A bit quieter couple of days for Mike. Probably the main event was Bryce getting back from ten days in the US. There is a scurry of testing happening, so we presume this is to meet the deadline of our next family meeting on Wednesday next week. I look at some of the tests and wonder how us non-brain injured people would score. Some tests are cognitive and earlier this week there was one called Behavioural Recall which seemed to relate more to practical recall relevant to aspects of every day life - so skills such as remembering names, remembering to ask a question during an appointment, remembering where you put something and so on.
Mike's walking is gradually getting more stable. I presume once he is more steady he will be able to practise on his own and make more rapid progress. I gather that at the moment there are quite a range of skills the therapists would like to work on, but they have to just focus Mike's small amounts of energy on the highest priorities.
Regards to all
Lee
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Monday, May 16, 2005
May 16th: Onward and outward
Mike is rather like Hansel in the witches house in Hansel and Gretel. Each day he pokes a skinny finger out and we all try to fatten him up. Must have been a record today: Three regular meals, about five high fat and protein drinks, I took a muffin out, Tracy took a baked kumara to heat up and Cousin David really hit the spot with Burger King!
Mike's walking continues to strengthen. He walked from his room to the day room with no walking frame, just some stabilising hands from the physios and me trotting along behind with a chair for him to rest on half way. So we were really pleased with that. The balance takes a great effort and at the end of that walk he was exhausted.
Regards
Lee
Mike's walking continues to strengthen. He walked from his room to the day room with no walking frame, just some stabilising hands from the physios and me trotting along behind with a chair for him to rest on half way. So we were really pleased with that. The balance takes a great effort and at the end of that walk he was exhausted.
Regards
Lee
Saturday, May 14, 2005
14th May: PSB
Hi everyone
PSB? Personal Social Best. I took Mike on a wheel chair ride around the block to buy a coffee, because it was A GORGEOUS WELLINGTON DAY AS USUAL.
Quite a collection of his uncles(2), aunts (2 sort of), cousins (1), sister (1) and brother-in-law (1) were at the cafe because another cousin had rugby nearby. Mike coped well with this collection of rellies all talking at once, plus the crowded cafe plus the cafe music. I thought it would confuse and tire him, but he coped well and was not too bad by the time we got back. How the pleasure of the simple kicks in - just being able to be out in the sun, with family, choosing his own food etc. So another set of high fives.
It is easier to manage this sort of trip on the weekend because there is no therapy to tire him out.
Regards to everyone
Lee
PSB? Personal Social Best. I took Mike on a wheel chair ride around the block to buy a coffee, because it was A GORGEOUS WELLINGTON DAY AS USUAL.
Quite a collection of his uncles(2), aunts (2 sort of), cousins (1), sister (1) and brother-in-law (1) were at the cafe because another cousin had rugby nearby. Mike coped well with this collection of rellies all talking at once, plus the crowded cafe plus the cafe music. I thought it would confuse and tire him, but he coped well and was not too bad by the time we got back. How the pleasure of the simple kicks in - just being able to be out in the sun, with family, choosing his own food etc. So another set of high fives.
It is easier to manage this sort of trip on the weekend because there is no therapy to tire him out.
Regards to everyone
Lee
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
10th May: Bye Bye P.E.G.
Another good step along the way today. A nurse came from Endoscopy (sp?) and pulled out the P.E.G.feeding tube into Mike's stomach, so now it's All by mouth. A fine change from 'Nil by mouth'. When I write 'pulled', I mean literally that. Amazing really. So now we have what many of us would regard as a nice challenge: How to whack heaps of calories into Mike, so he doesn't lose weight. The food still has to be of fairly uniform texture because he can't manage eating hard stuff, or chewy stuff, or too much variation in texture. We celebrated with a latte and a muffin in the hospital cafe.
The physio is going fine. Each time I watch I can see that Mike is getting his muscles a bit more stabilised and under control. In some ways it is very like gradually building up the weights in the gym. He starts out okay and then as he tires his muscles get wobbly. Because Mike is having to concentrate on each aspect of muscle movement, it is amazing to realise some of the complexity of even a small movement - stabilising other muscles, focusing on the one you want to move, controlling it, positioning the rest of your body to manage, bringing in to play the associated muscles etc.
