Because Dad has reached a plateau in his development I'm only going to be updating this on Fridays and Mondays. If there are any significant events I will post them. Right now not much has changed. Dad continues to slowly get better but then goes backward in his development. We were told this from the beginning by the doctors. They said that Dad would get better quickly, then plateau, then later and all of a sudden there will be another big development, and so on. Dad continues to work on his language skills. Some days are better then others. One day Dad will start talking really well and the next he can hardly remember the right words he wants to say.
Dad's moods change drastically also. Mom said that the other night he was really tired around 7:00PM and needed to take a nap. Dad asked Mom to wake him at 8:00 because he said he kept waking up in the middle of the night. Well, of course Mom woke Dad up and when she did he was really mean and short with her. Very uncharacteristic of Dad. Yeah Mom and Dad get irritated at each other like any married couple, but apparently this was really bad. I can't recall the things Dad said but they were harsher then being agitated that he was woken up from his nap. I guess he did it again later that evening when she went into the bedroom to check on him and he was almost falling off the bed.
Dad gets extremely anxious also. He worries about little things that Dad never worried about before. On Thursday, my sister and I, and our kids went over to Mom and Dad's to help them decorate their Christmas tree. As the kids were putting on the non-fragile items Dad was extremely anxious about how the kids were putting the ornaments on the tree, that they kept dropping them, walking around the tree, and the correct way they should have been putting the ornaments on the tree. Dad never worried about silly stuff like that. Perhaps, he did but just had the coping skills necessary to not let them show. I'm not sure, but it is so strange to see Dad get worked up over little things like that.
One little thing that I noticed the other day that is uncharacteristic of Dad is his like for stupid movies! Dad has always been an extreme critic about movies. It's hard for people like Dad who have been raised to appreciate good literature to ignore bad plots in movies. If the story line has no body and is easily seen through then what is the purpose of watching the show, according to Dad. I'm also one who loves good literature but I do love to turn off my suspension of disbelief and just watch the movie and enjoy it for what it is! Well, the other day Dad was watching "The Time Machine"(2002). Now I apologize to any out there that liked this movie, but this is one of those shows that no matter how hard I tried to enjoy the movie, it just rubbed me the wrong way and in my book was really stupid! Dad thought so too, I remember! Anyways, he finished watching it and said that it was a great show. I couldn't believe my ears. I even stopped putting lights on the Christmas tree to look at Mom. I didn't have to say anything for her to understand why I looked at her. She said "I know! He likes movies now that before he would have thought were stupid." Oh, man I hope that doesn't last. I loved critiquing movies with Dad.
It's so hard to be around Dad sometimes because he seems so normal and yet he isn't. And it is so hard to explain to people that he is doing wonderful but he still isn't there. Don't get me wrong I am positive Dad will get back a lot that has been lost, but how much? I would rather have Dad the way he is now then loosing him so suddenly to such an awful accident, trust me. It just still blows my mind when he does things non Jim-esk! I think it will just take time to get used to.
Things aren't all negative like this post is starting to sound like. I apologize for that I'm not feeling pessimistic or depressed in anyway. I guess I just had more on my mind then I thought I did. It was wonderful to decorate the tree at Mom and Dad's the other day. We turned on our traditional "Harry Belafonte Christmas" and had a great time decorating the tree. We used a lot of old ornaments that were my Dad's as a child. They are the best ornaments ever. They are made of wood and are just different characters, some Christmas-y, some not. For instance, there is a basketball player and an angel. We added Dad's favorite Icicle Men and two little elves at the top. Dad sat by the fire and freaked out every time one of us stood on the ladder to reach the top branches! We drank hot chocolate and then let the kids have their turn. Erin and I sat by Dad while Mom helped the kids. We had a wonderful time and I am so thankful to add this to my Christmas memories.
