Hello all!
We've had a great day filled with awesome news. When he went back today for his follow up CT scan the neurologist said Dad was progressing 95% better than patients in his similar circumstance with similar injuries. So basically, dad is in the top 5% of people recovering from this type of injury given his statistics. I just can't believe it!
THEN, they were able to look at a picture of the scan and where there used to be a large area of gray mass (blood and swelling) there was a MUCH smaller, barely noticeable area that was darker. The swelling had diminished remarkably and his brain is on its way to a full recovery. I think he was finally just as excited as we have been!
He asked me to let you all know that he thanks you for being on your knees praying over these last couple of weeks. I believe he is really starting to realize just how severe this injury was and just how blessed he is to be where he is now. We are all so grateful for your prayers. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the prayers have made all the difference!
ORC
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
A Thankful Thanksgiving
Good morning!
I want to start out by thanking you all for your continued prayers. We are still getting messages from people daily that have been our prayer warriors over the last two weeks. And let me tell you, they have been working.
The doctors and therapists are AMAZED by his progress. In fact, one of the therapists told us that she had seen maybe one or two patients in the last five years who had progressed as rapidly as my father. They are in awe at how well and how quickly he is recovering given the severity of his injury. I'm not shocked or in awe, however. I know that the reason for his rapid healing is the strength of your prayers, the healing power of God and the reliance of Tommy Chilton.
We had a GREAT Thanksgiving, and I hope you did too! We had a wonderful day of cooking and Dad was a part of everything. We were able to watch football (Go Frogs!), eat delicious food and enjoy each other as a family. The boys were home and it felt really good to be together again! We were able to continue doing drills at home that they do in rehab. We've been going over lots of word games, card games and the like to help stimulate his mind and assist him in finding his words again.
They are so in love, as always. What an example of selfless love and devotion I have been gifted with a mere month away from my own wedding. These two are incredible.
So happy to have this guy home! Also, quick side note, don't you love our aprons!? Mom got them from Sur la Table (an amazing store for all who love kitchen items, gadgetry and more). Glad to have my arms around him before settling in to a Thanksgiving Day feast!
All the King's men. Kidding. These three guys are truly special. Dad really loved having his boys back around, they worked with him so well and naturally still managed to give him a hard time, which of course he loved. (They're good looking too!)
We're better when we're together. Five is a magical number for our family, and when we have everyone, it is truly special. The best Thanksgiving ever.
Anyway, that's a quick recap from our week.
This week (on Thursday) Dad goes back for a follow up CT scan. Our prayers this week are that the neurologists are just as impressed as his therapists have been by his progress. We pray that the blood has begun to dissipate rapidly, and that the physical healing in his brain is astonishing. We are also praying for a quick recovery of all of his words. While his progress has been remarkable, we are still not out of the woods. Pray for patience and understanding as he works every day on this. In can be quite frustrating, but he is a special guy and we know he can do it! Thank you again for all of your prayers, they have been the difference!
ORC
I want to start out by thanking you all for your continued prayers. We are still getting messages from people daily that have been our prayer warriors over the last two weeks. And let me tell you, they have been working.
The doctors and therapists are AMAZED by his progress. In fact, one of the therapists told us that she had seen maybe one or two patients in the last five years who had progressed as rapidly as my father. They are in awe at how well and how quickly he is recovering given the severity of his injury. I'm not shocked or in awe, however. I know that the reason for his rapid healing is the strength of your prayers, the healing power of God and the reliance of Tommy Chilton.
We had a GREAT Thanksgiving, and I hope you did too! We had a wonderful day of cooking and Dad was a part of everything. We were able to watch football (Go Frogs!), eat delicious food and enjoy each other as a family. The boys were home and it felt really good to be together again! We were able to continue doing drills at home that they do in rehab. We've been going over lots of word games, card games and the like to help stimulate his mind and assist him in finding his words again.
Anyway, that's a quick recap from our week.
This week (on Thursday) Dad goes back for a follow up CT scan. Our prayers this week are that the neurologists are just as impressed as his therapists have been by his progress. We pray that the blood has begun to dissipate rapidly, and that the physical healing in his brain is astonishing. We are also praying for a quick recovery of all of his words. While his progress has been remarkable, we are still not out of the woods. Pray for patience and understanding as he works every day on this. In can be quite frustrating, but he is a special guy and we know he can do it! Thank you again for all of your prayers, they have been the difference!
