Recent detailed update from Scott, (Andrews dad): Dear Family and Friends: It’s been almost a month since my last update. I have included that update below for reference purposes. Once again, the counsel that was given upfront to be patient because of the slowness of traumatic brain injured patient recoveries, is truly the case. We left the Provo Specialty Hospital on September the 8th and transferred back to iMC in SLC where be began this journey. Instead of the iCU on the 5th floor we are now up in Acute Rehabilitation on the 12th floor. This phase of his recovery is as described intense rehabilitation most the day long. Just like Provo the types of therapies are PT (Physical Therapy); OT (Occupational Therapy) and SP (Speech Therapy). A normal day has him doing two 30-minute session in each of those therapies per day. They are very regimented and have his day programed out. The times that he does his 30-minute sessions are different everyday, but still very regimented. The progress is slow. Here are a few improvements since my last email. He now helps dramatically in the standing up and sitting down process. He cannot do it on his own, but he is getting closer. He still needs lots of help to roll over on the bed or prop himself up into a position to where he can stand up or sit down, but once in that position he does about 70%-75% of the work himself. His left left leg and arm are both moving well but still a long way from where they need to be. He can do a little help in feeding himself. We need to cut the food and get it onto the fork or spoon and then hand it to him, and he can feed himself from there. He also can drink in the same manner. He cannot reach out and get the glass off the cart, but once you hand him the drink (left arm) he then can drink himself. His right arm has actually digressed a little. It is content to let the left arm do everything if possible. His right leg continues to show little movement. We know it works, because if we tickle his foot or scratch it with a comb, he will flinch and pull back. I can actually tickle his foot in a way to cause him to pull it back and up into a bent position where his foot is close to his bottom …. but, his brain does not yet know how to tell his left leg to do anything on his own. He is now using his voice when he repeats things. It isn’t strong … quite soft … but understandable. He is now often repeating without the need to help him start to talk by touching his chin. Occasionally you still have to give him that starting nudge, but otherwise he is pretty good to do it on his own. He has advanced a little in this department. He now routinely answers “opposite” questions. For example, up and ….. he will say down. Right and ….. he will say left. He is now starting to do well with completing the sentence. I am going to throw the …… he will say ball. You cut the bread with the …. he will say knife. Occasionally he gets in wrong. You sit on the …… he might say “spoon” instead of chair, or “belly button” instead of “fork” ….. but he is showing more promise in this area. He almost never initiates words on his own. Every now and then he has, but few and far between. I think his overall awareness is improving a little. I mean his sense of who he is and what has happened. He still looks like he is in a fog most the time, but during those moments of clarity that might come a few times a day, he seems to show a little more knowledge of what is going on. For the first times we are starting to see him acknowledge commands. Put your foot up ….. say this word …. take a bigger step ….. pouch the wheel harder. He is doing better in that area as well. He is a hard worker, particularly when it comes to PT. He really gives it his all. He tires easily, but still seems to have unusual determination to try and get better. He also continues to be a very patient patient. He does not complain and seems to endure everything with a good disposition. We are not sure how long we will be here in this hospital. It might be for another week or another 3 weeks … we just don’t know. They tell us it is up to Andrew. To qualify to stay, he must show that he is progressing sufficiently to justify the expense. It is an insurance issue. The insurance company is always monitoring via reports to see if the expense equals the benefit. We hope and pray that he will progress quicker to qualify to stay longer. If he were to be discharged this week, for example, I guess that means he would be coming home. Currently, he does not get up and go to the bathroom on his own and still takes quite a few meds. Our lives will be changed dramatically if we are the ones that will take over full care for him. We are already with him all the time, but the nurses and care givers do so very much. We hope that Andrew can progress enough to become more and more self sufficient. The road ahead still is very unknown. We do know it will be long and very involving for him and for those of us who are walking this path with him. We love him so very much …. and are still full of hope that his recovery will lead him back to a normal life. We continue to pray and petition the Lord’s help …. he has been there all along the path helping us all through this journey … we believe he will continue to hep and sustain us no matter how long it takes. We rejoice that Andrew is alive and has to potential to make it back. We are reminded continually how grateful we all need to be for everything that he blesses us with. You never know what trails or difficulties we might be asked to endure in life, but we know that it is for our good and forward progression. That is why we are here in mortality. May the lord bless you all in your own lives and with your own challenges and difficulties. We hope the lord’s choicest blessing on each one of you. We continue to thank you for your prayers and concern for Andrew. With love, Scott, Dana and the Satterfield family.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 16:22:44 +0000
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