Monday 1-20-2014 Today Jake stood up, he walked down the hall with the aid of a walker, two physical therapist and Leo pushing an oxygen tank. The round trip was a total of about 60 feet but hay it was the most he has walked since being here in Albuquerque. The speech therapist came in with her ice and applesauce. Jake loved the ice but failed her applesauce test. She says he is still not swallowing properly, his nurse beg to differ. The therapist said no food yet, the nurse is requesting they do a test that runs the camera down the throat and then they can actually see what is taking place. We are hoping to get Jake back on food so he can put on weight and produce energy to heal and perform the task like walking. This speech therapist asks Jake “where do you live?” I told her that was like a trick question; he could answer Maxwell, Eagle Nest or Angel Fire and be right with any of them. So I asked her to use definitive answer questions. So she asked “what do you use to eat with” and she showed him a spoon. It was clear the word spoon was not coming to him. So I said you eat with a spoon and showed him the spoon. Then I asked him can you say the word Spoon. He would try to say the whole sentence back to us but would still forget the work spoon. Eventually he said spoon. I asked to keep his voice plug, and to let me work with him and also be able to give him ice 3 times a day. I hope the throat scope will take place and I will soon be on his way to eating solids again. He was asked to count to 10, he counted to 20, but said 17, 17, 19 so he for got the 18, I was very proud of him. Then his numbers got all scrambled and I said we could quit. My friend Sandy and her sister Tawana stopped in as they passed through New Mexico. Tawana survived a brain aneurism that required brain surgery that took 17 hours. She wanted Jake to see that people could survive brain traumas. We three girls went to find a electronic notebook to use as a training tool for Jake. Sandy purchased a Samsung notebook for Jake. Thank you Sandy and Rick. While we were at the store Jake got into his big chair and went out onto the roof for some more sun today. He was visited by Blinky, the school bus driver, whom ended up not getting to see Jake because of the speech therapist; also Eloy from RBS, and Dolores. Carlos gave Dolores two wooden goats to Jake as a gift, the goats are about 3” x 4” and 2” thick. The goats are to remind Jake of the house in Maxell. Jake got a bath and a shave. I had wanted to leave the mustache growing, but when asked if he would like a shave he said yes and that is what took place. Leo had bought a nurf football at wal-mart for Jake to squeeze to strengthen his grip of his right hand. Jake worked is hand when ever the ball was in his lap. He can let us know when he needs to poop and is able to go normally, now they are working to see if he can control his bladder so that hose can be removed. Think about it people if you didn’t have to worry about these functions for over 2 weeks you kind of just don’t worry about it. Now that Jake can basically communicate these are thing he is gaining control over again. Sorry Jake if this embarrasses you but I just telling people the facts of you present life. He is still coughing up the fleim but he broke through the fever, NO FEVER today, YA! Jake spent the majority of the day sitting up in the chair. He had his trachea area cleaned again today, it is very hard keeping the skin under that clean and dry with all the coughing. At one point I had placed Jake’s voice plug over the trachea to talk with Leo and I , he coughed hard enough he shot that plug out and to the foot of his bed. We all laughed over that one. He is blessed to be able to cough that hard, especially now. Before the end of our day, while Dolores was there, Jake, Leo and sometimes even Dolores were passing and catching the nurf football around the room. Jake really enjoyed doing this, they had to shut Jake’s room door because they were getting too loud. There were nurses, aids, and doctors amazed by Jake’s improvements. Jake with a little assistance brushed his own teeth this evening, he ended up with a pretty wet gown, but that is why they have more clean ones in your closet isn’t it? Finally after getting up early to make sure we would not miss the orthopedic doctors to talk with, and the nurse reminding that department repedadly two orthopedic doctors came to the room at 7PM. They wanted to know my concerns. I asked they had they not looked at Jakes latest x-rays? They said they had what was my concerns. I said “The bones do not line up” Their reply, “No they do not but they are within the acceptable range.” I asked “acceptable?” They said “Yes, the bone could be even more out of line and they would treat it just as they are.” They said that this is how they treat 95% of these types of breaks. I said when I worked for a vet he would never have left an animal with that bad of a break untreated. They said “well if the repair did not work on a dog the dog could still get around with the other 3 legs.” They asked me “what is your concern?” I said “That is my son, and I want to know that his arm will be a functioning limb for the remainder of his life. Strong enough to move heavy objects, able to hold a job” They assured me that the bone has already put a protective buildup over the ends of the break, that the bone ends will stick together although they are not in a straight line. That the body will make a big mass of bone that will fuss all the ends together and the arm will eventually be normal again. If they do surgery there is a possibility to damaging the nerve and causing his hand and wrist to not function properly ever again. So they don’t want to do any work on the arm. THEY DID admit that the arm had gotten out of alignment more, that the current splint is not on the arm properly, and perhaps they needed a different type of spent, and that the arm should be secured to his side so Jake would quit using it to move himself around. Jake using it was part of the reason it is out of place more than before. I told them “you reline he could not keep from using it before because of the inability to understand commands. Also they were the ones that placed what they did onto his arm, they were the doctors.” So I guess I will have to concede to the arm remaining as is no surgery, But I did bring it to their attention the current splint is not doing its job and that is a major part of their solution not working properly. So may Jake get a better thought out splint that will allow his arm to correctly heal. The doctor said “gravity plays a big part in the bone going back into place”. Leo and I think that maybe holding a grocery sack with something heavy in it could possible help to place those bones back into place better. So all in all more prayers were answered today, the Doctors will address a better splint for the alignment and healing of Jake’s arm. He may receive the throat scope and pass his swallow test and soon be allowed to eat real foods. He walked, talked (just a little bit), could play catch, got a shave, brushed his teeth, ate some ice, can communicate for basic body functions. I have to say your and our prayers you are being heard and fulfilled as well. Thank you Lord. Barbara
Posted on: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 05:46:41 +0000
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