We are watching occupational therapy. It makes me grateful for my working body. Nathan is progressing rapidly but every thing is slow in his arms. She is helping him raise his arms and she had him raise his arm to hit her fist. He tried really hard but could not quite make it. Hopefully you will understand from this how hard it is for him each day to achieve his goal. Next time you high 5 someone think of Nathan and say a prayer of gratitude for arms that can do that.
Monday, July 08, 2013
Sunday, July 07, 2013
Sunday July 7, 2013
We got to the hospital by about 10:15 am. Nathan was showered and ready to go. We called and talked to Erick and Heather and Ryker for over an hour. Nathan got a little upset but not like he did in the afternoon yesterday. Like all of us he is more emotional when he is tired. He knows how to laugh when things are funny but he still cries when he is extremely happy.
John and Judy Trolinger had come to visit when we were here and they left when it was time for church to go home.
Nathan's ward was interesting most of the people who bore their testimonies were male. I don't know if that is typical but it is not typical of our ward. I bore my testimony and thanked the people that have helped so much to bring meals and other things for Sara and us when we were here the first time.
This afternoon about 5:00 p.m. the Elder's quorum president and two of the members of the quorum came and gave Nathan the sacrament. Since he cannot eat they put it in his feeding tube after they blessed it. For bread they used a cracker dissolved in water. It was a nice experience for Nathan. He has wanted it for some time. At least since Kirsten was here. They told him about the Priesthood lesson and then Larry asked Nathan if he would like a blessing and the Elder's quorum president helped him to give Nathan a blessing. In the blessing he was told that he would be healed except for a few minor problems and that he would be an example and leader to others because of the things he learned. He was also told that he would be able to use this experience to help others to endure their trials and that he would be able to say to others he understands. It was a wonderful blessing. Larry said he felt impressed to ask him if he wanted a blessing.
After the blessing he wanted to go outside. His nurse said that she needed to feed him. His regular nurse just pours the food in with a funnel type thing but this nurse hung it like an IV so it took longer. Then they told us that he also needed something else. Anyway we did not get outside.
He had a bowel movement and needed to be changed. We left so he could be changed in private. A few minutes later the nurse came and said that he was refusing to be changed. He has been really rational all week but he really lost it. He was mad because he said that they had left him to sit in his poo. I know that was not true so I tried to reason with him and he finally let them change him if they would hurry. The nurses said it is an effect of the PDA but I did not ask them what PDA was so I cannot tell you. I have noticed that he gets really tired if he stays awake after 7:00 p.m. and tends to not do as well after that. Kirsten wanted to talk to him for a while and then we read a conference talk and said prayer. That seemed to calm him down some but he was still upset when we left. I told him to go to bed and be nice. He acts like a 2 year old when he gets like this. They think it will be temporary but it is really disconcerting to watch and deal with like any other 2 year old.
John and Judy Trolinger had come to visit when we were here and they left when it was time for church to go home.
Nathan's ward was interesting most of the people who bore their testimonies were male. I don't know if that is typical but it is not typical of our ward. I bore my testimony and thanked the people that have helped so much to bring meals and other things for Sara and us when we were here the first time.
This afternoon about 5:00 p.m. the Elder's quorum president and two of the members of the quorum came and gave Nathan the sacrament. Since he cannot eat they put it in his feeding tube after they blessed it. For bread they used a cracker dissolved in water. It was a nice experience for Nathan. He has wanted it for some time. At least since Kirsten was here. They told him about the Priesthood lesson and then Larry asked Nathan if he would like a blessing and the Elder's quorum president helped him to give Nathan a blessing. In the blessing he was told that he would be healed except for a few minor problems and that he would be an example and leader to others because of the things he learned. He was also told that he would be able to use this experience to help others to endure their trials and that he would be able to say to others he understands. It was a wonderful blessing. Larry said he felt impressed to ask him if he wanted a blessing.
After the blessing he wanted to go outside. His nurse said that she needed to feed him. His regular nurse just pours the food in with a funnel type thing but this nurse hung it like an IV so it took longer. Then they told us that he also needed something else. Anyway we did not get outside.
