Unrestrained NJ

Update 4.10.18

Good day today also. TBI patients lose their filter and Bob is no exception. I try not to laugh at the funny stuff he says because it makes him so much angrier.

B: help me

K: with what?

B: these gloves. Get them off (he still has mitts on)

K: I can’t. Holly (nurse) says I’m not allowed.

B: I’m not asking you to go on an illegal mission.

Then I laugh and he gets mad. And I feel bad. He really wants out of this bad hotel. He was seen by PT and Speech today. Speech had him propped up in bed and had a couple of ice chips, a few sips of water and two spoonfuls of pudding. All dyed bright blue to make sure he wasn’t aspirating anything. He did well, but his tongue, lips and cheeks are out of practice for eating so they were sluggish. He was evaluated by Moss Rehabilitation today and he will be presented to their board tomorrow morning. Please pray for his acceptance. Magee Rehabilitation comes Thursday to evaluate and I tour both facilities on Thursday. I plan to make my first and second choice selection by Friday. Please pray for me to make the one that is in Bob’s best interest. Keep praying for all of us. We will still need these prayers for quite some time. Thank you all for loving us. Love, Karen and Bob

Belly full of Blue Pudding…

Update 4.9.18

Bob is cracking me up. He has said some funny stuff and some really sweet stuff mixed in with a dash of crazy today.

Conversation about our Foster Son:

Karen: do you know the baby’s name?

Bob: I don’t know. They come and go.

Conversation about work:

K: do you know what I do for work?

B: you teach.

K: what do you do?

B: a lot.

K: I know. But what’s your job?

B: to make all the money.

Random Conversation.

B: you infuriate me

K: why?!?

B: your lack of knowledge

K: regarding what?

B: your hotel choice. This is a bad one.

K: this isn’t a hotel. It’s a hospital.

B: I thought we were checking out today.

On Alexa:

B: Alexa, bring me Kathryn

K: who?

B: my cousin, Kathryn.

K: Kathy?

B: yes.

So we called her. Then he became increasingly irritated that the Alexa in the room didn’t work when he had just set it up yesterday. (There is no Alexa in the room). He also told Mikey “I love you Buddy”, which is his nickname for Mikey. He told me he loved me often. Keep on praying! Love, Karen and Bob xoxo

Update 4.8.18

BOB IS AWAKE AND TALKING! He answered the following questions earlier:

Where are you? Philly (I have talked non stop about sending him to rehab in Philly)

What year is it? 1986 (his birth year)

Who is the president? Trump

Please excuse my excitement in the video. I wasn’t sure if he was saying Karen or Girlie (his nickname for me). And also excuse my hysterical sobbing.

He also said “not right now” when I asked if he wanted to talk to Michael and shortly after requested a “Pepsi” when I asked him what he needed. *we just FaceTimed with Michael and Bob told Mikey he loved him twice* He also stuck his tongue out crazy far and moved his right foot when asked. Vent update: he’s just on the collar and breathing 21% oxygen which is what room air is. PRAISE GOD!!! Keep those prayers coming! Today is an amazing day!!! Love, Karen and Bob

Update 4.6.18

Bob is making progress on the vent. He is actually doing all of his own breathing during the day and will start to breathe on his own overnight beginning this evening. It’s called “trach collar” and it’s like having oxygen in your nose but instead it’s in his trach. He has been moving more and more since Tuesday night. He started pulling on the trach, pulling at his peg, his monitors and catheter. The staff put a mitt on him but this crafty fellow found a way to spin the mitt around so he could still pull at all of his connections. So now his right hand has a sock, then a mitt and then he is restrained. Bob hasn’t yet figured out how to do all of these same things with his left hand. He has currently worked the restraint and mitt to his mouth so he’s trying to chew himself free. He opens his eyes from time to time, but not in recognition. It’s more of a blank stare. He is starting to follow more commands but nothing consistent. If you visit him, ask him to give you a thumbs up, show you two fingers, open his eyes, or stick out his tongue. Those are currently his best tricks. His nurse, Kristal, says him doing these small tasks is equivalent to us completing a triathlon. We need to have patience. I need to have patience. He’s better today than he was yesterday and even better than last week. Please keep praying. Bob, the boys and I need your prayers of strength and healing. Thank you all. Love, Karen and Bob xo

Visiting Dada

Update 4.2.18

Hope everyone had a great Easter. Bob’s condition is about the same. He has responded with a few more thumb ups and after a few smooches he made some “kissy” noises back at me. But these moments are fleeting and much of our time has little or no progress. He is doing well being aggressively weaned from the ventilator. Currently the machine does 4 breaths per minute and he does about 16 on his own. He is still spiking temps, but it is likely neurostorms. And they aren’t nearly as high as they have been in the past. He is almost off all of his antibiotics so medically speaking, he is pretty stable. His cognition isn’t improved much and that is the area where he needs to show growth for rehab to start. If you would like to visit him, you may, but check with the nurses station for safety protocols in place before you go in his room. I’ll update again in a few days. Love to all, Karen and Bob

Chilling with the hubs. He works his fingers in between mine when we hold hands.