Dad passed his driving test today and was allowed to get his driver's license back!  We had been told that with the extent of his brain injury there was a good chance that he would never be able to drive again.  Now, only 4 months post-accident, he is proving them wrong.  He is doing so great!

This Monday, exactly 3 months after his accident, Dad had a psychological evaluation to determine the cognitive and emotional effects of his brain injury.   The psychologist expressed surprise and amazement at Dad's positive results, especially as these evaluations are usually not done until 4-6 months post-accident.  After three and a half hours of testing in which Dad's cognitive function results were compared to other adults his age, Dad was only found to have one area of deficit.    With how extensive Dad's brain injury was, the psychologist indicated that this was exceptional - especially so soon after the injury.  The one area where Dad apparently struggles is with reading facial expressions of others to determine meaning.  The psychologist did mention, however, that we may notice other small changes that they are not able to test for.

The psychologist reiterated that brain injuries are so unpredictable and no one knows why some people heal quickly, while others heal very slowly or not completely.  We feel that some of Dad's success is most definitely due to all of the prayers and faith expressed on his behalf.  Thank you to all of you who kept him in your prayers!

In other news, last week Dad met with his opthalmologist for the first time since the accident. 

The bad news - the Dr. did not feel that Dad would regain any vision in his right eye due to the damage to his nerve.  Also, there is nothing that can be done for his permanently dilated left pupil and it will not repair itself at this point.  So, barring a miracle, Dad will suffer from these vision problems for the rest of his life (blindness in his right eye and his left eye is very sensitive to light).  The Dr. reminded Dad how important it is for him to protect his eyes to preserve his one "good" eye.

The good news - As far as his vision goes, Dad was cleared to drive!  Dad is just itching to get his license back and regain his independence.    The psychologist would like him to do some test drives with the accompaniment of a therapist  before he is given the final OK.  Once that is done, he will just have to take his driving exam again, and he will be able to be on the road again.

Dad continues to slowly improve day by day.  He is still really weak and has much healing left to do, but we marvel at how much progress he has made!

The one major development since the last update revolves around Dad's throat.  Dad had been having so much trouble with eating and swallowing, and his voice had also been very hoarse.  These issues were a result of the right side of his throat and vocal cords being paralyzed.  The ENT in charge of Dad performed a procedure earlier this week where he shot some Gelfoam (similar to Botox) into the damaged vocal cords,  to fill up some of the empty space in there.  This has helped improve Dad's voice and has also made it a bit easier for him to eat.  I am not entirely certain how it works, but it allows him to be able to more easily swallow without gagging.  This is not a permanent fix and will only last a couple of months, but the hope is that he will regain some of the function in that area by then.    In the meantime, his appetite has already improved a bit.  He still is not eating much, but he is doing much better than he was.

Dad has continued to receive therapy at home several times a week.  This upcoming week will be his last for home therapy, and then they will evaluate whether he should continue on with outpatient therapy at the TOSH clinic. 

Dad has been doing great cognitively and has been slowly getting back into some of the activities of his life before the accident.  He is physically not up to much yet, but does enjoy getting out of the house for a ride or taking a walk around his yard.   As a family, we realize how fortunate Dad was that he was not injured even more severely (such as being paralyzed), and what a miracle it is that he survived and is doing as well as he is.  We are so blessed to still have him with us  for (hopefully) many more years.

Dad on Father's Day with my kids



It was so wonderful having Dad home for Father's Day.  Most of our family was able to gather together with him that evening. We felt so blessed to still have him with us to celebrate that day.

Dad continues to improve in all areas.  Therapists continue to come to his home often to work with him. Earlier this week, the physical therapist determined that Dad had a misplaced crystal in his left ear that had probably been knocked out of place by his fall.  This was probably causing much of the dizziness and some of the unsteadiness that Dad had been experiencing.  He did a procedure with Dad that should help to return that crystal to its proper location.  It may take a few tries, but we are hopeful that it will help.

Yesterday there was a malfunction with Dad's feeding tube and the home nurse had to remove it.  The Dr. agreed to let Dad try to go without it for a couple of days, as Dad had complained of it interfering with his efforts to eat.  Dad really does not want to have the feeding tube replaced, so he has been trying his hardest to eat the daily 1500 calories that are required to remain off of the feeding tube.  Today he ate the most that he has since his accident.  He still struggles with choking on his food, and will be seeing an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist to address that issue.  Today he pushed through the choking episodes and has come close to meeting his minimum calorie needs.  This afternoon when Corrine and her kids were visiting, he even convinced them to take him out to a restaurant where he enjoyed salmon and creme brulee.  We are so glad that he is getting a bit of his appetite back, but it will have to improve even further for him to remain tube free.

Dad had an appointment with the facial surgeon this week. Dr Leyngold indicated that he feels positive about the movement that Dad has returning to his face.  That should continue to improve.  Dad also mentioned that the black spot blocking the vision in his right eye is getting smaller.  The Dr. had given that eye a minimal chance of improving, but we are not ruling it out.  The appearance of Dad's eye is much better since the minor surgery that he had a couple of weeks ago.

Dad is working on getting stronger and strengthening his arm. The main area of concern has still been his throat and his ability to eat. Tomorrow we will find out if the Dr. will approve of Dad keeping the feeding tube out or not.  We are keeping our fingers crossed . . .

Dad is doing well at home.   He is still very weak and has been having trouble with dizziness and nausea (he blacked out again yesterday while I was there), but he is glad to be in the comfort of home.  He has been doing very well cognitively, has started to eat a little bit again the last couple of days, and is showing more interest in getting back into his life.  Yesterday Dad told me that the thing that has helped him most is love and visits from his family.

Home Health continues to check in with him and he has a speech therapist, physical therapist, and occupational therapist working with him at home.  His lack of balance is still an issue, so they are still trying to work with him on that and figure out what is causing it.  They are also still working on improving his swallowing and general muscle strength.  We are looking forward to the time when he can get off of the feeding tube.  He still has a lot of progress to make in that area.

The big news of the day is that Dad finally got the external fixator off of his arm/wrist today.  He has been wanting that off  from the time he was conscious!  It was supposedly a pretty painful process having it and the screws removed, but I am sure it is such a relief to him to have his arm free again.  His left arm is obviously going to need extensive therapy now to help him regain function and strength.

Our family is so grateful to have Dad here to celebrate this Father's Day weekend!

Dad is home and adjusting well.  His surgery today went very well.  His right eyelid was sewn shut and will remain that way for 2 months until it is healed.  Dr. Leyngold was very positive about the amount of movement that has already returned to Dad's eyelid and right side of his face.  Dad is back at home recovering now.

Yesterday, Dad met with the orthopedic surgeon (Dr. Growsky) who repaired his left wrist/hand.  The surgeon was very pleased with the way it has healed and feels that, based on the x-rays and mobility, Dad should regain most of his hand function.  Dr. Growsky was able to remove the pins from Dad's wrist, but the exterior bar needs to be left in place for another week or so until the healing is complete.

After the pin removal, there was a scary moment for my mom.  She and my dad were waiting for the Dr to return when Dad's body started to jerk and he slumped over.  He had blacked out.  The medical personnel there attributed this to Dad being anxious about the procedure, so hopefully that is all that it was. 

Slight Change of Plans

Instead of coming home tomorrow, Dad is coming home . . . tonight!!  In fact, as soon as he finishes up with his current feeding tube he will be discharged for home. 

Dad's eyelid surgery is scheduled for first thing in the morning (6 AM). This will be a minor outpatient surgery.  Because of the surgery, Dad will not be up to visitors at home for at least the next day or two. 

This is a huge step in the recovery process.  We are hopeful that Dad will recover even more quickly from the comfort and familiarity of home. 

Thanks for all of the love and support during the challenging last month and a half.   The challenges are not over yet, but Dad has come such a long way.  We are so grateful to still have him with us!

Discharge Day Set!

Dad is scheduled to be released to come home on Thursday!!!  He has been really anxious to get home, so they are going to go ahead and let him return home with the feeding tube still in place.  He will have a home nurse who will help with that, and Mom will be trained on how to work it as well. 

Dad will also still be receiving physical, speech, and occupational therapy.  The therapists will come to his home to do that at first, and then he will be going to a clinic at TOSH for his therapy. 

Tomorrow Dad has an appointment with his wrist surgeon.  We are hoping they will be able to take the unwieldy exterior hardware off of his arm at that point.