He had a bowel movement and needed to be changed. We left so he could be changed in private. A few minutes later the nurse came and said that he was refusing to be changed. He has been really rational all week but he really lost it. He was mad because he said that they had left him to sit in his poo. I know that was not true so I tried to reason with him and he finally let them change him if they would hurry. The nurses said it is an effect of the PDA but I did not ask them what PDA was so I cannot tell you. I have noticed that he gets really tired if he stays awake after 7:00 p.m. and tends to not do as well after that. Kirsten wanted to talk to him for a while and then we read a conference talk and said prayer. That seemed to calm him down some but he was still upset when we left. I told him to go to bed and be nice. He acts like a 2 year old when he gets like this. They think it will be temporary but it is really disconcerting to watch and deal with like any other 2 year old.
Saturday, July 06, 2013
July 6-Nathan update
Today was Saturday so there was no therapy except occupational therapy. Unfortunately we did not get there in time for the therapy. He said that they spent more time with the pushing with the stick and things that they started on Friday.
When we got there he was outside with the nurse, Joey. They have a wonderful courtyard behind the Polytrauma center that they can go to for outside air. He seemed to be in a good mood and we spent a lot of time just talking with each other all of us. We finally went inside and went to the day room and watched Larry and John Trolinger in a few games of pool. Nathan was talking very clear during this time. We also had the TV on Fx and he was enjoying the programs that were on. They were funny and he spent a lot of time laughing. He also kept saying "yumm" when the food commercials came on. They told him yesterday that they would do a swallow test this next week to see if he could swallow and keep the food in his esophagus. If he can then they will begin to help him get back to eating. He is excited about this as you can imagine. He has had several incidences with the therapists when they were giving him a "taste" of something by rubbing it on his tongue and he has shut his mouth and not let them have it back. On Thursday when we were trying to watch some fireworks his friends the Ferrins came up. We were talking about this and the things that he had been able to "taste" by rubbing the flavor on his tongue and I asked him if he wanted to have me rub a gold fish cracker on his tongue. When I did he immediately shut his mouth and would not let me have it. Then he left it on his tongue to melt. Obviously he has survived.
This afternoon we spent some time on the courtyard again and he was able to call his brothers and sisters except Erick and talk with them. Erick did not answer and we left him a message but he did not call back so he must have been somewhere. We also called my Mom and talked to her some. Each time he started to talk to them he got upset and started to cry for joy. He has said several times this week that he misses his family and sometimes he is talking about Sara and the kids that are in Missouri this week but sometimes he has said that he misses his brothers and sisters. I think that is what he meant tonight.
The article that Maren sent him on Facebook made him think that maybe he could use his Viola to help strengthen his right hand that is weaker so he wants me to bring that up tomorrow. We will talk to the occupational therapist about it on Monday.
It seems that reading a conference talk every night and saying a prayer with him has helped to calm the paranoia that he sometimes feels about his medicines. He really seems to enjoy it and it has helped to bring up concerns that he wants to talk about.
Some times he can carry on a good conversation but it is hard to understand some words still so we have to use the alphabet board. He said today that the alphabet board was a life saver. It has got easier as he can now point to the letters. They say that his tongue and the back of his throat needs more strength to say some of the letter sound so we can understand them.
He complained of numbness on his right side last Saturday and I flipped out because I thought it was a sign of stroke again but they did two CT scans and found nothing different from last time. He did not complain about it all week and today he started complaining about it. The theory tonight is that maybe on Saturday's when he does not have so many therapies to keep him busy he notices the numb feelings more. We will see.
When we got there he was outside with the nurse, Joey. They have a wonderful courtyard behind the Polytrauma center that they can go to for outside air. He seemed to be in a good mood and we spent a lot of time just talking with each other all of us. We finally went inside and went to the day room and watched Larry and John Trolinger in a few games of pool. Nathan was talking very clear during this time. We also had the TV on Fx and he was enjoying the programs that were on. They were funny and he spent a lot of time laughing. He also kept saying "yumm" when the food commercials came on. They told him yesterday that they would do a swallow test this next week to see if he could swallow and keep the food in his esophagus. If he can then they will begin to help him get back to eating. He is excited about this as you can imagine. He has had several incidences with the therapists when they were giving him a "taste" of something by rubbing it on his tongue and he has shut his mouth and not let them have it back. On Thursday when we were trying to watch some fireworks his friends the Ferrins came up. We were talking about this and the things that he had been able to "taste" by rubbing the flavor on his tongue and I asked him if he wanted to have me rub a gold fish cracker on his tongue. When I did he immediately shut his mouth and would not let me have it. Then he left it on his tongue to melt. Obviously he has survived.