One thing that I am extremely grateful that Dad has not carried over from before the accident is his kind of stand offish behavior when it came to showing affection to Erin and I. I mean, Dad always gave us hugs to say Hi and Bye, and always told us he loved us. It's very hard to explain. For instance, in church today I was sitting next to Dad and I put my arm around his back and was rubbing his shoulders or just relaxing my arm on the back of his seat. Before this Dad would just sit there and not really return the affection. Sometimes I felt bad but I knew that it wasn't because Dad didn't love me but that he was just raised in a different time. Well, today Dad put his hand on my knee to return the affection and left it there. I was so happy that Dad responded to my affections. I thought to myself, I hope that he doesn't loose this as he regains what he lost.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Day 36 of Jim's Recovery
Didn't get a chance to visit Dad again today. It's like now that he is home I'm not so worried about him. But I still feel awful when I can't go see him. Mom says that today Dad had a ton of visitors. He did pretty well because he got a chance to sleep between the visits. Thank you so much to Dad's friends at Coldwell Banker who brought my parents a Christmas tree. I was going to go buy one but you guys beat me to it! And thank you for doing that because mine was going to be a small Charlie Brown tree, apparently yours is big and beautiful. We are going over tomorrow night to help decorate. I'm so excited. Thank you guys for bringing Christmas to my parents. When Dad was beginning to remember the house he told us he wanted a real tree this year!
Mom had a serious scare today. She took the dogs for a walk and when she got back Dad told her he almost passed out. I guess he was at the computer (I don't know why, he can't read or write yet) and felt really dizzy then had a small black out. Now Mom is petrified to ever leave Dad. We are going to have to get babysitters for him whenever we leave. Dad goes back to the doctor on Monday. We will see what is going on. I'm wondering if perhaps there is something else going on besides his head injury. What if this was happening before the accident and he just never mentioned it to anyone, then finally one day he passed out completely and fell down the stairs? Matt (hubby) says with all of his MRI's something serious in the brain would have been detected. Perhaps and inner ear infection? Don't know but it makes me nervous.
Mom had a serious scare today. She took the dogs for a walk and when she got back Dad told her he almost passed out. I guess he was at the computer (I don't know why, he can't read or write yet) and felt really dizzy then had a small black out. Now Mom is petrified to ever leave Dad. We are going to have to get babysitters for him whenever we leave. Dad goes back to the doctor on Monday. We will see what is going on. I'm wondering if perhaps there is something else going on besides his head injury. What if this was happening before the accident and he just never mentioned it to anyone, then finally one day he passed out completely and fell down the stairs? Matt (hubby) says with all of his MRI's something serious in the brain would have been detected. Perhaps and inner ear infection? Don't know but it makes me nervous.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Day 35 of Jim's Recovery
Not much happened today. Yesterday, Mom took Dad to his primary physician. She called the doctor who was scheduled to see Dad after his discharge but the guy is a Nero Surgeon (of course he doesn't have time) and wasn't scheduled to see Dad until December 30th. I couldn't believe that Dad didn't have daily check-up care scheduled after his discharge from the rehab facility. I guess if you can't pay then your on your own. Love the system!
Anyways, Dad's been taking blood pressure medicine and we were told by a good friend that the medicine could be making him dizzy. So Mom took Dad in yesterday and they took him off the meds. Mom needs to watch Dad's blood pressure very carefully in case it goes up again.
Dad had been complaining about, well basically, restless leg syndrome! I guess that is his problem when we are in places like my cousins funeral and why Dad seemed so uncomfortable. He said that during the funeral he felt like he needed to kick his legs so bad it was painful. Plus, he complains about how his legs are weird. I don't know if you remember but when Dad was in his "sleepy" coma he would kick and flail his legs. I don't know what the doctor is doing to treat this or even if he can. This could be something Dad just has to work through as his brain heals.
Also, Dad is still having trouble with his right foot being painful. The doctor asked for the x-rays from the hospital. It almost seems as though he has pinched a serious nerve in his back. I went to rub his foot and barely had touched the bottom of his toes when he flinched away and said that it hurt. It was as if stretching the toe pulled something that caused him pain. So for now we have Dad's foot wrapped and he is on crutches. I guess that is better then a walker, I know Dad thinks so!
Dad is going to see a speech therapist this week who will help us do exercises at home. This is the most frustrating part because Dad gets so mad when we try to do exercises to get his speech back. He thinks the games are dumb or thinks he is too dumb to do them.
That's it for now. Will let you know how the therapy goes.
Anyways, Dad's been taking blood pressure medicine and we were told by a good friend that the medicine could be making him dizzy. So Mom took Dad in yesterday and they took him off the meds. Mom needs to watch Dad's blood pressure very carefully in case it goes up again.