Thursday Dad is scheduled for a minor eyelid surgery.  Currently his right eye is very uncomfortable because it isn't closing all they way, so his eye keeps getting dried out. This surgery should help his eyelid to work more properly and also make Dad's appearance better.  He should be released for home sometime after the surgery.

Dad continues to make progress mentally and physically.  He seems so much more "with it" the last few days - just like the Dad we know.  Physically he is walking a bit more steadily now as well.  One of the medical professionals indicated that his dizziness and unsteadiness could have partly been caused by the loss of hearing in his right ear.  His body needed to adjust to that.

Coming home should help speed up Dad's progress.   He is ready to be home and we are all ready to see him back home as well.

Today Dad was taken to see an audiologist because of concerns about his hearing.  It was confirmed that Dad has lost nearly all hearing in his right ear as a result of the accident.  This hearing loss is permanent, unfortunately.  He cannot hear voices at all, but does have minimal hearing of some tones.  The audiologist indiated that it is possible that this hearing loss was actually caused from the cerebral spinal fluid leak rather than from the accident itself, but there is no way of knowing that. 

The hearing in Dad's left ear is good.  Dad was told that it will be very important for him to protect his left ear from this point on.  He needs to wear an ear plug whenever he is surrounded by loud noise, such as when he mows the lawn. 

The audiologist also referred Dad to an ENT (ear nose and throat specialist) to have his balance issues and dizziness evaluated and hopefully taken care of. 

Thanks to all of you for your continued prayers, thoughts, and support as Dad continues on his road to recovery.

Just a quick update on developments since Dad has left the hospital. 

Dad has not been feeling well ever since he left the hospital on Friday.  He has seemed extra tired and not up to much visiting.  He has had a bit of a cold, so that may be part of it.  It may also be that the move has worn him out.   Hopefully he will start gaining more energy again.

Today Dad met with the Dr. who performed his facial surgery.   Dr. Leyngold indicated that Dad's left eye is doing great, but that the vision in his right eye is very poor.  He only gives it about a 10 percent chance of improving any further.  He has scheduled Dad for another minor surgery next week.  He would like to repair Dad's eyelid further, for both comfort and appearance.

Dad is still struggling with a lack of appetite.  The dietician met with Mom today and indicated that she thinks it will take Dad about 20 days to be eating enough to get off of the feeding tube.  She does not want to send Dad home from the rehabilitation center until he is eating enough to sustain himself.   So it appears that he will not be returning home for a while yet.

Leaving the Hospital

Today was Dad's big day.   He left the hospital after spending nearly six weeks (39 days) there.  Here he is on the elevator:

 Here is the scene on the rehab floor as he left:

 Most of the nurses and therapists lined up in the hallway to say goodbye to my parents as Elvis's Jailhouse Rock played through the loud speakers.

Before Dad left, the therapists all conducted his discharge tests.  They all agree that he has made a ton of improvements since entering rehab.  Physically, he could barely walk a few steps assisted or sit up in a chair by himself when he entered, and now he can walk up stairs and all the way through the hospital unassisted.  He does still have some balance concerns and needs to keep working on rebuilding strength.

Cognitively Dad has also made great strides.  He went from not remembering all of his family's names, not knowing what month or year it was, and not remembering much of anything from one day to the next to being able to answer all questions easily about his life and family and the time of year and day, talk about past memories with ease, and use his reasoning skills to win board games.  He still struggles a bit with higher levels of reasoning, with some short term memory, with paying attention to things that are not interesting to him, and with perseverating on certain topics. 

When Dad entered rehab he was only able to say a few words while using a device hooked up to his trach.  The trach is gone and he is now speaking with ease.  His voice does sound different than before.  It may be that the vocal chords were injured while intubated, and it may or may not correct itself.  Time will tell. 

At the beginning of rehab we did not know if Dad would ever be able to see out of his right eye, and the whole right side of his face was paralyzed.  We now know that he has some sight in that eye and the movement is slowly returning back to his face.  Today an EMG test was performed on his facial nerves and they found that although parts of the main nerve died from compression during the injury, the nerves are still viable and will rebuild.  Within 8-9 months it is possible that he could have full movement back on that side of his face.   Dad will probably always struggle with sight issues and mobility of his right eye.  His left eye also has a permanently dilated pupil, which may or may not correct itself (hence the sunglasses). 

Dad has made great strides.  The one area of most concern now is still with his eating.   He just has no appetite or interest in food, even when the feeding tube is turned off for a day or two.  This is very concerning to the doctors and to us, and seems to be unusual.  We are definitely praying that his appetite will return so that he can go home.

Of long term concern are his sight and cognitive issues.  The doctor said that it is possible that he may not ever be able to drive again and may not ever be the same as he was before.  Time will tell. . . With how much he has improved already, our family has high hopes that he can make a great, if not full, recovery.  For his sake, we all hope he will be able to drive again, as he has such a strong sense of independence!

Dad is currently housed at the Compass Rehabilitation Clinic located at 1371 West South Jordan Parkway.   We do not have any idea how long he will be there.  Hopefully not too long as Dad is anxious to return home. We just need to get him to eat!  Visiting hours at this clinic are open, so feel free to continue the visits. 

As a family we would like to thank all of the talented and amazing staff members at Intermountain Medical Center.  Especially those on the 5th floor (ICU) and 12th floor (Rehab).   The ICU doctors and nurses saved Dad's life, more than once, for which we will be forever grateful.  The rehab therapists and staff helped him regain some quality of life.   Thank you, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!  We hope to bring Dad back when he is all recovered to thank you himself! 

Now on to the next step of recovery . . .   We will keep you posted.

Moving On From the Hospital

We wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow evening Dad will most likely be moved to a rehabilitation center in South Jordan.  The website for the center is:   http://compassrehabilitation.com/ .     

Dad was not yet quite ready to be released from the hospital this week.  The plan was for him to stay until sometime next week and then hopefully be released to go home.  However, after much deliberation, Mom made the decision to transfer him to a rehab clinic first instead.  Dad still requires much supervision and care, which Mom had some concerns about being able to provide at home.   Dad was ready for a change of scenery (as were all of us), so the decision was made to bump up his release to tomorrow. 

We feel really good about the location where Dad will be heading.  It comes highly recommended from a friend of my parents who  visits all of the rehab clinics in the area as a nurse.  Mike also toured the facility yesterday and met the people in charge and was very impressed. He said that the facility looks more like a resort than a medical clinic.  The clinic also sent some medical personnel to the hospital to evaluate Dad today to make sure that he was a good fit for their services.  They said that they believe that they will really be able to help him on his road to recovery.   One more plus, the food is much better than hospital food, so hopefully they will be able to tempt him into eating a little more (which still remains one of his major stumbling blocks). 

Dad will receive less intensive therapy at this clinic, but he has progressed enough that we feel comfortable with that.  Yesterday Dad was able to climb six flights of stairs.  Today he was able to beat the occupational therapist in the board game Blokus (after explaining how to play it to the therapist), and he also aced the test that the speech therapist gave him today.  His swallowing has improved enough that he is now allowed to eat soft foods (such as pasta, bread, etc.) as well as take his medications by mouth.  So he is making good progress.

We as a family are excited for this change, as it signifies progress.  Dad was disappointed to not be going home from the hospital, but he indicates that he understands why Mom made this decision and he is cooperating with it. 

I don't yet have the information on the visiting hours and policy at this clinic, but I will post that information when I receive it.  Dad has enjoyed all of his visits and messages.   Thank you to all of you!

As I mentioned in the last post, the goal was to release Dad to go home tomorrow.  Unfortunately, Dad is not yet ready.  He will need to remain in the hospital for at least a couple of additional days.  Hopefully by the end of this week he will be ready.

The biggest hold up is that Dad is still not interested in eating.  As of today, his diet restrictions have been loosened up a bit.  So hopefully we will now be able to find some foods that are appetizing enough to tempt him into eating.  He did have a few french fries today, as well as a few bites of a soft, thinly sliced steak sandwich that he had been asking everyone to get him from the cafeteria for a few days.  So he is making progress.  He is still not allowed any thin liquids; only thick liquids and very soft food.  His diet is still mainly through the feeding tube at this point.

Dad also needs to be evaluated by a urologist and an audiologist before being released.  Dad does not seem to be hearing much from his right ear.  He has also complained that his ear "echoes."  That could be another effect of the fall on his right side. 

