Day 18 of Jim's Recovery

Well, Dad's progress is nothing short of a miracle. I miss one day and Dad is doing amazing things. It's hard to believe that 3 weeks ago we thought that we would never hear Dad talk again, but here we are. It's also hard to fathom that Dad has a brain injury. He just makes leaps and bounds everyday. Sometimes this is great but other times it is hard.

Last night Dad was moved to the Federal Heights Rehabilitation Center in SLC. We moved him there because the University of Utah is able to contract with Rehab centers and we don't have to pay for it! Unfortunately, Dad was moved on a Friday so there is quite a bit of down time before he starts on his physical therapy schedule which in turn has made Dad very depressed. Our good friend Gwen warned us about moving Dad on a Friday, but we had no choice in the matter.

Apparently, last night Dad actually got up out of bed and walked to the bathroom, in the process he pulled out his feeding tube. At the hospital this would not have happened because there were monitors on the bed to warn if he got up. Yes, it is absolutely amazing that Dad walked himself to the bathroom. I have no clue how he did it...determination comes to mind! But now Mom is paranoid about leaving Dad alone. There is hardly any staff on the weekends and Dad runs the risk, obviously, of falling or getting an infection if he pulls the PEG tube out again.

I'm hesitant to divulge this next information but I want Dad to read this once he is able to read again. It's like a personal diary for Dad, so I will just ask his forgiveness and hope that he will understand (Mom too.) This morning when Mom walked into the room Dad began to cry. He asked "How did I get here? How did this happen? Why am I here?" It is heartbreaking that Dad is depressed but wonderful that he is aware of his surroundings. It is so hard to see Dad cry and I can't imagine being in Mom's shoes right now. But in my eyes Dad's crying is a great step to his recovery. Mom explained to Dad about the accident and that we were doing everything in our power to get him home.

Erin and I showed up around oneish. Dad was much more aware of what was going on around him. His speech skills have improved tremendously. I could catch more words and he was putting sentences together. He also showed a lot more emotions on his face, like smiling for one! Mike and Becky were there and they had brought their dog Kaike (sp?) It was great to see Dad smile when Kaike came in the room. I think not only did he smile but he sighed like he knew who she was. Then said in broken sounds "I want to see Crowja." This is his goldendoodle. We told him we would bring Crowja as soon as we could. I'm going to see if I can take my dog Hintza in to see Dad. He really needs the stimulation.

Erin did some strength work with Dad getting him to lift his right leg. He is getting a lot more muscle strength in his right side. He could push against her with his right leg and also push again her with his right arm. So she did some movement exercises with Dad. Again I was just amazed at the strength Dad had in his right side from two days ago. Later in the afternoon he said he needed to use the restroom and with only the help of Mom and a nurse they got him to the bathroom. Then I got to see him walk back out and I just sat there open mouthed. He could move both legs but could not put a lot of weight on his right leg. So basically it looked like he was walking with a sprained ankle, then add a small shuffle.

When I saw how good Dad was doing I called Matt (my hubby) to bring our girls over. The hospital has a restriction that anyone under 14 could not be allowed in the rooms, this is because the hospital is trying to keep the flu from spreading. Now that he is in a care facility my girls can go see him. Plus, they just got off antibiotics so I am quite sure they are good. I was so happy to see my Dad's face light up when he saw the girls. He knew who they were and showed emotion to see them. Dad couldn't keep his eyes off of them. He even at one point tried playing with Sage, my littlest, by using his right hand to poke her in the ribs. She just giggled and laughed, the moment was so wonderful.

So now we just wait until Monday to see what his schedule will be and as soon as Dad is walking well enough to be able to use the restroom on his own and as soon as he can swallow better we will bring Dad home. For me I would bring him home as soon as he is able to use the restroom on his own because we can be taught how to take care of the PEG tube. I'm sure this is what Mom is thinking too. I can't wait to go see Dad tomorrow and see how far the night has brought him.

Please go see Dad, he needs the support. But make sure you are good and healthy! Can't risk Dad getting pneumonia gain.