Dad had been complaining about, well basically, restless leg syndrome! I guess that is his problem when we are in places like my cousins funeral and why Dad seemed so uncomfortable. He said that during the funeral he felt like he needed to kick his legs so bad it was painful. Plus, he complains about how his legs are weird. I don't know if you remember but when Dad was in his "sleepy" coma he would kick and flail his legs. I don't know what the doctor is doing to treat this or even if he can. This could be something Dad just has to work through as his brain heals.
Also, Dad is still having trouble with his right foot being painful. The doctor asked for the x-rays from the hospital. It almost seems as though he has pinched a serious nerve in his back. I went to rub his foot and barely had touched the bottom of his toes when he flinched away and said that it hurt. It was as if stretching the toe pulled something that caused him pain. So for now we have Dad's foot wrapped and he is on crutches. I guess that is better then a walker, I know Dad thinks so!
Dad is going to see a speech therapist this week who will help us do exercises at home. This is the most frustrating part because Dad gets so mad when we try to do exercises to get his speech back. He thinks the games are dumb or thinks he is too dumb to do them.
That's it for now. Will let you know how the therapy goes.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Day 34 of Jim's Recovery
So apparently Dad has become a very anxious ball of yarn! Today Mom took Crowja in to be groomed and all day Dad worried about Crowja. He wanted to know why it was taking so long, why the person hadn't called, if he was done yet, was anxious that my mom wasn't checking on him, wanted to go get him, got mad at Mom for talking on the phone when she should be checking on Crowja, etc... Wow, I hope this is only a faze. Dad was really ornery with Mom today too.
I stopped by to bring Mom and Dad some dinner and Dad seemed normal. Dad was sitting on the couch watching basketball. Dad has become slightly demanding. When he wants something he doesn't say "oh, I was wondering if you could get me..." Dad says "I need some of this..." Part of me has to smile because before Dad hit his head he would always say "someone needs to get up and get me a..." Most of the time we would tell him to get it himself, sometimes when we were feeling generous or already up we would get it for him. So part of me is wondering if Dad is taking advantage of knowing we will wait on him! The reason being is because Dad wanted some hot cocoa and told me to get him some. I said that Mom didn't have any. I didn't know or not I just didn't want to get him any hot cocoa at the moment! I know I'm mean. Well, about 20 min later I guess Dad still wanted that cocoa so he got up, went to the pantry, and found the hot cocoa mix. I came down from the loft and found Dad in the pantry with the cocoa mix. So I told him to go sit down and I would finish making it for him. So I made it but not too hot because I didn't want him to drop it or burn himself. Well, I took him the cocoa and he sipped it and said "no this is not hot enough, go warm it up!" Picky, Picky. So of course I fixed it and made it hot.
Now I think most of it is due to his brain injury, but I think shortly here we will need to start teaching Dad how to do a few things on his own! I guess Mom had to take the phone away from Dad because he started calling everyone in his address book inviting them to come over for a visit! Then tonight he was asking if my girls wanted to have a sleep over. I felt heartbroken over this because I wish they could stay with Gwanpa.
It's hard to keep Dad entertained right now. Oh, and if any of you want to visit Dad or just want an update, send all e-mail to Jimsrecovery@gmail.com. I'm going to start taking care of all of Dad's correspondences. Mom is having a hard time getting through all of her e-mails. She will forward e-mails to me and I will answer your e-mails as soon as I can. Thanks so much.
I stopped by to bring Mom and Dad some dinner and Dad seemed normal. Dad was sitting on the couch watching basketball. Dad has become slightly demanding. When he wants something he doesn't say "oh, I was wondering if you could get me..." Dad says "I need some of this..." Part of me has to smile because before Dad hit his head he would always say "someone needs to get up and get me a..." Most of the time we would tell him to get it himself, sometimes when we were feeling generous or already up we would get it for him. So part of me is wondering if Dad is taking advantage of knowing we will wait on him! The reason being is because Dad wanted some hot cocoa and told me to get him some. I said that Mom didn't have any. I didn't know or not I just didn't want to get him any hot cocoa at the moment! I know I'm mean. Well, about 20 min later I guess Dad still wanted that cocoa so he got up, went to the pantry, and found the hot cocoa mix. I came down from the loft and found Dad in the pantry with the cocoa mix. So I told him to go sit down and I would finish making it for him. So I made it but not too hot because I didn't want him to drop it or burn himself. Well, I took him the cocoa and he sipped it and said "no this is not hot enough, go warm it up!" Picky, Picky. So of course I fixed it and made it hot.