I know that Dad would rather be home and that he is tired of being in the hospital (although he really only remembers the last week or so of his hospital stay).  We are anxious for him to be at that point, but don't want him released before he is ready.  We worry about my mom having to care for him with all of the complications he still has.  So it is for the best that they wait until he is doing a little better before sending him home.

I have personally noticed that Dad has made huge leaps in memory and cognitive skills over the course of the last week.  It is encouraging to see that.  There are still difficult moments, of course, and will most likely continue to be for quite some time, but his progress gives us hope.

We will keep you updated on the release date and any other developments.  Once Dad is home, he will continue to need rehabilitation therapy.  We were told that he is beyond the point of needing a rehab therapist to come into his  home to work with him.  He will be going to outpatient therapy at a rehab clinic instead.  We do not yet have the details worked out. 

We still can't thank you all enough for the love and support.  And thank you to all who have taken time to visit Dad or send him messages and cards.  We have been passing all of those things on to him and we can tell that it means so much to him.

Dad continues to slowly but surely progress, physically and cognitively.  In fact, his release date from the hospital has tentatively been set for Tuesday.  That is not set in stone and will depend on how he does the next few days.   He should be able to return to his home rather than to a care center,  but will still need supervision and help from the family.  He will also be attending frequent outpatient rehabilitation therapy. 

Dad still needs to work on getting stronger.  Today he was able to ride the stationary bike for about 10 minutes, but he was really tired after that.  He also seems to have some balance issues at times, and has been complaining of dizziness.  So he will need to be continually monitored if he is up and about.

Cognitively, Dad has made a lot of progress. He is usually pretty clear on the time of day, the month, etc., which had not been the case up until this last week.  His memory also seems to be returning to him a bit.  Today he told me about his trip to California with my mom, which was in April right before his accident.  At one point we had been told that the month of April was gone from his memory completely, but that does not seem to be the case.   There are times when he is still a bit fuzzy and confused, his short term memory is still unreliable,  and there are still some cognitive tasks that are difficult for him, but looking at where he was even a week ago, the progress is significant.   Dad continues to not recognize how much progress he is making, and has been struggling with feeling a bit down.   He has enjoyed having visitors this week and the visits seem to perk him up.

Dad has also been having quite a bit of pain this week, especially in his head.  Where all of his facial fractures are, it is very painful for him and the pain radiates into his head giving him severe headaches.  He always asks whichever family member is there to rub his head, neck, and back continually.  He has probably had more massages in the last week than most people have in their entire life  (we are all at his beck and call)!

The biggest struggles for Dad right now are that he will not eat and therefore remains on a feeding tube and that that they have not been able to get him off of the catheter.  They can send him home with both the feeding tube and catheter if they have to, but they were hoping to resolve those issues first.  Dad just hasn't had any appetite (I can't blame him when I see what they are trying to feed him).   He will not eat more than a couple of bites at a time or take more than a couple of sips.  He is only allowed to eat very thick liquids and pureed foods at this time, as his swallowing still needs to get stronger.  However, his swallowing will not get stronger until he actually agrees to eat.  So we are hoping that he will quickly regain his appetite!  We would love for him to return home without his feeding tube.

Dad reminds us often about what is really important in life.  In his own words, "FAMILY and the GOSPEL are all that matter in this world.  Everything else is just fluff."

Ready For Visitors

Dad continues to make improvements daily, especially physically.  He is getting physically stronger and is now being taken on daily walks out to the front of the hospital where he is able to sit for a while and enjoy the sunshine.  Just these brief excursions still wear him out quickly, however, and he still has a long way to go.  But we are pleased with his progress in this area.

Cognitively Dad is also making progress.  He is able to have sustained conversations with us at times, and is quick to give out his opinions and advice. He has told us that the most important thing in life is that we learn to be kind.  He used Christ as the ultimate example of kindness and told us that we need to be like him. 

Dad's sense of humor is still intact and he is quick to quip jokes at the medical personnel.  If anything, he is even more of a jester now (I know that it's hard to believe).  Maybe he is using humor to help himself get through this situation. 

There are still some obvious cognitive issues that need to be worked on, and Dad still gets confused and mixed up about things.  For example, when asked how many kids Kathie and Jim have, he said that they have 10 (they have 2).  Also,  nearly every time he is asked what month it is he says "March."  He does not seem to have retained any memories from the month of April (even the vacation he just took with my Mom to California).  We have been told that those memories have been erased and he will not get them back.  We have been working with him on realizing that it is now May, so he has started responding either "May" or "Summer" when asked the time of year.

Dad's short term memory is still lacking as well.  Sometimes he does not remember things from one day to the next, but this should improve with time. 

We are so relieved and grateful that Dad is still "himself."  We had been told that his personality and sense of humor may be changed as a result of where is brain injury had occurred.  Maybe time will show there to be some changes in these areas, but for the most part Dad seems to still be the Dad we know and love. 

Dad has been feeling some frustration and discouragement with his situation (as anyone would!).   He does not always want to cooperate with his therapists and he gets annoyed at the nurses having to help him with everything.  He doesn't know/ remember how critically he was injured, so he does not see himself making as much progress as we can see that he has made. This has him feeling down at times.  He does seem to enjoy having visitors.   Visits from those he loves seem to perk him up. 

When we asked Dad if he is ready for visitors from outside the immediate family, he responded that he was.  My mom asked me to share this information with you. Those of you who have been waiting to visit Dad until he was stronger can now do so.  He is  currently on the 12th floor of the Intermountain Medical Center.  Visiting hours are from 4-8 PM each day.  Sundays are more open as the therapy schedule is light.  He will probably be there for at least the next week.  If he makes great  progress this week it is possible he could leave the hospital sometime this week.  If that is the case, we will let everyone know. 

If you do visit Dad, please plan on making your visits fairly brief and keeping them within the visiting hours.   Dad still gets worn out easily and also has been experiencing terrible headaches in the area that the brain injury occurred.  Also, during the non-visiting hours Dad is involved in therapy, so he would be unavailable at those times. It helps Dad to know that people love and care about him, so short visits from his friends and extended family may  contribute to the healing process.  Some days Dad is very social and likes to talk, other days he does not feel up to much chatting.   Please just be aware of this as you make your visits.  If he seems unsocial at the time, he may have just had an exhausting day or not be feeling well. 

In other news, Dad did get his trach out last Thursday.  That should be completely healed soon. He is also off of the antibiotics now and is doing great with no sign of returning infection.  Unfortunately, he still has his feeding tube in.  He has not yet passed the swallow test, and aspirates into his lungs when he is given food or drink.  Thus, it is still not safe for him to eat or drink.  The speech therapists are working with him daily on getting his muscles back to where they need to be to eat safely again.  He will not be able to leave the hospital until that occurs.  He often asks the therapists for ice cream, one time stopping at the nurse's station during his walk to ask (jokingly) for a caramel malt.  Now you all know what kind of treat he has been craving once he is able to eat again :). 

We want to thank all of you once again for the love and support that you have shown to us during this challenging time.  We are very blessed!

Mother's Day

Dad is getting better with each and every day that passes.  It sure is a wonderful thing to see.  We thank all of you for your prayers and well wishes.  Our family has felt the love from each of you as we have been going through this time in our lives.  As Mother's Day is tomorrow, we have planned a small family get-together tomorrow.  We have talked to Mom about what to do about leaving Dad.  She mentioned maybe we could see if there was any extended family member who would like to sit by Dad for a little while, from around 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.  We don't want to interrupt any family plans you already have.  If there is anyone who's schedule permits, and would like to do this please call Kathleen's home number and leave a message.  Thank you again for your love, faith and prayers.  We love you all!

Jeff & Corrine

Dad continues to make big improvements.  With the smaller trach he has learned how to push air past the opening to speak, and is talking to us more and more each day.  Tomorrow he is scheduled to have the trach removed completely, which should improve his ease of speech even further.  There are moments when Dad seems just like himself and things seem clear, and moments when he is still very confused and doesn't make much sense. That is to be expected for quite a while with the magnitude of his brain injury.  Tonight has been one of the clear moments.  My mom made the following comment and asked me to post it:  "Tonight I think we have witnessed a miracle.  Ed's mind seems to have awakened and he just keeps talking to us.  Most everything he says is correct.  We are in tears as he tells what flowers he likes, where to get them, how much to water etc., etc.  It has been amazing."

The good news is that Dad still has his same sense of humor.  The personnel in rehab call him "spunky" or "feisty" because he jokes back with them and is often sarcastic.  One example of his brand of humor:  today the nurse was telling him that she was sorry that they were making him do all of these annoying things but that they were doing so because they want him to get better and they love him.  He looked at her and told her, "I bet you tell that to all the boys."  He is always making the medical staff laugh (and us)!