ORC
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
D-Day and TIRR
Hello all,
Thank you for being patient as we have gotten settled in with our new "routine." Late last week Dad was released to go home. Praise God! They are encouraged by his stability and found that he would do best getting back home, being comfortable and getting into a routine. He was definitely pleased to be back in his own bed.
He started his first day of rehab-therapy yesterday at TIRR in Houston. Many of you may know this to be the rehabilitation facility attended by Gabby Giffords after she was shot in Arizona. It's fairly difficult to get into, but the doctors felt like he was a prime candidate for recovery through the program, and through their efforts he was immediately enrolled and attended his first day yesterday. It was mainly just orientation and an assessment of his status. While language continues to be his largest challenge, they have a specific program that targets this issue and it has a tremendously high rate of success with other patients who have gone before him. The vocational therapist was pleased and impressed by how well he is doing physically. He is able to complete tasks with relative ease and has great control over his body in terms of eating, teeth brushing, writing, walking, resistance excercises etc. No real problems there to speak of.
One of the things he is struggling with most is pain in his head. With a fractured skull I'm not surprised with this one bit. The pain will get better, but for now it remains an issue. We have had a good deal of moments and conversations in which we are encouraged by his progress. His general stamina is increasing each day, which will help him get the strength he needs to go forward with therapy. The doctors are encouraged, and so are we!
As Thanksgiving draws near I am reminded of how very thankful we are to have both him and my mother. After visiting the car they were in, I am reminded of God's grace and am grateful for both of their safety.
I hope this Thanksgiving week finds each of you in a place of grateful reflection for the wonderful things in your own life. Life is precious. Good family and friends are unmeasurable. And as always, God is Good. All the time.
Love,
ORC
Thank you for being patient as we have gotten settled in with our new "routine." Late last week Dad was released to go home. Praise God! They are encouraged by his stability and found that he would do best getting back home, being comfortable and getting into a routine. He was definitely pleased to be back in his own bed.
He started his first day of rehab-therapy yesterday at TIRR in Houston. Many of you may know this to be the rehabilitation facility attended by Gabby Giffords after she was shot in Arizona. It's fairly difficult to get into, but the doctors felt like he was a prime candidate for recovery through the program, and through their efforts he was immediately enrolled and attended his first day yesterday. It was mainly just orientation and an assessment of his status. While language continues to be his largest challenge, they have a specific program that targets this issue and it has a tremendously high rate of success with other patients who have gone before him. The vocational therapist was pleased and impressed by how well he is doing physically. He is able to complete tasks with relative ease and has great control over his body in terms of eating, teeth brushing, writing, walking, resistance excercises etc. No real problems there to speak of.
One of the things he is struggling with most is pain in his head. With a fractured skull I'm not surprised with this one bit. The pain will get better, but for now it remains an issue. We have had a good deal of moments and conversations in which we are encouraged by his progress. His general stamina is increasing each day, which will help him get the strength he needs to go forward with therapy. The doctors are encouraged, and so are we!
As Thanksgiving draws near I am reminded of how very thankful we are to have both him and my mother. After visiting the car they were in, I am reminded of God's grace and am grateful for both of their safety.
I hope this Thanksgiving week finds each of you in a place of grateful reflection for the wonderful things in your own life. Life is precious. Good family and friends are unmeasurable. And as always, God is Good. All the time.
Love,
ORC
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Two Day Recap
Good morning!
present your requests to God.”
Will continue to keep you posted!
ORC
I know I’ve been bad about posting over the last day or so,
but we’ve been so busy with all kinds of changes. Mostly good changes, though!
