Dear Friends:
Today was a mostly quiet day. Occupational Therapy started at 9am. The therapist had him work on tracking with his eyes, stand and balance himself by putting his hands on a table and then lean forward to look out the window then sit down. They did that a couple of times. She tried to get him to work with a puzzle that had three pieces. He wouldn't do that at all. Speech therapy was at 11am. They worked with swallowing & puckering to exercise his face. She lifted his right hand to his mouth and asked him to kiss it. He could do that with help. He made some sounds with his voice again today! It appears he is waking up his vocal chords. She put a spoon in his mouth and wanted him to close his lips on it without biting down on it. This is to prepare him to use utensils to eat with. He was able to do that a couple of times so she tried to give him a little piece of ice. He was able to chew it!! There was a doctor in the room doing an evaluation at the time. He asked if she was going to try applesauce but she responded "not yet" since she wanted to work more on his swallowing first. After therapy he stayed up in the wheelchair. When Dad went to lunch he sat in the wheelchair at the nurses station. After lunch he went back to his room. Tabby had brought some of Paul's motorcycle magazines. Dad sat them on a table so he could look at them. Dad tried to get him to turn the pages but he couldn't do that. He seemed to enjoy the magazines though. At 2pm was physical therapy. He had been up since 9am and when she tried to have him stand up he didn't want anything to do with it!! She decided to work on a mat with him instead. He laid on the mat and practiced rolling from side to side with minimal help. While he was there a doctor came to look at his arms. Since they are so stiff, they plan to start him on a low dose of muscle relaxers to help loosen them up (he got his first dose with tonight's regular medicines). Physical Therapy will be at 9am on Wednesday to see if starting earlier makes it easier for him to work out. At 3pm the second speech therapist came in. He really wasn't very interested in doing anything by then. She made it a short session. Maybe tomorrow she will work with him after he has rested. Wednesday's schedule will be PT-9am, S-11am, OT-1pm, S-3pm.
God Bless, Lynne & Carl
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
And it marches on - Part 2
Well, the Death Certificate was finally signed today and then we scurried to get our copies. Getting the signature took us going to the Hospital Administrator and having a discussion. Actually it went well, nobody got beat up. Now all that is left is to get some answers from the doctor about what really happened that night.
Tomorrow is off to Hurlbert Field to get everything done at the Casualty Assistance Office. Tomorrow should prove to be long and busy as I get mom trained and get my packing done so I can leave Wednesday morning. Sunday night was tough as we went through Dad's clothes and sorted them out as to keepers or give aways. The memories some of the things brought back kept a few eyes damp and quite a few laughs for the less serious times. Tutu’s and leotards, hmmmmm! As usual we ran out of boxes and will have to get more. My brother and his family left for England and home today so that just leaves Michael and me. We are planning to leave Wednesday. While I hate to leave I also know I must. Carl and I will be back soon to take the power tools home that Dad gave him. And of course, bowling tournament is the end of March so I will be back through then for a day or two.
I am still amazed at the impact he had in so many lives. I am proud he made a difference and chose not just to pass through life. If I can just do a small part of what he did, I will be a success. Even today, 2 weeks later, many people wonder how they will fill the time he occupied in their life. Everywhere I go; people speak of how much he touched them. In some cases it was just a simple prayer, a smile and a hello or a joke. Every day I hear more of just how he served friends and those around him. Perhaps the most imposing thought is grasping what he did with his life and figuring out who will carry on the work he started. For God’s work will be done by someone … just who is the question.
Well, the Olympics are over and thank God it only took 2 weeks. Once again, our over hyped athletes’ performed in a less than an Olympic God fashion as predicted. In the pre-game hype we were fielding the best and strongest team ever and everyone else would be competing for silver in most sports. Well, needless to say, we wound just trying to stay in the top ten. Thanks to the super effort of the ones the press over looked, we managed to win with some respectability.
Tomorrow is off to Hurlbert Field to get everything done at the Casualty Assistance Office. Tomorrow should prove to be long and busy as I get mom trained and get my packing done so I can leave Wednesday morning. Sunday night was tough as we went through Dad's clothes and sorted them out as to keepers or give aways. The memories some of the things brought back kept a few eyes damp and quite a few laughs for the less serious times. Tutu’s and leotards, hmmmmm! As usual we ran out of boxes and will have to get more. My brother and his family left for England and home today so that just leaves Michael and me. We are planning to leave Wednesday. While I hate to leave I also know I must. Carl and I will be back soon to take the power tools home that Dad gave him. And of course, bowling tournament is the end of March so I will be back through then for a day or two.
I am still amazed at the impact he had in so many lives. I am proud he made a difference and chose not just to pass through life. If I can just do a small part of what he did, I will be a success. Even today, 2 weeks later, many people wonder how they will fill the time he occupied in their life. Everywhere I go; people speak of how much he touched them. In some cases it was just a simple prayer, a smile and a hello or a joke. Every day I hear more of just how he served friends and those around him. Perhaps the most imposing thought is grasping what he did with his life and figuring out who will carry on the work he started. For God’s work will be done by someone … just who is the question.
Well, the Olympics are over and thank God it only took 2 weeks. Once again, our over hyped athletes’ performed in a less than an Olympic God fashion as predicted. In the pre-game hype we were fielding the best and strongest team ever and everyone else would be competing for silver in most sports. Well, needless to say, we wound just trying to stay in the top ten. Thanks to the super effort of the ones the press over looked, we managed to win with some respectability.
Paul's Update - 02/27/06
Dear Friends:
Dad, Tabby & I got an early start today. Paul was scheduled for ADL (activities of daily living) at 9a.m. When we got to the hospital the nurse informed us that Paul was scheduled for the IVC filter removal at 9:30 so the ADL was postponed. The IVC removal went well and Paul was back to his room around 10:50. At 11a.m. the speech therapist came in. She had a new toy today. An incentive spirometer that encourages Paul to inhale. It measures the amount of breath he takes so he can see how he is doing. He needs a lot of work on this but he does inhale when you tell him to. She worked to get him to make sounds with his voice again. He was able to make several "ahhh" sounds in a row. It was evident that he was purposefully making sounds!! He did that about 6 or 7 times. A second speech therapist came in around 1pm. She worked to get him to exercise his tongue. She was able to get him to open his mouth and move his tongue over the top of this teeth. She exercised his cheeks and lips and worked to get him to swallow when asked to. He does really well with the cap on his trach and now he needs to do a little better with swallowing so he will be able to eat real food!! The physical therapist came around 2pm. She worked with him a bit to "wake up" his right side. She worked his leg mostly since she wanted to get him up on his feet. Once she had him up and in the wheelchair we went down to the therapy room. This room is quite incredible ... it has everything!! She put a big mirror in front of him hoping that he would be able to see himself and notice his own posture as he stood. She got him up three times. He stood OK but was tired and couldn't stand for long. After that she worked with him to "walk" his wheelchair. He walked it about 20 steps across the room. He was pretty tired by then and we took him back to the room. He was able to sit up in the wheelchair for a bit after we got back. The great thing that happened today is the infectious disease nurse cleared Paul from the isolation status. All his tests for staff have come back negative ... that means no more gowns & gloves!! Yahoo! Now he is able to be with other patients in the therapy room and we hope he may be able to take advantage of the animal therapy. They have several dogs that come in and visit patients and it is a pretty successful therapy from what we understand. Before we left to go home Tabby had been laying in the bed next to him. When she went to get out of the bed ... he moved his legs to the edge of the bed like he was going to get up with her. How wonderful his love for her is!! Tuesday therapy is OT 9:00am, Speech 11am & PT at 2pm! It is so nice to have a schedule each day!
Blessings, Lynne & Carl
Dad, Tabby & I got an early start today. Paul was scheduled for ADL (activities of daily living) at 9a.m. When we got to the hospital the nurse informed us that Paul was scheduled for the IVC filter removal at 9:30 so the ADL was postponed. The IVC removal went well and Paul was back to his room around 10:50. At 11a.m. the speech therapist came in. She had a new toy today. An incentive spirometer that encourages Paul to inhale. It measures the amount of breath he takes so he can see how he is doing. He needs a lot of work on this but he does inhale when you tell him to. She worked to get him to make sounds with his voice again. He was able to make several "ahhh" sounds in a row. It was evident that he was purposefully making sounds!! He did that about 6 or 7 times. A second speech therapist came in around 1pm. She worked to get him to exercise his tongue. She was able to get him to open his mouth and move his tongue over the top of this teeth. She exercised his cheeks and lips and worked to get him to swallow when asked to. He does really well with the cap on his trach and now he needs to do a little better with swallowing so he will be able to eat real food!! The physical therapist came around 2pm. She worked with him a bit to "wake up" his right side. She worked his leg mostly since she wanted to get him up on his feet. Once she had him up and in the wheelchair we went down to the therapy room. This room is quite incredible ... it has everything!! She put a big mirror in front of him hoping that he would be able to see himself and notice his own posture as he stood. She got him up three times. He stood OK but was tired and couldn't stand for long. After that she worked with him to "walk" his wheelchair. He walked it about 20 steps across the room. He was pretty tired by then and we took him back to the room. He was able to sit up in the wheelchair for a bit after we got back. The great thing that happened today is the infectious disease nurse cleared Paul from the isolation status. All his tests for staff have come back negative ... that means no more gowns & gloves!! Yahoo! Now he is able to be with other patients in the therapy room and we hope he may be able to take advantage of the animal therapy. They have several dogs that come in and visit patients and it is a pretty successful therapy from what we understand. Before we left to go home Tabby had been laying in the bed next to him. When she went to get out of the bed ... he moved his legs to the edge of the bed like he was going to get up with her. How wonderful his love for her is!! Tuesday therapy is OT 9:00am, Speech 11am & PT at 2pm! It is so nice to have a schedule each day!
Blessings, Lynne & Carl
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/26/06
Dear Friends:
Sundays start pretty late for us. After going to worship this morning we headed to the hospital. Tabby was out doing some errands so when we got there Paul was alone. He was awake and watching basketball on the TV (hmmm I don't really think he's a basketball fan ... must be the nurses idea!!) Anyway, we sat with him for a while until Tabby came. We had asked him if he wanted to get out of bed and he said "no" so we watched TV with him for a while. Dad worked to exercise his arms and legs a bit since he has been so stiff. When Tabby arrived he seemed to have a renewed interest in getting up ... I think Tabby has a positive effect on him (ya think???). Since the speech therapist had suggested that it would be easier to work the muscles in his face if he was shaved ... that is what we did today. He got a clean shave! Afterward, we took him for a walk around the hospital and sat in the lobby for a while. He seemed to enjoy getting out of the room. Dad worked on his left arm while we were in the lobby a little bit. He has a bit of saliva that sometimes needs to be wiped and Tabby put a cloth in his hand. He tried real hard to get the cloth to his mouth but since that arm is so stiff he cannot get it to his face. He really tries hard. When we got back to the room he sat up for a bit before we got back to bed. Tabby has bought some "scrubs" for him to wear. They fit loosely and are pretty comfortable for him. When he needs to change clothes he is now able to help quite a bit. He moves his arms to make it easier to take them out of the sleeves and he can lift his bottom up to make it easier to put the pants on. tonight he actually reached to pull the pants up! It just shows how much he is aware of his personal needs!! Monday will start EARLY ... he has something called ADL therapy at 9am. The nurse called it Activities for Daily Living. They will dress him and do hygiene things with him. Then he has speech therapy at 11am. Physical therapy is at 2pm. He also has the IVC filter removal sometime during the day but we haven't been told when it is scheduled for yet. Another piece of hardware that we will get rid of! Yahoo! Have a great day!
Love, Lynne & Carl
Sundays start pretty late for us. After going to worship this morning we headed to the hospital. Tabby was out doing some errands so when we got there Paul was alone. He was awake and watching basketball on the TV (hmmm I don't really think he's a basketball fan ... must be the nurses idea!!) Anyway, we sat with him for a while until Tabby came. We had asked him if he wanted to get out of bed and he said "no" so we watched TV with him for a while. Dad worked to exercise his arms and legs a bit since he has been so stiff. When Tabby arrived he seemed to have a renewed interest in getting up ... I think Tabby has a positive effect on him (ya think???). Since the speech therapist had suggested that it would be easier to work the muscles in his face if he was shaved ... that is what we did today. He got a clean shave! Afterward, we took him for a walk around the hospital and sat in the lobby for a while. He seemed to enjoy getting out of the room. Dad worked on his left arm while we were in the lobby a little bit. He has a bit of saliva that sometimes needs to be wiped and Tabby put a cloth in his hand. He tried real hard to get the cloth to his mouth but since that arm is so stiff he cannot get it to his face. He really tries hard. When we got back to the room he sat up for a bit before we got back to bed. Tabby has bought some "scrubs" for him to wear. They fit loosely and are pretty comfortable for him. When he needs to change clothes he is now able to help quite a bit. He moves his arms to make it easier to take them out of the sleeves and he can lift his bottom up to make it easier to put the pants on. tonight he actually reached to pull the pants up! It just shows how much he is aware of his personal needs!! Monday will start EARLY ... he has something called ADL therapy at 9am. The nurse called it Activities for Daily Living. They will dress him and do hygiene things with him. Then he has speech therapy at 11am. Physical therapy is at 2pm. He also has the IVC filter removal sometime during the day but we haven't been told when it is scheduled for yet. Another piece of hardware that we will get rid of! Yahoo! Have a great day!
Love, Lynne & Carl
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/25/06
Dear Friends:
We started out a little later today. Therapy was scheduled for 11am & 12:30pm. Bobby & Carolyn got there just in time for the speech therapist who came in about 10 minutes late. She got him in the wheelchair and took him to a quiet room down the hall to work. She started by messaging Paul's face, cheeks and lips. Since his muscles are weak she needs to work them so he will be able to swallow and form his mouth for speech. She worked for a bit to get him to swallow more naturally. He is getting better at that. She gave him a little swab with some cranberry juice on it. He seemed to really like the taste but he had a little difficulty swallowing before he wanted more. His trach was capped so she worked to try to get him to make some noise with his own voice. She had him inhale and make sound as he exhaled. He was able to do that although it was a little weak. We got him back to the room and let him stay up in the wheelchair for a while until the occupational therapist came in around 12:30 and took Paul to the therapy room. She got him on a bench and layed him on his back. She worked a little to see if he was able to track with his eyes. He did pretty good with that. Dad was by his right side and tried to get him to turn his head to see him but he didn't do very well at that. She also worked to stretch out his arms. The right arm isn't as stiff as the left. She plans to work more on limbering them up and building muscle tone back. She had him roll to his side several times. He has pretty good balance and does that really well. She also sat him on the edge of the table and had him balance himself. He has great balance doing this. His nurse said she was going to try to make sure he got a shower today. It is so nice to be in a facility where that is a priority!! After Dad & I left today Bobby & Carolyn got Paul into his wheelchair and took him for a "tour" of the hospital. He likes being up and away from his room. We haven't been able to take him outside yet ... that is another thing he really enjoys ... maybe soon!! Have a great Sunday!