Dad's love for his family is evident as we are there with him.  Today he said that the most important thing is to love and be loved.  He also told Shari, "the family is so great!"   Last night when Jake was leaving he asked Jake, "can I bum a ride with you?" . . . and a little later "do you have room in your car for me?"   Later that night, at 11 PM, he had the medical staff call my mom for him.  When she answered after being awakened he told her that he just wanted his family.  Today we asked him if he remembered calling Mom last night.  He indicated that he did, so we asked him why.  His answer:  "I wanted to ask her for a date."  Just more evidence of his humor AND his love for my mom.  Today Dale told Dad how glad he is that he is still with us and Dad said that he was glad too.

Dad is growing stronger physically as well.  In physical therapy they have him walking further each day, doing stairs, squats, and other simple exercises.  Any physical exertion really wears him out, but he is getting stronger every day.

Dad is expected to be in rehab for a total of 10-14 days. At that point he should not have any physical limitations, but will still have cognitive issues that will need to be worked with.  The long-term effect is unknown at this point.

Tomorrow the speech pathologists will be conducting a swallow study to see if he is ready to start drinking and then eating again.  Once he is ready they will keep the feeding tube in for 3 days just to ensure that he is receiving enough calories. 

Another positive note, today the nurse practitioner was checking Dad's right eye.  He had the left eye covered and asked Dad they type and color of his shirt.  Dad was able to tell him, showing that he does have some vision in that eye.

It has been so encouraging to see Dad coming back to us little by little.  We cherish the moments when he is clear and alert enough to talk with us.  Shari was showing him pictures today of family vacations and reminiscing with him.  She also played the Kendall family theme song, "Love Remains" for him, which he instantly recognized.  We were encouraged when he was able to name some extended family members in Shari's pictures. 

We know that there will be ups and downs in the healing process, but are hopeful that there will continue to be more ups (like today) than downs.

Rehab

Today, on the 3 week anniversary of the accident, Dad was discharged from the "hospital" to the rehabilitation center, which is located just a floor above where he previously was.  

With his move to the rehabilitation center, my mom has suggested that maybe we should cut back a bit on our blog updates.  We will continue posting updates on Dad's progress and any milestones that he reaches, but it won't necessarily be every day.  As Dad is improving, we are beginning to sense that he may feel a bit self-conscious about his condition right now, so we are going to allow him a little more privacy as he heals.  We feel that it may be best to show him the respect of not publicizing all of the smallest details of his cognitive functioning. Up until now we have felt good about sharing those things with everyone, and there will still be things that we share, but we are going to be more selective from now on to save him from any embarrassment. 

Dad is expected to remain in rehab for around 2 weeks.  From there we are not sure what to expect.  We have been given differing outlooks, depending upon which medical professional we are speaking with.  He may go home after rehab and require the care of a home nurse, or he may need to go to a care facility for a while longer as his brain continues to heal.  Best case scenario would be that he would be able to go home with minimal help.  In any case, the brain healing process will not occur quickly and will have many ups and downs. 

Medically speaking, Dad still has the trach and is being given oxygen through that to assist with his breathing. He is expected to get that out within a couple of days. He also still has a feeding tube.  Ideally, they would like to remove that as soon as possible, but need to make sure that he is ready first.  Dad also continues to receive antibiotics through an I.V.,  but those are being reduced. Once the antibiotics are finished, his I.V. can also be removed.

Dad will be having 6 sessions of rehab per day.  Because of this heavy schedule they have told us that visitors are discouraged.  They do encourage his family to be there learning and participating in the rehab process, so we will continue taking shifts being with Dad through this time.  For those very closest to Dad (such as his siblings) the best time of day to visit him is between 3-4, as he will not be in therapy at that time.  Also, his Sunday schedule is lighter.  But again, we have been asked to continue limiting his visitors to those who are very closest to him. 
We feel confident that Dad continues to get the best possible medical care and attention.   He is currently being tested so that his rehab can be tailored specifically to his needs.  He has a nurse assigned to him and just 2 other patients, so he continues to get constant monitoring.  We have been very impressed with all of the medical staff who have been working with Dad and know that he is in good hands.

We cannot express enough thanks to all of you for the love, concern, comments, support, and prayers that you have given to us. It means more than you can know!!  Keep checking back, as we would love to share Dad's future triumphs with all of you.

We don't have much to report today. Dad continued to grow stronger. He was able to walk around the entire floor with just one person assisting. He was also able to sit up in the recliner for a good share of the day.

  Dad also continued to make progress during speech therapy, eliciting a laugh from everyone at a couple of his comments. As his brain continues to heal from the trauma and swelling, he still struggles with words and names. That should improve with time. He did indicate that he remembers his fall, but he did not want to talk or think about it, so we will not press the matter with him unless he is ready. It still takes all of his energy to speak or to make one lap of the hallway.

Kathie's husband Jim, who is visiting from California for a few days, was able to assist in giving Dad the sacrament and singing a hymn to him this morning. Tonight I played music for him as well, which caused him to tear up a few times (as well as tap his feet in time with a rousing song from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir). I think that his spirit needs healing along with his body. Hopefully we can help provide that for him.

  Of medical note, they were able to swap out Dad's trach for a smaller one today (they went from a 9 to a 6). The next step will be to remove the trach entirely, but they have to see how he does with this smaller one first. He seems to be doing fine with it so far.

The plan for tomorrow is to move Dad to the rehab floor where he can begin receiving more intense therapy. Dad is still not up to many visitors. We are able to sense that his current limitations are causing him some embarrassment and he does not seem to like having people see him in this state. We are very hopeful that he will continue progressing quickly so that he will be up to visiting with all of those who love him soon. We will keep you updated.

Today was a good day. Dad has found his sense of humor. He seemed more like himself. He opened his right eye more than we have seen in the past, although still not opened all the way. He was rubbing his eyes and the nurse asked if they were bothering him. He nodded yes, so they put some cream on them. The nurse then asked if anything else was bothering him. Dad nodded yes and pointed to the nurse. We all laughed and dad reached up and rubbed and patted the nurse's arm with a big smile on his face, so the nurse knew he was joking.  It was refreshing to see his personality come through a little.

The occupational therapist came and he continued to write in answer to questions.  He was responding very quickly, which is encouraging.  He was also much more accurate with the questions, just a few extra letters here and there. He did know the year without being prompted. After the writing they walked him around the entire 11 floor loop. He sat down for a few minutes in the middle but he made it all the way with someone supporting him on each side. They were teasing him about sleep walking because he kept closing his eyes.  They want to work on him watching and directing the movement.  We ran into the trauma doctor while walking and he was excited to see dad doing so well. He asked Dad to give a thumbs up, to which dad responded with a thumbs down. He had a really funny frown on his face and it all made everyone laugh. Dad then gave a thumbs up and smiled. The doctor asked dad to say hello, he tried but only air came out. The doctor said they were going to put a smaller trach tube in sometime soon. That might help him regain his voice.


Speech therapy also went well today.  He couldn't respond to all of questions, but answered most of them. A few highlights were, that he was able to recite all of his kids names in order. He recognized Lauren and Sydney (Mikes kids) from a picture, but couldn't get Tyler's name. He also saw a picture of Kelsey and he couldn't get her name, but then when Mike said Kelsey and asked who that was he said "Granddaughter". Mike asked if he knew what important thing happened to her recently and he said "4 year". Mike said "college degree" and Dad nodded. Mike asked him if he was in St George and he said no. Then asked him if he was in Salt Lake and he said yes. Mike asked him if he knew why he was in the hospital and he gave a diving motion with his hand. He pressed the question (trying to get him to speak) and he motioned what they  guessed was a ladder falling out from someone. He seemed a little shaken up or bothered. Mike asked him if he didn't want to think about it and he nodded to confirm. He has seemed confused in the past as to why he is in the hospital, but he seems to understand now.  It will be interesting to find out if he remembers any of it.

Today he was showing a lot of love to us all.  When I got to the hospital he motioned for me to come sit by him and he took my hand and brought it to his face and held it for a few moments. It was a sweet gesture.  Kelsey came to visit in the evening and he was very happy to see her.  He actually mouthed the word "hug" and held out his arms three or four times for Kelsey to give him a hug.  She said "I love you too, Grandpa" and he gave a big smile.  It was so good to see a little more of his personality and love shine through today.  

