Mikes appitite is Back and many more Things

Mikes Appetite is Back More Many Things. Mike is progressing very well. In the past few days we have stopped several medications that he is no longer in need of. When we left UC Davis he was on around 12 medications, we are now down to 2! Mike is getting his appetite back with a vengence. The hospital food is no longer acceptable. (who could blame him). I try to go at least once a day to get him some real food from a local restaurant (Apple bee's, Panda Express, Pizza...) Tonight's request is steak. The doctors need him to eat as much as he can handle...the more the better. He has a lot of weight to gain back and the more calories he brings in will give him more energy to strengthen his body. He's almost up to eating the whole meal that I bring in. Which means no more left overs for the next meal. I've also been taking Mike down to the cafeteria to get meals as he's hungry, it's a nice break from the room.

We also made another mile stone earlier in the day...POSSIBLY NO MORE WHEELCHAIR! He got a temporary okay to be able to walk to all his classes. He keeps the wheel chair in the room so it's available if he should want or need it. We are hoping that walking to and from the gym will help increase his stamina and allow him to raise his endurance.

On the way back from one of the physical therapy sessions one of his doctors met us in the hall and said, "Oh my goodness, Mike, you almost look like a visitor. You sure have come a long way since I saw you over the weekend." We are hoping that each day he will continue to get stronger and be able to do a little bit more.

Of course just as I speak of the progress he's made (I think it's a jinks...His doctors let me know just a few minutes ago, (as I'm typing this) they want him to use the wheel chair to and from therapy sessions, but they will incorporate more walking in therapy. His main therapist would like to see him walking more but they are concerned about his Blood Pressure being high....so the only concern the doctors and therapist have at this time is that Mike's blood pressure at times is still on the high side.

If you could please keep this thought in your prayers, we need Mike's BP to come down and stay normal only then he would be allowed to do more. only concern the doctors and therapist have at this time is that Mike's blood pressure at times is still on the high side. If you could please keep this thought in your prayers, we need Mike's BP to come down and stay normal only then he would be allowed to do more.

We're Finally Here!

Mike arrived at the Physical Rehab Center at Kaiser In Vallejo on Wednesday 6/20 around noon time. We got settled into our room and started meeting many doctors and nurses. They said this would be his day of rest to prepare for a full schedule starting on Thursday. We got settled into our room and he slept most of the day. I have been offered a place to stay from a lady in the Vallejo 1st ward. Her name is Carina and she has a 14 year old daughter. They are really nice and have offered me a bed each night. (saving me allot of money on a hotel room)

Thursday morning I got to the hospital by 7am to get Mike ready for his day. His first appointment was with his OTP (occupational therapist). By 9:00 we had met another doctor, his Neurophsycologist. After talking for about 20 minutes he asked to speak with me in his office to get more information about Mike before the accident. Mike's nurse came in and let me know she wold be getting Mike to Physical Therapy (PT) so I could meet with the doctor. Well after meeting with the doctor for about 20 minutes I headed back down the hall to the gym where Mike was. About half way there I heard over the load speaker "CODE BLUE, 3RD FLOOR, PHYSICAL THERAPY". I walked a little fast and when I got to the gym there was about 15 doctor, nurses and therapist around Mike. He had fainted before his therapy had even began. They got him onto a bed and back to his room and for the next hour had nurses buzzing around him running all sorts of test. Everything came back negative (this is good) and his doctor and I came to the conclusion that because Mike has lost so much weight and is hardly eating anything, he doesn't even have the energy to sit for more than 10 minutes without becoming faint. She let me know that if we can't get him to eat more he'll be bumped off the Rehab floor and back to a medical floor. I immediately talked to Mike and decided he would have to eat something every two hours whether he wanted it or not to try and get his energy up to sustain his activities, this was the only way he would get strong enough to get home to the kids. They put all of his therapy on hold for the rest of the day. He got his cast changed and they continued to run more test just to make sure everything was okay. I went to a local restaurant and got Mike some real food and he was able to eat and drink much more now that he knows it's his only was of getting his energy back.