Now I think most of it is due to his brain injury, but I think shortly here we will need to start teaching Dad how to do a few things on his own! I guess Mom had to take the phone away from Dad because he started calling everyone in his address book inviting them to come over for a visit! Then tonight he was asking if my girls wanted to have a sleep over. I felt heartbroken over this because I wish they could stay with Gwanpa.
It's hard to keep Dad entertained right now. Oh, and if any of you want to visit Dad or just want an update, send all e-mail to Jimsrecovery@gmail.com. I'm going to start taking care of all of Dad's correspondences. Mom is having a hard time getting through all of her e-mails. She will forward e-mails to me and I will answer your e-mails as soon as I can. Thanks so much.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Day 33 of Jim's Recovery
Every Sunday I go to the Bountiful Community Church (BCC) early around 10:00AM to practice with our singing group. We do a special music each week, which Dad used to be part of the core of our group. Today while I was practicing my little Sage came running up to me and started hitting me on the leg. Now this is not unusual for Sage, she hates when my attention is diverted somewhere else instead of on her. So I kept singing trying to ignore her. She kept hitting my leg and calling for me with more fervor then usual so I looked down at her while singing to scold her. When I did she pointed to the end of the chapel. I looked up and there was Dad hobbling with his walker down the isle!
Needless to say I stopped singing and ran up to Dad to give him a great big hug. Of course Sagey did too, she was just as excited as I to see "gwampa" there. I had no clue that Dad was going to make it to church today. I assumed Mom would keep him home, and apparently she tried. Mom said as soon as he woke up today he wanted to go and she could hardly keep him from leaving. So of course she had to bring him. Dad has been talking about going back to church ever since he could start communicating. Of course everyone was just as shocked and ecstatic to see Dad there. I think during what we call "Passing of the Peace," where everyone goes around and greets one another with peace, the entire congregation came to say hi to Dad. I could feel Dad's joy radiating off of him and see it in his face. He was so thankful to be there with all of his good friends.
During each of our choir songs I would look at Dad and just grin from ear to ear. Dad had a huge smile and was bobbing his head to the music. He would smile even bigger when I smiled at him. I think I sung louder today then usual because I was so happy Dad was in the seats. I was so glad to have Mom there also. To see her doing the things she loved again made me also smile. Poor Mom needs to find some stability in her crazy routine. I was so happy to sing to her too. I had one of those moments today when you see your parents as if you were a child again. I am so happy to have such great parents!
This evening Matt, the kids, and I went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Mom cooked Dad one of his favorite dishes, Corned Beef. Yum yum! I couldn't believe we were sitting around the table eating dinner together. I said a silent prayer of thanks. Dad still can't eat very much. He thinks it is still because of the PEG tube which was taken out last week. Matt thinks it's just because his stomach has shrunk.
During dinner Dad started telling us more about his Irish guy that was on the bed with him. You know I almost want to say that Dad had an out of body experience. He talks about this guy as if he was watching him. Dad says he couldn't see himself, or will say that he was not there. He talks about the Irish Guy as if he were a patient. Dad even told us the Irish Guy was a patient, but that he was getting better. I tried to get more of an explanation of the room from Dad. I asked if Dad could see the ceiling when he saw his Irish friend, he said no. I asked if he could see monitors, he said no, he could not see anything because "he was not there." I asked so the only thing you could see was the Irish Guy in the bed and he said "yes." To me the perspective that Dad seems to be giving us is if he were floating above the bed and looking at himself. I can tell you right now the hospital doesn't allow patients into other peoples rooms, and Dad never shared a room with anyone. I will keep trying to get more details. I find Dad's enthusiasm to talk about his guy amazing and want to figure out what his brain is trying to convey. Who knows perhaps it was just a vivid dream that Dad can recall. As Dad gets better it will be extremely interesting to learn more about this.