Love, Lynne & Carl
P.S. I made a mistake about Paul's phone number in his room.....it is 703-664-8571. Visiting hours are from 11am to 9pm.
We started out a little later today. Therapy was scheduled for 11am & 12:30pm. Bobby & Carolyn got there just in time for the speech therapist who came in about 10 minutes late. She got him in the wheelchair and took him to a quiet room down the hall to work. She started by messaging Paul's face, cheeks and lips. Since his muscles are weak she needs to work them so he will be able to swallow and form his mouth for speech. She worked for a bit to get him to swallow more naturally. He is getting better at that. She gave him a little swab with some cranberry juice on it. He seemed to really like the taste but he had a little difficulty swallowing before he wanted more. His trach was capped so she worked to try to get him to make some noise with his own voice. She had him inhale and make sound as he exhaled. He was able to do that although it was a little weak. We got him back to the room and let him stay up in the wheelchair for a while until the occupational therapist came in around 12:30 and took Paul to the therapy room. She got him on a bench and layed him on his back. She worked a little to see if he was able to track with his eyes. He did pretty good with that. Dad was by his right side and tried to get him to turn his head to see him but he didn't do very well at that. She also worked to stretch out his arms. The right arm isn't as stiff as the left. She plans to work more on limbering them up and building muscle tone back. She had him roll to his side several times. He has pretty good balance and does that really well. She also sat him on the edge of the table and had him balance himself. He has great balance doing this. His nurse said she was going to try to make sure he got a shower today. It is so nice to be in a facility where that is a priority!! After Dad & I left today Bobby & Carolyn got Paul into his wheelchair and took him for a "tour" of the hospital. He likes being up and away from his room. We haven't been able to take him outside yet ... that is another thing he really enjoys ... maybe soon!! Have a great Sunday!
Love, Lynne & Carl
P.S. I made a mistake about Paul's phone number in his room.....it is 703-664-8571. Visiting hours are from 11am to 9pm.
Friday, February 24, 2006
And it marches on
Another quiet day. I did manage to get the alternator changed so the van is ready to head home someday. But the Death Certificate fiasco continues. Even the Hospital Administrator of the hospital Dad died in failed to return our call this morning. The County medical examiner has been made aware of the problem. As I understand it Santa Rosa is well known for messing up the Death Certificates like they are doing now. So now I just need to find the right button to push.
Mom's birthday is tomorrow and we will have a little get-together for her.
So the Nationals ticket sales are down. No wonder why. Thanks to the DC city government who screwed around so long that people have lost interest or grown cautious of just how viable the team will be. What good player would sign with a team in such limbo? Almost spring training time and the stadium is still in the air, no owner, and no one knows what MLB will do. Talk about killing a good team. Thanks D.C. Government, you got what you wanted -- No Team.
If the Iraqis want civil war between the factions .. Let them fight and get our troops out of harms way. This is a cultural/religious war now and all we can do is lose. We have gotten rid of the despot and tried to build a safe and secure government but they want to fight. Let them and when the last person of each faction realizes they are the last then they might quit and live peacefully.
Well, Madi Gras goes on. Never mind that the City is in shambles and most of the residents are out of work or homeless. Oh, that is right; the Mayor spends his time somewhere else. Spend the available money to support walking drunken parties and random acts of senseless revelry. I wish the best to those who really bear the brunt of Katrina. Obviously, party time takes precedence over basic living necessities. The partying takes their mind off the problem you say? Sounds like a good drunk, feel nothing tonight only to endure the headache tomorrow.
Mom's birthday is tomorrow and we will have a little get-together for her.
So the Nationals ticket sales are down. No wonder why. Thanks to the DC city government who screwed around so long that people have lost interest or grown cautious of just how viable the team will be. What good player would sign with a team in such limbo? Almost spring training time and the stadium is still in the air, no owner, and no one knows what MLB will do. Talk about killing a good team. Thanks D.C. Government, you got what you wanted -- No Team.
If the Iraqis want civil war between the factions .. Let them fight and get our troops out of harms way. This is a cultural/religious war now and all we can do is lose. We have gotten rid of the despot and tried to build a safe and secure government but they want to fight. Let them and when the last person of each faction realizes they are the last then they might quit and live peacefully.
Well, Madi Gras goes on. Never mind that the City is in shambles and most of the residents are out of work or homeless. Oh, that is right; the Mayor spends his time somewhere else. Spend the available money to support walking drunken parties and random acts of senseless revelry. I wish the best to those who really bear the brunt of Katrina. Obviously, party time takes precedence over basic living necessities. The partying takes their mind off the problem you say? Sounds like a good drunk, feel nothing tonight only to endure the headache tomorrow.
Paul's Update - 02/24/06
Dear Friends:
Gone are the quiet days! The folks at Mount Vernon keep Paul busy most of the day. This morning started with the Physical Therapist at 9am. She didn't work him really hard since he had a Doppler (ultrasound) test that was scheduled for 10:15am. This was to prepare for the IVC filter to be rotated. From 9-9:45am she worked to stretch him out and get him to roll from side to side. She got him into the wheelchair and took him to a room where he could sit on a bench. He sat there while she worked to stretch his muscles. He sat up pretty well. After they got back to the room it was about time to go for the ultrasound on his legs to determine if there is good blood flow to his legs and no clots. They were suppose to do the filter rotation right after that but the doctor delayed the procedure because he would like to consider taking the filter out as soon as possible. Since the Doppler showed no evidence of clotting he has ordered the filter removal for Monday. After they got back from that procedure it was a little past time for the Occupational therapist to be working with him but she showed up anyway and tried to work with him a bit. She worked to get him sitting in the bed and take his gown off so they could put a regular shirt on. He assisted her in getting his arms out of the sleeves. He even used his left hand to pull the shirt off of his right arm! She took him in the bathroom to see if he could use a towel on his face. He wasn't really able to do that since his arms are pretty stiff. She worked to stretch his arms a bit and tried to get him to put his hand to his chin. She got it there but it was pretty tough. When she was done she recommended he stay out of bed for a while and see how long he could tolerate being up. While he was still up the doctor came in to replace the trach. This one is smaller and is another step closer to the elimination of the trach. He installed the trach and put a plug on so Paul was breathing completely through his mouth and nose. It stayed on the rest of the day!! Speech therapy came in around 1:30pm. Two therapist are working together for speech therapy. They worked on getting him to swallow and they exercised his facial muscles. They also worked with him to respond to questions by blinking his eyes once for "yes" and twice for "no". He seemed to do well with the "yes" response. They asked if Dad was in the room and he blinked once. They asked if he was OK and he blinked once. When they asked if Tabby was in the room (she wasn't) he blinked once for "yes". We will have to work on this!! LOL Once he was back in bed around 4:30 he was pretty tired and slept for about two hours. He was up most of the day and stayed alert most of that time. Saturday will include therapy. This is new for us. There will be at least two therapists coming in. We are so pleased that everyone is aggressive and works him hard. We believe that he is ready for it and will recover quicker. As we complete the 16th week of Paul's recovery we are constantly amazed at how far he has come. We praise God for keeping him safe and healing his body!
Blessings, Lynne & Carl
Gone are the quiet days! The folks at Mount Vernon keep Paul busy most of the day. This morning started with the Physical Therapist at 9am. She didn't work him really hard since he had a Doppler (ultrasound) test that was scheduled for 10:15am. This was to prepare for the IVC filter to be rotated. From 9-9:45am she worked to stretch him out and get him to roll from side to side. She got him into the wheelchair and took him to a room where he could sit on a bench. He sat there while she worked to stretch his muscles. He sat up pretty well. After they got back to the room it was about time to go for the ultrasound on his legs to determine if there is good blood flow to his legs and no clots. They were suppose to do the filter rotation right after that but the doctor delayed the procedure because he would like to consider taking the filter out as soon as possible. Since the Doppler showed no evidence of clotting he has ordered the filter removal for Monday. After they got back from that procedure it was a little past time for the Occupational therapist to be working with him but she showed up anyway and tried to work with him a bit. She worked to get him sitting in the bed and take his gown off so they could put a regular shirt on. He assisted her in getting his arms out of the sleeves. He even used his left hand to pull the shirt off of his right arm! She took him in the bathroom to see if he could use a towel on his face. He wasn't really able to do that since his arms are pretty stiff. She worked to stretch his arms a bit and tried to get him to put his hand to his chin. She got it there but it was pretty tough. When she was done she recommended he stay out of bed for a while and see how long he could tolerate being up. While he was still up the doctor came in to replace the trach. This one is smaller and is another step closer to the elimination of the trach. He installed the trach and put a plug on so Paul was breathing completely through his mouth and nose. It stayed on the rest of the day!! Speech therapy came in around 1:30pm. Two therapist are working together for speech therapy. They worked on getting him to swallow and they exercised his facial muscles. They also worked with him to respond to questions by blinking his eyes once for "yes" and twice for "no". He seemed to do well with the "yes" response. They asked if Dad was in the room and he blinked once. They asked if he was OK and he blinked once. When they asked if Tabby was in the room (she wasn't) he blinked once for "yes". We will have to work on this!! LOL Once he was back in bed around 4:30 he was pretty tired and slept for about two hours. He was up most of the day and stayed alert most of that time. Saturday will include therapy. This is new for us. There will be at least two therapists coming in. We are so pleased that everyone is aggressive and works him hard. We believe that he is ready for it and will recover quicker. As we complete the 16th week of Paul's recovery we are constantly amazed at how far he has come. We praise God for keeping him safe and healing his body!
Blessings, Lynne & Carl
Thursday, February 23, 2006
The Hawke Hunts
Paperwork, Paperwork, Paperwork. This stuff is crazy. Right now we are fighting to get a Doctor to sign the Death Certificate. 9 days after he died and 6 days after we buried him, they are refusing to sign it. A paranoid person might start thinking why not? Got something you are hiding? One doctor they said he could sign it and he refused, " I haven't seen him in 7 months and don't feel it is right. Excuse me Frito head, the Hospital Discharge record on 2/11/06 has his signature. The other Doctor he has been seeing for decades, well his office says their records show they haven't treated my Dad since 02/04, well, DUH!!! We show were he was seen by the group of Doctors 7 times last year (05) alone. Conspiracy anyone? The actual Doctor in ER won't sign because he felt it wasn't right for him to sign ... let Dad's regular Doctor sign, he said. Why am I paying for his services then? Oh, and also the Doctors Group billed the medical insurance over $100,000.00 for services for January alone. February 2004, do you say? Then I think some fraud is cooking over billing for services not performed! To muddy the waters a bit, they failed to remove Dad's defibrillator, the same one under a recall and when they repaired it last fall, they had to bring Dad back in for a wiring adjustment early this year. Why is that important, well no one can remember it going off! Even the friend that was performing CPR ... now he would have felt that. So my question now is "What happened that night?" and given this paperwork fiasco where even the E.R. Doctor who was right there won't sign, I have an inquiring mind? Did some one screw up in ER? Did the defibrillator fail as their history showed when Dad needed it the most to work its magic? In the morning if the papers aren't signed, my intention is to get a lawyer involved and the inquiring mind becomes a demanding one for answers that I can believe.
So, given all this crap things are going fairly well. Still need to fix the alternator on the van so I can come home. We had some homemade ice cream this evening and as usual, I ate too much. Tomorrow is seafood dinner at the Oarhouse.
The funny thing about this whole ordeal is mom's sonny do list just keeps growing and growing and growing. Well time to sleep because the Hawke starts hunting.
So, given all this crap things are going fairly well. Still need to fix the alternator on the van so I can come home. We had some homemade ice cream this evening and as usual, I ate too much. Tomorrow is seafood dinner at the Oarhouse.
The funny thing about this whole ordeal is mom's sonny do list just keeps growing and growing and growing. Well time to sleep because the Hawke starts hunting.
Paul's Update - 02/23/06
Dear Friends:
Today was the first full day at Mount Vernon. Dad & Tabby left around 7:30a.m. to take on the traffic to Alexandria. He had lots of people look at him today to try to evaluate what he can do. Most of them were pleased at his progress to date. After Paul got a wheelchair, Dad was able to take him for a walk around the building. They went to a window where school busses were going by. When Dad asked him if he could see the busses he shook his head "no". The therapist said she believes he sees but probably better on the left side than the right side. That actually makes sense since the right side of his body seems most affected overall. All of the therapists and doctors will meet next week to determine how they think his therapy should proceed. Friday they will start him out with Physical therapy at 9am then Occupational Therapy at 11am and Speech Therapy at 1pm. The speech therapist will focus on trying to prepare Paul to get rid of the trach. Evidently they are always aggressive about weaning patients from trachs. She wanted to see what types of questions Paul could "answer". She told him she was going to ask him some questions, some of them she would know the answer to but she wanted him to try to answer. She started out with "Is your name Mark?". Paul gave her a frown ... she said "I guess I will take that as a no"! LOL The occupational therapist worked with the parallel bars. She stood him up and had him balance himself. Her goal is to have him learn how to lean forward to start to stand up instead of leaning back to push himself up. The physical therapist was able to get Paul to reach out and touch her hand and he did that twice. She thought that was good. She also took Paul in the hallway and got him to "walk" his wheelchair with his left leg. It took him a little time to figure out how to do that but once he figured it out he traveled about 20 feet with it. Later we will have the benefit of a Recreational Therapist ... when he is ready for that. Paul will have therapy 6 days a week - Monday through Saturday. According to the therapists the best times to visit are evenings & Sunday since there are no interruptions for therapy. It appears that Paul could be at Mount Vernon for 4-6 weeks depending on what the insurance and Medicaid will pay for. Tonight Tabby was sitting at the end of the bed, she asked him if he was "ok" and he did a thumbs up! All in all it was a very good day!
God Bless, Lynne & Carl
Today was the first full day at Mount Vernon. Dad & Tabby left around 7:30a.m. to take on the traffic to Alexandria. He had lots of people look at him today to try to evaluate what he can do. Most of them were pleased at his progress to date. After Paul got a wheelchair, Dad was able to take him for a walk around the building. They went to a window where school busses were going by. When Dad asked him if he could see the busses he shook his head "no". The therapist said she believes he sees but probably better on the left side than the right side. That actually makes sense since the right side of his body seems most affected overall. All of the therapists and doctors will meet next week to determine how they think his therapy should proceed. Friday they will start him out with Physical therapy at 9am then Occupational Therapy at 11am and Speech Therapy at 1pm. The speech therapist will focus on trying to prepare Paul to get rid of the trach. Evidently they are always aggressive about weaning patients from trachs. She wanted to see what types of questions Paul could "answer". She told him she was going to ask him some questions, some of them she would know the answer to but she wanted him to try to answer. She started out with "Is your name Mark?". Paul gave her a frown ... she said "I guess I will take that as a no"! LOL The occupational therapist worked with the parallel bars. She stood him up and had him balance himself. Her goal is to have him learn how to lean forward to start to stand up instead of leaning back to push himself up. The physical therapist was able to get Paul to reach out and touch her hand and he did that twice. She thought that was good. She also took Paul in the hallway and got him to "walk" his wheelchair with his left leg. It took him a little time to figure out how to do that but once he figured it out he traveled about 20 feet with it. Later we will have the benefit of a Recreational Therapist ... when he is ready for that. Paul will have therapy 6 days a week - Monday through Saturday. According to the therapists the best times to visit are evenings & Sunday since there are no interruptions for therapy. It appears that Paul could be at Mount Vernon for 4-6 weeks depending on what the insurance and Medicaid will pay for. Tonight Tabby was sitting at the end of the bed, she asked him if he was "ok" and he did a thumbs up! All in all it was a very good day!