They are looking to move Dad rehab on Monday where he will start on even more therapy.  It is a long road but we are all hanging in.  

Just a short update tonight.

Today was a blessedly quiet day for Dad.  He was calm and sleepy all day (which he needs for his healing!). 

The facial surgeon's partner did stop in to do another post-surgery check-up and proclaimed that Dad was healing excellently.  In fact, Dad has barely any swelling or bruising from the surgery.  He really looks like himself again!

They have decided that Dad does not have pneumonia, just bronchitis. His chest x-rays looked good.   Because he does have quite a bit of congestion, they will be leaving the trach in for a few more days for more convenient suctioning.  Dad is now easily coughing on his own, which is great.  They are still treating him with antibiotics to prevent any further infection in his lungs.

Dad had a visit from the speech therapist today.   She once again hooked up the voice device to his trach to allow him to speak normally.   He did not want to wake up for her and was not very communicative at that time.   When I asked him who I am, he did say my name, which was awesome to hear.  He had a hard time coming up with names of those who weren't present, however.  Even when we showed him photographs of some family members, he was not able to tell us their names.  He did come out with 2 sentences on his own.  When the therapist asked him if there is anything he would like to say, he told her, "I want my head back down"(meaning he wanted his bed to be reclined again so that he could go back to sleep).    Also, when my mom was speaking, he said to her, "I can't hear you."  Those were the first sentences he has spoken aloud on his own since the accident.

The best moment of the day came when my mom was leaving for the night.  As she told my dad that she was leaving, he beckoned her over to him.  When she reached his side, he lifted both arms and reached around her to hug her.  He then mouthed the words, "I love you" to her. 

Dad is scheduled to be transferred to the rehab floor on Monday, if he is cleared medically at that time.  Once there, he will have a heavy therapy schedule, with physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and recreational therapy each day.  Once he is in rehab he should really start making some progress.

Please take a minute to read my mom's note of thanks below.

Personal Thank You from Kathleen

I have been feeling a need to post my great love and appreciation to all of you as it is too overwhelming to write individual notes at this time.  My words are inadequate, but heartfelt.  First of all I want to thank my Heavenly Father for His love and great plan for us.  I am thankful for my Savior and His atoning sacrifice which gives us strength beyond our own.  I have felt that.  I am thankful for the peace and comfort that comes from the Holy Ghost.

Thank you to the doctors, nurses and incredible staff at the IHC  Hospital for your care and great abilities in caring for Ed and being an instrument in saving his life.  You have been so wonderful! 

Thank you to the man who rendered immediate aid and called 911.

Thank you to our amazing family of sons and daughters (all of you) for your constant support and selfless acts and hours of service watching over your parents.  I am humbled by the truly great individuals you are.  We could not have done this without you!

Thank you to each of our sons for being worthy priesthood bearers who can administer those blessings in times of need, and for being so protective of your father.

Thank you to our daughters for your tender nurturing and for the wonderful blog and updates to each other through the days.  (And for cheering him on.)

Thank you to our grandchildren for your faith, prayers, visits, notes, and pictures.  Thank you for being so patient as you have had your routines interrupted and have been bounced around so your parents could watch over grandpa.  We are so sorry Kelsey to have missed your college graduation.  We are proud of you and also Bella who chose to go ahead with her baptism on her birthday.  You all bring us great joy.

Thank you to Scott, Mary, Chad, Ryan, and any others who have helped keep the business going.  Ed is blessed by your being so trustworthy and efficient.  We know he has many friends in the industry as well.

Thank you to siblings and extended family members for your support and prayers.  We know it has been hard for many who have wanted to be at his side as well as close friends and associates.  Thank you for your fasting, prayers, and caring.  We have all been so helpless, yet not alone. Thank you to all who have sent cards, messages, telephone calls, and to those who have brought food or other gifts of love.  Ed has so many who love and appreciate him.  Thank you for your friendships through the years. We so appreciate our ward and stake family as well.  We know of your desires to help out.  There will still be needs in the future when Ed gets back to visiting.  He is very much a "people person".  

  Thank you to new friends at the temple who are filling in for us during our leave and adding your faith to ours.   You are special!   (Also to those helping in our other church callings.)

Thank you Ed for your strength, for enduring and not giving up.  You have come through many great trials in your life and have always had the courage to keep going.  You are my hero.  I know you will be back to complete your assignments on earth .  Thank you for loving me.

The Roller Coaster Ride Continues

Last night and today have been quite the roller coaster ride with Dad. It all started last night when Dad was in obvious pain in his stomach area. He kept pointing to his stomach and then nodding when asked if he was in pain.  He also started shaking all over.  When he started coughing up blood (a significant amount) and his oxygen level dipped, the trauma team was alarmed enough that they felt he needed to be back in ICU for closer monitoring and testing. This was of course alarming to the family as well and Dale ended up staying at the hospital all night with Dad (Jeff also stayed most of the night). The main issues were getting to the bottom of why he was coughing up blood and finding the cause of his pain. He continued coughing up blood through the night (although it started getting darker which indicated that it was old blood). 

The first concern was pneumonia. Dad's lungs hadn't looked great on the last chest x-ray.  His morning x-ray today showed his lungs looking "stable" but he does still appear to have pneumonia brewing.  He had 3 of the 5 indicators needed before they consider it full-fledged pneumonia. As a result, they have changed the mix of antibiotics they are giving him.  But pneumonia did not appear to be the cause of bleeding. 

With the bleeding issue, first they told us that he had been improperly suctioned out, which had caused the bleeding.  Then they were concerned that the tracheotomy itself was causing the bleeding (Dad's is located very close to a main artery, which they were looking at).  After they did a CT scan of his neck and chest they ruled out that theory.  So they were still assuming that the blood was caused by improper suctioning of his trach (someone had used the wrong tool) and they were very apologetic to our family. 

They finally got to the bottom of the bleeding issue tonight when Dr Leyngold (the Dr. who performed the facial surgery) came in to check up on Dad post-surgery.  He was shocked to find Dad in ICU and asked why.  When he was told about the bleeding he indicated that it was most definitely drainage from the surgery Dad had just had, and nothing to be alarmed over.  The amount of blood Dad had coughed up was not excessive for the surgery he had had.  The blood had not been aspirated into the lungs but had merely drained into the mouth/throat and upper airway.  This had clogged up his trach a bit and was also the cause of his oxygen level dip. 

A cause was also found for the intense stomach pain Dad had been having along with the "shakes".  I won't go into much detail,  but since the catheter had been removed from Dad, he apparently had not been voiding as he should.  In the ICU they re-catheterized him and they drained 1300cc from him.   The normal bladder only holds 300-400cc.  A bladder that is as full as Dad's was can cause intense pain, delusion, shakes, and other problems.  They are going to be leaving the catheter in for a while now, as his bladder will need time to shrink back down so that the bladder muscles can work properly again. 

The entire ICU return trip appears to have been somewhat of a false alarm.  However, we would much rather have them being overly cautious than not cautious enough.   They expect to move Dad back out of ICU and to the Trauma floor sometime tonight or tomorrow.  As a family we are so relieved that Dad's problems last night did not end up being more serious.  We know that prayers and blessings are working!

Other notes from the day,  Dad's face is not as swollen as expected after surgery.  He is recovering well from that.  The Dr. did indicate that during surgery he found Dad's eyeball to be lodged in with the broken bones and scar tissue, making it immobile.  He freed it and the eyeball should now start moving again.  However, there was no way to assess the nerve damage to the nerves that control the movement of Dad's eyeball, the eyelid, and facial movement. Each of these areas are controlled by separate nerves and there is no way to know which are damaged, and if so, how much.  They will wait for 6 months to reevaluate and then will try some surgical repairs if necessary.

Dad was extra sleepy and calm today and slept peacefully most of the day (I'm sure he felt so much better after getting rid of his stomach pain).  The Occupational Therapist and Physical Therapist did make him wake up for some therapy this afternoon.  Today Dad was able to walk down most of a hallway and back (with 2 helpers)!   At the end of therapy they had him sit up in a recliner for an hour. It is better for his lungs to have him upright.

