July 2, 2017 10:00 pm
They have now completely disconnected Josh from both the ventilator and the EEG wires. It is a relief as each wire and tube disappear, both for us and for Josh. He hates all the wires that hamper his freedom to move.
Josh had a very active day. He was awake virtually the entire day. He watches everything around him quite closely, with his one good eye. He makes a lot of brief eye contact with everyone in the room. He was pretty interactive all afternoon and most of the evening. He is very fidgety and antsy, almost in constant motion. He'll reach out and grab whatever object is in his vision, whether it is his hand mitt, a scab on his leg, or a tube on his chest. He played with a piece of Velcro for a very long time. The mitts are off and his hands are mostly unrestrained, so we have to watch to make sure he doesn't pull a tube or a wire or scratch the top of his head (as his skull piece is still missing and will be missing for a few more weeks, we're told). He does answer simple questions from time to time with a nod or shake of the head. He smiled a couple of times, wiggled his toes on command, gave a couple of high-fives, and even reached out to shake the hand of someone to whom he was introduced. The staff loaded him in a recliner chair next to his bed for about an hour or so. He sat there, even balancing his own head for a time. He tried to get out of the chair and stand up twice. He will reach out and hold someone's hand for a while. When we left this evening, he reached out to both of us, so we think he has some recognition even if it isn't very well defined yet.
They have now completely disconnected Josh from both the ventilator and the EEG wires. It is a relief as each wire and tube disappear, both for us and for Josh. He hates all the wires that hamper his freedom to move.
Josh had a very active day. He was awake virtually the entire day. He watches everything around him quite closely, with his one good eye. He makes a lot of brief eye contact with everyone in the room. He was pretty interactive all afternoon and most of the evening. He is very fidgety and antsy, almost in constant motion. He'll reach out and grab whatever object is in his vision, whether it is his hand mitt, a scab on his leg, or a tube on his chest. He played with a piece of Velcro for a very long time. The mitts are off and his hands are mostly unrestrained, so we have to watch to make sure he doesn't pull a tube or a wire or scratch the top of his head (as his skull piece is still missing and will be missing for a few more weeks, we're told). He does answer simple questions from time to time with a nod or shake of the head. He smiled a couple of times, wiggled his toes on command, gave a couple of high-fives, and even reached out to shake the hand of someone to whom he was introduced. The staff loaded him in a recliner chair next to his bed for about an hour or so. He sat there, even balancing his own head for a time. He tried to get out of the chair and stand up twice. He will reach out and hold someone's hand for a while. When we left this evening, he reached out to both of us, so we think he has some recognition even if it isn't very well defined yet.
Oh Joshua (French accent implied). How we love you. This blog is a blessing for me to stay updated. Thank you, Mary and Paul, for these posts. Thank you, God, for Josh.
ReplyDeleteThis all brings back so many memories of when my son had a brain injury. We would pray each day for something specific for him to improve, be able to swallow, be able to recognize people, be able to walk, comb his hair, brush his teeth, every little thing we do without thinking about it. He was an inpatient for about two months. After that we were in an apartment near the hospital for almost five months while he had outpatient therapy. In that apartment I had put labels on the cabinets and drawers and everything, spoons, cups, underwear, pajamas, socks, EVERYTHING. In the shower I taped up directions for bathing...Every step from pick up soap to rinse. I remember one time he forgot to take his pajamas off before putting his pants on. (But haven't we all started to do that ). One thing he could remember in the hospital was the Boy Scout oath. He knew every word. One of the first things he recognized was his baby sister, who was almost 3 at the time. When he graduated from soft food we found that bacon hit the spot. You and Josh have a long road but I know Heavenly Father is there to help you. I continue to pray for Josh and your family. Love and hugs,Charlotte Huddleston
ReplyDeleteThank you, Charlotte. I'm sorry you had to go through this, but it's nice to hear from people who have walked the road.
DeleteI might have questions for you down the line, or maybe you will have ideas/suggestions for me that I won't consider. Would you be willing to send me your email address so I can contact you? My email is marybtaylor@gmail.com
Thank you again. I can't begin to tell you how much prayers for Joshua mean to me at this time.
Love,
Mary