Yours muscularly
Lee
The physio is going fine. Each time I watch I can see that Mike is getting his muscles a bit more stabilised and under control. In some ways it is very like gradually building up the weights in the gym. He starts out okay and then as he tires his muscles get wobbly. Because Mike is having to concentrate on each aspect of muscle movement, it is amazing to realise some of the complexity of even a small movement - stabilising other muscles, focusing on the one you want to move, controlling it, positioning the rest of your body to manage, bringing in to play the associated muscles etc.
Yours muscularly
Lee
Monday, May 09, 2005
9th May: More Milestones
I arrived at the rehab ward this morning to find a tired, beaming Mike emerging fromthe shower. He had managed his whole shower and shave himself and was most pleased. We'd had a conversation just the day before about the frustration of not being in control of things, so this was a good step.
Next the Team Leader came and said to us that they think Mike can cope with sometimes having two visitors at once now and to schedule visits between 4 and 8pm, so that makes life a bit easier. They also think he can cope with e-mailing too, so once we have him set up with a computer of some sort, expect lift off.
Finally this afternoon the Physio shifted Mike on to a walking frame. He still needs someone supporting him, but this is really good progress even just since last week.
One pleased Mike.
Lee
Next the Team Leader came and said to us that they think Mike can cope with sometimes having two visitors at once now and to schedule visits between 4 and 8pm, so that makes life a bit easier. They also think he can cope with e-mailing too, so once we have him set up with a computer of some sort, expect lift off.
Finally this afternoon the Physio shifted Mike on to a walking frame. He still needs someone supporting him, but this is really good progress even just since last week.
One pleased Mike.
Lee
Sunday, May 08, 2005
May 8th:Peaceful progress
We've been a bit quiet on the blog lately, but Mike has continued to make really good progress. Each day his walking is getting a bit stronger and his general posture is better. He can now sit in a regular chair to eat his meals, without needing the side and head support of a wheel chair. So with support he can walk out to the dining area at Cavit then just sit and eat. The sheer move to normality of this is a great joy to us all.
The cognitive testing proceeds when he is not too tired. He is doing pretty well, but as each level gets more complex he has to concentrate really hard. The therapists keep saying it is not pass/fail; that it is an indicator of where they need to focus the therapy interventions. However, I can see that as far as Mike is concerned every single question is definitely pass/fail. The difference in his mental reasoning between alert and fatigued is very marked and the switch is really sudden, but they say his stamina will increase.
We are gradually increasing Mike's visitors,now that the OE exodus seems to have stopped and we have a better idea of the rehab schedule each day. We don't have many slots because the day time during the week is taken up with rehab and resting most days. If you can find time to go out and see Mike, could you make sure you phone me (Lee) first and we'll arrange when to fit it in. As we've said before, the fatigue thing is so crucial we just have to be really careful about how we manage it. Generally, the evening or weekends will work the best. Mike can only cope with one person at a time and he needs to rest after each visitor, so it needs a bit of organising.
Regards
Lee
The cognitive testing proceeds when he is not too tired. He is doing pretty well, but as each level gets more complex he has to concentrate really hard. The therapists keep saying it is not pass/fail; that it is an indicator of where they need to focus the therapy interventions. However, I can see that as far as Mike is concerned every single question is definitely pass/fail. The difference in his mental reasoning between alert and fatigued is very marked and the switch is really sudden, but they say his stamina will increase.
We are gradually increasing Mike's visitors,now that the OE exodus seems to have stopped and we have a better idea of the rehab schedule each day. We don't have many slots because the day time during the week is taken up with rehab and resting most days. If you can find time to go out and see Mike, could you make sure you phone me (Lee) first and we'll arrange when to fit it in. As we've said before, the fatigue thing is so crucial we just have to be really careful about how we manage it. Generally, the evening or weekends will work the best. Mike can only cope with one person at a time and he needs to rest after each visitor, so it needs a bit of organising.