 The therapists also worked on his cognitive skills.  They again today asked him to write answers to questions.  When they asked him  what month and year he thought it was, he wrote "March 1908".  When they explained that it was May 2012, he wrote "May 1212".  When they asked if he knew where he was he could not answer.  They asked if he was "home" and he nodded yes.  When they explained where he really was, he nodded as if he understood.  They also asked him to look at a clock and write down the time.  It was 2:30 and he wrote 2:300 PM.   I share these things with all of you not with the intent to embarrass or exploit Dad, but to show everyone just how seriously his brain was injured, and to let you all see the gains he is making.  He will continue to make progress and will hopefully eventually regain full ability after some time.  His brain is still very injured, and information is still quite "scrambled" for him (like the most terrible concussion).  That all should improve and one of the major goals of therapy will be to help him regain full cognitive function. 

Dad's blood pressure, temperature, and heart rate were all great today. They are working on moving Dad to rehab on Monday.

Thank you again to all of you for your prayers, thoughts, and support.  The experiences we are having with Dad are reaffirming and strengthening our faith in the power of prayer.

I had just finished posting the nightly update when I received a text from Dale and Shari.  Dad has been taken back to ICU.  He was coughing up blood.  Please continue to pray for him.

Dad had his facial reconstruction surgery this afternoon and it went well.  He was in surgery for about 2 1/2 hours.  There were titanium plates placed under Dad's right eye and on the left side of his nose.  His right eye socket also needed to be  built up with a plastic piece reinforced with titanium mesh.  His nose was splinted and his eye will be covered with a patch for about 24 hours.  This surgery was for "looks" and will have no impact on the nerve damage and vision issues in Dad's right eye.  That is something that will have to heal itself and Dad will probably always have at least some vision loss in that eye as well as a droopy eyelid.  The Dr. feels that with time it probably should improve. 

Dad has had a much quieter day today and has been resting more peacefully.  There have not been any more hospital escape attempts! 

Medically, he has had a small setback.  When they took his chest x-ray this morning they found that his lungs were looking quite a bit worse than yesterday.  They are now concerned and watching him for pneumonia again.  They are treating this with bi-hourly breathing treatments of albuterol and lung suctioning.  They are hoping that this will clear his lungs out. If not, he may need to return to the ICU.  So far, his lungs seem to be responding to the treatments and are sounding better.  The morning chest x-ray should give us a fuller picture. 

Due to the surgery schedule and his breathing treatments, Dad did not have any physical therapy today.  He did, however, have a speech therapist come and work with him for a bit.  Once again Mike was the lucky child who was there to witness Dad speaking.  The therapist hooks a device onto his trach that allows enough air to get pushed past it for him to verbalize.  He again was able to name my mom and Mike.  He also said, "I love you" to my mom.  His voice seemed a bit stronger today, but it still takes him extra time to get the words out. 

The therapist also gave him a pen and paper and asked him to write some answers to questions.  First they asked him to write his name, which he was able to do, although he wrote "Ed" in the middle of about 8 letters.   When she asked him how many kids he has, he wrote 17, but then circled the 7.  She asked him how old he is and he thought about it but could not verbalize it.  She asked him if he was older than 25, to which he gave her a look like, "get real," so then she asked if he is older than my mom.  He nodded yes to this.  He was not able to write how old he is, either, until they told him his age, and then he was able to write it. 

The nurse told Mike that she has seen a lot of progress in Dad over the last three days.  It is impossible to predict how long recovery from brain injuries will take.  The most important thing is that Dad is progressing each day, which is the best sign that they can hope for. 

Today continued to bring progress for dad.  But along with that progress came some tough moments.

I will start with the updates from Corrine's morning shift (we are all still taking turns with hospital shifts, which is needed even more now than when he was in ICU).

The first thing that Corrine noticed when she got to the hospital this morning was that Dad was missing his feeding tube.  He had somehow managed to yank it out during the night.  They left it out for a while but then scheduled  a procedure to have it looped through his nose and tied inside so that it can no longer be pulled out.  Doesn't sound fun, does it?

Dad continued to be "de-hospitalized" this morning.  His side stitches, side drain, catheter and pic line all came out.  Only his feeding tube and trach/ oxygen mask remain.  He is medically making progress, although his white blood cell count this morning was slightly high. 

Dad's facial surgery was scheduled for tomorrow evening.  He was cleared to go to rehab tomorrow, but because of his surgery, his release from the hospital to the rehab floor has been pushed off until at least Friday. 

The trauma team PA explained to Corrine that Dad is currently experiencing delirium, and told her to google it.  So, if you want to know more about what that entails, I would encourage you to google it too.  But, in short, it means that Dad's brain is a bit "foggy" right now.   She mentioned that our family can all help him through this by going out of our way to orient him to the time of day and let him know what is happening.  We should explain things to him and just try to update him on what is going on around him.  One way that we can help is by pointing out the clock on the wall and talking to him often in our normal voices (not extra loud as we sometimes feel the tendency to do).

Shari had an eventful afternoon shift with Dad.  While she was there, physical therapy came in to work with him and they got him up and walking!   He had two people supporting him, one person following behind him with a wheelchair (just in case) and Shari following along with the feeding tube.  By the time he got to the door of his room he was already exhausted and plopped down in the chair.  They told him from there that they wanted him to take 10 steps and he did!  He was wobbly, required support, and had a hard time focusing his vision, but he was able to do it.  After he rested in the wheelchair for a while they talked him into taking 10 more steps.  That was his limit.  But he did sit in the wheelchair for a while and had his hair combed (he wasn't able to do it himself).  When they got him back in bed he was immediately asleep.  As Shari said, "one step at a time. . . and today he took 20!"

I had the evening shift and it was a doozy.   Dad was by far the most "with it" that I have seen him since the accident.  But I guess he thought that he was feeling pretty good, good enough to do what he wanted, so he spent the entire evening trying to climb out of bed and trying to grab onto me to pull him out of bed.  I am not strong enough to support him and there were a few times he almost fell out of bed, so it was a pretty emotionally and physically draining evening.  Dad was "talking" the entire time I was there through mouthing words and making hand gestures.  Towards the end of my shift I could read his lips and he mouthed, "Mary, I need to go,"  while pointing to the door.  At least he really knows my name now!   But, seriously, it broke my heart.  He kept trying to pull off his oxygen mask, feeding tube, and even the cast on his left arm.  He just wanted out of that bed, out of the hospital so very badly.   And I could see how terribly frustrated he was that he couldn't talk.  He was trying so very, very hard to talk to me and tell me what he wanted, and I could see how disappointed he was when I couldn't understand him or wouldn't help him. 

He also kept pointing to his right eye, which is sewn shut and isn't working properly right now anyway, and then looking at me with a questioning face.  I tried to explain to him about what had happened, and about his injuries and tell hm that he was getting better, etc., but that just seemed to make him more frustrated.  I could see where the delirium was coming in to play with him.  He is acting more impulsively than he would otherwise. 

He did display a sense of humor when Josh and my kids stopped in for a quick minute.  And he was calm and attentive to Kelsey when she stopped in, but when the grand kids were gone, he was back to begging me to help him out of there.  I originally thought that he was telling me that he wanted to get out of bed to go to the bathroom, but that was making him more upset that I wasn't understanding.  I later figured out that he really was trying to get me to take him home. 

Right before I left, the nurse's assistant, who is parked 24/7 at the side of his bed, turned on the TV for him, which seemed to calm him down.  I think they were going to give him a sleep aid to help him settle down and rest tonight. 

I can tell through Dad's actions that he is starting to physically feel so much better.  He is trying to take initiative and be back in control of his own life.  It is great to see that, but at the same time, it is so hard to see him so uncomfortable and unhappy.  Hopefully things will continue to improve quickly so that he can be up and about and talking again soon.

Tomorrow is surgery day. We will keep you all updated.

Lots to report today.

First of all, as I posted earlier today, the big news of the day is that Dad was released from the Intensive Care Unit and transferred to the Trauma Unit of the hospital.  This was big news as it signifies that Dad's status is no longer considered critical.  This is really excellent news.  He was in ICU for exactly two weeks; two weeks that have both felt like an eternity and have somehow also flown by. 

The unit that Dad is in now is not actually a "regular" hospital unit as I reported earlier.  It is still a more highly monitored area of the hospital for more serious cases, just not at the level of the ICU.  In fact, he still has a nurse's assistant assigned to monitor him around the clock.  They felt that he still needed this constant monitoring for his own safety.  He still tries to pull out the various tubes and wires on his body.  As of today there is one less tube for him to pull out, however.  Dad had his chest tube removed this morning.  One more step in the healing process.