Today (Friday) I've had better luck in getting him to eat more. They are only allowing him to do in bed therapy to make sure they aren't pushing him too fast. I've been able to run out and get a few things at the store and probably from tonight on I will be staying with Mike at the hospital. The nurses brought in a bed for me and I'm now allowed to use the shower in his room. They, we all agreed that me being there, getting him to eat and slowly get up more during the day is the fastest way to get him home. All of his nurses and doctors are so nice and this facility is much nicer than a regular hospital.

Mike still misses the kids, so I've put a calendar on the wall with important dates, like when the kids are returning and the day his cast will come off to help remind him it's really not that far away. We have access to a computer with Internet in the dining hall and will be getting Mike up to it starting on Monday so he can receive emails. He / I would love to have him read emails from anyone who would like to send a word of encouragement and of well wishes. His email address is: rpmlarsen@msn.com

Still Waiting...

This morning we got another delay handed to us. Mike and I were both very hopeful that he would be moved but didn't get to make the trip yet. At 9am this morning we were actually told it might not happen until Thursday. This mad Mike even more frustrated and right after the nurse left the room he told me, "Just please go get the car, so we can go home. I know I can walk to the door, I want out." My heart ached! About an hour later the same nurse came back in and said okay things have changed he'll be leaving tomorrow (Wednesday 6/20) at 10:30 for Vallejo. For the first time since Sunday Mike had a smile on his face. He responded with, "Well one way or another I'm leaving tomorrow." I really hope they mean it this time.

I spoke with most of the kids tonight. Some are home sick, and others are having so much fun. I know the kids are in really good hands and have family around them at all times to hug and kiss where Mike and I aren't. I know this is only temporary and also know it will bring us closer together in the long run.

Since I will continue to be with Mike and working with him in rehab I probably won't be able to blog but every other day or so. Please be patient and know that I haven't forgotten my updates. I will try to get to them as often as Mike makes progress or as I get time.

Waiting To Go To Vallejo...

Mike's continuing to do well. He's begin to have some depression that is going along with his frustrations. He ready to go to rehab and it can't happen soon enough. We were told last night (Saturday) that he might not get moved until Tuesday morning. This didn't help. Yesterday and today layed in bed and slept allot. He only got out of bed a few times today to walk. When he is awake he tells me repeatedly, "I just want to get out of here." or "Can you please get this (cast) off of me." He knows going to Vallejo is the next step to coming home. (He really hates being in the hospital.)

His appetite isn't coming back as quickly as his nurses would like to see. Since the accident Mike has lost a little over 35 pounds. I keep telling then that he's only been eating for 5 days now and at that he's only eating pureed food. Believe me I don't think I would be that eager to eat either. I've asked them to please ask the doctors to allow him to eat solid foods. We'll find out tomorrow.

The kids left this morning with Mike's parents to go to San Diego. They saw Mike for a little while this morning and than had a tearful good bye. Mike and I both know this will be a good break for them. They've only been gone 12 hours and I can't believe how much I miss them already. We've never been away from all the kids for more than a night or so.

Please keep up the prayers for Mike. I keep thinking each stage of the recovery process will get easier but some how it becomes more physically and emotionally draining. In the beginning I felt so helpless sitting and watching him while he was physically injured and unaware of what was going on. But I've realized watching someone who you love go through frustration and depression and knowing that there's nothing I can do is an even more helpless feeling. All I can do is pray for him, love him, reassure him and be there for when he's ready for my help.

Thank you for all the cards and prayers offered so far. It has been very humbling to read and hear how this experience has touched your lives and all of those around us. Mike hasn't been ready to read the cards sent so far but I am keeping them all as well as all of the emails for him. When he's ready I'll show them to him.

He Takes His First Steps...

Yesterday and today have both been big mild stones or should we say boulders for Mike. He began with yesterday afternoon, while meeting with his physical therapist he took his first few steps. He was able to walk with the assistance of Juliann (P.T.) and myself to the door of his room and back to bed (about 10 feet). Luckily a good friend of ours (Sean Farrell) was their with us got a few photos for me.

After making it back to bed (very exhausted) his doctor came in and she removed his trachea tube. He's now completely off all breathing assistance's. With all the improvements of the day Mike felt he should continue with the progress and tried pulling out a few other things. Sean, Mike's aunt Chris and I had to restrain Mike and he had his first fit of anger about not being able to things he wanted. Let me tell you this was very hard to see. You all know Mike is a quiet and fun going guy, this anger is something I've never seen and very hard to handle. The doctors and nurses assure me this is part of the brain healing it self. It's not easy but is one of the steps we must take.

