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.

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

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

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

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

Mike's Fortitude & Resilience

I was reading Michael the lead story on the business page this morning. It was about the issue of a single banking regulator for Australasia. Mike said, out of the blue, and with equanimity: "It doesn't really matter if I don't recover enough to be able to work as an economist again. If that happens, I will find something else to do." Knowing how much Mike has invested in economics, how much he likes it, how much he was enjoying CRA, and how seriously he was exploring (and saving for) the option of a US PhD in economics, I was enormously impressed by his insight, positive approach, fortitude and resilience. What a lesson in confronting a worst fear, and defanging it!

I was so stunned that I forgot to make the joke I had prepared for this contingency. It was "Don't worry if you find you can't think straight as an economist any more Mike, that is an essential requirement for a central planner in government."

So while Mike is working hard at overcoming real immediate problems, like learning how to swallow food again, he is also working out how to get control of his future -- and I don't think he's going to become a central planner!

I also get the impression that Mike has got his head around the issue Lee raised -- of the need to build a generous amount of time for rest into the optimal recovery plan. Now he happily reports on both his latest "PBs" and his degree of rest when asked how he is doing. He is also quick to say that he is tired, when asked.

Kent and Amanda, Mike sends his thanks for your 3rd minidisk. He was listening to your disks again early this morning, well before normal breakfast time.

Bryce

15th April:Still more food

Mike's food range is ever widening. Today he added to his eating range, soft thin toast and honey and later hash browns and tomato sauce (Of course it must be Watties, Uncle Gerald). Mike's grin when he saw the sauce would've been a good advert. The concentration required for these less liquid foods is really challenging and exhausting, but of course the rewards are great. The Speech Language Therapists think in two weeks Mike will be consuming all his food by mouth.

If you want a comparison, do a big swallow of your saliva three times in quick succession. The difficulty of that third swallow is kind of remotely like the concentration Mike needs for every swallow.

On that strange note - Good night!

Lee

14th April:Food, glorious food

More progress on the eating front today. Mike ate mushy weetbix in the morning and scrambled egg in the afternoon. Clearly both tasted like ambrosia but the concentration required is amazing. No surprise to all Mike's SP'TH friends (Speech Language Therapy),but astounding to us uninitiated mortals. After a one-egg scrambled egg, he was exhausted and needed a lengthy sleep.

The challenge for Mike currently is laying off the goal-oriented stuff and just focusing on the resting process. I've decided that our society places a huge emphasis generally on goal setting and persistence and Mike has focused on it much more than the average person would. This brain injury stuff needs the opposite behaviour. At this stage persistence and determination gets in the way of recovery. It's a balance because obviously he's needing to work hard to re-learn these skills. However, if he does slightly too much, the exhaustion really sets him back, he even forgets what he just learnt. For example in one session Mike will seem to have made good progress with learning to walk, in the next session if he's tired his walking will have greatly regressed.

You can see that it's an upside down process for all of us and we're having to learn different ways of helping him through the challenges.

Regards to you all

Lee

13th April:A taste of the real world

A red letter day for Mike. Firstly he finally managed some caffeine intake - in the morning some Cyclops Coffee Yoghurt and in the afternoon 6 sips of flat white coffee (cooled) whilst hovered over by anxious nurses monitoring swallowing. So he's a big step closer to that goal of going to the Zoom cafe in the hospital and having a coffee.

Secondly Mike's boss visited and Mike was clearly really pleased to be in touch with the work team. He had lots of questions about what was happening in the firm. Each day his voice is getting closer to his old voice. I think once the trachy wound is healed over, it will be pretty much his old voice.

One on-going challenge for Mike at present is keeping still, so he can rest as much as possible. All his life Mike has always been either asleep or in full action. He doesn't seem bored, but those legs just keep fidgeting around. Apparently it's part of the brain recovery process to have to build awareness of what those extremities are doing.

So a good day in terms of progress and a good day for Mike's sense of well-being.

Regards

Lee

Addendum
It took two Cavit staff about 15 minutes to make it possible for Mike to have his coffee. I watched closely to see if he would remember to thank them, like the Mike of old. No worries. He gave them his full trademark smile and thanked them handsomely and graciously for the delicious coffee. Mike still seems to be the gentleman we all knew and loved, and the world somehow seems to be a better place.
Bryce

13 April Visitor Update - No Visitors Please Until Further Notice

Michael is still very easily tired. It will be great if his cousins, friends and colleagues can visit when he is feeling stronger.

12th April: One step forward, one backwards

Yesterday we were so pleased that Mike had his trachy out. Onward and upward we thought, but really it's all such a fragile process. Last night Mike was very restless and agitated and the nurses think this was caused by fatigue resulting from the trachy removal. (Four injections in your neck aren't exactly nice!) Today as a result he was very tired and drawn. Mike was very pleased to start on food through his mouth. They started very carefully using pureed food, but this afternoon his temperature went up, so there was a possibility that he was aspirating some of the food risking another chest infection.

