Post by Kristen Gamauf on Oct 13, 2005 22:24:38 GMT -5
DAY 10 AT EDWIN SHAW
Sorry for the late post. Was getting wrapped up in TV.
Mike had his swallowing test this morning and did fairly well. It was really cool. First he had to swallow some barium, which he didn't like. We got to watch him on an x-ray screen as he swallowed many types of stuff. They did thin liquids, thick liquids, normal chewing and puree.
He has trouble with chewing. He has to chew awhile and while doing that stuff gets down his throat. He also had trouble with thin liquids. Nothing actually made it down into his lungs. Just a small bit of that stuff got into his trachea a bit, but when he did swallow it came right back up and down the correct hatch. For now, his speech therapist is starting him on thick liquids (this afternoon he had thickened apple juice) and puree foods (since I don't really know how to spell puree).
Mike did very well at his therapy today, even though he really likes to complain. He seems to enjoy physical therapy. He is walking only with the help of a walker for his knee pain. This morning he walked 40 feet, and later in the day he walked again almost that far. She also does some hamstring stretches and calf stretches with him, which he is not limber at all and grimaces.
Mike really does not enjoy occupational therapy. In fact, I have it on good authority that he hates it and thinks it's stupid, at least that's what he told us. He thinks that there is no reason for why he has to use goofy gadgets and stuff to do things, but we explain that it is to help him strengthen his weak muscles. He really has to work hard with his right arm. "I can't, it's dead!" he said today to the therapist as she was having him do an exercise. I am sure that it is frustrating when he cannot do things that seem so simple. But, it will come back.
Mike also had recreational therapy while we were there. He is doing crafts and is painting glaze on a ceramic fish figurine. He wasn't too happy to be doing that either, and wheeling by the Coke machine on the way there is utter torture for him. "Hey, can we just stop at the Coke machine...?"
As you have probably guessed, he is talking loud enough for us to hear what he is saying. Still a whisper, but more audible. He talks a lot. You can tell how frustrated he is with therapy. He uses four letter words a little bit more than he would usually, which is a sign of the impulsive/agitated part of the brain recovery.
Mike can remember bits and pieces of personal information about himself, his family, his life, but has some trouble. It comes and goes depending on how tired or distracted he is. The therapists tell us that some of the confusion when it comes to those things and language will decrease as the brain's swelling continues to go down.
Mike continues to charm us and the staff though. When we arrived this morning and he saw us for the first time today, he said, "I'm so glad to see you guys--I'm so glad you're here. I thought you weren't gonna show up." We said of course we would if we told him we were gonna. He knew we were coming at 9am today to watch him do therapy. And tonight, Mom was by his bed in the chair in between some of his therapies. He was ready to nap, and so was she. She said, "Boy Mike, I could almost borrow one of your pillows and take a nap too." He shuffled, grabbed a pillow, and said here you can have one of my pillows. I think it meant a lot to Mom. He even asks why we can't stay there at night, but we know that wouldn't be good for any of us. He says he gets so bored there, and is just more comfortable when we're around. I asked him today also if he missed his friends, and he said yes. Someone asked him today if he named his stuffed dog yet and he said yes, Dakota. I don't know if he just pulled that from mid-air or has been calling it that all along, but it was cute, because there was no hesitation in his reply. I noticed on the tag it said "Douglas" which was the brand, but seemed ironic because our beloved childhood pet dog was Doogie, short for Douglas. I thought maybe Mike read it on the tag and just interpreted it as Dakota instead. Who knows.
Sorry for the late post. Was getting wrapped up in TV.
Mike had his swallowing test this morning and did fairly well. It was really cool. First he had to swallow some barium, which he didn't like. We got to watch him on an x-ray screen as he swallowed many types of stuff. They did thin liquids, thick liquids, normal chewing and puree.
He has trouble with chewing. He has to chew awhile and while doing that stuff gets down his throat. He also had trouble with thin liquids. Nothing actually made it down into his lungs. Just a small bit of that stuff got into his trachea a bit, but when he did swallow it came right back up and down the correct hatch. For now, his speech therapist is starting him on thick liquids (this afternoon he had thickened apple juice) and puree foods (since I don't really know how to spell puree).
Mike did very well at his therapy today, even though he really likes to complain. He seems to enjoy physical therapy. He is walking only with the help of a walker for his knee pain. This morning he walked 40 feet, and later in the day he walked again almost that far. She also does some hamstring stretches and calf stretches with him, which he is not limber at all and grimaces.
Mike really does not enjoy occupational therapy. In fact, I have it on good authority that he hates it and thinks it's stupid, at least that's what he told us. He thinks that there is no reason for why he has to use goofy gadgets and stuff to do things, but we explain that it is to help him strengthen his weak muscles. He really has to work hard with his right arm. "I can't, it's dead!" he said today to the therapist as she was having him do an exercise. I am sure that it is frustrating when he cannot do things that seem so simple. But, it will come back.
Mike also had recreational therapy while we were there. He is doing crafts and is painting glaze on a ceramic fish figurine. He wasn't too happy to be doing that either, and wheeling by the Coke machine on the way there is utter torture for him. "Hey, can we just stop at the Coke machine...?"
As you have probably guessed, he is talking loud enough for us to hear what he is saying. Still a whisper, but more audible. He talks a lot. You can tell how frustrated he is with therapy. He uses four letter words a little bit more than he would usually, which is a sign of the impulsive/agitated part of the brain recovery.
Mike can remember bits and pieces of personal information about himself, his family, his life, but has some trouble. It comes and goes depending on how tired or distracted he is. The therapists tell us that some of the confusion when it comes to those things and language will decrease as the brain's swelling continues to go down.
Mike continues to charm us and the staff though. When we arrived this morning and he saw us for the first time today, he said, "I'm so glad to see you guys--I'm so glad you're here. I thought you weren't gonna show up." We said of course we would if we told him we were gonna. He knew we were coming at 9am today to watch him do therapy. And tonight, Mom was by his bed in the chair in between some of his therapies. He was ready to nap, and so was she. She said, "Boy Mike, I could almost borrow one of your pillows and take a nap too." He shuffled, grabbed a pillow, and said here you can have one of my pillows. I think it meant a lot to Mom. He even asks why we can't stay there at night, but we know that wouldn't be good for any of us. He says he gets so bored there, and is just more comfortable when we're around. I asked him today also if he missed his friends, and he said yes. Someone asked him today if he named his stuffed dog yet and he said yes, Dakota. I don't know if he just pulled that from mid-air or has been calling it that all along, but it was cute, because there was no hesitation in his reply. I noticed on the tag it said "Douglas" which was the brand, but seemed ironic because our beloved childhood pet dog was Doogie, short for Douglas. I thought maybe Mike read it on the tag and just interpreted it as Dakota instead. Who knows.