Today was much better with Mike's inability to control his anger and frustration. His doctor and I spoke today about stopping the "fits" before they happen. Looking back on yesterday he had signs that led up to the fit. Today, having this knowledge of knowing what to look for we were able to divert from repeating it again. I know we won't be able to control them all but each one diverted is one less to emotionally go through.

Mike was walking much better today. He will still need an aid in walking but he will need this for some time. A couple of times he would sit up in bed, swing his legs over the side and start to stand up. I would jump up to help him and asked where he wanted to go, he would then say , "Nowhere, I just wanted a hug." (YES, there were lots of tears of joy!) Mike was also able to loose all his wiring and tubing as well. This includes feeding tube, catheter, O2 monitor as well as his heart and respiration monitor. He only has his IV. Believe me he's much happier without all the wires. This also makes it easier for him to sleep, meaning now that all the tubing and wires are gone he can now sleep on his sides and not forced to sleep on his back.

With today being day 25 since the accident, it was really the first day that Mike was awake enough to sit up and hold a pretty good conversation (you're lucky to be able to hold a 5 minute conversation with someone who's had a brain injuries and this is how long our talks would last). He even talked on the phone with his brother Roger for a few minutes (this blew Roger away when I told him someone wanted to talk to him. Roger assumed I was talking about one of the kids, needless to say he was so happy when Mike started talking to him.) We talked about the kids and rehab. I explained why he's going and thankfully, he understands. Mike still doesn't want to know anything about why he's in the hospital. I know this will take a lot of time.

Mike will be heading to the Rehabilitation Center for Head and Spinal Cord Injuries on Monday June 18th. I'm so excited that he's made so much progress in such a short amount of time and that fact that he'll be in rehab before he even hits his one month date of the accident. All his nurses are so excited to see his progress and keep telling me he'll do so good there.

We are getting ready for the next chapter of our lives. It will be the physical and mental part of Mike's recovery. His pneumonia is gone. His incisions have all healed. He even got a haircut to round things off. Technically you could say he's walking out the hospital a changed man, we all have changed. Our journey now is to help him rebuild his body and mind so he can return home with our family.

Mike Eats, Sits and Stands For the First Time

Mike made great progress today. First we/he worked with his speech therapist and he was able to say a few more things today. Today's words were a little more clear but still quite soft and muffled. Mike is able to repeat words that are prompted to him but is having difficultly answering questions with words (anything more than a yes or no). This is normal for his injury, they say it will hopefully improve with time.



After speaking he tried a swallow test. He passed it. He successfully was able to swallow a jello-applesauce combination. When he was asked how it felt and tasted he responded with, "It's good." Next he tried chewing on ice chips and then cranberry juice. He was able to swallow it all. I don't think he wanted to stop eating. Tomorrow we will try a few more things.



Next came in the physical therapist. I was excited for her to come in. She asked Mike if he was able to pull himself up and sit in the bed. (I have been working with him and he's getting pretty good at it.) He nodded yes. After sitting himself up she asked him to swing his legs over to the side of the bed. The last time we tried this we was unable to sit without help. We helped him get into the position and let go and he sat with his legs over the side, head up and without any help. (I asked the nurse if I could please take some pictures and she said of course. I had wanted to show the kids since they weren't here to see it for them selves.) Before I knew it she was asking him "Are you ready to try and stand?" He nodded yes and she helped him up. He stood for about 5 seconds and then she helped him back to sitting on the bed. She did this a few more times allowing him to stand a little longer than the time before. On the 4th time she let go, he stood a little wobbly by himself, holding with one hand to the bed. I was so excited to see this. She sat him down, let him catch his breath and then asked him to stand one more time and this time to take a few steps in place. He took about 2 steps with each foot. We were both so amazed. She said she would continue to push him until he couldn't go any further. He was so exhausted by the end, and we had only worked with him for about 20 minutes. After he got back in bed I leaned over and gave him a hug and a kiss on the check and told him how proud I was of him. He looked back at me and rolled his eyes with a "big deal" look on his face. It's a good thing he still has his sense of humor.