This afternoon we spent some time on the courtyard again and he was able to call his brothers and sisters except Erick and talk with them. Erick did not answer and we left him a message but he did not call back so he must have been somewhere. We also called my Mom and talked to her some. Each time he started to talk to them he got upset and started to cry for joy. He has said several times this week that he misses his family and sometimes he is talking about Sara and the kids that are in Missouri this week but sometimes he has said that he misses his brothers and sisters. I think that is what he meant tonight.
The article that Maren sent him on Facebook made him think that maybe he could use his Viola to help strengthen his right hand that is weaker so he wants me to bring that up tomorrow. We will talk to the occupational therapist about it on Monday.
It seems that reading a conference talk every night and saying a prayer with him has helped to calm the paranoia that he sometimes feels about his medicines. He really seems to enjoy it and it has helped to bring up concerns that he wants to talk about.
Some times he can carry on a good conversation but it is hard to understand some words still so we have to use the alphabet board. He said today that the alphabet board was a life saver. It has got easier as he can now point to the letters. They say that his tongue and the back of his throat needs more strength to say some of the letter sound so we can understand them.
He complained of numbness on his right side last Saturday and I flipped out because I thought it was a sign of stroke again but they did two CT scans and found nothing different from last time. He did not complain about it all week and today he started complaining about it. The theory tonight is that maybe on Saturday's when he does not have so many therapies to keep him busy he notices the numb feelings more. We will see.
Continuation of July 5th
In Physical therapy they continued with excercises on the legs and stomach after transferring him from his wheelchair with the board to an exersize table. He is bringing his knee up to his waist and lifting his leg with a weight on it while laying down. He can also do the bridge. The therapist said that he is doing so much better today.
Friday, July 05, 2013
JULY 5TH
Today I had to be in the hospital by eight today. The eye doctor was coming to test Nathan's eyes because he had complained about not seeing well. When the tests were done they felt like he just needed some help with long distance, so his eyes aren't too bad.
The speech therapist is working with him today on how to make his speech more understandable by breathing and articulating. He is also working on expressing himself with the eye device on the computer. She showed him today that he can also use the computer as a touch screen.
The occupational therapist started with some excercises on his right arm. He seems to be weaker on the right side. She also is using the eye gaze machine and he says the left arm can do more. Now she is doing excersizes for the shoulders.
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
More on Nathan
Today we were able to view Nathan's physical therapy. They had equipment that he could sit in and then they brought him to a standing position. Unlike the tilt table this piece of equipment can bring him totally upright. He had to transfer to the chair like devise from his wheelchair using the board that they used on Monday. They have to help him with this as he cannot move his limbs that freely yet. Then he swings around to sit in the chair. They strap him in so he does not slip under the arms and at his feet. and then the equipment raises him gradually until he is in standing position. He was thrilled and laughed and joked like a school kid. He said it felt good to be standing again. They had him stand and try to blow different toys. One of the best was blowing bubbles. I always thought that blowing bubbles with kids was just a form of entertainment but apparently it also develops their ability to blow in a way to develops their air ways for speaking.
They took him to a picnic for Recreational Therapy at the Fisher House that was given for the veteran and their families. Larry and I got to go with him. It was a good meal with steak or chicken and potatoes, green beans, salad and other condiments and of course many desserts. It was a little bit of a torture for him because he cannot eat but they did cut up a steak and at least rub it on his tongue which he says is better than not having the taste but it still seemed a little like torture to me.
We spent the better part of the afternoon talking. He is supposed to practice talking in sentences. He looked at some pictures of him as a child with me this afternoon and he talked about that. He got upset when a nurse wanted to talk to me without him this afternoon so that started a whole dialogue on what he needs to have the nurses do better. He talks very childlike sometimes and other times he talks more mature. I am sure it is part of the healing process.
Tomorrow we need to find a place to look at fireworks. He was joking with the nurses today that he wanted to have fireworks in his room. They told him he could only have sparklers. At that point because he cannot completely grip things for very long I told him he could not hold the sparkler so he would drop it and burn all the hair on his chest. At that he picks up his hand slowly and forms it into a perfect fist in the front of his stomach showing me he could hold his sparkler. We all laughed.
They took him to a picnic for Recreational Therapy at the Fisher House that was given for the veteran and their families. Larry and I got to go with him. It was a good meal with steak or chicken and potatoes, green beans, salad and other condiments and of course many desserts. It was a little bit of a torture for him because he cannot eat but they did cut up a steak and at least rub it on his tongue which he says is better than not having the taste but it still seemed a little like torture to me.