Dad was moved from the ICU to an Intermediate room and then yesterday they
moved him to a regular room. The doctors are impressed and encouraged by his
progress and are amazed considering the type of injury he sustained. He is
physically still very strong. He is balanced in terms of his orientation. He is
able to perform regular physical functions like eating, brushing teeth, washing
hands, putting on clothes etc. The doctors are anxious to get him into
intensive speech and language therapy so that his skills in that area match the
progress he’s had physically. They anticipate that he will be released from the
hospital into this therapy system quite soon. He has been ravenous, which is
always a good sign, and is eating decently well. He has been able to get up and
walk down the hall, he even requested to do so once on his own! This is
especially good to help the blood continue to drain and reabsorb in the brain. Last
night he asked several questions about the accident and his transportation to
the hospital. He has a really good grasp on time, and can tell you when the
last time he ate or took medicine was. He knows his days pretty well and can
tell you which day it is. In that regard, he is pretty inquisitive about when
he’s going home, when therapy starts etc. The answer “soon” is no longer good
enough. He wants answers like “in 2 hours,” “after lunch,” “tomorrow” etc. He
is very particular about wanting a timeline about what he’s going to do. Overall
we are as encouraged as the doctors are. He has repeated several times to us
how grateful he is that we have been here. “Wow, yall are awesome” is what he
will often say. I personally think he’s awesome.
I can’t put into words the support we have gotten. Friends and
family have taken these posts into their prayer groups, churches and
communities to lift Dad up. The people we have come across even in this journey
have been wonderful. Strangers have wanted to pray with us. There is a certain
spirit about him that I know is the strength provided by you all.
As he has progressed so wonderfully, our specific prayer
request now is that his speech and language therapy will progress just as well
as his physical abilities have.
As we venture into Day 6, we are reminded of Philippians
4:6&19
“Do not be
anxious about anything;
but in every
situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,present your requests to God.”
“And my God
will meet all your needs
according to
the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
In many
ways, we are reminded not to worry, but as another component of that, we are
told to pray about everything. This blog has brought so many people to prayer
for my Dad. We are eternally grateful to you, and we look forward to seeing the
many blessings still yet in store for him.
Will continue to keep you posted!
ORC
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Mutual Faith
I don't know if any of you have read "Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. Our family subscribes to the daily devotionals via email, and I found todays to be particularly insightful, especially where you all are concerned.
I created this blog to initially be a fact issuing endeavor. I wanted to get facts to the (and I'm being serious) hundreds of people that wanted to know how Dad was doing. I know that "God is in control" but I also think he encourages us to be a community of believers praying and fighting for something as a group. My thought is that we aren't intended to have blind hope and then sit alone and wait for blessings to come. We are meant to be in communion with one another. We build each other up, and we support each other in times of crisis.
This blog has come to be such a community. It was down for about an hour and a half yesterday and I got an influx of questions about where it went. I am amazed by how many people are caring and praying, and am encouraged by the progress he's making as a result. This truly is a reciprocal effort. We support each other as a community, and are there for each other physically and in prayer during times of need. This is truly special and I love how engaged we have all become together. He is impressing doctors and nurses left and right and I know it is because of his own strength being supplemented by your strength and prayers.
Here is the link to today's devotional which sparked this post:
http://purposedriven.com/blogs/dailyhope/your-faith-will-help-me-and-my-faith-will-help-you/
Love to you all. Thank you so much for being so engaged. What an awesome community; we will all be there to pull him through!
ORC
Here is the link to today's devotional which sparked this post:
http://purposedriven.com/blogs/dailyhope/your-faith-will-help-me-and-my-faith-will-help-you/
Love to you all. Thank you so much for being so engaged. What an awesome community; we will all be there to pull him through!
ORC
More Good News
This morning the doctors were very encouraged. They weren't present for last night's chat session. They indicated that he was progressing so much better than could have even thought he would. They anticipate a full recovery. Today (don't know time yet) they should be moving him to an intermediate room. He is also scheduled to meet with the physical therapists who want to try and get him to start walking around. Overall, we are so pleased with last night and this morning. I will continue to update as his situation improves even more. He's a trooper! Y'all are awesome! Keep up the prayers, God really does answer!
ORC
ORC
Monday, November 12, 2012
Praise!
Awesome night. Best ever.
Dad went to sleep and woke up around 8:45. He proceeded to look straight at us and say that "while I know I'm not 100%, I feel a heck of a lot better." From there....we had a 30 minute conversation. We talked about the accident, the night at the emergency room, the past several days, visitors that he remembers and how he overall perceives his injury. He was remarkably un-frustrated when he got to words he didn't know, but rather worked through them patiently with us. It's been a little over 48 hours, and the man is talking wonderfully. I am amazed. It was truly like a switch flipped. We called my brothers and he talked to both of them. He addressed them as "hey son" and afterwards said "later bud, love you!"