A few minutes later I met Dr. EsTell his physical medicine doctor. She gave him an assessment and let me know that she was amazed with his progress. We talked a little bit about the rehab. center in Vallejo and she said she would like to start the paper work to get him there as early as the beginning of next week. She said it would take a few days to get the paperwork ready and wanted to have it all in place so they could move him as soon as he would be physically ready.



It was sure nice to have a positive day today. It's hard to believe that 3 weeks has gone by already. Mike has made so much progress in such a short amount of time. I keep hearing from doctors how remarkable or miraculous his recovery has been. For example, I spoke with the ENT doctor, Dr. Chen on Saturday and after comparing Mike's right and left side he stood up and said that's interesting. I asked what he was talking about and he explained to me that he had looked at the CT of his head just before coming in (especially the right side by the ear because that is where his fractures are) and told me that his right ear canal was collapsed and his jaw was dislocated on both sides. (I let him know that no one had ever told me this, it was new to me.) After doing his assessment and exam and expect to see this in person. He said for that injury to heal so quickly was remarkable. He said the paralysis on the side of the face was due to the nerves being damaged from swelling and irritation from the fractures and that was to be expected but never thought he'd be looking 2 1/2 weeks after the accident and find his collapsed ear canal and jaw intact and in alignment.



I immediately thought to myself "Wow, all the prayers and blessings are working. It's truly amazing to see the power of prayer and faith first hand. I know this is the work of our Heavenly Father. Only with him are all things possible.

Progress Hurts

Mike has made good progress throughout yesterday and today. He works daily with his Physical Therapist, Speech Therapist and Occupational Therapist.

His Physical Therapist has been working on strengthening his upper and lower body/muscles. He's been able to sit with the aid of the therapist and myself. He now has almost enough strength to move on his own in the bed (IE rolling over and pulling himself up). This also means his risk of falling is increased. He's trying at times to move as fast as his brain thinks he can but his body is a few weeks behind. He's VERY determined.

The Speech Therapist works with Mike on talking and has been able to get Mike to utter a few words now. He is able to talk only when the therapist deflates the balloon in Mike's throat, this is what holds the trachea tube in place and prevents anything from going down his windpipe. Today he was able to say my name and his nurses name. Boy was that nice to hear again. Mike's speech therapist says that helping him to speak works the same muscles in the mouth and throat that we use to swallow. If we can get him to talk than he'll be able to swallow. Since he was doing so well today, they did a swallow test and Mike was able to chew on a couple of ice cubes and swallow. Believe me no one will be more happy to see the feeding tube go than Mike. (He tries several times an hour to pull it out on his own, he's definitely keeping me on my toes.)

The Occupational therapist works with Mike on fine motor skills and eventually scheduling time and day to day tasks. You know with all he's gone through, picking up the remote for the TV is the funnest thing to watch him do, I never thought that would make me happy. It not only keeps his mind off pulling on his tubing but helps stimulate his brain and helps with his fine motor skills.

With all the positive improvements we make each day Mike knows our time together comes to an end when I start preparing him for bed. It's very hard to leave each night. It's the same feeling I get each morning when I have to leave the kids and go to the hospital. When ever I leave, either the house or the hospital, there is someone crying and more often than not, it's me. It's hard to be torn so much between my two loves, Mike and my children. Our journey is hopefully getting ready to smooth out. His doctors are wanting to send him to a rehabilitation center in Vallejo, CA. This could be as early as 2 weeks. Everyone keeps telling me it's one of the best in the U.S. It means longer drives but hopefully quicker progress. So while the kids are in San Diego I'll be able to be at the hospital around the clock. I want to spend all the time I can with him.

Yesterday was a full day for Mike. We met with more doctors and even started physical therapy. The physical therapist came in and showed me some exercises to do with Mike to increase the strength in his arms and legs. She was happy that he has a good range of motion and can preform almost all of the exercises on his own. I will need to help him throughout the day to practice the exercises so he can regain the use of his arms and legs quicker. We can have him do only 5 set on each area and then he needs to rest. Each day they will increase his exercises a little bit more. Needless to say this makes him very tired and sore in his right arm.



Mike was off of the ventilator all day yesterday. They don't think he'll need it much longer. They won't remove the trachea for a week to insure he doesn't have any set backs. This is a big step and can't wait until we can cross it off the list.