So it is just not even progress. However, Mike in good Ironman style is collecting PBs. One was that he talked to us via Tracy's cell phone - it's a sign of modern life for that to seem such a major step forward! The other PB was that he fed himself the pureed fruit. This would seem a tiny step, but the small motor skills involved are difficult. Yesterday he had a go at wiping his face with a flannel and found that required a huge input of energy and co-ordination.

Here's hoping he's settled down by tomorrow.

Lee

12 April Visitor Update - Still no visitors

Michael is tired after physiotherapy this morning, and Cavit advise that it would be best if he had no visitors today other than immediate family.

Mike's 3rd Blog - 11 April

I've had a good day; its great to have the trachy out.

11 April Visiting Notice -- Still no visiting please

Excellent news. Michael had the "trachy" - the breathing tube inserted directly into his windpipe - removed this morning. Assuming he does not have any problems now in keeping his windpipe clear by himself, the next steps will presumably be for him to take food and then drink progressively through his mouth, rather than directly into the stomach through the peg. Mike is getting closer to his goal of coffee and coke. He also has his eye on a steak (further out) at Phillip's new restaurant -- Lonestar.
Still no visitors please, as Michael is still having to take things quietly.

10th April: Continuing peaceful progress

Mike felt he had a good day today. He walked about 4 metres taking all his own weight, just needing the nurses for support. That’s a big improvement from just a couple of days ago.

His voice is getting stronger too and if the trachy comes out tomorrow as planned, he should gradually sound a lot clearer. His right side that was so slow to get going is improving daily. Each day he can do increasing amounts of things for himself. With his improved sleep we’re hoping he’ll be strong enough soon for some more intensive rehabilitation.

The contrast with the over-hyped Mike of a week ago is quite marked. It’s a peaceful life at this stage. We’re visiting him just one person at a time, to simplify things for him and we read to him for long periods. All those cards and messages you sent are getting double value – each day I take in three or four from the pile to read to him. So many arrived while he was unconscious that they’re all new to him. We always talk for a bit about each person and I’m surprised at the detail he remembers about all of you.

When he can receive visitors, take care you’re feeling fit. He’s already persuaded his big sister and his Chilean nurse, Juan, that they should do a half marathon with him. It’s hard to imagine at this stage, but what a superb goal.

Thanks for all your messages, they are sustaining to us as well as Mike.

Lee

9 April - More and more talking

Mike's doing very well with the blocked-off trachie and is talking more and more and more loudly. He still gets tired easily and sleeps a lot - being read to seems to send him to sleep, even when Frodo and the others are trapped in the Barrow by the Barrow-wright, which I thought would have been exciting enough to keep anyone awake. He is a lot more peaceful now that he is getting more sleep.

When I (Tracy) arrived this morning Mike was in his wheelchair, so I took him for a tour around the rehab centre. When I wheeled him into the day-room, another of the clients was there. On seeing Mike, his whole face lit up and though he can't talk, all his attention was focussed on Mike, and Mike gave him a grin and a hand-wave and asked him how he was doing. Also, another of the clients gave Mike his Charlie Brown doll last night, and according to the staff he does not give presents to just anyone. Looks like Mike's friendship skills are still intact.

Mike really enjoys Kent & Amanda's mini-discs, and wants to compete in another Ironman. Which is fair enough, I would be deeply frustrated by doing all that training and getting two weeks from the start line, and then not competing. But right now he's still got to learn to walk.

At least he does have a shorter-term goal, which also shows how much of a JAFA he still is - he wants to go out to a cafe and have a coffee.

9 & 10 April Visiting Notice -- Still no visitors please

Cavit's experts are in the process of cutting back on his reliance on the tracheotomy to keep fluid out of his lungs. If all goes well, it could be removed entirely on Monday. Meanwhile, the expert view seems to be that it is best if Mike continues to rest without visitors.

Sleeping Beauty

Mike is sleeping lots now. When he is awake he is talking lots. His voice is deep and getting clearer, although it is still not easy to follow. He is consistently concerned about others and wanting to get news of how friends and family are faring. Yesterday, he wanted to know everything Ben had told us about his accident. Then he wanted to know if Ben was running the Ironman in 2006. So we 'text' (as our kids say) Ben, who affirmed that he was, perhaps with a deep breath. The nurse then told Mike to think again. She said, not unkindly, that the last bloke who was in Cavit with Mike's degree of injury was there for 18 months. Mike looked a bit shocked. So was I, truth to tell. The nurse added that while Cavit would do everything it could to help Mike recover, Cavit could not effect a recovery, that had to come from Mike. I think that was what Mike wanted to hear. As Ben 'text' back, the 18 months benchmark is one target Mike will be keen to blow away. Mike was sleepier today, and perhaps a bit less lucid with it. For example, he asked that I take care of the hotel bill for now. A nurse put his mind at rest by explaining that this was a hospital. (We did not need to explain that it was not a US hospital, or that he was insured.) It is good to see him more relaxed -- indicating that the nurses were right about his being over-stimulated earlier in the week .
Bryce

8 April Visitor Update -- Still no visitors please

Mike had a good night's sleep, but is still tired