He was quite the jokester tonight, but he also was able to discuss himself and how he felt and what's happened over the last 3 days. We did hit some bumps with words and sentences, but if he got to something that he didn't know, he remained calm and was able to say..."ya know, I'm just not getting that one right now." This is the kind of progress I believe they were expecting weeks from now.
I know that there are peaks and valleys, and this was certainly a peak. But it was awesome. Dad is there. He is funny, loving and clever.
When the nurse (who I drug in there to witness the event) came in, Dad was on the phone with one of my brothers and said "I gotta go, I gotta girl here who wants to talk to me again." He got off the phone and said "what do you want now?" She asked him to hold up two fingers which he did with a witty smile on his face and then started wiggling the fingers around like a real smarty pants.
Your prayers are AMAZING. He is AMAZING. God is AMAZING.
Again, I know that there will be times that aren't as great as tonight, but tonight gave us great hope. Keep praying, you all mean the world to us!
Love yall!
ORC
Dad went to sleep and woke up around 8:45. He proceeded to look straight at us and say that "while I know I'm not 100%, I feel a heck of a lot better." From there....we had a 30 minute conversation. We talked about the accident, the night at the emergency room, the past several days, visitors that he remembers and how he overall perceives his injury. He was remarkably un-frustrated when he got to words he didn't know, but rather worked through them patiently with us. It's been a little over 48 hours, and the man is talking wonderfully. I am amazed. It was truly like a switch flipped. We called my brothers and he talked to both of them. He addressed them as "hey son" and afterwards said "later bud, love you!"
He was quite the jokester tonight, but he also was able to discuss himself and how he felt and what's happened over the last 3 days. We did hit some bumps with words and sentences, but if he got to something that he didn't know, he remained calm and was able to say..."ya know, I'm just not getting that one right now." This is the kind of progress I believe they were expecting weeks from now.
I know that there are peaks and valleys, and this was certainly a peak. But it was awesome. Dad is there. He is funny, loving and clever.
When the nurse (who I drug in there to witness the event) came in, Dad was on the phone with one of my brothers and said "I gotta go, I gotta girl here who wants to talk to me again." He got off the phone and said "what do you want now?" She asked him to hold up two fingers which he did with a witty smile on his face and then started wiggling the fingers around like a real smarty pants.
Your prayers are AMAZING. He is AMAZING. God is AMAZING.
Again, I know that there will be times that aren't as great as tonight, but tonight gave us great hope. Keep praying, you all mean the world to us!
Love yall!
ORC
Poor morning lead to good afternoon!
Evening Update
Had a good afternoon. No new scans, and no need to feel like they need them. Apparently, the doctors think that the "blossoming" period could be ending which is a time in which his abilities should be most affected. He began asking about what happened, and recognized many of us. The rehab people dropped by and felt like he was already making better progress cognitively than they had imagined. A doctor with the neuro-surgery team also stopped by and really relieved our morning fears stating that surgery has been taken off the table for now. We are THRILLED by this news. In between naps, Dad seems really willing to try and engage and learn what happened and what is going on. I think he is going to be determined.
Overall, we feel good about today. I think there is real progress ahead!
God is so good. We are all so very blessed to have one another. We feel your prayers, and so does he. We are beyond strengthened by them. Love to you all! It really is a group effort!
ORC
Had a good afternoon. No new scans, and no need to feel like they need them. Apparently, the doctors think that the "blossoming" period could be ending which is a time in which his abilities should be most affected. He began asking about what happened, and recognized many of us. The rehab people dropped by and felt like he was already making better progress cognitively than they had imagined. A doctor with the neuro-surgery team also stopped by and really relieved our morning fears stating that surgery has been taken off the table for now. We are THRILLED by this news. In between naps, Dad seems really willing to try and engage and learn what happened and what is going on. I think he is going to be determined.
Overall, we feel good about today. I think there is real progress ahead!
God is so good. We are all so very blessed to have one another. We feel your prayers, and so does he. We are beyond strengthened by them. Love to you all! It really is a group effort!