God Bless, Lynne & Carl
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/22/06
Dear Friends:
Paul is all settled in at Mount Vernon. He had a very busy day. Dad there early and the transport got there around 11am. The physical therapists at Manor Care came by to say goodbye and request that we come to visit from time to time. Tabby rode in the ambulance with Paul ... quite an experience according to Tabby!! Once they got to the hospital they began the evaluations to see where he is physically and mentally. They've also started doing testing for the Staff infection to see if we can do without the gowns & gloves. For now he is in isolation. We don't really mind that since it gives him a private room! :-) It took a while before the nurse gave him some food (through the tube). When we left tonight they were still looking for a machine to do the automatic feeding. Thursday will be another evaluation day to determine what kind of therapy will be in order and how long they think he will be there. When they decide that we will have a "family meeting" to discuss the course of therapy and what our roles will be. The nurse said that they will also evaluate to determine when they can start weaning him from the trach and eating by mouth to get rid of the feeding tube. Most of the day Paul was pretty alert. He winked at Tabby today!! He watches her constantly and they kiss a lot!! The drive home was very long but we are very happy to finally be in rehab! We believe he will start to excel now!
God Bless, Lynne & Carl
Paul's new address is:
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital
2501 Parker's Lane
Alexandria, Virginia 22306
Room 511-2
Direct phone is 703-664-8572 (Paul's room)
Patient information 703-664-7190 or (800) 554-REHAB (7342)
Directions: www.inova.org/inovapublic.srt/imvh/map&directions.jsp?tStatus=23
Paul is all settled in at Mount Vernon. He had a very busy day. Dad there early and the transport got there around 11am. The physical therapists at Manor Care came by to say goodbye and request that we come to visit from time to time. Tabby rode in the ambulance with Paul ... quite an experience according to Tabby!! Once they got to the hospital they began the evaluations to see where he is physically and mentally. They've also started doing testing for the Staff infection to see if we can do without the gowns & gloves. For now he is in isolation. We don't really mind that since it gives him a private room! :-) It took a while before the nurse gave him some food (through the tube). When we left tonight they were still looking for a machine to do the automatic feeding. Thursday will be another evaluation day to determine what kind of therapy will be in order and how long they think he will be there. When they decide that we will have a "family meeting" to discuss the course of therapy and what our roles will be. The nurse said that they will also evaluate to determine when they can start weaning him from the trach and eating by mouth to get rid of the feeding tube. Most of the day Paul was pretty alert. He winked at Tabby today!! He watches her constantly and they kiss a lot!! The drive home was very long but we are very happy to finally be in rehab! We believe he will start to excel now!
God Bless, Lynne & Carl
Paul's new address is:
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital
2501 Parker's Lane
Alexandria, Virginia 22306
Room 511-2
Direct phone is 703-664-8572 (Paul's room)
Patient information 703-664-7190 or (800) 554-REHAB (7342)
Directions: www.inova.org/inovapublic.srt/imvh/map&directions.jsp?tStatus=23
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/21/06
Dear Friends:
This morning started pretty early. Dad was on his way to the nursing home when Tabby called to say that Paul's doctor appointment was 10am and a transport was coming at 9:15am. They transported him to the orthopedist office for a follow-up to his foot surgery. The x-rays were picked up yesterday (Tabby had them!) and the doctor was pleased with what he saw. Paul now has a green light for full weight bearing WITHOUT his boot on the left foot!!! When Paul got back to the nursing home Tabby was informed that Mount Vernon would be coming on Wednesday to pick him up. So the room has been cleaned and Tabby is spending the night at Manor Care tonight. She is going to miss being able to climb in bed with Paul but we are looking forward to the aggressive rehab that he will be getting soon! Rehab today went VERY well. Paul was blowing the whistle very loud & long today, he seems to take deeper breaths now. He had the trach downsized yesterday. Now he wears the speaking cap for 12 hours each day. We are hoping he will soon try to talk a bit. He worked with the hand exercise and the foot pedals. Keith got him up and he walked with the walker. He took several steps and did three sets of walking. He was alert and watching everything and everybody closely! After Dad & I left tonight Tabby was working with Paul to get him to use the nurses call button if he needed help. She was encouraging him to use the button and left it in his hand. She stepped out of the room for a few minutes and when she came back he had pushed the button and called the nurse!!! Tabby and the nurse were both amazed! We are constantly amazed at the things he does each day. I've said it before but I know God blesses us with good things EACH day!! Wednesday will be very busy for us ... the transport is coming at 11am to take us to Mount Vernon. Tabby will ride with Paul and get him settled in. I will send directions and room info once we know what room he will be in. Thanks for all the continued prayer and encouragement!! We love you!!
Blessings, Lynne & Carl
This morning started pretty early. Dad was on his way to the nursing home when Tabby called to say that Paul's doctor appointment was 10am and a transport was coming at 9:15am. They transported him to the orthopedist office for a follow-up to his foot surgery. The x-rays were picked up yesterday (Tabby had them!) and the doctor was pleased with what he saw. Paul now has a green light for full weight bearing WITHOUT his boot on the left foot!!! When Paul got back to the nursing home Tabby was informed that Mount Vernon would be coming on Wednesday to pick him up. So the room has been cleaned and Tabby is spending the night at Manor Care tonight. She is going to miss being able to climb in bed with Paul but we are looking forward to the aggressive rehab that he will be getting soon! Rehab today went VERY well. Paul was blowing the whistle very loud & long today, he seems to take deeper breaths now. He had the trach downsized yesterday. Now he wears the speaking cap for 12 hours each day. We are hoping he will soon try to talk a bit. He worked with the hand exercise and the foot pedals. Keith got him up and he walked with the walker. He took several steps and did three sets of walking. He was alert and watching everything and everybody closely! After Dad & I left tonight Tabby was working with Paul to get him to use the nurses call button if he needed help. She was encouraging him to use the button and left it in his hand. She stepped out of the room for a few minutes and when she came back he had pushed the button and called the nurse!!! Tabby and the nurse were both amazed! We are constantly amazed at the things he does each day. I've said it before but I know God blesses us with good things EACH day!! Wednesday will be very busy for us ... the transport is coming at 11am to take us to Mount Vernon. Tabby will ride with Paul and get him settled in. I will send directions and room info once we know what room he will be in. Thanks for all the continued prayer and encouragement!! We love you!!
Blessings, Lynne & Carl
Monday, February 20, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/20/06
Dear Friends:
We are back from our weekend at my sister's. Since my mother will be moving to the house down the street from my sister in a couple of weeks, we went down to help with some work that needed to be done in the house. It was a "work" weekend but we enjoyed spending time with Ann & John. We got back into the area late this afternoon and went straight to the nursing home. Bobby & Tabby were there and said that things were pretty quiet today but they did have a fair Physical Therapy time. The speech therapist was able to get Paul to blow the whistle a couple of times and he did it really loud. But he gets a "repetitive" action and tries to blow on everything after that. According to the therapist that is common with head injury patients. He also was able to use a large walker and take several steps with it. This is probably better that the parallel bars and will allow him to go farther when he is able. Tuesday Paul goes back to the orthopedist to find out what the course of action will be for the plate and pins in his left foot. No word from Mount Vernon yet but since Monday was a holiday it is not surprising. We are as ready as we can be for the next part of the recovery!! Have a great "short" week ... well at least for some of us!
Love, Lynne & Carl
We are back from our weekend at my sister's. Since my mother will be moving to the house down the street from my sister in a couple of weeks, we went down to help with some work that needed to be done in the house. It was a "work" weekend but we enjoyed spending time with Ann & John. We got back into the area late this afternoon and went straight to the nursing home. Bobby & Tabby were there and said that things were pretty quiet today but they did have a fair Physical Therapy time. The speech therapist was able to get Paul to blow the whistle a couple of times and he did it really loud. But he gets a "repetitive" action and tries to blow on everything after that. According to the therapist that is common with head injury patients. He also was able to use a large walker and take several steps with it. This is probably better that the parallel bars and will allow him to go farther when he is able. Tuesday Paul goes back to the orthopedist to find out what the course of action will be for the plate and pins in his left foot. No word from Mount Vernon yet but since Monday was a holiday it is not surprising. We are as ready as we can be for the next part of the recovery!! Have a great "short" week ... well at least for some of us!
Love, Lynne & Carl
Paul's Update - 02/18/06 and 02/19/06
Here is the update that Bobby sent while we were away this weekend. We are back now and will be back into our regular routine. By the way...in Bobby's note he mentions Munchkin ... he is Paul & Tabby's cat ... you know the one that Paul said ISN'T his cat!!! LOL
Lynne
Subject: Weekend Update
We had a real uneventful weekend with Paul. Saturday morning I was finally able to get him to respond to a few questions, but all of his answers were negative. Questions like "Are you okay?" and "Do you want to watch TV?" illicited no response. Questions like "Do you want me to put your boots back on?" were met with a head shake. Opie and Pop stopped by yesterday, and when they did he wouldn't answer or respond to any questions. Tabby brought Munchkin up yesterday, but he was a little freaked out and Paul didn't respond to him either. Last night Tabby noticed that the humidifier for his trach seemed to be malfunctioning. When she tried to point this out the night nurse became argumentative and at one point even raised her voice to Tabby telling her the machine was working just fine (even though the machine had been on the same bottle of water for nearly 24 hours. Tabby lodged her complaint this morning (after marking the bottle last night and showing it to the day nurse). The entire humidifier was swapped out for a new one this morning. Tabby reported that he seemed to cough up some "really dry stuff" and "that he may need to be suctioned more frequently this week" due to the humidifier malfunction. The day nurse also noted that Paul hadn't had a shower in some time and was taking him in for one as Tabby was leaving. Billy spent some time with Paul today. He apparently had a good visit and reported that when he discussed the possibility of Paul's first words being something to effect of referring to Billy as a felon, Paul got a big smile and even seemed to be laughing (though it's hard to tell with the trach, he said it was silent and didn't seem like a cough). Tabby just made it back from the baby shower, and will be returning to Manor Care to spend the night with Paul. Tabby will also be spending the day with him thanks to the holiday. I however have to return to work tomorrow.
Lynne
Subject: Weekend Update
We had a real uneventful weekend with Paul. Saturday morning I was finally able to get him to respond to a few questions, but all of his answers were negative. Questions like "Are you okay?" and "Do you want to watch TV?" illicited no response. Questions like "Do you want me to put your boots back on?" were met with a head shake. Opie and Pop stopped by yesterday, and when they did he wouldn't answer or respond to any questions. Tabby brought Munchkin up yesterday, but he was a little freaked out and Paul didn't respond to him either. Last night Tabby noticed that the humidifier for his trach seemed to be malfunctioning. When she tried to point this out the night nurse became argumentative and at one point even raised her voice to Tabby telling her the machine was working just fine (even though the machine had been on the same bottle of water for nearly 24 hours. Tabby lodged her complaint this morning (after marking the bottle last night and showing it to the day nurse). The entire humidifier was swapped out for a new one this morning. Tabby reported that he seemed to cough up some "really dry stuff" and "that he may need to be suctioned more frequently this week" due to the humidifier malfunction. The day nurse also noted that Paul hadn't had a shower in some time and was taking him in for one as Tabby was leaving. Billy spent some time with Paul today. He apparently had a good visit and reported that when he discussed the possibility of Paul's first words being something to effect of referring to Billy as a felon, Paul got a big smile and even seemed to be laughing (though it's hard to tell with the trach, he said it was silent and didn't seem like a cough). Tabby just made it back from the baby shower, and will be returning to Manor Care to spend the night with Paul. Tabby will also be spending the day with him thanks to the holiday. I however have to return to work tomorrow.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Remembering Dad
The ceremony at the church on Saturday was a major roller coaster of emotion. It was pretty with all the colorful flowers. The service tugged at your heart at every turn. I spoke for a bit and managed to say what I had placed on the blog site without breaking down but Lord, it was hard.
So far through this whole ordeal what has pained me the most is not the loss of dad for I know he is better off and safe from harm, but the loss and pain of all his friends. My heart ached at the sight of their tears and pain. Dad was a friend that can't be replaced as he was one of those rare individuals that doesn't know a stranger and lived to serve everyone. I can't number the times many of the men told me, "What will I do now, your Dad as my best friend and confidant." I even at one point wanted to say, ""I will be back soon to try and pick up the slack." It is one thing when someone dies but when a godly man dies the impact is far reaching. Many a good man will now have to shoulder a greater burden but in my heart I think they will do great.
Today we visited the cemetery for the first time. It wasn't nearly as hard as yesterday was. Too our surprise Saturday, a full military honor guard was there. We had only expected a flag presenter and maybe have taps played. But they did the whole honors. They were good as they folder the flag with practiced skill and showmanship. The rifle salute was great as they used M-1's. These were rifles from the period that dad served. Almost everyone jumped at the first volley. But everyone had tears at the sound of taps. One of Dad's dreams was for the ceremony to include military honors.
The food was overwhelming but I am just chickened out. They brought it by the 100 piece boxes.
Tomorrow starts the long process of clearing up his personal affairs and getting mom setup to continue. It feels funny going through Dad's personal papers. Growing up it was unthinkable to do that. But it becomes my lot in life and I feel closer to him as I do.
Thank you to everyone. Your thoughts and prayers are deeply appreciated.
So far through this whole ordeal what has pained me the most is not the loss of dad for I know he is better off and safe from harm, but the loss and pain of all his friends. My heart ached at the sight of their tears and pain. Dad was a friend that can't be replaced as he was one of those rare individuals that doesn't know a stranger and lived to serve everyone. I can't number the times many of the men told me, "What will I do now, your Dad as my best friend and confidant." I even at one point wanted to say, ""I will be back soon to try and pick up the slack." It is one thing when someone dies but when a godly man dies the impact is far reaching. Many a good man will now have to shoulder a greater burden but in my heart I think they will do great.
Today we visited the cemetery for the first time. It wasn't nearly as hard as yesterday was. Too our surprise Saturday, a full military honor guard was there. We had only expected a flag presenter and maybe have taps played. But they did the whole honors. They were good as they folder the flag with practiced skill and showmanship. The rifle salute was great as they used M-1's. These were rifles from the period that dad served. Almost everyone jumped at the first volley. But everyone had tears at the sound of taps. One of Dad's dreams was for the ceremony to include military honors.
The food was overwhelming but I am just chickened out. They brought it by the 100 piece boxes.
