Paul's Update - 04/28/06

Dear Friends:

Paul had another pretty good day. He ate all three of his meals by himself. He even had a bowl of cereal this morning with milk and when he finished the cereal he used his spoon to finish the milk ... and didn't spill any of it!! Dad gave him some options for his meals and let him choose what he wanted by putting his hand on it. At lunch he had hotdog & beans and when he got to the end of the bowl there were three beans scattered in the bowl. He used his spoon to scoop them together and picked them up together to eat them. Hmmmm ... this seems like "problem solving". We were told by the folks at Mount Vernon that he would probably never be able to problem solve because of the portion of his brain that was damaged! The PT came today. Dad was telling her about his eating. She is a bit concerned about his need to put anything you hand him into his mouth. She suggested we give him things like a hairbrush to practice on figuring out what he has and what is the appropriate use for it. She worked to have him kick her hand. He kicked 50 times with the left leg and 25 times with the right. Then she put a 7lb weight on his legs and he did 40 with the left leg and 20 with the right!!! Then she told him to stop kicking and hold his leg straight out. He did that for about 2 minutes with the left leg. She also had him march in place from the wheelchair. It is so impressive ... even the therapist was surprised at his ability. She asked if he used to lift weights and Dad said "no, just motorcycles"! He is having a lot of trouble with his right leg. Dad asked if he could put an air cast on that leg to prevent him from turning his ankle and possibly falling down. She thought that was a good idea so Dad is planning to try that. She felt he is eating so well that she suggested we put his meds in food so he can be prepared to have the feeding tube removed!! The nurse called today. He is coming by next week. He is still encouraging us to think about going to an outpatient status. This would mean Paul would go to the hospital three time a week for about 3-4 hours each time to do therapy. No decision has been made on that yet ... we still need to research the pros & cons of this. We have a meeting with Brain Injury Services on Tuesday morning and the nurse wants to be there for that meeting. We aren't real sure what we expect to get from BIS but we are anxious to hear what they can offer as help. Today marks the 25th week of Paul's recovery. Needless to say it has been a long road but we have learned so many things through this experience. Paul has always been in God's hands, His presence is evident. We are stronger than we ever thought we could be. Or family and friends have been a great source of support. You cannot be prideful when you need help ... well you can be but at what expense?? Doctors & Nurses are people too ... they don't have ALL of the answers. Even when things look their worst there is opportunity to see hope. Sometimes you don't need anything but a good cry & someone to hold you and listen! Some things take hard work and others just take perseverance. We have been blessed beyond what we deserve and we are most grateful! Thanks for your continued prayer and concern. You have been so important to all of us!

Love, Lynne & Carl