ORC
Calm for Now
Things are quite calm for now. Dad seems able to rest for the first time in a while which is good. I am quite sure he is exhausted. They put him back in the C-collar briefly to perform a follow up x-ray of his neck. The x-ray turned up fine and clear and they were able to remove the C-collar. He is asking for food and is telling us he's starving, which is good. We are still waiting on the neurosurgeon to come meet with us to clear that he's not having surgery so that we can feed him. I feel like this is the daily, routine "Is he having surgery?" scare. He doesn't seem to really recognize us, but I do think he is quite tired. No real update on communication skills. He seems to be able to ask for things on occasion, but can't really respond when we initiate the conversation.
For now we are trying to keep him stress and drama free. The less trauma, the better.
Will update later. Thank you for the prayers.
ORC
For now we are trying to keep him stress and drama free. The less trauma, the better.
Will update later. Thank you for the prayers.
ORC
Concerns = Prayers
Just got some news that the doctors are growing more concerned. They are meeting together as a team. This is a lot of uncertainty, and morning prayers would be wonderful.
Thank you!
ORC
ORC
Morning Update
Monday, November 12, 2012
7:00am
Dad is able to tell people to leave him alone etc., however, the concern right now is that he is not responding to commands such as "wiggle your toes, lift your arm, stick out your tongue, etc." He wants to pull up the covers and close his eyes. He remains very fretful and restless and in pain. No long periods of rest. However, the neurologist says that this is part of the evolution of the injury. For example, my mother has started to develop pain in her body since the injury. That doesn't necessarily mean that the injury has gotten worse, but rather is part of the evolution. The neurologist did not say that she "was not concerned." She indicated that she felt like his reactions could be within the realm of the evolution of the injury, but she REALLY wants for him to start being able to react to commands. Essentially, the neurologist said that he is the same and without improvement. We told her about his good stages yesterday, and she believed us, but it is her belief that he is about the same.
The neurologist is not very concerned about his progress, but she wants to start seeing steady improvement.
No CT scans are scheduled today unless things get markedly worse. Today is going to have to be a day of stimulating him. When the nurse comes in every hour, we are going to have to try and work with him too.
Will update later!
ORC
7:00am
Dad is able to tell people to leave him alone etc., however, the concern right now is that he is not responding to commands such as "wiggle your toes, lift your arm, stick out your tongue, etc." He wants to pull up the covers and close his eyes. He remains very fretful and restless and in pain. No long periods of rest. However, the neurologist says that this is part of the evolution of the injury. For example, my mother has started to develop pain in her body since the injury. That doesn't necessarily mean that the injury has gotten worse, but rather is part of the evolution. The neurologist did not say that she "was not concerned." She indicated that she felt like his reactions could be within the realm of the evolution of the injury, but she REALLY wants for him to start being able to react to commands. Essentially, the neurologist said that he is the same and without improvement. We told her about his good stages yesterday, and she believed us, but it is her belief that he is about the same.
The neurologist is not very concerned about his progress, but she wants to start seeing steady improvement.
No CT scans are scheduled today unless things get markedly worse. Today is going to have to be a day of stimulating him. When the nurse comes in every hour, we are going to have to try and work with him too.
Will update later!
ORC
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Let's Catch Up and Pray
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones."
Proverbs 3:5-8
Good evening.
First off, I cannot even begin to express the gratitude my family feels to all of the family and friends who have already shown an outpouring of love and support for my wonderful father. It's really because of you that I felt the need to start this blog. After many dropped calls, unanswered texts, duplicate texts, uninformative texts, unreturned phone calls etc., I felt like it was time to be a little be better on our end in terms of communication. Thus, I hope and anticipate this will track Dad's successful and full recovery and will give you informed and relevant updates as we get them. Thus, I will bring you all up to speed.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
2:20pm
I was at home preparing tailgate food with Cullen when I had a really strong feeling to call my mother. When I got her, she informed me that they had a wreck. She was very disoriented and I gathered up Logan and Cullen and we started heading downtown. I was able to speak then with a paramedic who gave me more detailed information about where they would be taken. Then, leave it to my mother, I get several phone calls from the ambulance. The paramedic was NOT thrilled. How she managed to call me after a paramedic told her not to while strapped down to a backboard, I will never understand, but such is the wonders of my mother.
3:15pm
We arrive at the emergency room. Due to the fact I spoke with her RIGHT AFTER the wreck happened, we arrived at the same time the ambulance did. I was able to speak with Mom as she was being wheeled in. Dad was already in. They were in two separate rooms. My mom sustained a laceration on the side of her head and had a considerable knot. She was very disoriented and in a good deal of head pain. My Dad's situation was a little worse. He seemed to be quite disoriented and was not improving. Frequent back and forth visits between the two rooms.