We had a very peaceful evening just watching t.v. and sitting by the fire. Dad fell asleep on the couch and my little girls played up in the loft bedroom. Dad is doing a great job with taking naps when he gets tired. I don't think he can keep from falling asleep, especially after having a ton of stimulus like going to church. We do still get worried about Dad. Dad might be talking and doing tons better then before but he isn't totally Jim yet. He does a great job describing the things that he needs or wants (or we are just getting better at guessing his needs!) But he still isn't quite the easy going, silly, make you smile Jim. Dad talks about himself a lot in the third person. I guess last night he was telling Mom how he missed Jim. He said that Jim was funny and he missed how Jim could make people laugh. Then he started crying.
I'm just speechless as to what to say. My heart tells me Dad will get better and be able to speak again. But it also tells me that we may not get the Jim we remember back. Who knows, I always try to stay positive because we have already seen such miracle from Dad. Perhaps he will be the fun loving Jim again. Let's all pray that he will.
Needless to say I stopped singing and ran up to Dad to give him a great big hug. Of course Sagey did too, she was just as excited as I to see "gwampa" there. I had no clue that Dad was going to make it to church today. I assumed Mom would keep him home, and apparently she tried. Mom said as soon as he woke up today he wanted to go and she could hardly keep him from leaving. So of course she had to bring him. Dad has been talking about going back to church ever since he could start communicating. Of course everyone was just as shocked and ecstatic to see Dad there. I think during what we call "Passing of the Peace," where everyone goes around and greets one another with peace, the entire congregation came to say hi to Dad. I could feel Dad's joy radiating off of him and see it in his face. He was so thankful to be there with all of his good friends.
During each of our choir songs I would look at Dad and just grin from ear to ear. Dad had a huge smile and was bobbing his head to the music. He would smile even bigger when I smiled at him. I think I sung louder today then usual because I was so happy Dad was in the seats. I was so glad to have Mom there also. To see her doing the things she loved again made me also smile. Poor Mom needs to find some stability in her crazy routine. I was so happy to sing to her too. I had one of those moments today when you see your parents as if you were a child again. I am so happy to have such great parents!
This evening Matt, the kids, and I went to Mom and Dad's for dinner. Mom cooked Dad one of his favorite dishes, Corned Beef. Yum yum! I couldn't believe we were sitting around the table eating dinner together. I said a silent prayer of thanks. Dad still can't eat very much. He thinks it is still because of the PEG tube which was taken out last week. Matt thinks it's just because his stomach has shrunk.
During dinner Dad started telling us more about his Irish guy that was on the bed with him. You know I almost want to say that Dad had an out of body experience. He talks about this guy as if he was watching him. Dad says he couldn't see himself, or will say that he was not there. He talks about the Irish Guy as if he were a patient. Dad even told us the Irish Guy was a patient, but that he was getting better. I tried to get more of an explanation of the room from Dad. I asked if Dad could see the ceiling when he saw his Irish friend, he said no. I asked if he could see monitors, he said no, he could not see anything because "he was not there." I asked so the only thing you could see was the Irish Guy in the bed and he said "yes." To me the perspective that Dad seems to be giving us is if he were floating above the bed and looking at himself. I can tell you right now the hospital doesn't allow patients into other peoples rooms, and Dad never shared a room with anyone. I will keep trying to get more details. I find Dad's enthusiasm to talk about his guy amazing and want to figure out what his brain is trying to convey. Who knows perhaps it was just a vivid dream that Dad can recall. As Dad gets better it will be extremely interesting to learn more about this.
We had a very peaceful evening just watching t.v. and sitting by the fire. Dad fell asleep on the couch and my little girls played up in the loft bedroom. Dad is doing a great job with taking naps when he gets tired. I don't think he can keep from falling asleep, especially after having a ton of stimulus like going to church. We do still get worried about Dad. Dad might be talking and doing tons better then before but he isn't totally Jim yet. He does a great job describing the things that he needs or wants (or we are just getting better at guessing his needs!) But he still isn't quite the easy going, silly, make you smile Jim. Dad talks about himself a lot in the third person. I guess last night he was telling Mom how he missed Jim. He said that Jim was funny and he missed how Jim could make people laugh. Then he started crying.