I will be meeting with his Doctor from ENT today to discuss the results form his latest CT and possible treatment for his nerve damage to the bone around the right side of his face. This is the side that has nerve damage and is partially paralyzed. He can open and close his eyes and has feeling to his face but can't move the muscles in the check, forehead and lips.

Mike is making improvements each day and loves to see the kids come in, although it's hard for kids to leave and have to go home without dad. The kids will spend Fathers Day with Mike and then at the end of the day will be going down to San Diego spend some time with Roger, Karina and their children. The kids are excited to go down and see their cousins. This will give them a stress free break and allow me to spend all of my attention on Mike with helping him to rehabilitate. I will miss the kids but know they will have so much fun, and they need that right now.

We've Finally Made The Move To Kaiser

Yesterday at about 2pm Mike was taken to Kaiser on Morse Ave., in Sacramento by ambulance. Roger and I met him at the hospital and a very busy day with Mike.

I had asked the doctors to take Mike off of his pain medications to see how he would respond. I wanted to start treating Mike for his pain as needed and not left on a running drip of morphine. Boy what a difference that made. It took about 2 hours and he began to wake up and become more clear of his surrounding. He still takes little naps, like 5-10 minutes and then he'll be awake for 10 minutes or so. This is an improvement from the few prior days of only staying awake for 1-2 minutes. By 6pm Mike had realized that he had a TV in the room and after asking him if he wanted to watch TV he was in control of the remote. He picked up pretty quickly. I would have to help hold it in his hand but it was amazing to watch him. He's really aware of his surroundings, he's just a slow to process his thoughts. It should get better each day.

Roger and I had a chance to meet with a few of the doctors from the hospital. He will start going through many test to determine the extent of his brain injury. Only time will really tell. I should be meeting with the physical and occupational therapist either today or tomorrow.

Mike is still on the respirator but they don't think he'll be on it by the end of next week. Once he gets that out then we can start working on the feeding tube. He really hates that one in.

The next few weeks will be very busy for me. Mike is aware now of when I'm there and when I'm not. I spend most of my time telling him not to touch his tubes and reassure him that things are getting better. I will only be updating the blog probably once a day from here on out. (especially since Kaiser has no wireless Internet services, darn.) Please keep Mike in your prayers. I think the real struggle is only beginning for him. I'm hoping to keep things as positive and motivational as I can to discourage disappointment and depression. Thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers.

Still Holding Strong

Today I can tell Mike is very tired from the long day he had yesterday. He was able to go until midnight before they needed to give him any medication to sleep. When I came in this morning, he looked like he was taking a nap. I walked over and kissed his hand he woke right up. His breathing is going so well with the trachea that at 1:15pm today they turned off and unplugged him from the ventilator for a 2 hour trial of self sustained breathing. So far so good. His rate was a little fast in the beginning but he's controlling it now. The doctors said as long as he can maintain a good volume and rate he might not have to go back on the ventilator. It wouldn't be a big deal if he needed to go back on the ventilator, they would run another self sustained breathing trail tonight and again in the morning.

What A Difference A day Makes!

Wow, today was amazing ! :)

Roger and I had so much fun being with Mike. He was responding so well and we can tell he's thinking and is aware of what's going on around him.

He did awesome when the kids came in to see him tonight. He smiled (half smile since he still has some paralysis on the right side of his face) to each of the kids and I know he recongized them. He even mouthed "Mikey" when Mikey came up to say hello. He won't be able to talk for a few weeks due to irration to the vocal cord from the intubation.

Mike was also moving all of his legs and arms, even the broken arm. He's moving this one as much and sometimes more than his uninjured arm. I know his recovery will move quickly.. We could all see his determination in his eyes.

It's Been A Good Day!

Okay so I know its almost 6pm and I haven't blogged yet...well that's because I've been busy with Mike's brother Roger holding Mikes hand and talking to him.

Let me back up. At about 9:30 this morning they took out his intubation tube and replaced it with trachea tube. He's breathing really good. It only took about an hour or so to figure how to work it. It's much easier for him now. They stopped his sedation's at around 12:30 and his morphine was down to only 2mg an hour.

