Weekend Update

Just like the moon waxes and wanes so do symptoms of TBI recovery.  Saturday Jackie continued on an upswing.  He ate a good breakfast and then had a very good speech session.  He licked a lollipop in order to exercise his tongue and also had many verbal responses to a fun speech game.  The answers to this game are not always obvious and I think Jackie likes the challenge of answering them.

He went right to PT and had another good session.  His muscles were stretched and he worked on his standing and sitting balance.  He was now ready for a nap and slept well.  He got up, had lunch and headed to OT.  Once again the session was productive.  More muscle groups were stretched and his sitting endurance was tested as he leaned on a back board while playing me in Connect Four.  I lost the best of a three game series.  Jim and the therapist were helping Jackie with his moves.  In most cases it was not his strategy but his vision that was causing issues and needed correction.

Since he ate a light lunch, he ate again after OT.  Sean and his Mom had brought up our Wii system from home when they visited last week.  Jim had hooked it up and together he and Jackie played a couple of games.  Jackie used to enjoy playing X-Box but because you need two hands to play it is not an option right now.  To be honest, even playing Wii is a little challenging, but Jackie doesn’t seem to mind.  A nap and dinner followed as well as a shower.  It had been another good day. PTL

Sunday seemed sluggish.  Jackie went back to being mostly non-verbal and tired.  We had the day off from therapies and that was good.  I think Jackie needed a day to just rest and not be tied to any schedules.  We mixed up the day with meals, naps and small trips to the second floor terrace.  Jackie also tried playing Wii again, but was not very successful.  We will keep trying.

Both nights the IV held and he was able to get fluids.  PTL We are still working on trying to get him to eat as much high calorie food as we can and drink as much as he can.  He has lost some weight, but I feel we should be able to start maintaining where we are for now.

We are so grateful for our wonderful friends and family.  The marathon continues and our stops along the way always seem to be rejuvenated by their love and support.  The finish line will be crossed, we just need to continue to stay positive and be patient.

Jim has started collecting inspirational quotes that he has found online.  One of them stuck out to me and I wanted to end my post with it today.  It reads, “You will face your greatest opposition when you are closest to your biggest miracle.” ― Shannon L. Alder.  PTL