made a surprise visit to se...

Currently due to his condition and being in ICU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. This morning started out with a bang!  I walked in to connor all bright-eyed. After a while of chit chat, I asked him if he knew why he was in the hospital and he said no. So I told him the story again. And once again he was amazed. JJ from PT came in and helped him to stand up! He did it all on his own with only help to stabilize. And then to get into his favorite chair. He played on my computer for quite a while until the speech therapist came in. She gave him ice chips, water, thick apple juice and apple sauce one after another as he tolerated each one. She tried the talking button. But he wasn't able to make it work today. He sat in his chair for two hours until he asked to go back to bed. Eva, his awesome sitter helped him back to bed by standing up, turning and sitting on the bed. Now he is playing on the computer again - trying to make words with the notes app but no...

Currently due to his condition and being in ICU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. Lazy Sundays are nice to have, can't wait to enjoy them at home in lieu of Hotel Emmanuel. Connor has spent today napping off and on while getting a chance to see his brother and sister along with Mama and Papa who dropped by. Great to see him reach for them and have recognition on his face.  He will stay one more night in ICU due to it being Sunday (no moves apparently on the weekend) and the Hotel is full until some of the guests start checking out tomorrow morning.  They did change out his trach tube to a smaller size to continue his transition off utilizing this equipment and back to breathing through his mouth/nose again.  He is sleeping peacefully and his relaxed face is reflecting the healing that we are seeing in his brain. Hard to have him sleep while we are there, as we want to be talking with him and having him reacting to our conversation. But we also kn...

Currently due to his condition and being in ICU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. Connor had already been in his chair and back to bed this morning before we even arrived at the hospital. He had a second great night of sleep last night, which the attending doctor, Dr Barney was looking for. Because of this, she has put in the orders to transfer him out of ICU into TRACU. Since this is the high season for trauma, he will have to wait until a bed becomes available. She said it could happen in 10 minutes or on Tuesday. It all depends upon availability.  They have started slowwwly weaning him off his meds. Also, they have cut down on checking his blood so often due to his spectacular status. And they will change his trach collar down a notch today. All in all a great assessment from the doc! Thanks again for all the support from everyone.  It's amazing how much a cheering squad helps us.  Also, thank you to Connor's friends from camp who have sent post...

Currently due to his condition and being in ICU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. Ending to another day at Hotel Emmanuel Hospital. It looks like we will be here in ICU for a few more days to allow Connor to get the care he needs. He currently is off all IV meds and has been off the respirator for 3 days total. The level of care and attention he currently needs can only be provided here in ICU in lieu of transferring to Trauma Recovery. We were reminded by Dr Soldevilla this morning that having Connor stay here in this room for a few more days is not a bad thing. He is only progressing forward and they want only what is best for him.  Today there were many signs in Connor that he is becoming more aware of his surroundings and his situation bringing about quite a bit of emotion and distress. He would calm himself down but it was a new step in his recovery for him to start having self awareness.  He received a couple postcards today from friends at his ca...

Currently due to his condition and being in ICU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. Well, we both broke down and took Sudafed last night in order to make certain we had a good night sleep and to relieve our head pressure. It worked and we both got a full night of sleep - back to Connor early.  When we arrived at 7, he was awake and moving after having a full night of sleep with a small assistance of Ambien when he had awoken during the night. They did not know if this would work for him as some patients do not have a good reaction to this med. However, giving him a small dose helped to ease him back to a restful place.  We just got our daily report from Dr Soldevilla, who informed us that Connor will be scheduled for his brain skull surgery in the next couple weeks  - as long as he continues to show no  negative changes. The Dr is very happy with the latest CT Scan which is reflecting that the brain is reducing in size and fitting back into his sk...

Currently due to his condition and being in ICU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time So Day 25 in ICU closes and we are exhausted. Shan arrived home around 6pm and went directly to bed - unfortunately I have fallen prey to a head cold which has been debilitating to say the least. Hoping to kick overnight so I can tag team at the hospital tomorrow and actually be able to think.  Connor had a decent remainder of the day after his CT Scan. They returned him to his lazy boy chair where he fell asleep. I was able to visit briefly while bringing lunch for Shan. He continued to rest for the afternoon and was still snoozing when Shan left. She mentioned how peaceful and soft his face looked.  He even was smiling with his dreams - glad to see that smile. We will see what tomorrow brings - goodnight.

Currently due to his condition and being in ICU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. Ok - day 25!  Connors white count and fever has come down all on its own without any interventions. They did all the cultures  yesterday . Only got a few negatives back. By the time the rest of the cultures come back it won't matter. Now they are thinking it was just the lungs acting up. Hallelujah!    Today  his secretions are clear and they are going to put a smaller trach in - thinking that also will help with the secretions. They aren't going to change anything  today  as far as meds go.  Dr Soldevilla, his neurosurgeon came in and said connor looks great, he's making great progress. He is ordering a CT scan for  today  so he can measure for the bone piece. It takes about a week to make the piece. He will store it in the operating room until it's time to put it in.  He's sitting in his chair sleeping right now - his new fa...

Currently due to his condition and being in ICU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. To say that we have a daunting path ahead is an understatement. Today Connor was awake and got to sit-up on the side of his bed holding his head up and doing some stretching with the PT experts. They then got him into his chair for the second time today to look out the window. He then got to do two rounds on the entire ICU area with Shan pushing and the nurse following with only minimal attachments this time. Unfortunately he will not be moving off the floor yet, his fever has returned and his white blood cell count has escalated. They are taking cultures of everything and looking for a source of infection. Some items have come back negative in the preliminary look but several samples will need to go the full 3-day culture to verify. As always, thank you to everyone for reading, for your curiosity and your love. Please continue with your homework. Good night 

Currently due to his condition and being in ICU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. We are back early this morning. Connor had a slightly better night of sleeping, but they were not able to find the right combination of meds and sleep rhythm. They had him up in his chair by the time we arrived due to his agitation of laying in his bed. He was alert and curious about cleaning his face, covering his mouth when he coughed and feeling his left arm. He then fell asleep after an hour and a half still sitting upright in his chair. 

Currently due to his condition and being in ICU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. The day may have started off with little activity, but once the new medication mixture wore off, he awoke and was the most alert yet! He was able to be unrestrained for the afternoon, which helped his demeanor and allowed him to feel his arm, legs, face, head  and junk. He was even able to ask for Chachi - gave him a good Dab with his arm and a cheesy smile which made us all laugh!   Today /tonight they have rearranged his meds to assist him with hopefully a better sleep cycle. We are hopeful also that he can sleep and then save the daytime hours to work on his exercises.  The best news  today  by far is that they are anticipating to request a move for him  tomorrow  to Trauma Recovery!  We are excited  tonight , you can tell by our chatter and laughter in Connor's room - feels good to celebrate the small things - goodnight and looking forw...

Currently due to his condition and being in ICU, Connor is not accepting any visitors at this time. Theres not much going on today. Connor spent from midnight to 5 am in an agitated state. So they are letting him rest this morning. PT should be coming around soon to put him in his chair. The attending doctor this week changed his meds up a little. Really nothing new to report.