Tomorrow starts the long process of clearing up his personal affairs and getting mom setup to continue. It feels funny going through Dad's personal papers. Growing up it was unthinkable to do that. But it becomes my lot in life and I feel closer to him as I do.
Thank you to everyone. Your thoughts and prayers are deeply appreciated.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/17/06
Lynne is visiting her sister in SC, and this is the best way we could figure to "get out the news."
Dear Friends:
What a great day! They get better all the time. Today was the day Paul was able to start his weight bearing…but first…speech therapy. Sheila (the speech therapist) worked with Paul to work with the foot pedals. He did that about 20 times. They worked with the rubber band exercise that he has to squeeze with his hand. He was able to do that about 15 times. Then they attempted to have his blow a whistle. It took a lot of doing but he finally was able to blow the whistle. It was only a little at first but after several tries he blew the whistle really hard!! He blew it about 20 times as well. Then it came time to WALK!! Keith got him up and he was able to walk all the way to the end of the parallel bars. He struggles to move the right leg. Keith works hard with him until he is ready. It was good to see him be able to get up again. He seems to enjoy being on his feet!! He seemed to feel really good today. Saturday & Sunday we will have the weekend "therapy staff"….Bobby & Tabby!! LOL Possibly Monday or Tuesday he will be able to go to Mount Vernon. Every day we rejoice in his improvement. Have a great weekend.
Lynne & Carl
Dear Friends:
What a great day! They get better all the time. Today was the day Paul was able to start his weight bearing…but first…speech therapy. Sheila (the speech therapist) worked with Paul to work with the foot pedals. He did that about 20 times. They worked with the rubber band exercise that he has to squeeze with his hand. He was able to do that about 15 times. Then they attempted to have his blow a whistle. It took a lot of doing but he finally was able to blow the whistle. It was only a little at first but after several tries he blew the whistle really hard!! He blew it about 20 times as well. Then it came time to WALK!! Keith got him up and he was able to walk all the way to the end of the parallel bars. He struggles to move the right leg. Keith works hard with him until he is ready. It was good to see him be able to get up again. He seems to enjoy being on his feet!! He seemed to feel really good today. Saturday & Sunday we will have the weekend "therapy staff"….Bobby & Tabby!! LOL Possibly Monday or Tuesday he will be able to go to Mount Vernon. Every day we rejoice in his improvement. Have a great weekend.
Lynne & Carl
My Dad
"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as EAGLES they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. --- Isaiah 40:31
February 14, about 10:00 pm the man who I loved dearly and who was part of me passed away. He was a father, a friend, my buddy and my hero. To others he was a husband, a patriot, a brother, a friend and most importantly a brother in Christ. When he had his heart attack in the 1970's, it seemed he would miss most of his children's lives. His children at that time were 27, 25, 21, and 19. But as we all know so well, he saw us all grow up, get married and become successful in our daily lives and increase his legacy by 13 grandchildren.
As Dad walked the path before him filled with pain and sickness, he relied on Christ. I can't ever recall hearing him say "it isn't fair" or "why me" even when we were gathered at Baptist Hospital to be with him. Even when the pain racked his body and he visited deaths doorstep, he just bore the pain and focused on his assurance .. Eternal life with Christ Jesus and then he would look about for someone to help. To see Dad grow in the spirit has given me untold strength. As I recalled Dad's life during the early years of my life, it brought many smiles and thoughts of amazement. His transformation to a man of God, his love and service has spoken to me of God's love .. God's love changes everyone. But just as Jesus walked his path up Calvary's hill to serve, Dad walked his. He loved us, counseled us, prayed for us, guided us when we stumbled and encouraged us when we were down. Yes, he even pointed out our mistakes. Each church he was involved with he gave it his all. Whether as Sunday school teacher, Deacon, Men's Group leader or just a member of the congregation, he energetically served the Lord though many times his pain and sickness slowed him. For any Christian to be spoken of as "They Served" is a true calling. Unselfishly serving those around you is a great example of Christ's love. I can without doubt and in many cases from firsthand knowledge say "He served." On that night I, we, lost one of those rare friends who placed no bounds or price on his service to you in the name of Christ. I will forever miss walking in his shadow and trying to walk in his footsteps. We can't replace him but we can serve Jesus with the same love and determination Dad had. Find your path and serve Jesus, experience God's love and together we will see my Dad again. My Father will be greatly missed by all those he served and the lives he touched. And I will miss him .. I love you Dad and I am honored to be your son.
**********
Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages, below the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm; it simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm. When the storms of life come upon us ... and all of us will experience them ... we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us; we can allow God's power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure, and disappointment into our lives. We can soar above the storm. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down; it is how we handle them. ~ Author Unknown ~
Billy Joseph Davis, You served and we will sorely miss you.
February 14, about 10:00 pm the man who I loved dearly and who was part of me passed away. He was a father, a friend, my buddy and my hero. To others he was a husband, a patriot, a brother, a friend and most importantly a brother in Christ. When he had his heart attack in the 1970's, it seemed he would miss most of his children's lives. His children at that time were 27, 25, 21, and 19. But as we all know so well, he saw us all grow up, get married and become successful in our daily lives and increase his legacy by 13 grandchildren.
As Dad walked the path before him filled with pain and sickness, he relied on Christ. I can't ever recall hearing him say "it isn't fair" or "why me" even when we were gathered at Baptist Hospital to be with him. Even when the pain racked his body and he visited deaths doorstep, he just bore the pain and focused on his assurance .. Eternal life with Christ Jesus and then he would look about for someone to help. To see Dad grow in the spirit has given me untold strength. As I recalled Dad's life during the early years of my life, it brought many smiles and thoughts of amazement. His transformation to a man of God, his love and service has spoken to me of God's love .. God's love changes everyone. But just as Jesus walked his path up Calvary's hill to serve, Dad walked his. He loved us, counseled us, prayed for us, guided us when we stumbled and encouraged us when we were down. Yes, he even pointed out our mistakes. Each church he was involved with he gave it his all. Whether as Sunday school teacher, Deacon, Men's Group leader or just a member of the congregation, he energetically served the Lord though many times his pain and sickness slowed him. For any Christian to be spoken of as "They Served" is a true calling. Unselfishly serving those around you is a great example of Christ's love. I can without doubt and in many cases from firsthand knowledge say "He served." On that night I, we, lost one of those rare friends who placed no bounds or price on his service to you in the name of Christ. I will forever miss walking in his shadow and trying to walk in his footsteps. We can't replace him but we can serve Jesus with the same love and determination Dad had. Find your path and serve Jesus, experience God's love and together we will see my Dad again. My Father will be greatly missed by all those he served and the lives he touched. And I will miss him .. I love you Dad and I am honored to be your son.
**********
Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages, below the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm; it simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm. When the storms of life come upon us ... and all of us will experience them ... we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us; we can allow God's power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure, and disappointment into our lives. We can soar above the storm. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down; it is how we handle them. ~ Author Unknown ~
Billy Joseph Davis, You served and we will sorely miss you.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/16/06
Dear Friends:
Well ... it looks like we are moving again ... this time to Mount Vernon Rehab Center. This is what we've been praying for and I understand they have a great record of success with head injury patients. Today started off slow. Paul wasn't feeling well again today. Dad asked him a series of questions to see if we could pin down what was bothering him. He seems to have a stomach ache which the nurse was trying to take care of today. But when Grandma Johnson came in he was awake and when she asked him if he knew who she was he nodded YES!! What a blessing for Grandma! The x-ray tech came in and did the foot x-ray this afternoon around 1:30. The woman from Mount Vernon showed up about the same time. Tabby had just gotten there as well. The lady from Mount Vernon got to witness Paul kissing Tabby!! She was amazed that he did that! It really says a LOT!! She went down and talked to the staff therapists and they told her all the things that Paul has done for them. We don't really know how the conversation went but she came back up and told Tabby that as soon as they have a bed ... maybe Monday ... they would move Paul. We were also told today that as soon as the nursing home gets the new trach in (downsized from a size 6 to a 4) they will be putting that in. That is the last step before they take out the trach completely. This trach will allow him to breath through his mouth and nose more but still leaves the option of suctioning him. He is still struggling with swallowing and the rehab center will work with him more on that. The results of the CT came today and Dr. Azzam said everything is working well and he was pleased with what he saw!! Thank God! So PT wasn't great today ... but we had a pretty good day! Praise God for our many blessings!!
Love, Lynne & Carl
Well ... it looks like we are moving again ... this time to Mount Vernon Rehab Center. This is what we've been praying for and I understand they have a great record of success with head injury patients. Today started off slow. Paul wasn't feeling well again today. Dad asked him a series of questions to see if we could pin down what was bothering him. He seems to have a stomach ache which the nurse was trying to take care of today. But when Grandma Johnson came in he was awake and when she asked him if he knew who she was he nodded YES!! What a blessing for Grandma! The x-ray tech came in and did the foot x-ray this afternoon around 1:30. The woman from Mount Vernon showed up about the same time. Tabby had just gotten there as well. The lady from Mount Vernon got to witness Paul kissing Tabby!! She was amazed that he did that! It really says a LOT!! She went down and talked to the staff therapists and they told her all the things that Paul has done for them. We don't really know how the conversation went but she came back up and told Tabby that as soon as they have a bed ... maybe Monday ... they would move Paul. We were also told today that as soon as the nursing home gets the new trach in (downsized from a size 6 to a 4) they will be putting that in. That is the last step before they take out the trach completely. This trach will allow him to breath through his mouth and nose more but still leaves the option of suctioning him. He is still struggling with swallowing and the rehab center will work with him more on that. The results of the CT came today and Dr. Azzam said everything is working well and he was pleased with what he saw!! Thank God! So PT wasn't great today ... but we had a pretty good day! Praise God for our many blessings!!
Love, Lynne & Carl
Paul's Update - 02/15/06
Dear Friends:
Paul had a great day ... the best so far according to Dad. It started off slow...he was sleeping when Dad got there. The speech therapist came in and wanted him to have the cap on the trach. They had him suctioned before starting. She was concerned that Paul may have heard us talking about taking him home and that this may be making him not want to work the last few days thinking he may be able to go home. Dad "talked" with Paul to impress the importance of him working on the things we are asking him to do. He impressed to Paul that him coming home and having only us to work with him is like taking his bike to an amateur to do work on it ... the therapists are the professionals that he needs to help him get well. He really needs to cooperate even if it seems stupid or silly. When it came time to do therapy he didn't really want to get out of bed. When they moved his legs to get him up he pulled his legs back into the bed ... but the therapists were persistant and he finally got up. They got downstairs to the therapy room and started working on things that they thought he might like doing. First they tried to work with a spring loaded hand grip. That was too difficult for him so they got another type of hand exerciser that had rubber bands to squeeze that gives resistance. They told him to squeeze like he was gripping the clutch of his motorcycle. He did that really good...he did that about 5 or 6 times pretty rapidly. The therapist was so thrilled ... she had never seen him respond so well. He did about 6 more so they asked him to do 4 more and he did that too. Then they asked him to do even more ... he did about 40 repetitions of this exercise in groups of about 10. He really CAN do it!!! Then they got a foot exerciser that is two pedals (like organ pedals) for him to work his legs. They took his boots off while they worked on it. Keith told him to think of it like a Porsche and put the pedal to the metal ... Dad told Keith he already had his right foot down ... now he needed to push in the clutch with his left foot. He pushed with his left foot which raised his right foot. Keith told him to push his right foot andthen alternate his feet .. he did this about 20 times!! Then they gave him a ring about the size of a steering wheel that they put between his knees and he was to squeeze it and release ... he did that about 10 times. Then Keith told him to drop it to the floor. Keith wanted him to use his hand to push it ... he just lifted his left leg to drop it. Keith was OK with that ... It worked!! Then they gave him an large elastic band that they wanted him to hold while they pulled it away from him. They stretched it pretty far until it would finally pull out of his hand. He seemed to smile when they got "popped" with it!! LOL By then he was pretty tired and it was time to go to the hospital for his CT scan. He left about 4:50 and got back to the nursing home around 5:30. We should here something within the next few days on that. Tomorrow he will have an x-ray of the left foot. Friday is the last day of zero weight bearing on that foot. We believe he will be ready to start standing and exercising his legs. Keith left a message for Mount Vernon today so maybe we will have a visit from them soon!
God Bless, Lynne & Carl
Paul had a great day ... the best so far according to Dad. It started off slow...he was sleeping when Dad got there. The speech therapist came in and wanted him to have the cap on the trach. They had him suctioned before starting. She was concerned that Paul may have heard us talking about taking him home and that this may be making him not want to work the last few days thinking he may be able to go home. Dad "talked" with Paul to impress the importance of him working on the things we are asking him to do. He impressed to Paul that him coming home and having only us to work with him is like taking his bike to an amateur to do work on it ... the therapists are the professionals that he needs to help him get well. He really needs to cooperate even if it seems stupid or silly. When it came time to do therapy he didn't really want to get out of bed. When they moved his legs to get him up he pulled his legs back into the bed ... but the therapists were persistant and he finally got up. They got downstairs to the therapy room and started working on things that they thought he might like doing. First they tried to work with a spring loaded hand grip. That was too difficult for him so they got another type of hand exerciser that had rubber bands to squeeze that gives resistance. They told him to squeeze like he was gripping the clutch of his motorcycle. He did that really good...he did that about 5 or 6 times pretty rapidly. The therapist was so thrilled ... she had never seen him respond so well. He did about 6 more so they asked him to do 4 more and he did that too. Then they asked him to do even more ... he did about 40 repetitions of this exercise in groups of about 10. He really CAN do it!!! Then they got a foot exerciser that is two pedals (like organ pedals) for him to work his legs. They took his boots off while they worked on it. Keith told him to think of it like a Porsche and put the pedal to the metal ... Dad told Keith he already had his right foot down ... now he needed to push in the clutch with his left foot. He pushed with his left foot which raised his right foot. Keith told him to push his right foot andthen alternate his feet .. he did this about 20 times!! Then they gave him a ring about the size of a steering wheel that they put between his knees and he was to squeeze it and release ... he did that about 10 times. Then Keith told him to drop it to the floor. Keith wanted him to use his hand to push it ... he just lifted his left leg to drop it. Keith was OK with that ... It worked!! Then they gave him an large elastic band that they wanted him to hold while they pulled it away from him. They stretched it pretty far until it would finally pull out of his hand. He seemed to smile when they got "popped" with it!! LOL By then he was pretty tired and it was time to go to the hospital for his CT scan. He left about 4:50 and got back to the nursing home around 5:30. We should here something within the next few days on that. Tomorrow he will have an x-ray of the left foot. Friday is the last day of zero weight bearing on that foot. We believe he will be ready to start standing and exercising his legs. Keith left a message for Mount Vernon today so maybe we will have a visit from them soon!
God Bless, Lynne & Carl
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
A Voice Goes Silent
This evening about 11:00 pm the man who I loved dearly and who was part of me passed away. I will forever miss walking in his shadow and trying to match his footsteps. My Father will be greatly missed by all. I will return in time but for now the tears cloud my eyes and my voice grows silent.
