Friday, July 29, 2011

Friday July 29

I walked in this morning to wake him for breakfast and found him asleep on his right side. Some pillows were on the ground and parts of his covers were tangled around his legs. Before I woke him, I sat there looking at him and thanking God for giving me such a beautiful, special, and wonderful father. I thanked the Lord for giving our family such a special person. I also thanked the Lord for giving both Lisa and I, such an incredibly beautiful, strong mother.  I could tell he was dreaming hard because of the REM sleep. I just hoped he was dreaming beautiful dreams and nothing that has to do with work. There have been several instances where he has awakened only to say something strange. Yesterday he woke up telling mom that he had to go to City Hall. Some of you may be cheering after hearing this but I assure you, it was only a dream. He asked me the other day if I had walked around the 5th hole. And there was another time when he told mom that he had a report that was due. It's been a long 10 week journey and he's slowly coming around. His right hand and leg are getting stronger. He's now able to stand and hold his weight on the left leg, of course with the assistance of two therapist at his sides. He's raising his right leg about a foot during exercises.
The doctors scoped him this week to see if there was any damage to his vocal cords; all negative. It still goes in and out but we now know, it's just a matter of time before he regains his full voice. We're all very happy with dad's progress so far. He's a fighter!
I believe we're ready to close this chapter in his life and waiting to hear from his doctors what his new chapter will be starting next week. We're so happy many of you take the time to keep up with this blog. This truly shows the amount of love all of you have for him and he could not have gotten this far without this support, love and prayers.  Mom, Lisa, Karen, Randy, Ryan, Kevin, Joel, Katrina, Andrew, and I thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. I will keep all of you posted with what happens next. It's just a matter of time before you'll see JV walking the halls, hugging, kissing and smiling at all of you. He's on the wide road to recovery.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Tuesday July 26th

Good morning everyone. Dad is coming along just fine. His therapies are strong and his movement on his right side is getting better. He still does not have control of his eyelid which continues to remain closed. However, can see movement of the eye under the eyelid and very small movement sometimes when he blinks. His volume comes and goes. The doctors are thinking of releasing him by the end of this week. We shall wait and see what happens next.
In the meantime, we're getting his house handicap ready by placing ramps, rails, equipment, etc, ready should they send him home. Yesterday, I took him a cut off golf club shaft with the grip attached so he can begin working his right hand and getting the feel of holding a golf club. He really liked this. We also wheeled him outside and around the property. He seemed to enjoy this as well. And for the grand prize, we took him to the cafe where he picked what ever he wanted. He was like a kid in a candy store. It's really hard to believe that he'll be in the hospital 10 weeks tomorrow. I believe he's ready to continue his therapy at home. I'll keep you posted.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Friday July 22

We have decided to hold off on visitation for this weekend. We would like for him to rest and sleep as much as possible.  The doctors don't know why his vocal volume has diminished. He's back to mouthing words and speaking at a very low volume. Although he has vision in his left eye, he has no control of movement to the eye nor eye lid.  His therapy sessions are still going strong and his legs have gotten a little stronger. I'm happy to report that movement to his right hand and leg has improved exceptionally well since his arrival and he tries to use his right hand during his meals. Knowing that depression can set in during these circumstances, I ask him if he felt depressed and his response was no but disappointed for the fact he can't open his left eye and can't move his right side like he use to. I explained that time and therapy will heal his right side and only time will determine what happens to his eye. I also mentioned that he'd be going home soon. He said that he can't wait! I will try my best to keep a daily blog of his progress for next week because we believe it a matter of only another week or so before they send him home. Our goal, once again, is to have him on the golf course in November. This is a goal he's thinking about and working for while in therapy.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Tuesday July 20

Hello again!
Dad's left eye is still closed and doctors don't know why. Time will tell if it will get better or stay as is. He seems to be a little more tired than before. I'm working with mom and Lisa to decide what kind of protein or vitamin drinks we should give him for pep. He's doing very well in all of his therapy sessions. He's eating almost everything they put in front of him and they have stopped feeding him completely through his tube at night. The other evening, he awoke and asked me if I had walked around the 5th hole. We all know what he was dreaming about. I keep telling him that our goal is to have him golfing by November. We have to accept the fact he may never be the same as when you last saw him before May 20th. This is perfectly alright because he's still with us today!!!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Saturday July 16

I just got back from being out of town and my first stop was to visit dad. We had a little scare today according to Lisa. Apparently we had way too many visitors come in at one time which proved too much for him. Sometimes I can't control who and/or when people come to visit.  Should anyone come to visit and sees there are others in the room, please wait outside until those visiting are finished. We're limiting the visit time to around 10 minutes. This afternoon, he was so exhausted he didn't want to wake up for speech therapy. Lisa tried to wake him but he just didn't respond. The nurses came in to see what was happening, drew blood, call his doctor because he just didn't wake up. You can just imagine all of the thoughts the were going through there minds. Once the doctor came in to see him, he suggested that maybe too many visitors at one time was too much for dad to take in.  Scary moment for all of us.  I'm glad to say that
he had an undisturbed 2 hour nap and when he awoke, he was alert and responsive. What a sigh of relief!!!  I'm doing my best to schedule times for visitations with enough time in between for some rest. Only 2 at a time in the room has been suggested by the nursing staff.
I would like to remind everyone, he's still in rehabilitation, working on building his strength so that he can transfer himself alone from bed to chair.  He's far from this but he's showing signs of improvement. There will be times when he'll carry a conversation with us and other times when we can't understand him at all. This is part of his recovery process.
Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers.  

