Five Months At Magee

Today marks five months at Magee.  Granted Jackie has had many trips back and forth to Jefferson which have equated to a little over three weeks.  That is not counting the 44 day initial trip to Jefferson after spending less than a day at Magee on April 2.  It is amazing how the months have ticked away and funny how you lose all track of time when your mode of operation is day by day.  We definitely have had many moments of great sadness but choose not to focus on all the time that Jackie has lost. Instead we are looking forward to all the life he has yet to live and feel very blessed that his 19 year old brain is forgiving and starting to heal.  PTL

Jackie’s Thursday started with a visit from Dr. K.  He continues to see improvement and is excited about the progress Jackie is making. The rest of the usual morning routines kicked in and then Jackie went to Speech with Becca.  Yesterday Becca had run into Jackie in the gym and had asked him what he wanted to do in their next session.  He said he wanted to watch ESPN and eat marshmallow peeps, and that is exactly what they did.  Jackie also ate a couple bites of breakfast foods in an ongoing review of Jackie’s swallowing function.  Ultimately it will just take a while for his muscles to get back into shape before he returns to full function.

We relaxed in the room after speech, did a weight shift and before we knew it, Erin was there for PT.  She stretched Jackie’s muscles prior to helping Jackie walk in the gym.  Grandma and Grandpa were here today and we caught Jackie walking along the wall.  He doesn’t hold onto the wall, it is used as a support for his body when he weight shifts.  Jackie’s head and torso are getting stronger each day. PTL It is not as easy for him to move his left leg when he is walking in the gym vs using the Vector.  The Vector lifts a little of Jackie’s body weight for him, making it easier to swing the left leg into position.  In the gym, Erin continues to put Jackie’s left leg in place for him.  He benefits from both types of walking exercises as they each increase his strength and helps force his brain to make the necessary reconnections.

After PT Jackie rested in bed.  He had problems sleeping and I’m starting to think that this will be the pattern and just getting out of his chair and resting in a quiet environment will be what he needs to recharge for the afternoon.

Jackie moved to OT next with Paula and then immediately went to a group meeting.  Several other patients were invited to the meeting and the information shared was about TBI.  He attended one of these sessions before, but has not been physically or mentally able to return until now. Jackie raised his hand once and answered a question. PTL

We met with Dr. K and our case manager earlier in the morning and reviewed some upcoming changes to Jackie’s rehabilitation plan.  Today we are going to move from nightly nutrition to getting his nutrition in larger portions four times during the day.  This change will help simulate a more normal eating pattern and will enable an easier transition to regular meals when Jackie is ready.

As is always the case with TBI, Jackie was having a really good day and then all of a sudden complained of pain in his head. This is extremely atypical for Jackie and was also accompanied by increased muscle spasms and sweating.  Luckily Jackie did not have a fever. Dr. K was still here and he examined Jackie.  He ruled out anything major, PTL, and said it is because Jackie is working harder than he ever has before and his body is just tired.  We gave him Tylenol and helped him get in bed.  He stayed in bed for the rest of the night.  His head was feeling better and we didn’t want to risk getting him up for a shower and have the pain return.

Jackie stayed up much later than normal watching Thursday night football and then did not really fall asleep until after midnight.  It was not his best nights sleep, we are hoping he can settle into the new routine soon. Tomorrow is another day full of hope and opportunities.

“Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
~Joshua J. Marine