Walt is now in 8.3400 - Respiratory Care ward. Be careful upon entering though, the nurse at the reception desk has a nasty cough...
We stopped in tonight and what a difference! Wide awake, responding with head nods and facial expressions. We asked the nurse to put the speaking tube over the trach hole and he did manage to get out some words. Some understandable, some not. It's really nice to hear his voice, albeit a bit Donald Duck-ish sounding due to the speaking tube (but that's temporary).
Corinne put moisturizer on his hand. Then she asked if it was alright with him . He said "I guess". Better to ask forgiveness after the fact than permission before.
I, on the other hand, am a bit more cautious in my approach because I am sensitive to the fact that Walt is in a delicate state right now recovering from a serious head injury. So I said two words to him in order to guage his reaction to familiar verbal stimulus: "Baseball". "Yankees". His response: "Dammit!". Hmmm, maybe he has been paying attention to the TV the past few weeks after all.
On the physical side of things, for those of us keeping track: No dialysis today (the nurse said his urine output seemed sufficient and his electolyte levels are not as bad as they were last week); BP and HR (90) good; O2 saturation was bouncing around between 96 and 100 while we were there and he is on O2 support (that's the mask over the trach tube only); no fever.
Keep up the momentum Walt!
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8 comments:
Hello!
Very good posting.
Thank you - Have a good day!!!
It is good news to hear that Walt is on an up swing. Keep the sports on the television!
Cousin Debb
I the wife of a friend of Walt's. My husband's brother had a brain injury accident 1 1/2 years ago and here are some websites we found that provided info. Someone in a comment recently asked about this.
http://www.brain-injury-resource.com/
http://www.biausa.org/index.html
http://www.headinjury.com/
These were useful in helping us understand what to expect during his recovery. Sadly, there is no magic medicine that will speed Walt's recovery. But the therapy he gets in the hospital now (reading & talking to him) and when he goes to rehab will help tremendously. As someone explained to us, you have to "rewire the connections" in his brain. The way to do that is by making him think. You're doing the right stuff. Walt's recovery won't happen overnight but it will happen.
God bless you all.
Kathy Chapman
hi folks. I'm Ron Chapman, a friend of Walts. I have been sick myself for a few weeks and didn't want to visit for fear of passing on what I had to Walt. I'll try to visit next week.
Anyway, thought I would pass on some thoughts because I have been where you are. My brother went through this just about 2 years ago. I can tell you that what you will go through will be frustrating at times and there will be times you'll just want to sit down and cry. But take heart there is a future. It will take a long time and time really is the only thing that can cure. There are no magic pills, as much as you would like them. If you search the internet you'll find (amazingly) very little on this. The doctors at Strong are the best there are. I'm guessing that when they are ready they will send Walt to St. Mary's for rehab. These people do the Lord,s work.
Again it can be frustrating but stick with it. They will have him in speech therapy, physical therapy (he'll have to build his muscles back up from lying around) and cognitive therapy. In the latter they may ask him what day it is and he may not know. Don't panic and the small things like that at the onset. It takes a while and you'll see results. It also helps to have a family member at the therapys and St. Mary's encourages it. You'll see a difference in him as he stays there (it may be slow so stick with it) and then he'll come home and still need help at home.
I know this is long and I'll be glad to tell more if you are interested. My brother took about a year before he was independent again at home. It's a long time but worth it
Ron and Kathy, I am interested in hearing more. If you are so inclined to have an informal chat, please email me at rickskanron@att.net
Good day today. Walt finally talked to me today, and knew who I was when he saw me after the nurse told him Tom was here to see him. I did talk to Walt for about an hour, and he understood me for the most part. He would answer questions with the correct answers, but would not always finish the sentence. Walt was trying to remove his waste removal plumbing, and we did have words about that but he eventually agreed it would be best to keep it installed. He needs stimulation, so feel free to visit.
He's being moved to the 7th floor today, so ask before you go up where his new room is.
It was a great day for me, and I'm sure it was for Walt
Tom Wahl
dear rabitz family and friends, we so enjoy and appreciate this update. i check it daily to keep abreast of how to pray for all of you. we are continuing to ask for a miracle and God's grace to see you thru. JJ and I have been up to see walter often and will continue. He doesn't know me ,but does respond to JJ...love to you all Pam Wager
Rabitz Family. You may have already seen this, but I came across it on the web today. We think of Walt and you all every day and keep you in our thoughts and prayers.
Barb Eckl
http://www.tbirecovery.org/LongTermPhase.html
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