Monday, December 29, 2008

A Busy Day

Today was a busy day for Brian...wait, let me back up & start with last night.
He pulled the feeding tube out, ah, yes, again.

So, like the time he popped the balloon of the trach, they are keeping him off the feeding tube for now. They increased the fluid nourishment through one of his IVs while they wait for the doctor who is qualified to perform a swallow test. The swallow test will determine if Brian is able to go off the feeding tube & begin receiving liquid nourishment. If he is unable to swallow sufficiently, they will have to find another way to keep the feeding tube in place.

With the holidays, we're sort of holding on this procedure & hopeful it will take place tomorrow morning. Who can say for sure, but we must admit that if we look at patterns, Brian seems to know when he's had enough of something to pull it out. Hopefully this will be the case with the feeding tube.

The doctors also gave him an electrical shock to basically restart his heart rate. So, his heart rate is normal for now but the benefit of this procedure often is temporary. However, they indicate this irratic heart rate is normal, particularly for patients who sustain the level of trauma to the chest that Brian has & it will not impede rehab, etc., when that time comes. They also inserted another IV to give him medicine to help control the heart rate.

The physical therapist also came by to give him a workout. She said he fared average for someone in his situation. She sat him up on the side of the bed & even that is difficult for him. He will basically have to re-learn balance due to the time he's spent in bed & the shift of his center of gravity with the (though extent still unknown) impact the spinal compression made to his legs. Up until this point, he's had spotty sessions with her, but she plans to return tomorrow.

They capped his trach today to allow him to talk since he's been wanting to so badly and guess what he said? Nothing. Well, he did finally say "mom" in response to my mom's specific requests. My parents & his sister Leah said they are sensing some pretty intense anger in him right now but this is coupled with some heavy meds & fatigue from working with the physical therapist earlier today. They can't keep it capped for long because he's still getting a lot of fluid out of his lungs but it's a start, I guess.

He still remains fiesty, the evening hours are when he gets himself in the most trouble with the tubes & such.

My dad got a great start on all of the paperwork today. The social worker & the "4th floor staff" were most helpful in getting my dad pointed in the right direction so it's encouraging to know that the resources he'll need will be available to him without much lag time.

So, when I reflect back on all of the progress he's made, even in the last 24 hours, I have to say I am amazed. Fifteen days ago, we weren't sure if he would be alive. Not only is he but he's making pretty rapid progress for someone on death's door two weeks ago. It's almost like he's been saved to be born again into a new person, one where the focus of life will have to be more than just the temporal things (John 3:1-3:10).

I pray that Brian will see this as a glorious opportunity for his own spirit, to edify all of us with whom he's fostered such strong relationships already, & to share God's love with many, many more to come.

5 comments:

  1. Brian,
    I know that you are probably angry right now and may be for a while. That's ok and it is to be expected. I just want you to know and really understand how many people care about you and can't wait to see you and talk to you again. Everyone following this blog and many others are thinking of you constantly and are amazed by how well you are doing. I am sure I can speak for everyone when I say that each day we see you again or read this blog about your improvements, it brings hope and happiness to all of us. So many people love you (probably more than you could imagine) and are grateful to have you in their lives. Again be patient, but if that isn't enough...I found a little website that you might find interesting ;)

    www.ThePigNextDoor.com (It's a bacon of the month club - just one more thing for you to look forward to because I know how you love bacon!)

    See you soon,
    The Gopher

    ReplyDelete
  2. Keet,
    I think your sister and the Gopher have said it best. Just a couple of days ago we werent sure you were going to make it, but every morning when i get up and read your progress it gives me such joy to know you are getting better.

    I know all these tubes, IV's and needles can be annoying, but please be patient with them and let time do its healing for you.

    I am praying hard for you buddy and I love ya

    Flee aka Gaydras

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brian,
    I am just now getting online with the blog, I have been reading the updates from your sister, but have not been able to post a message to you. I was not smart enough to figure out how to create a blog but finally did (I hope). So, I just want to let you know that I have been praying for you since I first learned about the accident when James Keith came up to let me know. I was so upset! I will continue praying for you and your family. Please know that YOU are loved so much and with the Lord, your family and friends you will make it through all this. Events like this we can not always understand the reason, but know Jesus loves you always. Just call out to him and he can provide a peace that passes all understanding. God has a plan for your life, he is not done with you yet! Hang in there your fans are pulling for you!!!
    Love ya lots- Kellie (Motricity - HR)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Brian,

    I Love you man. You're on your way. You'll be experiencing the Lord taking you from one level of glory to the next. You actually have it better than most of us. I say that because change is a difficult task for anyone coming into the Kingdom of God. The war is in the Mind of a person so it takes some time for people to walk in the will of God. God allowed you to witness the power of the Holy Spirit so I'm pretty sure there's no doubt in your Mind that God is good.

    Peace be unto you

    ReplyDelete
  5. hey bubba! I know you will not read this for a little while! However, I just wanted to say THANK YOU SO much for ficking me in the head today! Most of us would think DANG THATS PRETTY RUDE! But to me it was the highlight of my day and must say it was just another thing I was able to brag about! I LOVE YOU (go ahead and roll your eyes, I KNOW YOU ARE).

    LOVE, (roll them...)
    ROO

    ReplyDelete