We spent the better part of the afternoon talking. He is supposed to practice talking in sentences. He looked at some pictures of him as a child with me this afternoon and he talked about that. He got upset when a nurse wanted to talk to me without him this afternoon so that started a whole dialogue on what he needs to have the nurses do better. He talks very childlike sometimes and other times he talks more mature. I am sure it is part of the healing process.
Tomorrow we need to find a place to look at fireworks. He was joking with the nurses today that he wanted to have fireworks in his room. They told him he could only have sparklers. At that point because he cannot completely grip things for very long I told him he could not hold the sparkler so he would drop it and burn all the hair on his chest. At that he picks up his hand slowly and forms it into a perfect fist in the front of his stomach showing me he could hold his sparkler. We all laughed.
Tuesday, July 02, 2013
Nathan's progress.
We have been in San Antonio now for 4 days. It has been good but exhausting but exhilarating at the same time.
Nathan is really doing miraculously well. He is trying to talk, now the tracheotomy is out, and succeeding for the most part but he has some muscles in his mouth that need strengthened according to his speech therapist. There are sentences that are completely understandable but for the most part but there is often a word that has letters he can't say yet so we have to have him spell that out. It is frustrating for him because it takes so long for him to get the sentences out. I can understand why Sara is so exhausted because just trying to understand Nathan is a full time job. He sounds like my friend who has cerebral palsy so at least I have had some practice.
We were able to attend Nathan's different therapy classes on Monday. In Recreational therapy they were working on getting the muscles in his fingers working by playing a game of tic tac toe on the IPad. They also take him outside and work on different social skills. Tomorrow they are taking him to a barbecue.
In Occupational Therapy she was excited to find that Nathan could use the joystick and guide his wheel chair and so despite the fact she had other things planned she took him around the outside of the gym giving him a chance to use this method of guidance. They had put an assistive device on his chair so he could drive it by turning his head from side to side but he actually did better with the joystick in his hand. They said that they would probably not need the head guide. She then took him inside and they worked with a program that helps him to type words and phrases by using his eyes to guide the computer mouse on the keyboard. This is still hard for him but he is able to type in words to help him communicate. It helps him right now to express things that are still hard for him to say.
In Physical Therapy he practiced moving from his wheelchair to a bed with some help from them and a board. Then they helped him to roll over to one side and then the other. All of his limbs are working some. Then they helped him to sit up into a sitting position and then taught him to lean on one elbow and then another. Then they used that to teach him how to get into the wheelchair again using the same board. It was really hard work for him I could tell but he did not give up. It was a common theme in all the classes that the therapists said that Nathan was where he was because of his hard work. He is way beyond where the doctors thought he might be by now.
He has a psychological session that no one is allowed to attend. Then he had a speech therapy session. They just recently decided to move him to afternoon with his speech because he did so well in his session on Monday. They are teaching him how to strengthen his muscles in his mouth and throat and diaphragm. He practiced some of the sounds and did a great job. But it is still hard for him and his assignment is to talk as much as he could and to not use the head shakes to communicate any more. Again he was commended for his hard work. They just took the tracheotomy out less than a week ago.
It is hard to believe that he has come so far in about 6 weeks. When I left then he was just able to turn his head from side to side and blink. He has surely been blessed as he was promised. But he gets all emotional when you say that, he says, "No, No, No." Then he starts to cry. When I asked him why he says that he says wants to be better like he was before. I told him he needs to think of where he is not where he was before the stroke but how much he has progressed since the stroke. He is extremely frustrated that he is not like he used to be and cannot see the good of the improvement he is making. I am hoping through prayer to help him see that he is accomplishing a great thing and he will grow from it.
He is also very frustrated by the fact that he has to take medicine and is often refusing to take his meds because he feels like they are giving him things he does not need. Today he refused to take his antidepressant and by night he was having a hard time controlling his emotions and a harder time talking. I encouraged him to take it because the doctors said it would help him to think better and be able to concentrated better. We will see what happened tomorrow. But helping him to get the issue out in the open enabled him to reemphasize that he wants to be told what he is taking and what it is for. He is very emotional about this subject. I think it stems from the fact that he is very emotional about his lack of privacy in personal matters because he cannot do things for himself. He feels that the meds compound the number of bowel movements he is having and he would like to have none, which is not possible.