5:00pm
First CT on my parents is done. Mom was clear. They found internal bleeding on my dad's brain. This was located (now bear with me, I'm a lawyer, not a doctor) on the left upper temporal lobe. This was unexpected, and of course changed the game. He was monitored, and in several hours, another CT was ordered.
8:00pm
Second CT on my dad is done. They discovered, unfortunately, that the bleeding had grown and this called for a quick booking in the Neuroscience ICU at Hermann Memorial. They explained the circumstances, and expressed that we really needed this to stop growing.
9:00pm
Dad is settled in his new room in the Neuro-ICU. He is completely un-lucid and is unable to form sentences. He is totally unable to recognize anyone or really focus on anything in particular. His motor functions (lifting an arm or a leg) are intact.
12:00pm
Third CT is performed. Docs told us that if it had expanded to a degree, they would need to head to the OR for brain surgery. Mercifully, this shows that the bleeding had "stabilized" in that it had not expanded past the 8:00 test. With any form of good news being welcome news, we were very motivated.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
1:00am
We are told that the area where this bleeding is located is an area that controls (again...not a doctor) word processing: speaking and understanding speech. This makes perfect sense because any words coming out of his mouth are totally incoherent. We are told that we want to try and make sure that the bleeding stops and that the swelling is kept down. This is partially for his current status, but also for his long term use of the functions listed above.
Late night - early morning
Dad has a pretty eventful evening. Not good. Lots of pain and vomiting. Very high stress on his body and his head.
Mid-morning
He has spoken several short answers to questions. Some of them are correct, some are not. He was able to identify my mother as "Rebecca", was able to state that "Obama" was president and said that the year was "2012." These are asked throughout the morning, along with others. Sometimes he got them, most of the time not. He was able to understand when nurses were commanding him to do something with his body, he just couldn't quite make out what to do. For instance, if they told him to give a "thumbs up" he would cross his index and middle fingers. Again, he knew he was being given a command, but with the issues in the language processing area, this was challenging.
Noon
We begin to have some visitors. This sparked a great deal of recollection and he was able to call a handful of family and friends by their name and speak relevantly (in small, limited phrases) in ways that were true and pertained to the person with whom he was speaking. This was very encouraging. He called me Olivia, and asked where Rebecca and Logan were (they had stepped out). He did, however, grab my face and pull it very close to his and express his utmost distaste for the C-collar around his neck.
3:00pm
He is fervently begging for the C-collar to be removed. To anyone who'd listen, he'd tell them that "this thing has got to come off" and that "I hate this...you don't understand" etc. He even tried to bargain with a nurse. When she told him that she couldn't take it off he responded with "10-15 minutes?"...when she said no again he said "10 minutes?"
3:30
He grows increasingly agitated, but increasingly drowsy. If he's not sleeping, he's imploring someone to remove the brace. The nurses are a little concerned about his disposition, as he becomes more unable to answer questions and give meaningful feedback.
4:00
The brace comes off. AHHHH. Tommy is VERY happy. He then decides to go to sleep. The nurses become more worried about his level of drowsiness. I maintained (vocally) that he was just very annoyed with them and didn't want to talk anymore.
5:00
The 4th CT is ordered. After several failed attempts and some distressing movement on a strapped down board, they decide to take him downstairs for the CT.
5:30
The 4th Ct is finally administered. They indicated that the bleeding hasn't necessarily increased, but the swelling has ever so slightly. The new nurse is somewhat concerned by the swelling, especially in relation to the lack of lucidity that he has had in the evening. They decide to monitor (which...we are already doing given we are in the Neuroscience ICU).
6:30
TOMMY IS NOT A HAPPY CAMPER. He is ready to go home. He tells my mother repeatedly that it's time to get out of here. And I mean that literally as he tried to get up from bed and leave. Unfortunately they had to belt him to the bed which did not improve his mood at all. He becomes extremely agitated with the nursing staff and Mom. He tells her that she is NOT trying to help him at all and to just leave him alone. His attitude is very ornery. (Again, I prefer ornery to non-responsive for now).