I will be leaving for Florida shortly.
I will be leaving for Florida shortly.
Paul's Update - 02/14/06
Dear Friends:
Paul had a semi good day. He started off awake and responding to Dad and a friend that came by. They were talking about his boy scouting days of going camping. They asked Paul if he'd like to go camping this summer with Tabby & the baby and he nodded "yes". Dad & Paul's friend were joking about some things that have happened over the years and one particular story .. a very funny and private story to them all ... Paul got a really big grin on his face!! The particular event happened about four years ago but he evidently remembers it well!!! We also had a very dear friend from the hospital come by today. A family member of one of the other patients that also had a head injury came by to visit. What a blessing for us! He was awake a lot today. By the time PT came he was tired and didn't really want to work out much. Pt starts in the hallway with the speech therapist. She worked with the cones that he is suppose to drop when she bangs a pot; he did that but was reluctant to be cooperative. She tried to get him to chew on a plastic stick with a weight on the end. The idea is to have him hold it in his mouth and move it around. If he lets loose of it in his mouth it will fall out. This is suppose to help strengthen his jaw muscles. They got some cinnamon & garlic powder for him so smell, he didn't like the garlic at all, he got very mad at them. When they asked him if his name is Paul, he nodded "yes", but when they asked him to look at Dad he turned a bit but really didn't look at him. Once they moved into the therapy room they worked with the sandbag weight on a pulley. He was able to do it a couple of times but he wasn't cooperative with that either. He really just didn't WANT to do work today. When they sat him on bench to work with cones, he did it a couple times but again didn't really want to do it. The speech therapist agreed to downsize the trach from 6 to 4 in effort to wean him off. This becomes really important if we need to start thinking about taking him home. The sooner he can get rid of the trach the better it will be. We've had lots of problems with nurses knowing the proper way to suction the trach. The head nurse worked with other nurses today to make sure they all knew how to do suctioning. I hope that helps since the last thing we need is to have bacteria introduced into his lungs! Tomorrow is the CT at Fair Oaks. He has an appointment at 3:30. An interesting thing happened today .. we had a catholic priest from nearby church come in who had been there once before. He knew Paul's story and how he used to work on Fairfax County Police motorcycles. He did ALL the setups on new police bikes for the entire fleet of Fairfax County Motorcycles. He suggested that county police officers could come by to see Paul hoping that it may be great stimulus for him. We agreed!!! How cool is that?? Tomorrow Keith will attempt to call Mount Vernon. He was busy with new patients today and didn't have time to do that. They (the therapists) looked at the Ranchos Los Amigos coma scale and agreed that Paul is somewhere between 3 and 6. He does parts of each of the categories up to 6 but not all in any one category. We aren't sure what Mount Vernon considers when they look at him, but we think he is doing well enough most of the time to consider going to rehab! Pray that they will see that!!
Blessings, Lynne & Carl
Paul had a semi good day. He started off awake and responding to Dad and a friend that came by. They were talking about his boy scouting days of going camping. They asked Paul if he'd like to go camping this summer with Tabby & the baby and he nodded "yes". Dad & Paul's friend were joking about some things that have happened over the years and one particular story .. a very funny and private story to them all ... Paul got a really big grin on his face!! The particular event happened about four years ago but he evidently remembers it well!!! We also had a very dear friend from the hospital come by today. A family member of one of the other patients that also had a head injury came by to visit. What a blessing for us! He was awake a lot today. By the time PT came he was tired and didn't really want to work out much. Pt starts in the hallway with the speech therapist. She worked with the cones that he is suppose to drop when she bangs a pot; he did that but was reluctant to be cooperative. She tried to get him to chew on a plastic stick with a weight on the end. The idea is to have him hold it in his mouth and move it around. If he lets loose of it in his mouth it will fall out. This is suppose to help strengthen his jaw muscles. They got some cinnamon & garlic powder for him so smell, he didn't like the garlic at all, he got very mad at them. When they asked him if his name is Paul, he nodded "yes", but when they asked him to look at Dad he turned a bit but really didn't look at him. Once they moved into the therapy room they worked with the sandbag weight on a pulley. He was able to do it a couple of times but he wasn't cooperative with that either. He really just didn't WANT to do work today. When they sat him on bench to work with cones, he did it a couple times but again didn't really want to do it. The speech therapist agreed to downsize the trach from 6 to 4 in effort to wean him off. This becomes really important if we need to start thinking about taking him home. The sooner he can get rid of the trach the better it will be. We've had lots of problems with nurses knowing the proper way to suction the trach. The head nurse worked with other nurses today to make sure they all knew how to do suctioning. I hope that helps since the last thing we need is to have bacteria introduced into his lungs! Tomorrow is the CT at Fair Oaks. He has an appointment at 3:30. An interesting thing happened today .. we had a catholic priest from nearby church come in who had been there once before. He knew Paul's story and how he used to work on Fairfax County Police motorcycles. He did ALL the setups on new police bikes for the entire fleet of Fairfax County Motorcycles. He suggested that county police officers could come by to see Paul hoping that it may be great stimulus for him. We agreed!!! How cool is that?? Tomorrow Keith will attempt to call Mount Vernon. He was busy with new patients today and didn't have time to do that. They (the therapists) looked at the Ranchos Los Amigos coma scale and agreed that Paul is somewhere between 3 and 6. He does parts of each of the categories up to 6 but not all in any one category. We aren't sure what Mount Vernon considers when they look at him, but we think he is doing well enough most of the time to consider going to rehab! Pray that they will see that!!
Blessings, Lynne & Carl
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/13/06
Dear Friends:
Today seemed to be a tough day for Paul. He worked with Dad this morning to open & close his hand. When the therapist tried to get him out of bed he didn't want to go. He wouldn't try to get out of bed. Once they got him up they went down for PT. Paul didn't want to do anything for the therapists. They asked him if his name was Paul ... he said yes. They asked him if he had a cat and he said "no" but when they asked if Tabby had a cat he grinned (not his cat?? LOL) Keith (PT) asked Paul if he was feeling bad today and he nodded "yes". Then he asked if he was hurting and he nodded "yes". Keith asked if it was his head "no", arms "no", foot "no" but when he asked if his stomach hurt he nodded "yes". When they went to the hallway to work with the pulley he did that a few times and then he was done. They tried to sit him up on the bench for a little bit. Keith was able to get him to kick the ball a little but he tired of that quickly also. They ended a little early since he wasn't feeling well and took him back to the room. Tomorrow Keith will call Mount Vernon to see if someone can come to evaluate him. Keith thinks he is ready to go to rehab. He answers questions about 80% of the time. It wasn't that he couldn't workout today….he didn't WANT to! He may check with other centers that work with Brain Injury patients and see if there are other places Paul can go if Mount Vernon won't take him. Paul's result from the x-ray came back and his lungs are clear but he still has lots of fluid. Dad asked him before we left if he was feeling any better and he nodded "yes". Maybe tomorrow will be better. Have a great day!
Love, Lynne & Carl
Today seemed to be a tough day for Paul. He worked with Dad this morning to open & close his hand. When the therapist tried to get him out of bed he didn't want to go. He wouldn't try to get out of bed. Once they got him up they went down for PT. Paul didn't want to do anything for the therapists. They asked him if his name was Paul ... he said yes. They asked him if he had a cat and he said "no" but when they asked if Tabby had a cat he grinned (not his cat?? LOL) Keith (PT) asked Paul if he was feeling bad today and he nodded "yes". Then he asked if he was hurting and he nodded "yes". Keith asked if it was his head "no", arms "no", foot "no" but when he asked if his stomach hurt he nodded "yes". When they went to the hallway to work with the pulley he did that a few times and then he was done. They tried to sit him up on the bench for a little bit. Keith was able to get him to kick the ball a little but he tired of that quickly also. They ended a little early since he wasn't feeling well and took him back to the room. Tomorrow Keith will call Mount Vernon to see if someone can come to evaluate him. Keith thinks he is ready to go to rehab. He answers questions about 80% of the time. It wasn't that he couldn't workout today….he didn't WANT to! He may check with other centers that work with Brain Injury patients and see if there are other places Paul can go if Mount Vernon won't take him. Paul's result from the x-ray came back and his lungs are clear but he still has lots of fluid. Dad asked him before we left if he was feeling any better and he nodded "yes". Maybe tomorrow will be better. Have a great day!
Love, Lynne & Carl
Monday, February 13, 2006
Snow For Sale - Almost Like new.
Well, the weekend is over and a new week begins. We brought our new Broadcast Operations Center on-line however it took from about 6 pm Saturday till 3:30 am Sunday. Too top if off, we got to drive home during the snow storm this weekend. That was an adventure as I averaged about 30 mph and only once start fish tailing when the wind and snow buildup joined forces to give me a ride as good as any "B" ticket ride. All together we only got 8 - 10" inches but the whole thing started as steady rainfall only later to become ice under the snow. Oh, shoveling snow with a 2 year old helping is one for the book. I love it when you are shoveling and making a small walkway with barely room to walk and the voice behind you kicking you in the heels, is saying, "go papaw, go." Or every 10 seconds you are asked, "What are you doing?" Followed closely by "why?"
Needless to say Sunday was spent hibernating in the morning, shoveling snow from the driveway and ending with bowling. Both teams did well and improved our positions. With 6 weeks left in this season every win counts as we try and inch closer to the top. The youth team is in 4th and the evening adult team is in 3rd. With Nationals looming on the horizon, the competition is well appreciated.
This weekend will be spent in Florida doing what I usually do when Hurricanes don't have me cleaning up the yard and that is fixing mom's computer. She needs a full time IT Department to support her. I will leave very early Saturday (18) morning and return the following Tuesday (21). The best part is the seafood. The worst part is the 15.5 hour drive, no matter how many times I drive it the drive doesn't get shorter or any easier. Someone say "Dinner at Old Mill in the Smokies?"
#######
After the last fiasco with the DC Council and the Stadium lease, I wish MLB would tell them to stuff the papers up their rear and move the Nationals to somewhere that wants them. They made an agreement last year and now what to change it to something that suits them better. They are concerned about the budget. These are the same ones that can't meet any budget. The Mayor has more frequent flyer miles than a Senior Airline Pilot and all of them at taxpayer’s expense. A Council that can't get the roads fixed can't manage an Emergency Service so that it takes so long for an ambulance to respond a man dies and pays a fired manager a 6 figure retirement after he only worked one year. Let's fire the Council and keep the original contract. We would be better off.
I love how Mr. Brown (ex-FEMA) is going about blasting everyone for the Katrina disaster screw-up. Excuse me but it was him that led that fiasco. Love how someone who doesn't have a clue about what he is doing and lied to get the job points his finger at other's incompetence.
Needless to say Sunday was spent hibernating in the morning, shoveling snow from the driveway and ending with bowling. Both teams did well and improved our positions. With 6 weeks left in this season every win counts as we try and inch closer to the top. The youth team is in 4th and the evening adult team is in 3rd. With Nationals looming on the horizon, the competition is well appreciated.
This weekend will be spent in Florida doing what I usually do when Hurricanes don't have me cleaning up the yard and that is fixing mom's computer. She needs a full time IT Department to support her. I will leave very early Saturday (18) morning and return the following Tuesday (21). The best part is the seafood. The worst part is the 15.5 hour drive, no matter how many times I drive it the drive doesn't get shorter or any easier. Someone say "Dinner at Old Mill in the Smokies?"
#######
After the last fiasco with the DC Council and the Stadium lease, I wish MLB would tell them to stuff the papers up their rear and move the Nationals to somewhere that wants them. They made an agreement last year and now what to change it to something that suits them better. They are concerned about the budget. These are the same ones that can't meet any budget. The Mayor has more frequent flyer miles than a Senior Airline Pilot and all of them at taxpayer’s expense. A Council that can't get the roads fixed can't manage an Emergency Service so that it takes so long for an ambulance to respond a man dies and pays a fired manager a 6 figure retirement after he only worked one year. Let's fire the Council and keep the original contract. We would be better off.
I love how Mr. Brown (ex-FEMA) is going about blasting everyone for the Katrina disaster screw-up. Excuse me but it was him that led that fiasco. Love how someone who doesn't have a clue about what he is doing and lied to get the job points his finger at other's incompetence.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/12/06
Dear Friends:
Dad headed to the nursing home a little late. We woke to about 8 inches of snow. Tabby had spent the night at the nursing home. Paul seemed to have a lot of congestion today and slept quite a bit. When he woke up Dad asked him if he wanted to sit in the wheelchair and he nodded his head and it sounded like he SAID yes!! He sat up in the wheelchair for almost 2 hours! Dad kept asking him if he wanted to get back in bed and he said shook his head "no" several times until he was tired and he nodded "yes". He is getting better at responding to questions and commands. When Dad worked with him to exercise his hand he was able to open and close his fingers on command. When he was asked if he knew who Dad was or where he was he didn't seem to answer but Dad asked him if he wanted to tell him he shook his head "no". We aren't sure if that means he doesn't know us or know where he is. The therapists want him to start looking at pictures to see if he can identify people or things he sees. Maybe now that he seems to be able to respond he will be able to tell us if he knows what or who he is looking at. Tabby asked the nurse to order another chest x-ray because Paul said "yes" when he was asked if he was having trouble breathing. This week he will also have another CT and an x-ray on his left foot. After Friday he will be able to bear weight on his left foot!! That should make getting around a bit easier and he can resume this walking exercises. It's possible that Mount Vernon will send someone out again this week. I think they should be able to see quite a bit of improvement!! I pray they do since WE DO!
Blessings, Lynne & Carl
Dad headed to the nursing home a little late. We woke to about 8 inches of snow. Tabby had spent the night at the nursing home. Paul seemed to have a lot of congestion today and slept quite a bit. When he woke up Dad asked him if he wanted to sit in the wheelchair and he nodded his head and it sounded like he SAID yes!! He sat up in the wheelchair for almost 2 hours! Dad kept asking him if he wanted to get back in bed and he said shook his head "no" several times until he was tired and he nodded "yes". He is getting better at responding to questions and commands. When Dad worked with him to exercise his hand he was able to open and close his fingers on command. When he was asked if he knew who Dad was or where he was he didn't seem to answer but Dad asked him if he wanted to tell him he shook his head "no". We aren't sure if that means he doesn't know us or know where he is. The therapists want him to start looking at pictures to see if he can identify people or things he sees. Maybe now that he seems to be able to respond he will be able to tell us if he knows what or who he is looking at. Tabby asked the nurse to order another chest x-ray because Paul said "yes" when he was asked if he was having trouble breathing. This week he will also have another CT and an x-ray on his left foot. After Friday he will be able to bear weight on his left foot!! That should make getting around a bit easier and he can resume this walking exercises. It's possible that Mount Vernon will send someone out again this week. I think they should be able to see quite a bit of improvement!! I pray they do since WE DO!