Regards
Lee
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
A request for help with books
Tracy here, and asking for a favour: We'd like some book recommendations.
Mike has a CD/tape/radio machine. He can operate the CD and radio by remote control, but not the tape deck. So we are looking at borrowing talking CDs for him to listen to when his eyes get too tired for reading.
Wellington Library has the following lists available of books on CD (plus a few others that wind up in the list for some mysterious reason):
We need CDs where:
We've tried Asimov (a bit depressing apparently) and Dave Barry (a hit), and I recently took out a Bernard Cornwall CD (Sharpe's Honour), but I don't know enough about all the authors available. So, if you have some time, happen to know that one of the books available on CD meets these criteria and you'd recommend it for Mike, could you please say so in the comments?
Cheers
Update
Just a couple of notes. Firstly according to the librarian the non-fiction list starts off with a lot of self-help books and then moves onto other subjects. So if you find the first few screens like being at an American motivational conference, it's not all like that.
Secondly, it might take a while to get your recommendation to Mike. He's happily listening to music CDs at the moment and then there's the issue of when the library next gets the CD in. So, if Mike doesn't provide a review of every single rec by tomorrow, please forgive me. :)
Mike has a CD/tape/radio machine. He can operate the CD and radio by remote control, but not the tape deck. So we are looking at borrowing talking CDs for him to listen to when his eyes get too tired for reading.
Wellington Library has the following lists available of books on CD (plus a few others that wind up in the list for some mysterious reason):
- Fiction CDs: http://whekenui.wcl.govt.nz/cgi-bin/cw_cgi?10030+REDIRX+usedatabase_2540_w_fiction%20cd
- Non-Fiction CDs:
http://whekenui.wcl.govt.nz/cgi-bin/cw_cgi?10030+REDIRX+usedatabase_2540_c_CD1
We need CDs where:
- the language is reasonably simple (no complex imagery)
- the story is upbeat (otherwise he gets depressed)
- and is overall something that Mike would like (so romantic fiction is out).
We've tried Asimov (a bit depressing apparently) and Dave Barry (a hit), and I recently took out a Bernard Cornwall CD (Sharpe's Honour), but I don't know enough about all the authors available. So, if you have some time, happen to know that one of the books available on CD meets these criteria and you'd recommend it for Mike, could you please say so in the comments?
Cheers
Update
Just a couple of notes. Firstly according to the librarian the non-fiction list starts off with a lot of self-help books and then moves onto other subjects. So if you find the first few screens like being at an American motivational conference, it's not all like that.
Secondly, it might take a while to get your recommendation to Mike. He's happily listening to music CDs at the moment and then there's the issue of when the library next gets the CD in. So, if Mike doesn't provide a review of every single rec by tomorrow, please forgive me. :)
4 May - End of night feeds
Mike had a good day today. The dietician has said that he's gained enough weight that he doesn't need any more night feeds. Mike is very happy about it - the night feeding machine wasn't uncomfortable but it did make annoying beeping sounds all night.
He started some cognitive testing today. Apparently the whole test takes an hour, and Mike tires too easily to do it all at once so he only did the first part of it today. However, he seems to have done reasonably well so far. The therapist kept reminding Mike that it wasn't a pass/fail test, but rather was designed to give them information on where to focus the therapy. However, Mike was doing his focusing breathing between sets and clearly he saw it as pass/fail and fail wasn't going to be it.
We showed Mike the photos of various people visiting him at Auckland Hospital while he was in intensive care. He was very happy to see all the people who had come to see him and a bit sad that he can't remember the visits.
In other news, Mike had some more workouts on the parallel bars. So just keep yesterday's photo in your mind.
He started some cognitive testing today. Apparently the whole test takes an hour, and Mike tires too easily to do it all at once so he only did the first part of it today. However, he seems to have done reasonably well so far. The therapist kept reminding Mike that it wasn't a pass/fail test, but rather was designed to give them information on where to focus the therapy. However, Mike was doing his focusing breathing between sets and clearly he saw it as pass/fail and fail wasn't going to be it.
