Category: Magee

At the Apple store. Cried a few more times earlier in the week after I dropped my phone Monday night. Face down. On concrete. I got a black screen of death and could do nothing to fix it. I was terrified that I would lose my calendar and all the pictures and videos from the last two months that are documenting every moment of Bob’s recovery. And I couldn’t get to any new phone numbers in my contacts. Including Bob’s number. So I cried Monday night. Bob is the one in charge of backups and iCloud and techy techy blah blah blah.

And then I was terrified that Apple would send me away since (as far as I knew) everything we had was in Bob’s name. So I stopped in Cherry Hill on my way to the hospital tonight. I was immediately sent in the direction of a back table to wait for a Genius to help me. And it was then that I began to cry. I had a panic attack because Bob always handles the Apple store trips. Everything is backed up before we go. He is clear with what needs to be fixed. He explains what potential solutions he has already attempted in detail. And I just realized how much I miss having him around. (Please remind me of this moment two months from now when we are spending every second of our lives together and we’re driving each other crazy). However, there was no need for panic. Or a worst case scenario brainstorm (one of my best loved past times) because John was so helpful and kind.

I had another hiccup when I had to put my Apple ID and password in John’s iPad. And even though I had written it down, I had an incorrect mixture of two passwords that I typically use. And I got the warning of “hey. do this incorrectly one more time and you will never access this account again” or something along those threatening lines. So I started to cry for the second time. I gathered myself together pretty quickly after this breakdown though.

Fast forward. Phone fixed (for no cost with Apple Care Plus) in under an hour and a half and I spent that time wandering the mall and in Maggiano’s. Pictures, video, and calendar are intact. Phew.

When I first told Bob about my phone, he told me to call Dave Ralph. I had to tell him that Dave Ralph lives and works in California. Bob’s response, “What’s he doing out there?!?!” Working for Apple.

When I got to the hospital tonight, Bob wasn’t in the day room and I could hear “G 56. I 17” and I knew exactly where my hubby was. When I walked in, he had two prizes in front of him and was on his was to win his third. He proceeded to win four more games and shared the prizes with me and a few of his friends.

He does have friends at the hospital now. Staff members called him Bingo Bobby tonight. He waves at other patients and they all help each other keep track of when their family members come and go. Bob sweetly reminded a fellow patient that his dad had left for the evening when he was wondering where he was. Bob said, “Remember? Your dad is coming back in the morning.”

And I’m coming back in the morning. For another day of training and maybe even practicing getting Bob in and out of our car. Wish us luck and say a prayer that it all goes smoothly. Your prayers for his bladder are working. It’s getting better and better every day. Keep those prayers coming!

This was this morning…

Soooo…I gave Bob his computer to see what he remembered. Well, he freaked that my blog wasn’t a self hosted site and created me my own domain. 🙄

He is very happy that he remembered how to do it.

Moving forward, all new blog posts will be at

Unrestrainednj.com

Hopefully, we will lose those pesky ads too.

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But alas, ’twas not meant to be. The domain is purchased. And some of the older posts are there. But it didn’t pick up all of the more recent posts. And then Bob started to get very frustrated and slightly depressed.

So it’s still this same site. Which I have no problem with and maybe, eventually, I will let him touch a computer again. But probably not for another month or two. It was too sad to watch him start to shut down with disappointment. He said his head hurt. His brain was fried. And he just wanted to be able to provide for his family.

And he will. Someday. Tomorrow is 10 weeks since the accident. It will continue to be more time until he heals.

I’m not going to watch that spiral again. I don’t want to see him down on himself. The task he was doing wasn’t one that he normally does, but should have been something he could have reasoned out fairly easily (pre-TBI).

He had a good day of therapy over all. I found out that he walked himself to the bathroom with his walker at around 4 am. (He isn’t allowed to do that). But did well with ADLs with Brian. He saw Colleen for PT and I started my training. And he walked even more. We played three hands of Crazy 8’s and he won two of them. I need to stop playing cards with him. Speech was great with Stephanie and we worked on more reasoning activities.

His personality is coming back more and more. He’s getting his funny snarky attitude with me and I like giving it right back to him. But then he cries “brain injury” thinking I will stop, but I don’t. We had a BBQ lunch in the cafeteria and then Ryan and Heather Gorsky came to visit. We played SkipBo outside on the 6th floor and, of course, Bob won. See? I don’t learn.

He’s resting now because I hurt his head with the computer. I do feel badly, especially since he was so excited to help me. I hope to cheer him up later. We’re going to order in sushi for dinner.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend.

Bob had a great day of therapy today. We went to Speech with Sarah because Ashley had a meeting and Bob spent time doing a math crossword puzzle and an activity where you were asked to answer questions about a map.