Blessings, Lynne & Carl
Paul's Update - 02/11/06
Dear Friends:
It seems that every day now we have more improvements. Saturday & Sunday Paul doesn't have therapy but that doesn't mean he doesn't have to work hard! We try to work with him everyday. Dad & I got there around 11 am today and Bobby was still there. Once his ride came he headed home. Tabby spent Friday night with friends and wasn't there yet. Carolyn came after Bobby left. It has become regular that Paul can answer yes and no questions by nodding his head. When asked if he wants to do things we can get an answer!! It's wonderful!! Dad asked him twice if he wanted to work with the trach cap ... he said "no" both times. Can't blame him ... I bet it is difficult to breathe with it when you aren't use to it. Today's activity was mostly working with the mouth sponge which is a sponge on a stick about 6 inches long. The speech therapist wants him to be able to take the sponge in his mouth and move it around with his tongue. This will prepare him for foods later. Dad and Carolyn started with water on the sponge. He worked hard with it in his mouth, but when he was done with it he tried to reach it with his left hand and remove it! Then Dad worked with him to get him to take the stick and put the sponge into his mouth by himself. At first he didn't try but after some coaxing from Dad & Carolyn he worked to do it. After a couple of tries that came short of his mouth he finally got it into his mouth all by himself. He worked at it about 6 times, he was only successful by himself one time even though he was trying very hard. After Tabby came we got him into his wheelchair. It was time for a haircut. The staples from the shunt surgery were taken out yesterday so it was time to shave off the excess hair that didn't match the part that had been shaved for surgery. After the haircut Tabby used a washcloth and shampoo to wash his hair & scalp. I'm sure it must feel better. It was snowing outside so we didn't try to go out at all. Dad & I left around 5pm (Carolyn had already left around 4pm). Tabby was staying the night with Paul. Sunday will be the one hundredth day since the accident. Hard to believe isn't it? I praise God for all the miracles we have seen over this time! I know God is answering our prayers!!
Love, Lynne & Carl
It seems that every day now we have more improvements. Saturday & Sunday Paul doesn't have therapy but that doesn't mean he doesn't have to work hard! We try to work with him everyday. Dad & I got there around 11 am today and Bobby was still there. Once his ride came he headed home. Tabby spent Friday night with friends and wasn't there yet. Carolyn came after Bobby left. It has become regular that Paul can answer yes and no questions by nodding his head. When asked if he wants to do things we can get an answer!! It's wonderful!! Dad asked him twice if he wanted to work with the trach cap ... he said "no" both times. Can't blame him ... I bet it is difficult to breathe with it when you aren't use to it. Today's activity was mostly working with the mouth sponge which is a sponge on a stick about 6 inches long. The speech therapist wants him to be able to take the sponge in his mouth and move it around with his tongue. This will prepare him for foods later. Dad and Carolyn started with water on the sponge. He worked hard with it in his mouth, but when he was done with it he tried to reach it with his left hand and remove it! Then Dad worked with him to get him to take the stick and put the sponge into his mouth by himself. At first he didn't try but after some coaxing from Dad & Carolyn he worked to do it. After a couple of tries that came short of his mouth he finally got it into his mouth all by himself. He worked at it about 6 times, he was only successful by himself one time even though he was trying very hard. After Tabby came we got him into his wheelchair. It was time for a haircut. The staples from the shunt surgery were taken out yesterday so it was time to shave off the excess hair that didn't match the part that had been shaved for surgery. After the haircut Tabby used a washcloth and shampoo to wash his hair & scalp. I'm sure it must feel better. It was snowing outside so we didn't try to go out at all. Dad & I left around 5pm (Carolyn had already left around 4pm). Tabby was staying the night with Paul. Sunday will be the one hundredth day since the accident. Hard to believe isn't it? I praise God for all the miracles we have seen over this time! I know God is answering our prayers!!
Love, Lynne & Carl
Friday, February 10, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/10/06
Dear Friends:
Another great day ... Paul had a full night sleep and slept in this morning but when the therapists came in around 1pm he was ready for them. He helps them get him out of bed and he sits well on the side of the bed. He can reposition his body to be where he can help or be more comfortable. When he got downstairs the really good stuff started!! He wasn't very interested in working with the dowels (dropping when Sheila hits a pan). He had the cap for the trach on for a total of about an hour. He isn't making much sound with it yet but breathing through his mouth and nose should help improve that. Sheila asked him to blow a Kleenex and he really tried hard. She also had a breathing exercise tool that the patient blows into a tube attached to a bottle. At the bottom of the bottle there is a ping pong ball. If he blows hard enough he should be able to move the ping pong ball. He couldn't move the ball yet but he worked very hard and was able to blow into the tube. He even grabbed the device with his left hand and tried to get it up to his mouth….by himself! He blew into it about 4 times. When they moved on to the cones that he has to pull apart he was ready and was able to pull them apart and reach with his left hand over to Tabby on his right side. He was asked to reach as far as he could to reach her. After a few tries he moved his left arm across his body and then turned his body at the waist to the right side in order to reach further!! WOW…what great reasoning! The best thing today was that they worked with the pulley/sandbag exercise and he was able to grip the handle and pull the sandbag up. He did that about 6 times. He has a lot of strength in his left arm. The right arm didn't go as well but he tried really hard ... he even wanted to use his left hand to help his right hand work!! He is able to nod his head in response to questions more now and can give us an idea when he is too tired to continue. It is really nice to get feedback from him about what he needs. It isn't all the time but at least he is able to do it from time to time. He stayed in the wheelchair for about another hour and a half after he got back to his room but was totally exhausted after that. Bobby was there when we left and is staying overnight. What a miracle this week has been. We are seeing glimpses of our Paul coming back! Praise God!! Have a great & safe weekend!!
Love and Hugs, Lynne & Carl
Another great day ... Paul had a full night sleep and slept in this morning but when the therapists came in around 1pm he was ready for them. He helps them get him out of bed and he sits well on the side of the bed. He can reposition his body to be where he can help or be more comfortable. When he got downstairs the really good stuff started!! He wasn't very interested in working with the dowels (dropping when Sheila hits a pan). He had the cap for the trach on for a total of about an hour. He isn't making much sound with it yet but breathing through his mouth and nose should help improve that. Sheila asked him to blow a Kleenex and he really tried hard. She also had a breathing exercise tool that the patient blows into a tube attached to a bottle. At the bottom of the bottle there is a ping pong ball. If he blows hard enough he should be able to move the ping pong ball. He couldn't move the ball yet but he worked very hard and was able to blow into the tube. He even grabbed the device with his left hand and tried to get it up to his mouth….by himself! He blew into it about 4 times. When they moved on to the cones that he has to pull apart he was ready and was able to pull them apart and reach with his left hand over to Tabby on his right side. He was asked to reach as far as he could to reach her. After a few tries he moved his left arm across his body and then turned his body at the waist to the right side in order to reach further!! WOW…what great reasoning! The best thing today was that they worked with the pulley/sandbag exercise and he was able to grip the handle and pull the sandbag up. He did that about 6 times. He has a lot of strength in his left arm. The right arm didn't go as well but he tried really hard ... he even wanted to use his left hand to help his right hand work!! He is able to nod his head in response to questions more now and can give us an idea when he is too tired to continue. It is really nice to get feedback from him about what he needs. It isn't all the time but at least he is able to do it from time to time. He stayed in the wheelchair for about another hour and a half after he got back to his room but was totally exhausted after that. Bobby was there when we left and is staying overnight. What a miracle this week has been. We are seeing glimpses of our Paul coming back! Praise God!! Have a great & safe weekend!!
Love and Hugs, Lynne & Carl
Paul's Update - 02/09/06
Dear Friends:
Today was another great day. Paul was very responsive and did what the therapists asked him to do. He must have just been tired yesterday. This morning he had shifted to side of the bed and was laying sideways, Dad asked if he wanted to be straightened out and he shook his head "no". About 3pm the therapists came into Paul's room. The speech therapist asked him to open his mouth, he did that right away. She also asked him to try to sit up by himself. He was trying to do it but didn't have enough abdominal strength so she put out her hand to help him and he pulled himself up into a sitting position. He was able to sit on the side of the bed for a little by himself. Then it was time to go downstairs to the therapy room. The speech therapist put on the trach cap and he wore that for almost 1/2 hour. He couldn't make any noises with his voice but he seemed to try. She asked him to blow a Kleenex tissue that she had in front of him. He tried to do it a couple of times. He didn't have much breath but he at least tried. She also had him hold some dowel rods while she banged on a pot. She asked him to drop the dowel when she hit the pot. He did really good with that. This is suppose to encourage his brain to respond to noises more quickly. The physical therapist tried to get him to use a pulley with sandbags to work out his arms. He would do it as long as she held his hand on the bar but he wasn't interested doing it by himself. She asked him if he wanted to continue he shook his head "no". He allowed them to stretch and exercise his arms and worked on balancing himself on the side of the bench. We are definitely seeing more and more response to us. He tracks with his eyes better, he responds to our voices, he nods his head "yes" and "no". Kissing has become a regular occurrence now. Tabby really enjoys that. Carolyn was the recipient of a "blown kiss" today. He is still coughing a lot of fluids up but he seems to feel pretty good. He really doesn't like it when we say we are leaving. He keeps trying to sit up and get out of bed. This is also a really good thing ... it will motivate him to work hard!! Tabby will spend the night tonight then Friday night will be Bobby's turn to spend the night with Paul. I think he is really looking forward to time alone with his little brother!! Have a great Friday!! TGIF
Love, Lynne & Carl
Today was another great day. Paul was very responsive and did what the therapists asked him to do. He must have just been tired yesterday. This morning he had shifted to side of the bed and was laying sideways, Dad asked if he wanted to be straightened out and he shook his head "no". About 3pm the therapists came into Paul's room. The speech therapist asked him to open his mouth, he did that right away. She also asked him to try to sit up by himself. He was trying to do it but didn't have enough abdominal strength so she put out her hand to help him and he pulled himself up into a sitting position. He was able to sit on the side of the bed for a little by himself. Then it was time to go downstairs to the therapy room. The speech therapist put on the trach cap and he wore that for almost 1/2 hour. He couldn't make any noises with his voice but he seemed to try. She asked him to blow a Kleenex tissue that she had in front of him. He tried to do it a couple of times. He didn't have much breath but he at least tried. She also had him hold some dowel rods while she banged on a pot. She asked him to drop the dowel when she hit the pot. He did really good with that. This is suppose to encourage his brain to respond to noises more quickly. The physical therapist tried to get him to use a pulley with sandbags to work out his arms. He would do it as long as she held his hand on the bar but he wasn't interested doing it by himself. She asked him if he wanted to continue he shook his head "no". He allowed them to stretch and exercise his arms and worked on balancing himself on the side of the bench. We are definitely seeing more and more response to us. He tracks with his eyes better, he responds to our voices, he nods his head "yes" and "no". Kissing has become a regular occurrence now. Tabby really enjoys that. Carolyn was the recipient of a "blown kiss" today. He is still coughing a lot of fluids up but he seems to feel pretty good. He really doesn't like it when we say we are leaving. He keeps trying to sit up and get out of bed. This is also a really good thing ... it will motivate him to work hard!! Tabby will spend the night tonight then Friday night will be Bobby's turn to spend the night with Paul. I think he is really looking forward to time alone with his little brother!! Have a great Friday!! TGIF
Love, Lynne & Carl
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/08/06
Dear Friends:
Just when you think you have so little … you get the biggest surprises!! Paul had a really quiet day. He wouldn't do anything for Dad. He wouldn't cooperate with the therapists or even sit up straight. He seemed so tired today. It is really hard to know if he is tired or doesn't feel good. Tabby was worried today. She plans to call Dr. Azzam to see when the next CT scan is and because Paul stays up so much during the night she wants to ask him how he feels about something to make him sleep at night. Maybe he wouldn't be so tired during the day! She was so worried she even had the nurse take his temperature to see if he had a fever!Wednesday Part II -- Dr. Alareif (the nursing home staff doctor) came in to check on Paul this evening. He has only examined Paul one other time, just after he came to the nursing home in December. He said he thought Paul looked much more alert. He asked Tabby if Paul appeared to know who she is. Tabby said she thought so since he touches her stomach and responds to her but she doesn't really know. Then came the blessing!! Tabby climbed in the bed with Paul to rest since she had a headache and was tired. While she was laying there, Paul lifted his head and turned to her and KISSED her forehead!!! What a moment!! We were amazed but then he did it again ... and again. Tabby looked up at him and right into his eyes. She puckered to kiss him and he leaned over, puckered up and kissed her on the lips!! That is confirmation to us! He DEFINITELY knows her!! I've said it before … we get something good every day! We praise God for each of these blessings!!
Love & Hugs, Lynne & Carl
Just when you think you have so little … you get the biggest surprises!! Paul had a really quiet day. He wouldn't do anything for Dad. He wouldn't cooperate with the therapists or even sit up straight. He seemed so tired today. It is really hard to know if he is tired or doesn't feel good. Tabby was worried today. She plans to call Dr. Azzam to see when the next CT scan is and because Paul stays up so much during the night she wants to ask him how he feels about something to make him sleep at night. Maybe he wouldn't be so tired during the day! She was so worried she even had the nurse take his temperature to see if he had a fever!Wednesday Part II -- Dr. Alareif (the nursing home staff doctor) came in to check on Paul this evening. He has only examined Paul one other time, just after he came to the nursing home in December. He said he thought Paul looked much more alert. He asked Tabby if Paul appeared to know who she is. Tabby said she thought so since he touches her stomach and responds to her but she doesn't really know. Then came the blessing!! Tabby climbed in the bed with Paul to rest since she had a headache and was tired. While she was laying there, Paul lifted his head and turned to her and KISSED her forehead!!! What a moment!! We were amazed but then he did it again ... and again. Tabby looked up at him and right into his eyes. She puckered to kiss him and he leaned over, puckered up and kissed her on the lips!! That is confirmation to us! He DEFINITELY knows her!! I've said it before … we get something good every day! We praise God for each of these blessings!!
Love & Hugs, Lynne & Carl
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/07/06
Dear Friends:
Oh … where to start!! What an exciting day. The day started with Tabby & Carolyn off to the sonogram. Carolyn took a video of the event ... although she couldn't take the video into the actual sonogram procedure she did take video along the way and after it was over. Then they were off to tell Paul the exciting news!!! It's (going to be) a BOY! Tabby could hardly contain herself. She and Carolyn went out and got a balloon that said "It's a boy" and bought some very cute outfits. It is a day she will always remember. This afternoon the therapists came and took Paul to the therapy room downstairs in the nursing home. The speech therapist worked with him to get him to follow commands. She also applied an ice pack to Paul's leg to get him to kick his foot. He did that but he did something they DIDN'T expect. He reached out with his left hand and pulled his pants leg back down over his leg and then sat back with a smile on his face!!! It wasn't a large smile but the fact that it was a smile is great ... and he reasoned out how to cover his leg and prevent the ice pack from touching his skin. He did it twice!! Dad said he actually saw Paul give the therapist "the finger"! Remember ... anger is good!! LOL Then they worked with cones. He wasn't very interested in doing the cones but he cooperated a little. He was repositioning himself in his wheelchair a lot by himself and when they got him up and sat him on the side of a bench he sat completely by himself for several minutes. He seems to have great control and balance. The speech therapist also put the cap on the trach today and that stayed on for about an hour. He did great with it. Tonight when Tabby went to leave Paul actually tried to put his legs to the floor and was attempting to get up from the bed. Bobby and Dad had to stop him from getting himself out of the bed!! It seems he does more and more each day. We are so blessed with good things!
