Austin is doing so much more, yet he still has so far to go. Today we were talking and he said zero clock diamonds right out of the blue. Then after that he said something that we could not understand and Brenda asked him to repeat what he said, and he said where you walk rough horses. That was not what he said though. Most of the time, we can hold a conversation, and he seems to understand most things, but then he has a little misfire and says crazy stuff. Sometimes he catches himself and actually laughs at himself. It seems like these phrases just come from nowhere, but at least he is talking. Sometimes he puts a string of words together that are completely meaningless. Even more meaningless than the phrases above. He is getting much stronger by the day. Today his physical therapist had him on the treadmill. He was in the seat sling (I guess that is what you call it) so he would not fall, but he did walk for about 45 minutes. He had to take a couple of breaks, but he did it. He has to have help with his right leg though. He has to have someone push his right knee backward and into the lock position or it buckles. Other than that, he does pretty good. Dr. Hill came in just now and was checking his right arm. Last Friday, when Dr, Hill checked his right arm, he got no response other than a little slight movement. Today, he was able to raise his right arm using his shoulder muscles, he could arm wrestle with Dr. Hill, and he was able to grip and squeeze with his hand. It was a lot of progress in just 4 days, although it doesnt seem like it, it really is a lot of progress. He still has double vision. Brenda was sitting about 8 feet from him and she asked him if he could see her. He said, yes, and she asked him how many of her he saw and he told her two. Then she asked if he saw two images of her side by side and he said No, there is one on top and another on top of that. At least we knew what he meant. His room has a big wall sized window with a big tree right outside the window, but he cant see anything outside yet. He says it is too blurry. He really likes it when his friends are here. He acts crazy and does funny stuff. He really likes talking to them and enjoys them being here. Stephanie is here with him a lot. She yaks at him constantly and they really just talk and chat. He is trying to tell her it is 8:00 oclock. She said no it is not, and showed him her phone. He said the phone is all black because the timer shut off the screen. She showed him again and he said 5:50. Which was right. The screen has to be pretty close for him to see it though. His pillow just fell off the bed and he said shit. He just told Stephanie he had a question, when she asked him what, he said it depended on the answer. After a bit, we figured out he was trying to play Jeopardy. He told Brenda the answer was cutting corners. She said What is cheating? This is motorcycle race lingo for those of you that dont get it. He laughed and said damn it. He is feeling much better, and does not complain much about anything. When he is with the therapists, and he is working hard, he will not quit or complain, he just keeps on pushing himself to do everything they ask of him and more. He works so hard, and it is so hard to watch him struggle, but we know it is what needs to be done and he is working hard. We can see the determination in his face when he is doing his therapy. He is really focused and wants to get it right. Brenda and I want to thank everyone again for all the help, support, and all the contributions all of you have made. Friends have brought wonderful meals to the house, fed the dogs, let the dogs out/in. Went grocery shopping for us, cut the grass, and the list just goes on and on. Austins friends are so supportive. To all of Austins friends, the time you spend with him is so valuable to him and to Brenda and me. We see the joy in his face and a little crooked smile. He enjoys the conversation, even when he realizes he is just saying random words, and then everyone laughs, even Austin. You cant imagine what you are doing to help him recuperate, and too help...... KEEP AUSTIN STRONG
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 23:11:48 +0000