I'm just speechless as to what to say. My heart tells me Dad will get better and be able to speak again. But it also tells me that we may not get the Jim we remember back. Who knows, I always try to stay positive because we have already seen such miracle from Dad. Perhaps he will be the fun loving Jim again. Let's all pray that he will.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Day 32 of Jim's Recovery
Well I didn't have a chance to see Dad today. But Erin did talk to Mom and she said they had a very relaxing day. I didn't want to go over because I just wanted to give both Dad and Mom time to rest. Mom was so excited to be able to sleep in today. Today was probably the first day she has rested since the accident.
And I can't imagine what it was like for Dad to sleep in his own bed. Oh I bet his doggies were happy too. Angelo, Dad's black labradoodle, has been keeping a vigil on Dad's bed ever since the accident. Last night they hardly left Dad's side and Dad was grinning from ear to ear to see them.
Oh, I do remember Erin informed me that Mom had Dad did try some physical therapy exercises today. I guess she had him walk up the stairs, I assume up to their loft room because the stairs are carpeted! Dad was able to go up just fine but he didn't feel he could go back down, so he scooted down on his bum. Poor Dad has never had any fears in his life. Now he is terrified of stairs. I'm thinking it was a mixture of fear and strength that made him feel he could not make it down the stairs. I wonder if his fear will ever truly go away?
And I can't imagine what it was like for Dad to sleep in his own bed. Oh I bet his doggies were happy too. Angelo, Dad's black labradoodle, has been keeping a vigil on Dad's bed ever since the accident. Last night they hardly left Dad's side and Dad was grinning from ear to ear to see them.
Oh, I do remember Erin informed me that Mom had Dad did try some physical therapy exercises today. I guess she had him walk up the stairs, I assume up to their loft room because the stairs are carpeted! Dad was able to go up just fine but he didn't feel he could go back down, so he scooted down on his bum. Poor Dad has never had any fears in his life. Now he is terrified of stairs. I'm thinking it was a mixture of fear and strength that made him feel he could not make it down the stairs. I wonder if his fear will ever truly go away?
Friday, December 4, 2009
Day 30 and 31 of Jim's Recovery
I apologize to those of you who are avid readers of this blog for not posting yesterday. This weekend is very somber for us as we mourn our beloved cousin Brian and our dear friend Brittany. I know that I am not required to do this and I know that you folks don't mind if I miss a day, but I feel like I am letting everyone down if I don't send you just a little information. I feel it is so terribly important to keep our friends and loved ones informed because life is so precious and you all love Dad so very much. In this crazy world we all have to knit together and stay close.
I was up late last night practicing songs with the BCC choir for Brittany's funeral tomorrow on Saturday. Today I have been at my cousin Bri's funeral. You know since this awful tragedy happened to Dad people have told us how much they admire us as a family because we are so close. Well, I admire my Aunt Jan and Uncle Dan, my wonderful cousins Courtney, Jordan, and Chelsea and Brian's wife, Collette. I could not believe how strong they were today. Where people should have been consoling them, they were consoling others. What a strong, loving family.
Dad was able to go to the funeral today. I am so thankful for this. I was so glad Dad could say goodbye to Brian and give his love to everyone. Dad was so happy to see everyone. As we drove through Salt Lake on our way to the funeral Dad said that everything looked different. He explained it kind of like the home sick feeling one gets when you look at something you have driven by a million times but actually see it for the first time. You notice things you never noticed before or see a house that you never paid attention to before. Dad was the same when he saw our cousins. It was like Dad knew who they were and remembered them, but was seeing them for the first time. It was almost like Dad had pictures in his head of how he remembered our cousins and it didn't match with what they looked like today. Dad's face lit up each time our cousins came to talk to him.
We were able to take Dad home today, which was more somber then happy. I am so glad Dad is home but am a little worried. Seeing Dad react to the funeral today made me more worried. Yes, I do think Dad is getting better, but now I totally understand why head trauma patients go up and down in their progress to get better. It's like a broken bone in a cast, once you take the cast off you can't go running around the block. You have to slowly make that leg stronger. You can stand or walk for awhile but you have to eventually sit down. Well, Dad's brain is doing the same thing, it still is working on healing itself but the brain is running all the time. Dad just can't say "Oh I need to sit down" and this will rest his brain. No the brain is still processing everything around him. So as I watched Dad through the funeral, he was sitting down, but all of a sudden he would lean forward as if he was falling asleep. We had to take Dad home early because he was beginning to slur his words even though he said he was fine and wanted to stay.