Mike started waking up pretty quickly and was showing his personality. We quickly figured out that he really wants to move his arms, so we had to restrain him a little more. He can answer simple questions with a nod of his head (yes or no). He can see across the room, his brother, standing at the foot of his bed told him, "hi Mike it's Rodg'." Mike responded with lifting his left hand and gave a small wave. He definitely doesn't like his finger monitor (like a band aid, to keep an eye on his oxygen saturation). He kept trying to remove it with his thumb. I asked him if he wanted me to take it off and he nodded yes, so I moved it to his toe. He doesn't like it there either. About 2 hours ago he started to get a little restless, moving both shoulders really trying to get his left hand to his right shoulder/arm. We asked if his arm was hurting, he nodded yes, we then asked him if he wanted some medication for his arm, he nodded yes. These are really good signs. We increased his morphine just a little to take the edge off. Our goal is to keep him off of the sedation a long as we can. Hopefully we'll only be using it at night time to insure he will get good rest. He takes little naps, 10-15 minutes, then has his eyes open for a few seconds or so. It's good enough for me. He looks so good. I can't wait for the kids to come and see him tonight.

So my days will be longer, but I can now look into his eyes and know that he hears me. So pass on the news. Pray that he wont need the trachea tube very long, that his pneumonia will continue to improve, and that his fever will go away.

Well by 2:25 today Mike had gone 2 1/2 hours today without any sedation and breathing on his own. This is a HUGE step. So far we were lucky to go 30 minutes before we hit problems. The nurse thinks Mike could maybe even go with out the trachea tube. She said if he can keep this progress up we could maybe even have him off the ventilator all together in a few days. His shaking was very minimal during this time (the best so far) and he responded numerous times to Maggy (his nurse) and myself. It's so awesome to see him respond. I love it when he looks right into my eyes.
At about 2:30 Mike Blood Pressure started to rise again and his breathing picked up when he started to cough ( he had yet to have any coughing fits). We helped him for a few minutes and decided to give him a little break. Maggy said she would give him a small boost of sedation that would let him relax, slow down his breathing and bring down his blood pressure. In an hour we'll turn off the sedation and try it again.
I went out and made a few phone calls to let his dad and brother know his progress and his brother Roger told me they were actually packing the car and heading up to Sacramento. I'm so happy their coming. I know Mike will enjoy seeing and hearing his brothers voice, and I know the kids will love to have him and the rest of his family here.

One More Baby Step

Well I arrived at the hospital around 8:20 this morning and Mike was breathing on his own. He is still ventilated but he's initiating the breathing and the ventilator will follow through if his volume or breath counts aren't where they need to be.



We will be weaning off some of the sedation's later today and will be waking him up again. I spoke with the doctors and they won't be moving him anytime soon. The Chief of Neurosurgery spoke to me yesterday and he agreed that he's too unstable to move and will need to be off the ventilator before he signs him over. That made me so happy. Not only am I concerned with his moving at this time, but I have a really good relationship with all the nurses and doctors. They are just as excited as I am when he has a good day (okay maybe not as happy as I am, but you know what I mean.)



Tomorrow morning Mike will be transferring from the intibation (sp?) tube to a trachea tube. (this is where they place a breathing tube in lower area of his neck.) The tracheotomy will allow him to come off the ventilator much easier and quicker. He will be able to breath on his own and the doctors will have a secure air way if he gets into any trouble with coughing or breathing. I'm glad this will be finally be done. It's another step in the right direction.



Mike is still shivering quit a bit, but so far for today his fever is down to a normal level without any Tylenol or the cooling blanket. Hopefully the fever is gone for good. Only time will tell.

It's All Worth The Wait!

Well most of today was a waiting game.. Mike went down around 11:30 and got his MRI. We had to wait all day to get the results before we could move on with treatment. Finally around 5:30 his nurse (Farrah) came in and said lets take off the C-caller, it's all clear, meaning no ligament damage in the neck. Just taking that off makes him look 100% better. By 6pm his nurse said she had turned off the sedative to see how he would respond. It only took about 15 minutes and he was coming around. Farrah started talking to him with little response and then I started asking him open his eyes and look at me, and he did. I was able to get him to respond to a few simple commands, move your feet, open your eyes, look at me, and squeeze my hand. He responded to all of them at least twice. By now he's been responding only for maybe 10 minutes and he's growing tired and week on the ventilator. Before I know it his hand, that has been squeezing mine for about a minute quickly goes limp and he's back under sedation.