Friday, July 15, 2011

Friday July 15

Doctors are puzzled for the fact dad's left eye lid is closed. He can't open it on his own. An MRI was performed yesterday and we're all waiting for the results. He can see with the eye when the lid is lifted. He just can't open it. Although he's aware of this, and questioning it, his therapy sessions are progressing positively. He's now able to transfer from bed to chair with the assistance of one nurse. His voice volume is to a point where we can hear him clearly. I wanted to write this blog from out of town to explain the lid problem for those planning to visit him and seeing him this way.
We'll shall see what the results from the MRI read. I'll keep you posted.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Wed. July 13

The good news from the last time I wrote is that his voice is getting stronger, he's carrying conversations with visitors and he's eating more. Yesterday, the doctors lifted the thicken liquids to normal liquids as long as someone is present. He drank a lot of water and milk and was very, very happy. The thicken liquids are just awful!
It's getting easier to transfer him from bed to chair. Keep in mind, as soon as he can transfer himself from bed to chair without any assistance, he goes home. He's working very hard to accomplish this because he starting to dislike the hospital.
He asked that I bring in my laptop yesterday so he could check his bank account. I brought it in only to find out, he couldn't remember his pin. Let's see what a week does for his memory. I'll try again next week.
I'm going to take some more photos of him in rehab to send out. I'll let you know when some are available for emailing.
I'm heading out to Los Angeles today for business, returning on Sunday. I'll be happy to report all new progress upon my arrival. Should any significant news come up while I'm away, I'll be sure to write it in. Otherwise, you'll hear about dad on Monday.
Thanks again for all of your continued thoughts and prayers.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Sunday July 10

We would like to thank those who took time out of their weekend to visit dad. Today he had the most out loud conversations I've heard out of him since his time in the hospital. He carried on conversations with almost everyone.  He even told a visitor that he had head surgery and couldn't remember. Jogging his memory is a great thing. He also proved he can move his right hand and foot for all to see. For those who understand golf, he took his left hand and made a pitching motion to suggest, he can't wait to get back on the course.
Yesterday he stood on his own while his physical therapy team gave him his first shower in 7 weeks. He was soooo happy to get his hair shampooed.
He's a very happy camper at the moment because today there wasn't any therapy. For those who would like to see a picture of him smiling, please email me at davidv1@cox.net and I'll be happy to send you one.
Thanks again for your love and prayers. 

Friday, July 8, 2011

Friday July 8th

7 weeks in the hospital today.
I have some funny stuff to report. Mom came in this morning and said good morning to dad. Dad whispered back, "good morning". She repeated herself but louder, "say good morning loud".  So dad said, "good morning loud" as clear as can be.
There are times when we have to lean over to hear what's he's trying to say. Lisa leaned over him yesterday while he was whispering and he puckered up his lips thinking she wanted a kiss.
Although his watch is safe at home, he keeps looking at his wrist to see what time it is. So Lisa took off her lady's watch and put it on him. He was happy to see time and could care less it didn't quite fit.
The nurse came into his room in the evening to get him changed and ready for bed. It was around 7:30 when she woke him from a long nap. When he saw what time it was, he asked her why she was waking him so early in the morning. Lisa opened the blinds to show him it was getting dark and to explain that it's time for bed. He then just shook his head.
Yesterday, J Parker came in and dad asked him if he wanted to play golf.
It's great to see his sense of humor coming back. All of us are so very happy and proud to have him in our lives. We love him so very much!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Wed. July 6th

I bet many of you are wondering why I haven't written anything since Saturday. I assure you everything is fine with Dad. One week today at St. Mary's and what a difference each day brings.  Since his arrival, he's starting to lift his right leg, rotate and squeeze with his right hand and maneuver his wheel chair down the hallway...slow but steady.
His speech volume is also improving. We had a pretty lengthy talk today. He's still questioning what happened and why he's having difficulties with his right side. He repeats these questions over and over. One of the affects with this type of trauma is short term memory loss. Yesterday he just start talking about the city and work at the U of A. For example, he told mom that he had to do a report for work. We didn't know why, he just said this out loud. Come to find out from one of his partners at work, they have been working on a report that's due soon. He's still sharp at times. So we don't mind him asking the same questions over and over or not remembering things that took place earlier during the day. We know his mind will get better. Mom is starting to go home to rest during the day. Today was the first day she left at 10:30 and returned at 2:00 pm. She stayed until 6:00 pm then left when I returned. Lisa and I come in at various times throughout the day only because on his therapy sessions. There's no need to be present when he's in therapy.
We all notice some kind of improvement from day to day. It's really remarkable how the mind and body works. The Lord tells us to rest when we need to; then tells us when it's okay to slowly begin a new life. Dad's starting his new life.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Saturday July 2nd

Today is dad's birthday, a young 77 years! We all sang to him this morning and since we couldn't light candles in the room, he pretended to blow them out anyway. He's going to have plenty of cake to eat when he wants. The therapy staff at St. Mary's is great and have been working him hard. With some assistance from his nurses this morning, he wheeled himself down the hallway.  I got a chance to sit in the therapy room to see his team help him actually lift himself from the wheel chair to a standing position on the parallel bars. It was the first time I was able to see him standing in 6 weeks. Although his right side is weak and slow to respond, I've seen great improvement with his right hand. He's now grabbing and squeezing objects.We're sooo proud of him! I'm amazed to see his progress in just under a week.
While at Kindred, he slept most of the day. Here at St. Mary's, he's up working hard when he has to be and sleeping in between therapy sessions. Lisa and I no longer have to spend nights because #1, he's in good hands and #2, he sleeps all night because of the activity during the day. We're anxious to see what progress he makes by next weekend.

Have a great 4th of July and spend this weekend safe with loved ones.