We showed Mike the photos of various people visiting him at Auckland Hospital while he was in intensive care. He was very happy to see all the people who had come to see him and a bit sad that he can't remember the visits.
In other news, Mike had some more workouts on the parallel bars. So just keep yesterday's photo in your mind.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
May 3rd:More walking
So today we went back to the gym and Mike had another go at walking along between the parallel bars. This time he did three forays of back and forth. On the first trip Mike's feet were like an inebriated duck trying to goose step. A little advice from the physio, a determined gleam in Mike's eye and on his second go the feet were much more under control. Slow but miles better placed. His torso is still really floppy and twisty, but I guess it will join the programme at some stage. By the third go Mike was absolutely exhausted, but on a high.
A good brain injury fatigue metaphor today from the nursing team leader, Deb. She said to Mike that if he did not rest after learning something, the learning would not get written to his hard drive and his injured brain would just delete it. So in between each trip down the parallel bars, Mike had to rest up to manage the next one.
Lee passing over to Tracy now.
Tracy here. Mike managed another PB today - he took off his jersey without any assistance. According to Mike this is the first time he's managed that. This burst of activity may have been caused by some extra caffine. The weather is miserably wet today, so no walk outside. Instead I took Mike for a trip down to the coffee shop in the hospital buildings. A flat white seemed to hit the spot perfectly. Interesting that two months of deprivation haven't altered Mike's caffine addiction one iota.
A good brain injury fatigue metaphor today from the nursing team leader, Deb. She said to Mike that if he did not rest after learning something, the learning would not get written to his hard drive and his injured brain would just delete it. So in between each trip down the parallel bars, Mike had to rest up to manage the next one.
Lee passing over to Tracy now.
Tracy here. Mike managed another PB today - he took off his jersey without any assistance. According to Mike this is the first time he's managed that. This burst of activity may have been caused by some extra caffine. The weather is miserably wet today, so no walk outside. Instead I took Mike for a trip down to the coffee shop in the hospital buildings. A flat white seemed to hit the spot perfectly. Interesting that two months of deprivation haven't altered Mike's caffine addiction one iota.
Monday, May 02, 2005
2nd May:Onward and outward
Another great milestone today. It was a very mild still day (Yes, they do occur in Wellington!), so Mike's physio and I wheeled Mike around the block. At first we went through a nice quiet garden area, but then we continued down busy High Street with the traffic whizzing by. Mike coped really well, so once back inside Sue, the physio took us on a tour of the rehab gym and the hydrotherapy pool. I could see the determined glint in his eye at the sight of all the fitness machinery. Sue must have noticed too because in the gym she got Mike to walk about 5 metres one way, supporting himself on two parallel bars. After a rest he walked back again. So that was his first walk without other people supporting him. Once we were back in his room he was really exhausted but feeling very pleased with his progress.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
29th April:Yet another PB
The PBs are coming thick and fast at present, but apparently slow down after a while. With the support of the physio and me, Mike walked from his room to the day room for lunch. He said his feet feel less heavy and more in control. He also managed to conduct an economics education session on opportunity cost, for the physio and speech language therapist, so all is not lost! He managed to walk back again after lunch, but then fell asleep really fast.
I had a chat with the physio about the difference in rehab between brain damage through stroke and through injury. She said a stroke is usually clearly in one part of the brain, so the medics can fairly accurately predict the deficits and what rehab will be required. With Mike's diffuse brain injury, they can't see where the particular severe injury is located, thus they have no idea what the deficits will be and how they will combine. So the rehab has to be very individual and they have to constantly adjust to the deficits they find. She also said that while stroke patients experience fatigue, it is not as severe as in a brain injury it doesn't hit as fast and the worst fatigue disappears relatively quickly. Thus the rehab can be lengthier and more energetic.
There endeth my lesson for the day!