Dad is still considered serious.  He still has a long way to go.  The physical therapist conveyed how important it is that he gets lots of rest, and that when he rests that he is allowed to sleep deeply.  They are trying to get him to sleep deeply and then wake up more fully, and not just doze all day.  Because of his still serious injuries, his need for deep sleep and lots of rest, his heavy therapy schedule, and his still foggy mental status, we have been asked to keep his visitors to a minimum and to limit them to immediate family members.

 Dad has really been struggling to rest well today. Because of this, they once again gave him some pain medication and also had to administer blood pressure medication.

Besides the noteworthy move out of ICU, there were other significant notes from today.  Dad was cleared as stable enough for his facial reconstructive surgery and that has tentatively been scheduled for Wednesday.  Because his is an inpatient surgery, it is possible that his surgery could be pushed to later in the week if emergency surgeries come up in the meantime.   As far as the surgery itself goes, the plastic surgeon told us that the surgery will not need to be as complicated as they had previously expected.  For one thing, they will no longer have to wire his jaw shut during surgery.  Also, the only bone needing repair work on the left side of his face is his nose, which has a bump sticking out.  They will need to  plate that bone to straighten it, and will remove the plate after a week.  The repair work on his right side will be more extensive.  The bones in his right eye socket will need to be filled in to push his eye outward (it is currently sunken in due to the fractures).  His eyelid will also have to be pulled up with stitches.  His eye will require a patch for a few days after surgery.

Speaking of Dad's right eye, we had previously been told that Dad may have lost all sight in that eye from the accident.  Tests of the eye before today did not produce any muscular response of the eye or any response to light and the Dr. had indicated that it did not look promising for Dad to have any vision in that eye. Today, however, Dad's right eye did show a little response to light as well as a bit of muscular response.  This is a really good sign that some healing is taking place.  The Dr. said that Dad may still regain some vision in his right eye.  It  most likely will not return to normal and will not be as good as his left eye, but at least there is still some hope that he is not completely blind in that eye. 

The pupil in Dad's left eye is damaged and remains dilated at all times.  We have been told that this is something that may with time correct on its own.  If it does not, then way down the road there are some procedures that can be done to reduce sensitivity to light and protect his eye.  These various eye problems have been troubling to us, so we are hoping for the best on all counts.

The neuro surgery team also consulted with my mom and sister today.  They have officially declared that it appears that Dad will not be needing their service, and they are releasing him from the constant monitoring of his brain injury.  They will do a follow up with him in a month and perform another CT scan at that time. She explained that Dad's brain injury had been labeled "moderate" on a scale of light, moderate, or severe.  They are hopeful for a full recovery for Dad, but cannot make any promises.  It will take months of recovery time for his brain to finish healing and he will experience difficulties during that time.  The areas that  will most likely be affected during that time are short term memory, judgment, and decision making.  They will not have a complete picture of the areas that Dad will need help in until he is talking and a full neurological exam can be given.  Brain injuries are slow to heal and can be unpredictable, so we really just have to wait and see what his outcome will be. 

So the goals with Dad for the next little while are to strengthen his muscles and motor skills after having been immobile for 2 weeks, to work on his speech and communication, to get his facial reconstruction surgery out of the way and, most importantly, to continue resting and healing.  As a family we understand that this is going to be a long, sometimes slow, process for Dad (and for all of us), but we are encouraged by the positive developments of the last couple of days.   Thank you again to all of you for your care and support (and prayers!).   This experience has helped us all to realize what an awesome net of people we all have to fall on and rely on during tough times.  We are so blessed.

Graduation Day

Dad has just graduated from the ICU to the trauma floor!  One more step on his road to recovery.  They will not give us any expected time frame for the remainder of his hospitalization, but he still has a long way to go on the road to recovery.  After the trauma floor, he will be moved to rehab.  One step at a time . . .

Today was a big day for Dad. This morning they brought him the sacrament. He can not chew or swallow yet, so it was just touched to his lips. I am sure he was very happy to have that. The physical therapist tested his core strength in the morning and had him sitting up with his legs dangling off the bed. From there they had him stand up and shuffle step to the right, giving him support on both sides the entire time. He did great and they indicated that his muscle strength was good.

The afternoon brought more big moments. Dad was really awake with his left eye open all afternoon. Mike got permission to bring his kids in. Mike asked Dad if he wanted to see the kids and he nodded yes. He smiled at them, patted their heads, and tried to give them hugs. He seemed really happy to see them. It was a sweet moment to see him and the love he has for his grandchildren.

Dad is breathing completely on his own. He was able to cough and clear his own throat, and the respiratory therapist said his breathing is looking great. The speech therapist also came in and tried to get him to talk.  They hooked up something to his tracheostomy to help them hear his voice.  It was a struggle for him and he would take quite a bit of time to answer each question. When they asked him who Mom was he said "Kathleen Kendall."  Mike was the one at the hospital at that time and Dad said "Mike" when they asked who he was. He also responded  "Dale"  when they asked him who his oldest son was.  He did have a long pause in responding and struggled with some of the questions. He didn't know how many kids he has, and it took him a long time to come up with Jeff's name. He also said his oldest daughter was Jennifer (really is Mary).  He said "St George" when asked where he was.   He indicated he is from Nephi, but he could not say where he now lived (that could be that West Valley is too hard to say?).  He definitely has some confusion.  They have indicated that when we ask him questions we should give him a long time to respond.  It was taking him at least six seconds to respond.  They also said if he closes his eye it may mean that he is processing the question.

After the speech therapist, Dad was completely exhausted. The physical therapist came back in and had him move off the bed to sitting up in a chair for about a half hour.  This was another great step and is supposed to help his lungs and other organs get working better.  They are going to be doing this kind of rehab multiple times a day from now on.  When he got back in bed he was immediately asleep.  The little bit of talking and moving completely drained him of all his energy.  He was pretty exhausted for the rest of the night and was not social after that.  Besides a smile or small hand squeeze, he wanted to be left alone and just rest. He didn't even want his hand held this evening.  Rehab is going to be hard and exhausting for him.  

Dad has now been cleared for the facial surgery.  Nothing is scheduled at this point, but it should happen the first of the week.  The Dr. also indicated that the CSF leak appears to be completely healed, so that is great news.  

Another concern we have had is that he cannot open his right eye, and he doesn't move the right side of his face. The Dr. indicated that most likely the movement would come back.  If the nerve is smashed and damaged it will repair itself at a very slow rate of one millimeter a day.  However, if the nerve is completely severed, it would not repair itself.  The Dr. did say he would be very surprised if it was severed.    

So today was wonderful to hear his voice and see his movement.  He is making great progress and we feel he won't be in ICU much longer.  However, it also was reiterated to us all that he has a long way to go.  It is all very hard on him and he is not up to visitors yet.  We will keep you posted.

Today was a pretty quiet day with Dad.  He still had great stats - with blood pressure and temperature both normal.   He was relaxed and had lots of rest, which is what he needs the most. 

This morning our family all attended Jeff's daughter Bella's baptism, which was a very special event.   Bella was baptized by Dale's son Jace, which made it an extra memorable occasion.  Dad's dear friend Kent Bawden agreed to sit with Dad all morning and into the early afternoon so that we could all attend the baptism.  We would like to thank him for this loving service that he gave.  We are sure that Dad appreciated having his companionship as well.

Today the ventilator was turned completely off and Dad was breathing great on his own, with just an oxygen mask covering his tracheotomy. He still had to be suctioned out periodically, but was not struggling to breathe at all. They do plan on putting the ventilator on through the night for added help and protection, however.

The doctors also removed the spinal fluid drain from Dad's spine today.  It has been a couple of days since Dad has had any spinal fluid leaking from his nose and the drain was no longer draining properly anyway, so they opted to remove it.  The hope is, of course, that the leaks in Dad's membrane have sealed, but there is no way of knowing that for certain at this point.  If he begins leaking spinal fluid from his nose again, then they will replace the drain in his spine.

The doctors had decreased Dad's sodium level to help reduce the swelling in Dad's brain.  Now that the brain injury appears to not be growing, they have increased his sodium once again to allow his brain to normalize in size.  They said that if the brain itself has expanded a bit, it may be filling in the leaks in the membrane and allowing them to heal.  It would certainly be wonderful if the cerebral spinal fluid leakage is no longer an issue.

With the spinal drain out, Dad was cleared today for physical therapy.  We are expecting him to begin that tomorrow.  They hope to get him up out of bed and trying to walk  a little in the next day or two.  When I told this to Dad and asked him if he was ready to get out of bed, he shook his head "no" at me.  He is probably still feeling so very weak and sore. 