8:30
Nursing shows mercy and agrees to remove the strap. No worries, Dad climbed out of it before they could properly undo it. He's pretty happy about that. But he is NOT happy about the pain in his head. They have decided not to administer drugs like Vicodin because they don't want to distort his mental response. Drugs like that only make you woozier, and they want an accurate representation as to how you're really doing. His attitude is overall pretty poor (not judging, 10 needles, monitors, uncomfortable bed and constant probing and question asking...yeah...I'm not loving that either). He is able (and let me reinforce...with GUSTO) express that he does not like this hospital, that "this is absurd" and that he's ready to leave.
9:30
Dad decides "whatever...I'm taking a nap". YAY! It will likely be off an on throughout the night. But I will post an update in the morning.
It's been an off an on day and a half. We see encouraging things, and then are disappointed by others. But I know he will heal from this. My Dad is a fighter. (He fought his way out of a hospital restraint system on day 1. Excellent.) But more importantly, he is going to get through this for a reason I am about to tell you:
My dad has lost 18 pounds and works out at the gym many days a week. His overall health has improved and he has looked wonderful. He told us on Friday night that the reason he kept his body so healthy is because he knew that "this is where the Lord lives. The Lord's house on earth is in my body...and well, I need to take care of it." I believe that with my whole heart. Not even 24 hours later his body was tested. But I know of the health and strength that he has residing within him, and I know it will not fail.
Love to you all. Thank you for your support. Let's give Thomas Lee Chilton a little Tender Love and Care!
ORC
And lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones."
Proverbs 3:5-8
Good evening.
First off, I cannot even begin to express the gratitude my family feels to all of the family and friends who have already shown an outpouring of love and support for my wonderful father. It's really because of you that I felt the need to start this blog. After many dropped calls, unanswered texts, duplicate texts, uninformative texts, unreturned phone calls etc., I felt like it was time to be a little be better on our end in terms of communication. Thus, I hope and anticipate this will track Dad's successful and full recovery and will give you informed and relevant updates as we get them. Thus, I will bring you all up to speed.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
2:20pm
I was at home preparing tailgate food with Cullen when I had a really strong feeling to call my mother. When I got her, she informed me that they had a wreck. She was very disoriented and I gathered up Logan and Cullen and we started heading downtown. I was able to speak then with a paramedic who gave me more detailed information about where they would be taken. Then, leave it to my mother, I get several phone calls from the ambulance. The paramedic was NOT thrilled. How she managed to call me after a paramedic told her not to while strapped down to a backboard, I will never understand, but such is the wonders of my mother.
3:15pm
We arrive at the emergency room. Due to the fact I spoke with her RIGHT AFTER the wreck happened, we arrived at the same time the ambulance did. I was able to speak with Mom as she was being wheeled in. Dad was already in. They were in two separate rooms. My mom sustained a laceration on the side of her head and had a considerable knot. She was very disoriented and in a good deal of head pain. My Dad's situation was a little worse. He seemed to be quite disoriented and was not improving. Frequent back and forth visits between the two rooms.
5:00pm
First CT on my parents is done. Mom was clear. They found internal bleeding on my dad's brain. This was located (now bear with me, I'm a lawyer, not a doctor) on the left upper temporal lobe. This was unexpected, and of course changed the game. He was monitored, and in several hours, another CT was ordered.
8:00pm
Second CT on my dad is done. They discovered, unfortunately, that the bleeding had grown and this called for a quick booking in the Neuroscience ICU at Hermann Memorial. They explained the circumstances, and expressed that we really needed this to stop growing.
9:00pm
Dad is settled in his new room in the Neuro-ICU. He is completely un-lucid and is unable to form sentences. He is totally unable to recognize anyone or really focus on anything in particular. His motor functions (lifting an arm or a leg) are intact.
12:00pm
Third CT is performed. Docs told us that if it had expanded to a degree, they would need to head to the OR for brain surgery. Mercifully, this shows that the bleeding had "stabilized" in that it had not expanded past the 8:00 test. With any form of good news being welcome news, we were very motivated.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
1:00am
We are told that the area where this bleeding is located is an area that controls (again...not a doctor) word processing: speaking and understanding speech. This makes perfect sense because any words coming out of his mouth are totally incoherent. We are told that we want to try and make sure that the bleeding stops and that the swelling is kept down. This is partially for his current status, but also for his long term use of the functions listed above.