Lee
I had a chat with the physio about the difference in rehab between brain damage through stroke and through injury. She said a stroke is usually clearly in one part of the brain, so the medics can fairly accurately predict the deficits and what rehab will be required. With Mike's diffuse brain injury, they can't see where the particular severe injury is located, thus they have no idea what the deficits will be and how they will combine. So the rehab has to be very individual and they have to constantly adjust to the deficits they find. She also said that while stroke patients experience fatigue, it is not as severe as in a brain injury it doesn't hit as fast and the worst fatigue disappears relatively quickly. Thus the rehab can be lengthier and more energetic.
There endeth my lesson for the day!
Lee
Thursday, April 28, 2005
28 April:A PCB: Personal Coke Best
They installed a Coke dispensing machine in Cavit today, and Mike got to drink the first bottle. Now that is a milestone for Mike, his first Coke since 20 February.
The nurses are pleased, even amazed, by his progress. They are telling him now that they thought he was likely to die when he had the lung infection. I took the chance to ask how much weight he had lost at his worst. A nurse checked the records and declared that his lowest recorded weight was 52 kg. He is now heading in the right direction, being back up to 54 kg. So that is about a 20 percent loss from his pre-accident 'Ironman' weight. I gather that a 20 percent weight loss is not unusual for this injury.
He is feeding himself very well now. Coke is one of the hardest things to manage, for reasons I don't really understand. It looks like they might be able to remove the tube from his stomach in a week or two.
As he improves they are stepping up the rehab programme. A mini target is presumably to get him to be able to take a step or two on his own. The extra physio tires him out, of course. So he needs lots of rest and if he misses out on rest he does not sleep well at night, which sets him back, and they have to cut back on the physio. So there seems to be no end in sight to the need to limit his visitors where possible. Currently available slots are being filled by friends passing through or heading off to do their OE. We are amazed by the number of you who are heading off overseas. So, Wellingtonians, please continue to be patient.
Bryce
The nurses are pleased, even amazed, by his progress. They are telling him now that they thought he was likely to die when he had the lung infection. I took the chance to ask how much weight he had lost at his worst. A nurse checked the records and declared that his lowest recorded weight was 52 kg. He is now heading in the right direction, being back up to 54 kg. So that is about a 20 percent loss from his pre-accident 'Ironman' weight. I gather that a 20 percent weight loss is not unusual for this injury.
He is feeding himself very well now. Coke is one of the hardest things to manage, for reasons I don't really understand. It looks like they might be able to remove the tube from his stomach in a week or two.
As he improves they are stepping up the rehab programme. A mini target is presumably to get him to be able to take a step or two on his own. The extra physio tires him out, of course. So he needs lots of rest and if he misses out on rest he does not sleep well at night, which sets him back, and they have to cut back on the physio. So there seems to be no end in sight to the need to limit his visitors where possible. Currently available slots are being filled by friends passing through or heading off to do their OE. We are amazed by the number of you who are heading off overseas. So, Wellingtonians, please continue to be patient.
Bryce
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
26th April: On with the rehab
Today Mike started in on more intensive rehab. First stop was speech language therapy. Mike's right side weakness affects the right side of his face, mouth muscles and even his tongue, so there is a lot of hard basic work to be done to get more clarity of speech. Next stop was physio and the realisation of the difficulty of really basic exercises, such as very light lat pulldowns. One problem is that after about three reps of these really light exercises, Mike is utterly exhausted. However, Mike being Mike, he was thrilled to be exercising again and more challenged than perturbed about the long journey to fitness.
We had a chat about all the resting Mike's having to do, or what Mike calls 'waiting'. One of the nurses is from Chile, so Mike's getting him to teach him some Spanish. I think learning even a little of another language should help forge those new neural pathways he needs. Plus presumably it will cheer him up about everyone else heading overseas.
We're still having to really carefully manage Mike's visitors. Partly it's because of basic eternal tiredness and also to conserve his energy for the rehab work.
Regards
Lee
We had a chat about all the resting Mike's having to do, or what Mike calls 'waiting'. One of the nurses is from Chile, so Mike's getting him to teach him some Spanish. I think learning even a little of another language should help forge those new neural pathways he needs. Plus presumably it will cheer him up about everyone else heading overseas.
We're still having to really carefully manage Mike's visitors. Partly it's because of basic eternal tiredness and also to conserve his energy for the rehab work.