Have a great day!!
Love Lynne & Carl
Oh … where to start!! What an exciting day. The day started with Tabby & Carolyn off to the sonogram. Carolyn took a video of the event ... although she couldn't take the video into the actual sonogram procedure she did take video along the way and after it was over. Then they were off to tell Paul the exciting news!!! It's (going to be) a BOY! Tabby could hardly contain herself. She and Carolyn went out and got a balloon that said "It's a boy" and bought some very cute outfits. It is a day she will always remember. This afternoon the therapists came and took Paul to the therapy room downstairs in the nursing home. The speech therapist worked with him to get him to follow commands. She also applied an ice pack to Paul's leg to get him to kick his foot. He did that but he did something they DIDN'T expect. He reached out with his left hand and pulled his pants leg back down over his leg and then sat back with a smile on his face!!! It wasn't a large smile but the fact that it was a smile is great ... and he reasoned out how to cover his leg and prevent the ice pack from touching his skin. He did it twice!! Dad said he actually saw Paul give the therapist "the finger"! Remember ... anger is good!! LOL Then they worked with cones. He wasn't very interested in doing the cones but he cooperated a little. He was repositioning himself in his wheelchair a lot by himself and when they got him up and sat him on the side of a bench he sat completely by himself for several minutes. He seems to have great control and balance. The speech therapist also put the cap on the trach today and that stayed on for about an hour. He did great with it. Tonight when Tabby went to leave Paul actually tried to put his legs to the floor and was attempting to get up from the bed. Bobby and Dad had to stop him from getting himself out of the bed!! It seems he does more and more each day. We are so blessed with good things!
Have a great day!!
Love Lynne & Carl
Monday, February 06, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/06/05
Dear Friends:
Today was "re-admit" day. Since Paul left the nursing home last week then returned they need to go through the admission process again. The therapists came in to "evaluate" Paul. They were very pleased at how alert he is compared to the last time they saw him (last Monday). The occupational therapist wanted to sit him up, but first she started with "squeeze my hand" then "open your hand", he did that several times which pleased her. When they went to sit him up they asked him to scoot over in the bed, he moved one foot and they moved the other. Then they tried to have him sit up, he tried to pull himself up into position but he couldn't sit up so he held out his hand to have someone help him. Once he was sitting up Keith was trying to get him to track a finger with his eyes. He followed Keith's finger to the left easily but with more work he was able to get him to look to the right also. Keith checked Paul's leg reflexes and said they were normal which was pleasing since some brain injury patients become hypersensitive in their reflexes. They had him try to kick out with his foot, he attempted to do it but he had some trouble with that. Once the exam was done they decided to wait until tomorrow to do more rehab work. They didn't say what level he is at yet, maybe we will get more tomorrow. He stayed awake most of the day and Dad spent lots of time exercising him. Tabby came in around 5pm. He responded to her very well. He was rubbing her stomach a lot. Hopefully that means he is aware of the baby!! Tuesday is the sonogram...maybe Tabby will be able to share whether they have a boy or girl!! Tabby spends a great deal of time making sure he is groomed (face washing, teeth brushing, etc). She also spends a lot of time talking to him, hugging & kissing him and laying in bed with him. I think she is really the best rehab he can get!!
Blessings, Lynne & Carl
Today was "re-admit" day. Since Paul left the nursing home last week then returned they need to go through the admission process again. The therapists came in to "evaluate" Paul. They were very pleased at how alert he is compared to the last time they saw him (last Monday). The occupational therapist wanted to sit him up, but first she started with "squeeze my hand" then "open your hand", he did that several times which pleased her. When they went to sit him up they asked him to scoot over in the bed, he moved one foot and they moved the other. Then they tried to have him sit up, he tried to pull himself up into position but he couldn't sit up so he held out his hand to have someone help him. Once he was sitting up Keith was trying to get him to track a finger with his eyes. He followed Keith's finger to the left easily but with more work he was able to get him to look to the right also. Keith checked Paul's leg reflexes and said they were normal which was pleasing since some brain injury patients become hypersensitive in their reflexes. They had him try to kick out with his foot, he attempted to do it but he had some trouble with that. Once the exam was done they decided to wait until tomorrow to do more rehab work. They didn't say what level he is at yet, maybe we will get more tomorrow. He stayed awake most of the day and Dad spent lots of time exercising him. Tabby came in around 5pm. He responded to her very well. He was rubbing her stomach a lot. Hopefully that means he is aware of the baby!! Tuesday is the sonogram...maybe Tabby will be able to share whether they have a boy or girl!! Tabby spends a great deal of time making sure he is groomed (face washing, teeth brushing, etc). She also spends a lot of time talking to him, hugging & kissing him and laying in bed with him. I think she is really the best rehab he can get!!
Blessings, Lynne & Carl
Whoa Nelly
Well, another weekend has come and gone. Friday Night into Saturday was spent riding in a truck, eating the fine cuisine from a truck stop, and trying to drink coffee while bouncing all over the place. Mind you I didn't say the driver couldn't find the least bumpy path but those chuck holes that most cars miss, this truck found with unerring accuracy. All in all, it was a fun trip with a lot of time to talk.
Saturday's Mexican food feast was as good as usual. The funny part was that Lou fell asleep on the way over and slept all through dinner. So, we had to hit the MacDonald’s drive through for a kid’s meal with chicken. I do wish they would hire people that could speak the minimum of English to serve people correctly. I ordered the happy meal, she asked "for a boy or girl," I responded "Boy". Needless to say we got a girl's meal. Does Boy mean Girl in Spanish?
Virginia is considering a surgical castration procedure for violent sex offenders to stop these people. From what I have been reading they are wasting their time but placating their conscious. From what I read, they are slowed down but as one guy said, "When I want to (have sex) I can." Yes the drive is decreased but it does remain. They all said they are weaker, good for the victim but a gun, knife, or other object is a force multiplier. I continue to think these crimes are violent and provide a feeling of control and domination and the sex part is just a minor part used to debase the victim. So what do we gain? I would rather see the "single bullet between the eyes" method applied. We are really doing very little to protect our children, women and other vulnerable people. Let's get serious and stop these predators ... dead in their tracks.
Gee, I am surprised. With the price of oil hitting $70 a barrel, the Oil Companies would be struggling to provide us affordable gasoline. Well, they (Exxon) did struggle last quarter by only being able to post a 10.1 Billion profit. With this paltry profit they are feeling the economic squeeze that warrants the Federal Government support with tax cuts and subsidies. While I doubted the Governments logic, I now understand in the face of Exxon's near economic collapse. To preserve these business that have trouble managing in this volatile environment -- Regulate them -- this would minimize their exposure. Gasoline is an essential item for the survival of the family. We have regulated other industries so let's regulate this one. Regulate the price of fuel back to $1.50 a gallon; also mandate the Auto companies to produce vehicles (cars, vans and trucks) with an EPA rating of 50 miles per gallon (city). This mandate for vehicles would take effect in 2 years and the consumers would have 4 years to acquire a new vehicle meeting this requirement. This way everyone does their part.
How does the Government support this price of fuel? Stop all pork barrel projects (earmarks).
Yes, I know. These will never happen because of the lobbyist have our best interest in their thoughts. But that is the problem; it is in their thoughts and not in their actions.
Saturday's Mexican food feast was as good as usual. The funny part was that Lou fell asleep on the way over and slept all through dinner. So, we had to hit the MacDonald’s drive through for a kid’s meal with chicken. I do wish they would hire people that could speak the minimum of English to serve people correctly. I ordered the happy meal, she asked "for a boy or girl," I responded "Boy". Needless to say we got a girl's meal. Does Boy mean Girl in Spanish?
Virginia is considering a surgical castration procedure for violent sex offenders to stop these people. From what I have been reading they are wasting their time but placating their conscious. From what I read, they are slowed down but as one guy said, "When I want to (have sex) I can." Yes the drive is decreased but it does remain. They all said they are weaker, good for the victim but a gun, knife, or other object is a force multiplier. I continue to think these crimes are violent and provide a feeling of control and domination and the sex part is just a minor part used to debase the victim. So what do we gain? I would rather see the "single bullet between the eyes" method applied. We are really doing very little to protect our children, women and other vulnerable people. Let's get serious and stop these predators ... dead in their tracks.
Gee, I am surprised. With the price of oil hitting $70 a barrel, the Oil Companies would be struggling to provide us affordable gasoline. Well, they (Exxon) did struggle last quarter by only being able to post a 10.1 Billion profit. With this paltry profit they are feeling the economic squeeze that warrants the Federal Government support with tax cuts and subsidies. While I doubted the Governments logic, I now understand in the face of Exxon's near economic collapse. To preserve these business that have trouble managing in this volatile environment -- Regulate them -- this would minimize their exposure. Gasoline is an essential item for the survival of the family. We have regulated other industries so let's regulate this one. Regulate the price of fuel back to $1.50 a gallon; also mandate the Auto companies to produce vehicles (cars, vans and trucks) with an EPA rating of 50 miles per gallon (city). This mandate for vehicles would take effect in 2 years and the consumers would have 4 years to acquire a new vehicle meeting this requirement. This way everyone does their part.
How does the Government support this price of fuel? Stop all pork barrel projects (earmarks).
Yes, I know. These will never happen because of the lobbyist have our best interest in their thoughts. But that is the problem; it is in their thoughts and not in their actions.
Paul's Update - 02/05/05
Dear Friends:
Today was a quiet and mostly uneventful day but Paul was awake much more today. He spent most of the day awake and was awake when we left tonight at 10pm. Dad was able to exercise him quiet a bit. It is very difficult for him to lift his arms but Dad is able to work with him to loosen up the joints. His legs move pretty easily but the arms are stiff and painful for him to move. Dad repeated the work with him to reach for the stuffed kitty and have him hand it back. Dad also told him to pass the kitty to Tabby who was sitting on his right side. He actually reached across his body with his left hand to give it to Tabby!! Wow ... how great is that! He was very active on his own as well, he was moving his covers on and off of himself and kicking his feet a lot. When he has his boot off he seems to like pushing his feet against the end of the bed. He also had the cap on his trach today for about 1/2 hour. The cap actually makes it a talking trach. The goal is to get him to tolerate breathing with it for about 2 hours a day. He didn't do as well with it today ... tomorrow he will try again. Tabby has started introducing a wet sponge into his mouth. He does a chewing action and then swallows the water he gets from the sponge. This will encourage him to be ready for more foods by mouth. Tabby wants to check with the nutritionist on Monday to see if she can start giving him small tastes of popsicles. Monday will be a great day ... we can finally get back to the physical therapy. He hasn't had any real therapy since last Monday. I think he will be ready since he's had four full days to recover from the surgery. Keith (the physical therapist) will be glad to see him back. All of the therapist at the nursing home seem to take a sincere interest in Paul and his recovery. Work, work, work ... no results without hard work!! I'm so thankful for them!! Have a great week. :-)
Love Lynne & Carl
Today was a quiet and mostly uneventful day but Paul was awake much more today. He spent most of the day awake and was awake when we left tonight at 10pm. Dad was able to exercise him quiet a bit. It is very difficult for him to lift his arms but Dad is able to work with him to loosen up the joints. His legs move pretty easily but the arms are stiff and painful for him to move. Dad repeated the work with him to reach for the stuffed kitty and have him hand it back. Dad also told him to pass the kitty to Tabby who was sitting on his right side. He actually reached across his body with his left hand to give it to Tabby!! Wow ... how great is that! He was very active on his own as well, he was moving his covers on and off of himself and kicking his feet a lot. When he has his boot off he seems to like pushing his feet against the end of the bed. He also had the cap on his trach today for about 1/2 hour. The cap actually makes it a talking trach. The goal is to get him to tolerate breathing with it for about 2 hours a day. He didn't do as well with it today ... tomorrow he will try again. Tabby has started introducing a wet sponge into his mouth. He does a chewing action and then swallows the water he gets from the sponge. This will encourage him to be ready for more foods by mouth. Tabby wants to check with the nutritionist on Monday to see if she can start giving him small tastes of popsicles. Monday will be a great day ... we can finally get back to the physical therapy. He hasn't had any real therapy since last Monday. I think he will be ready since he's had four full days to recover from the surgery. Keith (the physical therapist) will be glad to see him back. All of the therapist at the nursing home seem to take a sincere interest in Paul and his recovery. Work, work, work ... no results without hard work!! I'm so thankful for them!! Have a great week. :-)
Love Lynne & Carl
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/04/06
Dear Friends:
Not much to report today. Paul was pretty tired all day. We started off to the nursing home around 10a.m. Tabby had gone out for coffee with Carolyn, Billy & Alysa. They got there soon after we arrived. Paul was awake but not very active. Dad tried to exercise his left arm a bit since it was a little stiff. Once he limbered up some he was able to grab his little stuffed kitty from Dad's hand and hand it back to him. His arms seemed pretty relaxed but they are weak and stiff at the joints. All the staff at the nursing home were noticing that we were back but in a different room today. It doesn't take long to get re-oriented when they already know the patient! Tabby & Carolyn went back out this afternoon to do some registrations for baby items. It won't be long before she will be needing baby things!!! June 8 is the due date. On Tuesday this upcoming week is the sonogram. Maybe the baby will cooperate enough to tell whether we will have a boy or girl!! I think Paul will enjoy knowing! Bobby was gone today…he spent the day with a friend. Tomorrow I suspect all the boys will be watching the Superbowl. We will put it on for Paul…although I don't know who he would be cheering for! We are looking forward to Monday when Paul can get back into the rehab routine. Hopefully we will be able to get a wheelchair to keep in his room again. He lost the other one when we went to the hospital. As always … thanks for your prayers … it was a busy week and God has blessed us well.
Love, Lynne & Carl
Not much to report today. Paul was pretty tired all day. We started off to the nursing home around 10a.m. Tabby had gone out for coffee with Carolyn, Billy & Alysa. They got there soon after we arrived. Paul was awake but not very active. Dad tried to exercise his left arm a bit since it was a little stiff. Once he limbered up some he was able to grab his little stuffed kitty from Dad's hand and hand it back to him. His arms seemed pretty relaxed but they are weak and stiff at the joints. All the staff at the nursing home were noticing that we were back but in a different room today. It doesn't take long to get re-oriented when they already know the patient! Tabby & Carolyn went back out this afternoon to do some registrations for baby items. It won't be long before she will be needing baby things!!! June 8 is the due date. On Tuesday this upcoming week is the sonogram. Maybe the baby will cooperate enough to tell whether we will have a boy or girl!! I think Paul will enjoy knowing! Bobby was gone today…he spent the day with a friend. Tomorrow I suspect all the boys will be watching the Superbowl. We will put it on for Paul…although I don't know who he would be cheering for! We are looking forward to Monday when Paul can get back into the rehab routine. Hopefully we will be able to get a wheelchair to keep in his room again. He lost the other one when we went to the hospital. As always … thanks for your prayers … it was a busy week and God has blessed us well.