So with Dad going home it will be great because we can help him and he can have things and people around him that will help him to regain his memory. But he is going to be one stubborn donkey when it comes to trying to make him relax. We have to make him take a nap every hour if at all possible. But knowing Dad he is going to see things around the house that need to be done and try to do them. So I have a feeling Dad is going to be taking a large step backwards here shortly because he wont take the rest he needs.
Because Dad still needs rest we are asking that you e-mail Mom or myself before you go visit. Please don't just drop by it will be too hard for Mom and we aren't sure of Dad's rigorous physical therapy schedule yet. Please let us know when you would like to stop by a few days in advance. This will help us to be able to even out the times and keep Dad from getting too inundated with visitors at one time. I know it is so hard to wait and Dad is a million times better then what he was a week ago, but it is so difficult to understand a head trauma and what that person needs. So we are taking things slowly and following orders from doctors and physical therapists. Keep reading and keep Dad in your prayers and by all means please be patient with us.
I was up late last night practicing songs with the BCC choir for Brittany's funeral tomorrow on Saturday. Today I have been at my cousin Bri's funeral. You know since this awful tragedy happened to Dad people have told us how much they admire us as a family because we are so close. Well, I admire my Aunt Jan and Uncle Dan, my wonderful cousins Courtney, Jordan, and Chelsea and Brian's wife, Collette. I could not believe how strong they were today. Where people should have been consoling them, they were consoling others. What a strong, loving family.
Dad was able to go to the funeral today. I am so thankful for this. I was so glad Dad could say goodbye to Brian and give his love to everyone. Dad was so happy to see everyone. As we drove through Salt Lake on our way to the funeral Dad said that everything looked different. He explained it kind of like the home sick feeling one gets when you look at something you have driven by a million times but actually see it for the first time. You notice things you never noticed before or see a house that you never paid attention to before. Dad was the same when he saw our cousins. It was like Dad knew who they were and remembered them, but was seeing them for the first time. It was almost like Dad had pictures in his head of how he remembered our cousins and it didn't match with what they looked like today. Dad's face lit up each time our cousins came to talk to him.
We were able to take Dad home today, which was more somber then happy. I am so glad Dad is home but am a little worried. Seeing Dad react to the funeral today made me more worried. Yes, I do think Dad is getting better, but now I totally understand why head trauma patients go up and down in their progress to get better. It's like a broken bone in a cast, once you take the cast off you can't go running around the block. You have to slowly make that leg stronger. You can stand or walk for awhile but you have to eventually sit down. Well, Dad's brain is doing the same thing, it still is working on healing itself but the brain is running all the time. Dad just can't say "Oh I need to sit down" and this will rest his brain. No the brain is still processing everything around him. So as I watched Dad through the funeral, he was sitting down, but all of a sudden he would lean forward as if he was falling asleep. We had to take Dad home early because he was beginning to slur his words even though he said he was fine and wanted to stay.
So with Dad going home it will be great because we can help him and he can have things and people around him that will help him to regain his memory. But he is going to be one stubborn donkey when it comes to trying to make him relax. We have to make him take a nap every hour if at all possible. But knowing Dad he is going to see things around the house that need to be done and try to do them. So I have a feeling Dad is going to be taking a large step backwards here shortly because he wont take the rest he needs.
Because Dad still needs rest we are asking that you e-mail Mom or myself before you go visit. Please don't just drop by it will be too hard for Mom and we aren't sure of Dad's rigorous physical therapy schedule yet. Please let us know when you would like to stop by a few days in advance. This will help us to be able to even out the times and keep Dad from getting too inundated with visitors at one time. I know it is so hard to wait and Dad is a million times better then what he was a week ago, but it is so difficult to understand a head trauma and what that person needs. So we are taking things slowly and following orders from doctors and physical therapists. Keep reading and keep Dad in your prayers and by all means please be patient with us.
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