Regards
Lee
Monday, April 25, 2005
25th April: Things chugging along well
Our apologies for a gap of a couple of days. It just shows that we are a lot more relaxed about Mike. He's still progressing well. The rehab side has been quiet over the break, but Mike has a series of exercises he is working on. They look so unbelieveably basic when I think about him pre-accident, but they represent unbelieveable progress compared to post-accident. His right side is still a bit shaky but a whole lot better.
The main challenge at present is still the one of managing his fatigue. Mike doesn't generally realise that he is tired, but he's working on it. He really wants to be working more on his walking, but it can only be in very short bursts followed by lengthy rests.
He's busy trying to remember events in February, but most of the month before the acccident is a blank at this stage. We think he will get a lot of it back, but he seems to need to piece the whole time together. If any of you can add some pieces of his 6 weeks prior to the accident, Mike would be really pleased. I thought he'd been to an Ironman camp a few weeks before, but he has no recollection of that particular camp.
Mike's close friends, Kim and Paul, came down from Tauranga for the weekend to see him. He really enjoyed that and it was good for us to see through there eyes how much progress he has made since they last saw him in Auckland. Kim and Paul are soon off overseas and I think Mike feels he might be the last young person left in New Zealand.
Regards
Lee
The main challenge at present is still the one of managing his fatigue. Mike doesn't generally realise that he is tired, but he's working on it. He really wants to be working more on his walking, but it can only be in very short bursts followed by lengthy rests.
He's busy trying to remember events in February, but most of the month before the acccident is a blank at this stage. We think he will get a lot of it back, but he seems to need to piece the whole time together. If any of you can add some pieces of his 6 weeks prior to the accident, Mike would be really pleased. I thought he'd been to an Ironman camp a few weeks before, but he has no recollection of that particular camp.
Mike's close friends, Kim and Paul, came down from Tauranga for the weekend to see him. He really enjoyed that and it was good for us to see through there eyes how much progress he has made since they last saw him in Auckland. Kim and Paul are soon off overseas and I think Mike feels he might be the last young person left in New Zealand.
Regards
Lee
Friday, April 22, 2005
April 22nd: Mike rejoins the cafe society
A really great milestone today. I got to wheel Mike in his wheelchair down to the Zoom Cafe in the Hutt Hospital and we bought a great coffee. A superb feeling. On the way we met one of the physios from the medical ward who was amazed to see us out and about. It wasn't till later that I realised that the Post Traumatic Amnesia meant that Mike couldn't remember any of the time in the medical ward, or any of the people - physios or otherwise. He had been awake, laughing, semi-communicating etc, but couldn't actually remember any of it.
Now Mike can eat, he is starting to put on weight and is now back up in the 40kg class having added nearly two kilos. Still quite a way to go.
21 April - Cards & more cards
Just realised that no one had put up a post last night.
Mike is still working on memorising all the cards in his room, including the ones we've put up behind his head. He wants us to bring in all the cards he has received - I'm not sure if he realises how many those are. He can now read the messages in the cards himself and he is very good at recognising the postcards sent in daily by Mary and John from Japan.
He's eating pasta for lunch now, a big step towards a civilised diet. We're getting closer to a steak and chips, or what I think is Mike's most important goal: a Coke.
Mike is still working on memorising all the cards in his room, including the ones we've put up behind his head. He wants us to bring in all the cards he has received - I'm not sure if he realises how many those are. He can now read the messages in the cards himself and he is very good at recognising the postcards sent in daily by Mary and John from Japan.
He's eating pasta for lunch now, a big step towards a civilised diet. We're getting closer to a steak and chips, or what I think is Mike's most important goal: a Coke.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
April 20th:Family birthday
Today was TJ's birthday. After quite a lot of figuring out, we held a small birthday celebration around Mike's bedside so he wouldn't feel left out of family events. It was a challenge getting a birthday cake Mike could handle, plus a few birthday people, all without tiring him too much. So the cake was a rather runny panna cotta with candles leaning at alarming angles. The people were Gran and Uncle Jack who got shunted in and out in about 15 minutes, including the time it took to unwrap presents, light candles and sing happy birthday. TJ and I decided it was quite a memorable birthday in its own way.