Late night - early morning
Dad has a pretty eventful evening. Not good. Lots of pain and vomiting. Very high stress on his body and his head.
Mid-morning
He has spoken several short answers to questions. Some of them are correct, some are not. He was able to identify my mother as "Rebecca", was able to state that "Obama" was president and said that the year was "2012." These are asked throughout the morning, along with others. Sometimes he got them, most of the time not. He was able to understand when nurses were commanding him to do something with his body, he just couldn't quite make out what to do. For instance, if they told him to give a "thumbs up" he would cross his index and middle fingers. Again, he knew he was being given a command, but with the issues in the language processing area, this was challenging.
Noon
We begin to have some visitors. This sparked a great deal of recollection and he was able to call a handful of family and friends by their name and speak relevantly (in small, limited phrases) in ways that were true and pertained to the person with whom he was speaking. This was very encouraging. He called me Olivia, and asked where Rebecca and Logan were (they had stepped out). He did, however, grab my face and pull it very close to his and express his utmost distaste for the C-collar around his neck.
3:00pm
He is fervently begging for the C-collar to be removed. To anyone who'd listen, he'd tell them that "this thing has got to come off" and that "I hate this...you don't understand" etc. He even tried to bargain with a nurse. When she told him that she couldn't take it off he responded with "10-15 minutes?"...when she said no again he said "10 minutes?"
3:30
He grows increasingly agitated, but increasingly drowsy. If he's not sleeping, he's imploring someone to remove the brace. The nurses are a little concerned about his disposition, as he becomes more unable to answer questions and give meaningful feedback.
4:00
The brace comes off. AHHHH. Tommy is VERY happy. He then decides to go to sleep. The nurses become more worried about his level of drowsiness. I maintained (vocally) that he was just very annoyed with them and didn't want to talk anymore.
5:00
The 4th CT is ordered. After several failed attempts and some distressing movement on a strapped down board, they decide to take him downstairs for the CT.
5:30
The 4th Ct is finally administered. They indicated that the bleeding hasn't necessarily increased, but the swelling has ever so slightly. The new nurse is somewhat concerned by the swelling, especially in relation to the lack of lucidity that he has had in the evening. They decide to monitor (which...we are already doing given we are in the Neuroscience ICU).
6:30
TOMMY IS NOT A HAPPY CAMPER. He is ready to go home. He tells my mother repeatedly that it's time to get out of here. And I mean that literally as he tried to get up from bed and leave. Unfortunately they had to belt him to the bed which did not improve his mood at all. He becomes extremely agitated with the nursing staff and Mom. He tells her that she is NOT trying to help him at all and to just leave him alone. His attitude is very ornery. (Again, I prefer ornery to non-responsive for now).
8:30
Nursing shows mercy and agrees to remove the strap. No worries, Dad climbed out of it before they could properly undo it. He's pretty happy about that. But he is NOT happy about the pain in his head. They have decided not to administer drugs like Vicodin because they don't want to distort his mental response. Drugs like that only make you woozier, and they want an accurate representation as to how you're really doing. His attitude is overall pretty poor (not judging, 10 needles, monitors, uncomfortable bed and constant probing and question asking...yeah...I'm not loving that either). He is able (and let me reinforce...with GUSTO) express that he does not like this hospital, that "this is absurd" and that he's ready to leave.
9:30
Dad decides "whatever...I'm taking a nap". YAY! It will likely be off an on throughout the night. But I will post an update in the morning.
It's been an off an on day and a half. We see encouraging things, and then are disappointed by others. But I know he will heal from this. My Dad is a fighter. (He fought his way out of a hospital restraint system on day 1. Excellent.) But more importantly, he is going to get through this for a reason I am about to tell you:
My dad has lost 18 pounds and works out at the gym many days a week. His overall health has improved and he has looked wonderful. He told us on Friday night that the reason he kept his body so healthy is because he knew that "this is where the Lord lives. The Lord's house on earth is in my body...and well, I need to take care of it." I believe that with my whole heart. Not even 24 hours later his body was tested. But I know of the health and strength that he has residing within him, and I know it will not fail.
Love to you all. Thank you for your support. Let's give Thomas Lee Chilton a little Tender Love and Care!
ORC
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