He is very childlike and tells me at least 20 times a day, "Thank You" and "I love you". He says that he is so glad that I could come and be with him. He does not remember when we came before and does not remember the stroke so I think that is a blessing. I have often prayed that he would be comforted in his feelings when He was locked in. It appears that the Lord answered that blessing by putting a cloud of forgetfulness over his mind. I have often heard that the mind shuts down when the body is experiencing hard things but I also know that he appeared to be conscious and mentally responding to our questions during that time. Sometimes he becomes the adult and looks like he is very much the same as he was before so I think that the emotions are part of the recovery.
Will post more tomorrow if I can. Needless to say he misses Sara and the kids very much but he is glad they are having fun.
Nathan is really doing miraculously well. He is trying to talk, now the tracheotomy is out, and succeeding for the most part but he has some muscles in his mouth that need strengthened according to his speech therapist. There are sentences that are completely understandable but for the most part but there is often a word that has letters he can't say yet so we have to have him spell that out. It is frustrating for him because it takes so long for him to get the sentences out. I can understand why Sara is so exhausted because just trying to understand Nathan is a full time job. He sounds like my friend who has cerebral palsy so at least I have had some practice.
We were able to attend Nathan's different therapy classes on Monday. In Recreational therapy they were working on getting the muscles in his fingers working by playing a game of tic tac toe on the IPad. They also take him outside and work on different social skills. Tomorrow they are taking him to a barbecue.
In Occupational Therapy she was excited to find that Nathan could use the joystick and guide his wheel chair and so despite the fact she had other things planned she took him around the outside of the gym giving him a chance to use this method of guidance. They had put an assistive device on his chair so he could drive it by turning his head from side to side but he actually did better with the joystick in his hand. They said that they would probably not need the head guide. She then took him inside and they worked with a program that helps him to type words and phrases by using his eyes to guide the computer mouse on the keyboard. This is still hard for him but he is able to type in words to help him communicate. It helps him right now to express things that are still hard for him to say.
In Physical Therapy he practiced moving from his wheelchair to a bed with some help from them and a board. Then they helped him to roll over to one side and then the other. All of his limbs are working some. Then they helped him to sit up into a sitting position and then taught him to lean on one elbow and then another. Then they used that to teach him how to get into the wheelchair again using the same board. It was really hard work for him I could tell but he did not give up. It was a common theme in all the classes that the therapists said that Nathan was where he was because of his hard work. He is way beyond where the doctors thought he might be by now.
He has a psychological session that no one is allowed to attend. Then he had a speech therapy session. They just recently decided to move him to afternoon with his speech because he did so well in his session on Monday. They are teaching him how to strengthen his muscles in his mouth and throat and diaphragm. He practiced some of the sounds and did a great job. But it is still hard for him and his assignment is to talk as much as he could and to not use the head shakes to communicate any more. Again he was commended for his hard work. They just took the tracheotomy out less than a week ago.
It is hard to believe that he has come so far in about 6 weeks. When I left then he was just able to turn his head from side to side and blink. He has surely been blessed as he was promised. But he gets all emotional when you say that, he says, "No, No, No." Then he starts to cry. When I asked him why he says that he says wants to be better like he was before. I told him he needs to think of where he is not where he was before the stroke but how much he has progressed since the stroke. He is extremely frustrated that he is not like he used to be and cannot see the good of the improvement he is making. I am hoping through prayer to help him see that he is accomplishing a great thing and he will grow from it.
He is also very frustrated by the fact that he has to take medicine and is often refusing to take his meds because he feels like they are giving him things he does not need. Today he refused to take his antidepressant and by night he was having a hard time controlling his emotions and a harder time talking. I encouraged him to take it because the doctors said it would help him to think better and be able to concentrated better. We will see what happened tomorrow. But helping him to get the issue out in the open enabled him to reemphasize that he wants to be told what he is taking and what it is for. He is very emotional about this subject. I think it stems from the fact that he is very emotional about his lack of privacy in personal matters because he cannot do things for himself. He feels that the meds compound the number of bowel movements he is having and he would like to have none, which is not possible.
He is very childlike and tells me at least 20 times a day, "Thank You" and "I love you". He says that he is so glad that I could come and be with him. He does not remember when we came before and does not remember the stroke so I think that is a blessing. I have often prayed that he would be comforted in his feelings when He was locked in. It appears that the Lord answered that blessing by putting a cloud of forgetfulness over his mind. I have often heard that the mind shuts down when the body is experiencing hard things but I also know that he appeared to be conscious and mentally responding to our questions during that time. Sometimes he becomes the adult and looks like he is very much the same as he was before so I think that the emotions are part of the recovery.
Will post more tomorrow if I can. Needless to say he misses Sara and the kids very much but he is glad they are having fun.
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