Today I discovered that one of Mike's efforts at occupying himself involves memorising who has sent each cards that we have displayed on the walls. It's a bit like a remote form of that old kids card game, Memory. I don't think he has taken on board that we're rotating about 150 cards through his wall display!
Lee
Today I discovered that one of Mike's efforts at occupying himself involves memorising who has sent each cards that we have displayed on the walls. It's a bit like a remote form of that old kids card game, Memory. I don't think he has taken on board that we're rotating about 150 cards through his wall display!
Lee
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
19th April:Quiet day
Mike seems in good spirits at present. His friend Kylie visited to say goodbye as she is off to the UK shortly. We keep expecting Mike to find it difficult seeing so many friends heading off on their OEs, but he seems okay about it. I presume sadness at what he has lost and is missing out on will kick in some time, but not yet, it seems.
His main achievement today was to eat a small pottle of yoghurt managing the spoon and the pottle. It was great to have independent eating. You never think what a complicated process that is. Mike needs to really concentrate and can't manage if any distractions occur, even just someone talking. The art of slow eating. The yoghurt took about half an hour. Makes me realise how much we shove food down, usually while yacking away. Mike did a little bit of walking today. Whilst his feet don't work well at all yet, he's getting better control over his torso and head. He has to really concentrate on each element to manage it though.
Regards
Lee
His main achievement today was to eat a small pottle of yoghurt managing the spoon and the pottle. It was great to have independent eating. You never think what a complicated process that is. Mike needs to really concentrate and can't manage if any distractions occur, even just someone talking. The art of slow eating. The yoghurt took about half an hour. Makes me realise how much we shove food down, usually while yacking away. Mike did a little bit of walking today. Whilst his feet don't work well at all yet, he's getting better control over his torso and head. He has to really concentrate on each element to manage it though.
Regards
Lee
Monday, April 18, 2005
18th April:Where are we at now Mike's out of PTA
Today Mike is officially out of Post Traumatic Amnesia. While this is good news, this PTA stage has taken a long time (over 7 weeks). The length fits the pattern of a serious brain injury and means that Mike is very unlikely to make a 100% recovery. On the other hand, his progress so far has been considerably better expected, so there is a lot of reason to think that he will do far better than the average.
This all means that there is a really long way to go - we don't know how long, or where the journey is leading us. Because Mike has been so fragile, he has not been able to manage any active rehab, but this can start now. Such are his fatigue levels, that rehab will start with 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the afternoon and initially even that small amount will exhaust him.
Still, onward and upward. Mike had a PBB today - Personal Banana Best. His banana eating speed has increased! Those of you who know Mike's banana eating prowess will be relieved by his progress in this area.
Regards
Lee
This all means that there is a really long way to go - we don't know how long, or where the journey is leading us. Because Mike has been so fragile, he has not been able to manage any active rehab, but this can start now. Such are his fatigue levels, that rehab will start with 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the afternoon and initially even that small amount will exhaust him.
Still, onward and upward. Mike had a PBB today - Personal Banana Best. His banana eating speed has increased! Those of you who know Mike's banana eating prowess will be relieved by his progress in this area.
Regards
Lee
Sunday, April 17, 2005
17th April: Quiet normality
A quiet weekend, but very satisfying for Mike. Tracy went to visit him this afternoon and there he was on his own (no longer needing someone constantly with him during the day), sitting in bed, CD player on (under his control by a remote), and reading a book. It must feel great for Mike to get a sense of his own space back and some control over what he is doing. I must ask him that tomorrow.
The next major steps I presume will be on the action side. They have stayed away from that waiting for the trachy wound to heal. Apparently any major movement puts the stitches under too much pressure. Mike, meanwhile is eying his speedos!
Regards
Lee
The next major steps I presume will be on the action side. They have stayed away from that waiting for the trachy wound to heal. Apparently any major movement puts the stitches under too much pressure. Mike, meanwhile is eying his speedos!
Regards
Lee
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