A good friend of mine was visiting with me while all this took place. As I sat down (of course with tears in my eyes) and I told her, "You see why it's so hard to leave." She responds with the same emotion and says, "Don't let anyone tell you he doesn't know who you are. That was amazing to see how he responded to you, your children are so lucky to have you two as their parents." So now we're both crying and I'm ready to do it all over again. It's the hope of having this experience each day that is keeping me going.

The doctors were able to take Mike off one of his sedation medications today and significantly bring down his morphine levels. Tomorrow we are hoping to turn down the need for the ventilator and wake him up more regularly. I know that all the prayers offered and blessings given are working. I am so thankful for all the support given to me and our children each day, it helps us with each challenge and gives us renewed hope.

Great News!

Well after yesterday being quiet long, exhausting and without any progress, today has already had a great improvement.

I got a call this morning around 5:30 am (I think), it was Mikes mom Paula calling to let me know that Mike had opened his eyes and was responding to commands. I immediately got out of bed took a quick shower, got my things and was at the hospital a little after 6am. When I came in the room Mike was struggling to breath. He was hyperventilating. His nurse Mary decided to push his sedative to get him calmed down. I was mad that I had missed it.

The Chief Neurosurgeon came by and talked to me. They are going to get an MRI sometime today and start working on getting him more aware, less sedation and less use of the ventilator. It will busy for the next few days. They say it will still take about a week to go through the process.

Please keep up the prayers we still need his fever down and shivering to stop. We also need him to be more relaxed and will definitely need the support and aid from Heavenly Father to come off the ventilator.

Holding Strong

Well not much happened yesterday. The doctors and nurses decided to take it really slow on weaning Mike off the sedation, and so far they haven't started. They want him to be more comfortable on the ventilator. Mike was actually able to breath on his own with the assistance of the ventilator for about 4 1/2 hours last night. A little after midnight he began to tire of doing it on his own and they switched him back to full support.

Today I am waiting to hear from the doctors about relocating Mike to another hospital. Our insurance company, Kaiser, wants him transferred to their facilities now that he is not in need of the ICP monitor. I have to say this makes me nervous about transferring him across town when his still so critical. His doctor assured me that they wouldn't move him unless they were sure he would be getting the care he needed and that the transport would be safe. I'm praying for this to go as smoothly as possible.

Mike still has a fever and is still shivering. I would ask that everyone please keep these items specific in their prayers. We need him to heal from his new infection (found on Saturday) and for his fever to break.

One Thing To Cross Off The List!

So today we have good news. When I arrived at the hospital this morning Mike's Neurosurgeon and his nurse were in the process of removing his ICP monitor (cranial stint). This is a really good improvement. His doctor said that since his ICP has been well under 20 for the last 48+ hours he was no longer in need of continual monitoring. They also were pleased that when his ICP would go up a little yesterday and the day before that they would quickly come back down. They think he's "out of the woods" for worrying about brain swelling.

They also have taken him off the cooling blanket...hopefully for good. He is keeping his body temperature right around 37.7*C (or 99.9*F) and is being controlled with Tylenol. He is still shivering mildly but they don't think it's due to the low grade fever. They said they now believe its due to what they call "storming". This is when the brain is overloaded with senses and creates anxiety, they are giving him an anti anxiety med to counter it.

They are going to begin weening Mike off the sedation very slowly today and tomorrow. They want him to remain calm and make the transition as smooth as possible. He will naturally want to fight the ventilator so gradually waking him up will be better for him. It will not be easy for him to wake up and have to realize where he is, what has happened and that has needed assistance from a ventilator.

Our family will continue to pray for his improvement and are becoming more and more grateful for the blessings given to us so far.

Still Fighting

So Mike is continuing to fight. So far he has been off his Vec for almost 10 1/2 hours and his ICP is staying below 20. I consulted with the Pulmonary Team around noon and they were concerned that his white cells were still rising, indicating he was still fighting an infection somewhere. They were concerned because he's been on an antibiotic for 11 days and his white count should be going down, not up. They decided to run more cultures and to do a bronchoscopy. This is when they insert a camera down his breathing tube and take a look directly into the lungs. I actually got to stay in the room and observe the procedure. I have to say it was pretty cool. The Doctor told me that having me in room with Mike during the procedure would actually help him to try and remain calm since he's becoming more aware of what's going on around him.