A few of us noticed that Dad seemed a little down today.  He just looked sad.  I can't even imagine how difficult it must be for him to be going through what he is.  Not able to talk or get out of bed, in pain, and maybe even unsure of what is going on.  Not to mention being stuck in the boring hospital.  So I tried to think of something that might lift his spirits a bit.   I asked him if he would like to listen to some music and he nodded his head.  I had his ipad there, so I downloaded Pandora and played religious and classical music to him for an hour.  It was amazing to me to see how much this calmed him.  He moved his head toward the music and closed his eye and just listened.  His blood pressure quickly dropped by 15 points.   When I turned the music off after an hour his blood pressure went back up. It was still in the normal range, but I was just amazed by how quickly the music caused those physical changes. 

Ashley also provided a service to him when she offered him a foot rub with lotion.  We could tell that he liked that as well.  In fact, after she finished she asked if he would like another foot rub and he again nodded.  Hopefully we can find other little things that will help him to be more comfortable and at peace through this healing process. 

It is hard to see a man who has given so much to so many of us suffer so greatly.  But we are so grateful that he is improving.  The Dr. today reiterated to me that he is still in critical condition and will remain classified as such as long as he is in the ICU.  However, he also told me that he was doing much, much better than he was earlier this week when he was so sick.  In fact, he told me that during that setback things were very "dicey" for Dad.  We are grateful for all of the prayers that are being given, heard, and answered in Dad's behalf.  Thank you to all of you.

Dad looked so much better today.  His exterior wounds are healing, making him look like himself again.  He didn't like being told he was getting skinny though.  I got a big frown out of him by telling him that. 

Dad didn't just look better today, his stats were better too.  His temperature was normal all day, without meds.  He was on the lowest ventilator settings again.  And his blood pressure was back to its normal, steadiness.   He has been taken off of pain medication completely and is doing fine without it. 

The best sign of all  is that he was no longer leaking spinal fluid out of his nose.  Hopefully this means that the leak is sealing itself off.  They are not ruling out the possibility that it could be draining down his throat instead, however. 

Dad did have a tracheostomy this afternoon and it went smoothly.  Hopefully this will allow him to start talking more quickly and also to be more comfortable.  We have been told that eventually the tracheostomy site will heal over and not even be noticeable. 

Another good development -  the Dr. evaluated Dad's neck and decided that the neck brace could be removed.  Dad has been moving his head and neck around alot since then.  It probably is such a relief to him to have that off!  When asked if his neck hurts, he shook his head no.

Dad has been very alert and responsive today, and still his opinionated self.  When Josh went in tonight, he took some reading material with him.  He asked my dad if he wanted to be read to, to which he received an affirmative head nod.  He started reading one thing, which Dad shook his head no at.  Then he asked if Dad wanted The Ensign read to him, to which Dad responded yes.  It feels so great that he is able to make his opinion known to us. 

Dad loves to hold our hands when we are there.   It feels so great to feel his strong grip and to know that he is aware that we are there and love him.

Today was a definite step  up on this roller coaster ride. 

Today was not the best day for dad.  Mary updated this morning about his ventilator having to be put back in.  It was really hard to see Dad struggling to get his breath this morning.  So although we wish he was strong enough to go without it, I am grateful to have it back in to ease that struggle for him.  Tomorrow they are going to be doing a tracheotomy.  This will allow them to hook up the ventilator through that, while allowing his vocal cords to heal so he will be able to communicate.  This will also allow him to be moved easier when they decide it is okay for him to get up or move about. He has been having a chest x-ray each morning. His lungs didn't look as good since they took him off ventilator. They were compressed this morning. They hope that now he is back on ventilator his lungs will bounce back and look better tomorrow. The nurse tonight said they marked down on his chart that he has pneumonia but it is treatable.  

Dr. Granger, the head doctor of the trauma team on Dad's case, indicated that the CSF drain is not draining as well as it could be, which may indicate a clog (they may need to replace it). Also, the leak in his nose is subsiding (a good thing). The drainage will be how they ultimately tell if the leak has stopped. It also could be that it is draining down his throat but they are not sure at this point. They will wait to schedule the facial surgery until they know whether or not a surgery will need to be performed to repair the CSF leak. If needed, they will do both at the same time.  Dr. Leyngold, the facial surgeon, also said they are waiting for him to be more stable to do the facial surgery.  The surgery is easier if it happens in the first two weeks but he can still do it a month or more after the injury. 

While Dr. Leyngold was checking him, he asked dad to open his eyes, close both eyes tight and raise his eyebrows.  He was able to do it on the left side but not the right side at all.  He said there was probably damage to the nerve on the right eyelid but this often heals on its own – could take months.  If it doesn’t after several months he may be able to perform surgery to correct.  There could also be some vision loss in the right eye, as the pupil did not respond to light.   The lining around the right eye was drying out due to the swelling, so he put some ointment on it and sewed part of the right eyelid shut.  He will remove it sometime next week.

Dad has a low grade fever, about 101, that they are watching. They are curious if he may have another infection hiding somewhere, but don't know where it could be. They took a sample of sputum from his lungs to run a culture on. It will take a couple of days before they get those results. 

On a side note: the P.A. Student came & talked to us & said they are talking about Dad a lot and even when they aren't here with him, there are 3 people in a room looking over his labs, watching his monitors, and talking about him. It's good to know he's being watched over.  One day at a time, we will get through this. Thanks for all your love and support.  It really means a lot to our whole family.

Another setback today.  Dad was struggling to breathe and had to be intubated again.  The Dr. said he just wasn't strong enough yet.  They are going to leave him on the ventilator today and peform a tracheotomy tomorrow.  This option will be more comfortable for him and allow his vocal chords to heal. It will also allow him to get up and moving when he is ready. 

It is very disappointing that he is not yet ready to breathe completely on his own, and these setbacks are very hard on my mom.  But we continue to have faith that he will get better when his body is ready.

The big development of today is that Dad was extubated.  The ventilator is finally out!  They have kept an oxygen mask on him and there is always the possibility that the ventilator will have to be replaced, but this was a huge development in Dad's progress.

Dad has still not been able to talk, however, aside from a few feeble "yes" and "nos" to the speech therapist.  For example, he did answer "yes" when they asked if the ice chip they gave him felt good on his throat.  He answered "no" when asked if he remembered what had happened.  He was not able to verbalize his name or age when asked to by the speech therapist.  He was moving his mouth and trying to talk, but just could not get the words out.  This is most likely due to his throat and vocal cords being tired, weak, and swollen from more than a week on the ventilator.  It may take a few days.  There is a possibility that it is a side effect of his brain injury.  Sometimes patients struggle to speak with this type of injury and sometimes they are OK. 

Aside from that one ice chip, Dad is not allowed to eat or drink anything until he can speak.  They want to make sure that he is able to swallow safely before they give him anything so that he does not aspirate fluid into his lungs.  He is still being fed with a feeding tube.  His mouth must be so dry and thirsty!  They did allow Shari to swab his mouth out with a cool, wet swab, which he really seemed to appreciate. 

Whenever Dad is awake he wants someone right by him holding his hand.  He squeezes our hands when we talk to him and in response to questions.  Shari told him that he must be so tired of laying there and would rather be hiking in the Tetons.  He squeezed Shari's hand several times.  Shari told him that she was going to hold him to that and they would go hiking in the Tetons this summer.  Dad again squeezed her hand repeatedly.   In Shari's own words:  "It is amazing to me that even though he can't talk, and even as injured as he is & laying there so helpless, he still has the ability to show love for his family and make everyone who holds his hand feel his love. How remarkable that is."

In addition to retaining his deep love for others, Dad still has a stubborn streak.  Dad was thrashing around trying to pull off his oxygen mask when his arms were loosened.  The nurse asked him if he would quit trying to pull it off if she left his arms untied and he shook his head "no."  She had to restrain his arms again.

Other medical notes: 
The staples were removed from Dad's head today.   

Spinal fluid is still draining from Dad's nose and could continue for up to a couple of weeks before they take further action. We are still holding out hope that the leak will seal off on its own.

The infection Dad was fighting was either pneumonia or CSF infection, but it is controlled at this point.  The cooling body wrap has been removed and his temperature is normal .

There are not any plans at this point to change out the metal screws on his wrist for MRI purposes.  When Dad can talk again, they will take off the neck brace and  have him do some physical tests for neck movement. 

Getting the ventilator out today was a huge step.  One step at a time . . .

The ventilator is out!