Waiting to be transferred to REHAB!!!!
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January 21, 2008 at 8:50 am
Well my dad is doing great at the time!!! So many good and positive things have happened in less than a month for my dad. He was taken off the Vent on Dec 22nd, 2007, then the trache was removed on Jan 5th, 2008 a day before my birthday, God has been really working in my favor and has given me the best Christmas gift and birthday gift!!! He was moved from ICU to a regular room on Monday Jan 14th and I was really concerned about that because of the close monitoring but we had a meeting with everyone involved with my dad on Jan 16th and they gave us an update, what they anticipate, and insured us that he is still being closely monitored but not as close as in ICU because he is breathing on his own and doing good. The doctor went in and told him on Saturday that he was accepted into the rehab and now they are just waiting for a bed. He said possibly sometime this week he will be moved. He isn’t picking up his hands or legs yet but he is moving his whole body when he is trying to adjust himself,(like a baby would), he jerks his legs, lift his head off the pillow just a tiny bit, shrug his shoulders, etc. Anyways, they still have to closely monitor his respiratory especially when moving him to the rehab because they will start more aggressive therapy on him there. Overall, I think he is doing great!! Any thoughts, suggestions will help tremendously!!!
Thanks for all of your support and prayers,
Sabrina
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January 21, 2008 at 10:21 am
SAbrina,
I am so happy for your family. Continue being strong and upbeat for your dad.
Dawn Kevies mom -
January 21, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Sabrina, What Wonderful News!! Please make sure the pt knows how to treat gbs people, and have treated many. Stay on them, don’t let them wear him out or work him too long or push too hard. Keep us updated. Happy Belated Birthday! Big Hugs to Your Dad and All of You!:)
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January 21, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Sabrina I am very glad you let us know about his wonderful progress. Everyone can take a deep breath. Now you will need lots of patients. I agree with angel2ndclass22699 on the type of rehab he should be receiving. His progress will totally remind you of what a baby or toddler will learn. OT and PT will work with different areas of his rehab and keep focus on what he gains that day. This will be a very slow process. The term “more aggressive therapy” to you might mean this will speed up his recovery but that is not what they mean. They will work him in the morning and in the afternoon but only should be doing things that are baby steps to us. This is the time they can not wear out his body. He will need more rest during this period also. His daily schedule might consist of him trying to gain movement and strenght to feed himself, get bathed and dressed…..that might be all they do for his morning routine and then he has to SLEEP until lunch. Then he will eat and REST until hopefully his next PT is not until late afternoon, so he can get more SLEEP! Let him brag about each little finger or leg or arm he is able to move it might only be an inch but that is all you need at first. All of this slow process is building up to the big picture. BE Possitive!! Remember how long it takes a baby to learn this….his head remembers how it is just his body that is not cooperating. You will see more mood swings and frustration because he has moved up to the next level of his journey but he is not getting home quickly enough according to what he brain thinks it can do and what he is starting to realize how much he can not do. Remind him if he can not do something they ask of him today, there is tomorrow and the next day! Now his mind is starting to set goals that his body might not be able to live up to just right now! As for things you can watch for that were big markers for me was pulling myself up so they could put a pillow under my shoulders. Rolling over on my side so they can change the sheets with out them rolling me over or he starts to reach for the phone. These are all bigs deals to the patients. Then they will start to sit him up on the edge of the bed and work on getting him to wash himself and maybe stand after he can show his balance is well enough to do that. They should be going slow but will be building that sound foundation for all those other things he will be in a hurry to do. He can not be force like what you would think more aggressive therapy could mean. They are just really increasing the time they work with him. Each day make a big deal of his brags! We can not tell you how much that tiny daily progress will help with his recovery! As suggested make sure you and rehab know what “more aggressive therapy” means and what you are to expect. DO NOT let them over do it with the GBS person it will set them back very quickly. It will kick up the residuals and he will relapse. Make sure they also let him listen to his body. If he is tired they will not make him do something new and harder they should work backwards on what he does well and build strenght from that. Didn’t we tell you he would Get Better Slowly? Big hug to you and your Dad and your family. You are doing a great job!
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January 24, 2008 at 8:47 am
My dad was moved to the rehab center yesterday 1/23/08 around noon. He wasn’t too happy with the fact that he had to share a room with someone but overall I think he is learning to cope. I told him it’s probably a good thing because he won’t feel so alone when we’re not there. Me and my sister got there around 6pm after I got off work and he was happy he smiled and laughed with us so much. The thing about me and my sister is we’re a disaster when we’re both together that’s a good thing. We walked on the other side of the hospital for my dad to get a sonogram on his right arm which was where the blood clot was. The nurse that rolled him over there was a man that approached me a few months ago and was trying to flirt with me until I told him I was married. When he left us so that my dad could get the sonogram he said bye to us and then said see you around to my sister. Anyways, my sister told my dad he figured since he couldn’t have the little, mean, fisty one then he would settle for the big generous sister. We laughed so much and it felt good to see my dad do that. When us 2 get together even in a bad situation we act like kids just to keep our sanity, but that’s what keeps my dad going and positive because him in his normal state of mind he acts the same with us. I tell him it’s your fault that we’re like this becuase you raised us and he smiled like a proud parent should. I was just so excited yesterday and still am. My dad is an awesome dad and God is great!!! Please continue to keep us in your prayers!! I’ve learned even when I felt that God wasn’t listening to me he really was because he was working on answering my prayers. He has done more than answered my prayers he has brought me closer to him.
thanks,
Sabrina
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January 24, 2008 at 8:10 pm
[SIZE=”4″]WONDERFUL NEWS !![SIZE=”2″] Please tell your dad that we’re excited for this next phase in his recovery. Hugs to everyone 🙂 [/SIZE][/SIZE]
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January 29, 2008 at 8:13 am
Sabrina,
Sounds like your Dad is headed down the right path….just keep in mind that it can become a fairly long path.
Speaking only from my limited experiences, you should prepare to deal with his frustration, and him wanting to do more and more and more. Be supportive, and always listen to what he has to say about how he feels, how he is doing that day, what he thinks about treatment….
You and your sister being there is SOOOOO important. I always looked foward to seeing my girls, I think the nurses were tired of hearing stories about them, ALL THE TIME. I’m sure your Dad is the same way.
P.S. Hang in there, and take care of yourself, too 😉 I’ve seen caretakers and family members run themselves in the ground from being so tired.
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January 31, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Thanks for all the encouring words and advice and I sure have shared everything with my dad about this support group. He is doing good and he was happy to tell me that he took his first shower on Monday the first in 5 months. He is getting kinda spoiled now with eating because now that we take turns taking food to him he doesn’t want to eat the Hospitals food, but that’s okay because I’m just glad to be able to feed him and see him eat. I was in Church last Sunday and I keep my phone on vibrate in case of emergency. Well I got a call from the hospital and answered it and it was my dad on the other end and you shouldn’t have interruptions in Church but that one was an exception and a reasonable one. He wanted to make sure I was going to see him because I didn’t go the day before. It’s crazy how he remembers some things that has happened in the last months and some things he don’t. He is doing therapy and we are taking one day at a time. Just keep us in your prayers!!!!
thanks,
Sabrina
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February 1, 2008 at 9:40 am
Its great to hear your Dad’s progress. Tell him to keep it up! We are all cheering for him. The shower had to be like heaven on earth after that long! 😉
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February 1, 2008 at 4:58 pm
I am so happy to hear from you on the progress of your father. I have been wondering how you all have been doing. Please try and post some updated photos of your dad and tell him we look forward to him posting on here soon. Keep up the great work Sabrina.
All my best,
Linda
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