During the procedure they were able to get a fairly good amount of fluid from his lungs. They also determined that he probably has a new infection. The fluid they pulled from the lungs, they think is an anaerobic bacteria. They will know in about 24 hours after a culture has grown. Anaerobic means bacteria that grows with out an oxygen source. They have changed his antibiotics. They think the infection was masked because he was unable to show a persistent fever due to the cooling blanket on.

They have also changed his sedation to a stronger one for the next few hours. Mike was "Bucking the Ventilator", which means he was over breathing (almost like hyperventilating), and they needed him to calm down. The Pulmonary team doesn't want to put him on the cooling blanket or back on the Vec. The want him to start waking up. His ICP has been stable through all of this so they are pushing forward. I am continuing to stay by his side and reassure him. They say it's really making a difference. (I know it is for me.) His nurse and I are talking to him more frequently (since he's becoming more aware) and reminding him that he was in an accident, that he's in the hospital and I'm by his side.

Round 2

I got to the hospital this morning at 10am and the nurse and doctor had already taken Mike off the "Vec.". They had done so at 6:30am. We are now 4 hours into the process and he's beginning to respond sporadically to touch. They've already begun to worm him up and has had no shivering yet. Yesterday he was shivering at about the 3 1/2 hour mark. So he's made a small improvement. The respitory therapist keeps reminding me he's still quit sick so they are weening off the ventilator a little slower today. They want him to initiate the breath and the ventwilator will provide the pressure and volume. Lets hope it goes a little somoother today.

One Step Forward - One Step Backward

Well today was a false start. Mike lasted about 3 1/2 hours before he started shivering again. He was unable to shiver when the paralytic was on because well, he was paralyzed. He is shivering due to the fact that they are keeping his core body temperature anywhere from 35*-36*C. For those who need the conversion (I did) that's 95* - 96.8* F. It is really cold. They like to keep neuro. patients at a cooler body temperature because when the brain is cooled it preserves brain cells. When the body heats up, like a fever then brain cells are destroyed. And with his brain injury we don't have any to spare. Mike had a fever for several days and there was a debate on whether it was from the pneumonia or from the brain being unable to regulate temperature due to the injury. So cooling him solved both problems. The doctors will attempt again tomorrow to have him go without the paralytic. I asked them if we could try and raise him body temp. to 98.6* (normal body temp.) before they remove the "Vec." so as he came around he wouldn't be cold. The nurse said she would ask the doctors in the morning.

I new there would be set backs, we are still so early in his recovery. We will continue to pray and not get discouraged by the set back. The nurse reminded me that we will probably do this several times before he's actually able to come off the Vec. without any problems.

The five older children came in tonight and saw Mike. It went smoothly. This was Jonny's first time seeing Dad in 11 days. He walked in holding his Papa Rogers hand and looked for the heart rate machine. He looked at it and said "yep, his heart is still beeping." and few minutes later he told me "Mom, it's not too bad, I thought I was going to freak out." You've gotta love this innocence and candor of a 5 year old. After visiting Mike for about 20 minutes, Mike's parents and I took the kids to the cafeteria for dinner. I think it went really good. As we left Alee asked "How soon can we come see him again?" With each visit they are reassured he's getting better.

It's starting to work

Mike was taken off the paralytic at 11:30 am this morning. At 2pm he showed his first sign of coming off the meds. I was sitting by his bed side and his alarm for the ventilator started to go off, he was trying to cough. This was something he couldn't do while on the "Vec" (paralytic). I immediately jumped up and grabbed his hand, reassured him and then got the nurse. She said that's great! While holding his hand he actually flinched. I know it's a reflex but it's a sign he's responding to touch. I take what ever little sign he'll give me whether its conscious or not. They still won't wean off the sedation for a day or so, so it's like he's in a really deep sleep. Slowly they will start that, when they know he can handle it.

Morning Update

Well I have a god feeling about today. I arrived at the hospital at 9am and am waiting for the neurologist to come around to see Mike. The nurse said that his levels stayed down all night and not once did they have to open the pump. YEAH!

Okay so for today they will first remove the staples from his scalp and hopefully by noon we will start weaning off of the Vic. (They said it could take several hours, up to 24 for it wear off.) I pray that he will respond well and not have a set back with the ICP.