We immediately went to OT with Brian where the two talked about the meal he is going to make in the near future. I believe it is a ham and “something” omelette. I don’t really remember. But Bob did. And that’s what counts right now. He also had a ton of stretching and showed me how he can get in and out of a tub.

We also went to an education session that was led by nurses and OT staff about medication. Everyone got a printout of their current meds and we had a conversation about what they were for and side effects. Bob was impressed that I had two copies of his med sheets in PDF format on my phone. He always says, “you must know people” and “you talk too much”.

I think he REALLY felt like I talked too much at lunch with our friend Keith Newerla, who brought along Ron Siggs to join us. Keith brought Bob some Magee swag and we had a great time sharing Bob’s story. And by we, I mean me. Because again, I talk too much. Keith took me on a tour of the soon to be opened 2nd floor, and it is GORGEOUS. I hope I never need Magee, but PLEASE make sure Bob knows to send me there.

I had a meeting with Trisha, and we continued to discuss Bob’s discharge options as well as where his needs might best be met in the outpatient setting. I hope to have a hard and fast discharge date within the next few weeks. But as of this past Tuesday, his estimated length of stay is four more weeks. I know he’s going to continue to improve by leaps and bounds in that timeframe.

At the end of the day, I got to see Bob on the Vector for the first time. It was incredible to see him be able to walk essentially on his own. His PT Caroline had it set to reduce Bob’s weight by 5%. He was doing a great deal of work on his own and was really having issues only when he was being asked to change speeds or stop. Sidestepping and walking backwards also proved to be challenges for Bob today. I keep thinking that he shouldn’t need to have much more PT because he is almost able to walk on his own. However, the ability to balance and move your body through space in a multitude of ways is a lot more than simply walking in a straight line.

The ride home was 2+ hours, just like the ride there last night. It’s just going to get longer and longer and we move further to the summer. But it’s really worth it to spend time watching Bob’s healing in progress.

It’s only been a couple of days since I updated you but I just have to share that I am amazed by how many new memories Bob is making. I was originally frustrated that he couldn’t remember what he had eaten ten minutes before, but now he remembers and can recount for me what he has done in therapy for that day and even the day or two before. And when I ask most people what they ate for breakfast, very few can answer me correctly anyway.

He remembers that Ranit is on a “people tour” (which is our way of describing a vacation with multiple stops to visit friends and family in multiple states) and Melissa is in Punta Cana. He tells me Ashley loves the notes I leave for her on his homework. He tells me that Brian is a “health-nut” who told him to stop drinking fruit punch at night. He told me that he made oatmeal in OT the other day with Brian and got to eat it, but it needed sugar. And that they plan to have him cook himself a full meal in the OT kitchen in the near future. He wants to be back with his Weber in the worst way.

Bob remembers staff members names from day to day. He told me he practiced getting in and out of the car that is on the roof at Magee.

He also showed me the artwork that he was making. One was a marker drawing and one was watercolor. The art therapist came to his day room to work with patients there. He told me, “Our door is red, right? Your grandmother wanted it that color so she painted it herself, right?” And the artwork has a house with a red door and green-ish siding.

We played bingo tonight and we each won a game. He picked a canvas with Philadelphia artwork and markers to color it in and I picked a word search book. We made a killing. And the people doing the calling were no joke. No repeating of the call and they clipped through it SO FAST. I got distracted for about five seconds and missed two numbers. I had to ask Bob which ones I missed. 🙄

Bob also FaceTimed with Mike, Terry, Dani, and Colin last night. He is looking forward to a Father’s Day BBQ at the Andrews and Fourth of July with Dani and Colin. And watching the Super Bowl with Colin. Happy Graduation Day Dani!

My friend, Michael, at the Sheraton also checked me in tonight so I’m back in “da club” level. He always asks me how Bob and Mikey are doing. Mikey has had a rough week. Vomited early Tuesday morning. Nothing like “Momma are you?” at 4 am and you expect to just comfort him for a second and he says “I frowed (throwed) up”. And he has been spiking high fevers here and there. My mom and dad (Gaga and Poppop) have taken him in during the day since Tuesday.

So I’ve been keeping it together. By fraying and extremely thin threads, but it’s together. And others step in and help hold it in one piece. But it’s not easy. And I fear that my collapse is coming. Yes, I am doing the best I can to take care of myself. Yes, I am trying to rest as much as I can, but small children tend to disrupt sleep on a normal day. Yes, I am eating (and drinking). Yes, I am arranging at least one fun thing a week to do for me.

Thanks for your continued prayers. Bob needs prayers for his bladder, his lower back, and his left shoulder. We love you all.