Love, Lynne & Carl
Paul's Update - 02/03/06
Dear Friends:
God blesses us each day. Today was no different. Another CT was done today and the doctor said it looks good. The trauma team replaced Paul's trach to the speaking trach. When the speech therapist came in to see him she liked the "chewing action" & swallowing he is doing. Once he can tolerate the speaking trach for more than 20 minutes at a time they can start trying to introduce food by mouth. The physical therapist came in this morning and tried to sit him up in the bed. He apparently threw up after he'd wobbled a bit. The nurse said that the orthopedist was pleased with the x-ray of his foot. All looks good there. Once everyone had seen him he was cleared to go back to Manor Care as soon as possible. They ordered a transport for 5pm tonight and he was back in a room at the nursing home by 6pm. He is now in room 126 which is actually a nicer room and he has a view of the woods and the townhouse development behind the nursing home. This room is a little bigger and has a shower (the other one didn't). Tabby decided to stay with Paul through the night. He will start again on Monday with physical therapy. Today was the completion of 13 weeks (91 days) since the accident. It is amazing that so much has happened in that time. Have a great weekend.
Love, Lynne & Carl
God blesses us each day. Today was no different. Another CT was done today and the doctor said it looks good. The trauma team replaced Paul's trach to the speaking trach. When the speech therapist came in to see him she liked the "chewing action" & swallowing he is doing. Once he can tolerate the speaking trach for more than 20 minutes at a time they can start trying to introduce food by mouth. The physical therapist came in this morning and tried to sit him up in the bed. He apparently threw up after he'd wobbled a bit. The nurse said that the orthopedist was pleased with the x-ray of his foot. All looks good there. Once everyone had seen him he was cleared to go back to Manor Care as soon as possible. They ordered a transport for 5pm tonight and he was back in a room at the nursing home by 6pm. He is now in room 126 which is actually a nicer room and he has a view of the woods and the townhouse development behind the nursing home. This room is a little bigger and has a shower (the other one didn't). Tabby decided to stay with Paul through the night. He will start again on Monday with physical therapy. Today was the completion of 13 weeks (91 days) since the accident. It is amazing that so much has happened in that time. Have a great weekend.
Love, Lynne & Carl
Friday, February 03, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/02/06
Dear Friends:
Paul had a pretty good day today. Dr. Azzam (neurosurgeon) talked to Dad & Tabby and said that the CT scan that was done today shows a 20% reduction in the fluid on the brain since the surgery. He has ordered another one for Friday morning. It is his opinion that from a neurological standpoint Paul is ready to be released back to the nursing home. Tabby will consult with the Trauma team sometime Friday to get their opinion. If everyone agrees and the nursing home has a bed he might be moved as early as Saturday. The IVC filter (that catches blood clots) was turned today. When he went down for the procedure he displayed more of the anger that he exhibited yesterday. The doctor gave him something to calm him down so the procedure could be done. Of course, as soon as Paul was sedated …. the physical therapy team came to evaluate him. He (of course) was not responsive!! Duh!! The consolation we have is that the neurosurgeon's partner told Dad that if Paul is really doing all the things we say he is …. he would rate him about a level 4 … maybe even a level 5!!! We are realistic to know that he is probably only a level 4 but it would be nice if the therapist could SEE that!! Friday is suppose to be the trach replacement. This new trach will allow the air that Paul breathes to go in through the trach and out through the mouth and nose. After that is installed … IF Paul can talk it will allow the air across his vocal cords to enable him to talk. Paul currently breathes regular air and his oxygen level stays normal. Eventually he will have the trach removed. Tonight we had a visit from the orthopedic surgeon who said that after the 17th of February Paul should be able to start doing some weight bearing on his left foot. Good news ….. since he enjoys standing and trying to walk! Once we get him back to the nursing home he will resume his physical therapy. It is really good to see Paul look so good. This is the first surgery that Paul has bounced back from so quickly. He watches us when we talk to him. He watches the nurses when they work with him. We are so thankful that God is restoring him to us! Have a great Friday!
Love, Lynne & Carl
Paul had a pretty good day today. Dr. Azzam (neurosurgeon) talked to Dad & Tabby and said that the CT scan that was done today shows a 20% reduction in the fluid on the brain since the surgery. He has ordered another one for Friday morning. It is his opinion that from a neurological standpoint Paul is ready to be released back to the nursing home. Tabby will consult with the Trauma team sometime Friday to get their opinion. If everyone agrees and the nursing home has a bed he might be moved as early as Saturday. The IVC filter (that catches blood clots) was turned today. When he went down for the procedure he displayed more of the anger that he exhibited yesterday. The doctor gave him something to calm him down so the procedure could be done. Of course, as soon as Paul was sedated …. the physical therapy team came to evaluate him. He (of course) was not responsive!! Duh!! The consolation we have is that the neurosurgeon's partner told Dad that if Paul is really doing all the things we say he is …. he would rate him about a level 4 … maybe even a level 5!!! We are realistic to know that he is probably only a level 4 but it would be nice if the therapist could SEE that!! Friday is suppose to be the trach replacement. This new trach will allow the air that Paul breathes to go in through the trach and out through the mouth and nose. After that is installed … IF Paul can talk it will allow the air across his vocal cords to enable him to talk. Paul currently breathes regular air and his oxygen level stays normal. Eventually he will have the trach removed. Tonight we had a visit from the orthopedic surgeon who said that after the 17th of February Paul should be able to start doing some weight bearing on his left foot. Good news ….. since he enjoys standing and trying to walk! Once we get him back to the nursing home he will resume his physical therapy. It is really good to see Paul look so good. This is the first surgery that Paul has bounced back from so quickly. He watches us when we talk to him. He watches the nurses when they work with him. We are so thankful that God is restoring him to us! Have a great Friday!
Love, Lynne & Carl
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Paul's Update - 02/01/06
Dear Friends:
Surgery is over and all is well. He was moved to pre-op around 3 pm for the 4 pm scheduled surgery. It took about 2 hours before the doctor called and told Tabby that he was done and that it went well. He was moved to recovery for about and hour. Tabby & I went into recovery around 7pm to see him. He started to wake up while we were there. He got anxious and his heart rate went up briefly. He opened his eyes and looked at us. Within about a minute he calmed down and went back to sleep. When the transport people came to take him back to intermediate care he was wide awake, he was watching people all around him. He seemed to be somewhat alarmed about all the activity. He was finally settled in his room about 8:30. We stayed for about 1/2 hour before we left to go home. He was sleeping when we left. Paul started his day in an unusual form. After his nurse came in and started his antibiotic he began to exhibit much anger. His face got red, his arms and legs were moving violently ..... he was mad about something!! This is a really good thing because as I said before stage 4 is displays of anger and frustration. We are hopeful that this is what we are seeing and that it is just the beginning. He was moving his right side as much as his left. He actually crossed his right leg up and over his knee on the left leg. Thursday will be a busy day. The trach will be replaced by a speaking trach, the IVC filter will be turned and he will probably be moved to another room if he does well tonight. Thank you for all your prayer. God is honoring our faith and patience!
Love, Lynne & Carl
Surgery is over and all is well. He was moved to pre-op around 3 pm for the 4 pm scheduled surgery. It took about 2 hours before the doctor called and told Tabby that he was done and that it went well. He was moved to recovery for about and hour. Tabby & I went into recovery around 7pm to see him. He started to wake up while we were there. He got anxious and his heart rate went up briefly. He opened his eyes and looked at us. Within about a minute he calmed down and went back to sleep. When the transport people came to take him back to intermediate care he was wide awake, he was watching people all around him. He seemed to be somewhat alarmed about all the activity. He was finally settled in his room about 8:30. We stayed for about 1/2 hour before we left to go home. He was sleeping when we left. Paul started his day in an unusual form. After his nurse came in and started his antibiotic he began to exhibit much anger. His face got red, his arms and legs were moving violently ..... he was mad about something!! This is a really good thing because as I said before stage 4 is displays of anger and frustration. We are hopeful that this is what we are seeing and that it is just the beginning. He was moving his right side as much as his left. He actually crossed his right leg up and over his knee on the left leg. Thursday will be a busy day. The trach will be replaced by a speaking trach, the IVC filter will be turned and he will probably be moved to another room if he does well tonight. Thank you for all your prayer. God is honoring our faith and patience!
Love, Lynne & Carl
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Soap Box
It seems staying busy is the word for today. Tomorrow is the meeting in New Jersey. I hope I don't get mugged and dumped in the river by the mob. February is here .. Can someone tell me what happened to January?
I love what some people say to get me to work on their computer.
1. The laptop you set me up at work won't recognize the Ethernet connection I plug it into when I get home. But it works fine on the wireless at Work. ((We don't have wireless at work, she connects by Ethernet cable. She had no idea what the blue cat 5 cable was and thought the blinking hard drive light was actually her wireless and the blinking was the wireless activity.))
2. I am tired of switching from the user to the administrator on my laptop when I install software. Come and make my user account have administrator rights. ((Then go and give yourself the rights, you are logged in as Administrator.))
3. My printer hasn't worked all day. I have tried everything I know to get it too work. ((Put it back online))
4. Come help me. My email is broke. I haven't received any email for two days and I know my clients would send me something. So the server must be broke. (( Press the Send/Receive button. It was not set to automatically check for email. ))
5. I am missing my memory storage device. I know it was here since I used it last week. ((This Einstein was holding a 5 1/4 inch Floppy Disk. I have yet to see Dell ship a Pentium 4 with a 5 1/4 Drive.))
For my two cents -- I believe all major programs should be funded first (Social Security, Medicare, Military Spending, Education and such) before ANY pork barrel (earmarks) are funded. The Congress person's would only have what is leftover after the real programs are funded. But I don't think we will ever see that because the Congress person needs that to slush money in order to win re-election. In my system, the Congress person would have make sure Military Spending was done efficiently and at the best cost consistent with quality. Let the vendor overcharge by 200% and your pork barrel fund would get that much less.
I love what some people say to get me to work on their computer.
1. The laptop you set me up at work won't recognize the Ethernet connection I plug it into when I get home. But it works fine on the wireless at Work. ((We don't have wireless at work, she connects by Ethernet cable. She had no idea what the blue cat 5 cable was and thought the blinking hard drive light was actually her wireless and the blinking was the wireless activity.))
2. I am tired of switching from the user to the administrator on my laptop when I install software. Come and make my user account have administrator rights. ((Then go and give yourself the rights, you are logged in as Administrator.))
3. My printer hasn't worked all day. I have tried everything I know to get it too work. ((Put it back online))
4. Come help me. My email is broke. I haven't received any email for two days and I know my clients would send me something. So the server must be broke. (( Press the Send/Receive button. It was not set to automatically check for email. ))
5. I am missing my memory storage device. I know it was here since I used it last week. ((This Einstein was holding a 5 1/4 inch Floppy Disk. I have yet to see Dell ship a Pentium 4 with a 5 1/4 Drive.))
For my two cents -- I believe all major programs should be funded first (Social Security, Medicare, Military Spending, Education and such) before ANY pork barrel (earmarks) are funded. The Congress person's would only have what is leftover after the real programs are funded. But I don't think we will ever see that because the Congress person needs that to slush money in order to win re-election. In my system, the Congress person would have make sure Military Spending was done efficiently and at the best cost consistent with quality. Let the vendor overcharge by 200% and your pork barrel fund would get that much less.
Paul's Update - 01/31/06
Dear Friends:
Dad arrived early at the Hospital today. He wanted to be there when the doctor came in for rounds. According to Dr. Azzam, the fluid level in Paul's brain is even worse than it was last Friday. The CT showed large amounts of fluid that would cause problems in any normal person such as vision, hearing, ability to stand or talk. These are most of the things we have been concerned about since the adjustment was done last Monday. His physical condition seemed to be worse .... he slept most of the week last week. The doctor said the first shunt was apparently damaged by an MRI that was done shortly after it was installed. After they remove the current shunt they may know why it doesn't seem to be working. They plan to replace the tube that drains the fluid into his stomach because there is speculation that it could be clogged. All of the doctors and other staff that saw Paul when he was at the hospital before were amazed at the improvement he has had since he left at the end of December. We are hopeful that after surgery Wednesday he will make a more marked improvement. Surgery is scheduled for late in the day (possibly 4pm). Dad & Tabby will be at the hospital early in the morning to attempt to talk to the doctor again. Paul had more therapy & testing done today. He had a specimen collected to test for signs of active staff and the respiratory therapist worked with him to clear some of the congestion he is having. Tonight he seemed to have lots less mucous. He was awake off & on all day. Since there was not real physical therapy except what Dad did he wasn't very active. He did watch a little TV with Dad (This Old House ... pretty good stuff!) While Paul is at the hospital recovering we are hoping that the smaller trach will be put in. Tabby also would like to have the IVC Filter turned and have the orthopedist come in to see Paul. They might as well try to have a "all purpose" visit while he is there!!! Please pray for Paul, his doctors & nurses, and our family as we go through surgery. I pray that this is the beginning of much recovery ......
Blessings, Lynne & Carl
Dad arrived early at the Hospital today. He wanted to be there when the doctor came in for rounds. According to Dr. Azzam, the fluid level in Paul's brain is even worse than it was last Friday. The CT showed large amounts of fluid that would cause problems in any normal person such as vision, hearing, ability to stand or talk. These are most of the things we have been concerned about since the adjustment was done last Monday. His physical condition seemed to be worse .... he slept most of the week last week. The doctor said the first shunt was apparently damaged by an MRI that was done shortly after it was installed. After they remove the current shunt they may know why it doesn't seem to be working. They plan to replace the tube that drains the fluid into his stomach because there is speculation that it could be clogged. All of the doctors and other staff that saw Paul when he was at the hospital before were amazed at the improvement he has had since he left at the end of December. We are hopeful that after surgery Wednesday he will make a more marked improvement. Surgery is scheduled for late in the day (possibly 4pm). Dad & Tabby will be at the hospital early in the morning to attempt to talk to the doctor again. Paul had more therapy & testing done today. He had a specimen collected to test for signs of active staff and the respiratory therapist worked with him to clear some of the congestion he is having. Tonight he seemed to have lots less mucous. He was awake off & on all day. Since there was not real physical therapy except what Dad did he wasn't very active. He did watch a little TV with Dad (This Old House ... pretty good stuff!) While Paul is at the hospital recovering we are hoping that the smaller trach will be put in. Tabby also would like to have the IVC Filter turned and have the orthopedist come in to see Paul. They might as well try to have a "all purpose" visit while he is there!!! Please pray for Paul, his doctors & nurses, and our family as we go through surgery. I pray that this is the beginning of much recovery ......
Blessings, Lynne & Carl
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