Jackie’s day settled down a little bit after PT.  He needed the break after such a long day.

Jackie opened his eyes one other time today when his nurse had to take out an IV.  When he was removing the tape from his arm, Jackie looked right at him, eyes half open.  Pulling off the tape was not a pleasant experience.  Just another sign that Jackie is starting to feel things.

The docs are still working to get Jackie to the correct level of the blood thinning meds.  It is a process that has a strict protocol.  It just takes some time to get within desired range levels.  Hopefully we will get there tonight.

Jackie has been holding stress balls in each of his hands to help keep them busy.  Sometimes he moves them to one hand.  His hands are huge, he could probably fit 3 in one hand.  Earlier this morning when it was just Jackie and I in the room, I swear he released one as if he was throwing it.

All of us juggle stress just like Jackie is juggling the stress balls in his hands.  How we react to it is a true testament to who we are.

Sorry for such a late Post.  Today has already been a busy day.

Jackie’s night went fairly well.  He coughed a bit but fortunately did not get sick.  His hands were busy most of the night with only brief periods of rest. Jim and I started dividing the night shift in half. It is helping us feel a little bit more rested.

The Speech Therapy team came to see Jackie this morning.  I think he was tired from not resting much overnight.  Even with all of Lenora’s tricks to open his eyes, we were initially unsuccessful. Once again I called Lindsay into the room.  Her voice is what Jackie needed to hear.  He opened his eyes only slightly but it was still nice to catch a glimpse of them.  Jackie was tired, every command seemed like hard work for him this morning.  The team will be back for more therapy tomorrow.

Jackie received his daily meds, blood draws, peg site wound changes and all the other checks that happen on a regular basis.

Then the Trauma team made a visit to take out the stitches around his trach and replace it with a new one.  The  Neuro team also stopped by and said at this point they are going to just watch the extra fluid around Jackie’s brain.  We will check in with them again early next week.

Next up was the dynamic duo of Tara and Eric, the OT and PT team.  They always give Jackie a good workout.  With their help Jackie does exercises to strengthen his muscles like holding on to things and even attempting to pull himself forward.  Jackie does not do any of this on his own, they hold his body up for him. They also held him up into a standing position for a very short period of time. He is not strong enough to hold his head up so they assist him by holding his helmet for him.  During the session they thought music would be helpful.  Since I practiced my new ukulele in Jackie’s room over Christmas break I thought I would provide the musical entertainment.  In some way I hope it helped him know we were there rooting him on.

He is now reclined in a therapy chair.  We have to keep an eye on his heart rate during all of the PT and when necessary stop the exercises or get him back in bed.

Think this is all the updates I have for now.  I’ll post again tonight.

A day of ups and downs.

Prior to physical therapy the Neuro team came up to visit us in Jackie’s room.  Based on the CAT scan results they decided to drain excess fluid from a pocket on the front left side of Jackie’s head. While we waited for a follow up CAT scan, the Speech and Physical Therapy teams came to see Jackie. As they worked with him, I could tell Jackie was going to open his eyes so I called Lindsay up from the cafeteria. Based on her letter to him you already know we saw him open both eyes almost half way.  What an incredible sight. PT did not get him into the chair but did sit him up on the side of the bed. He was able to give us a thumbs up sign and a thumbs down sign. He waved and he gave a low five.  He touched his nose and knee when asked and showed us two fingers.  When chapstick was applied to his lips he even moved his lips together when asked to do so. (PTL) Everyone was very pleased with this session and Jackie was tired so they laid him back in bed.

The follow up CAT scan revealed that the fluid that was drained had been replaced with new fluid.  The Neuro team is meeting tomorrow to discuss next steps.  Currently the excess fluid does not seem to be causing any problems from a neuro perspective.

Jackie ended up getting sick again.  It wasn’t as bad as this morning, but I still wish it would stop happening. He was given many meds to help get his digestive system working.  They finally worked at the end of the night.

Each day of this marathon to recovery brings challenges and celebrations.  We hold on to the happiness to make it through the tough times.  At some point the course will start going down hill, but until then we will keep staying strong and take each new day as it comes.

Make the most of your days and celebrate as often as you can!

Thanks for continuing to send the positive thoughts and prayers our way.

– Sis

It is hard to believe Jackie has been in the Select Specialty Hospital for a week now.  We have been able to get to know several members of the staff and they are very loving care givers. Their goal is to not only work on getting Jackie medically but also mentally and physically ready to enter TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) Rehab.  It is too soon to tell how long we will be here.

This morning started out on a steep hill climb.  Around 4:30am Jackie started coughing and got sick.  It took about an hour and a half to get him settled down. The Respiratory Therapy Team had to temporarily move him back to oxygen.  Around 9:30am they took him down for an x-ray and a CAT scan.  The x-rays showed that his digestive system is sleeping a little due to the procedure he had done on his feeding tube in the OR.  We are hoping this resolves itself soon as this may be part of the reason why Jackie is getting sick.

Initial reads on the CAT scan are showing no additional bleeding in the brain due to the blood thinners.  Great news!  (PTL) We will be following up with the Neuro team later today for a more complete CAT report.

As I am writing, Jackie is resting comfortably.  The speech and physical therapy teams will hopefully be in to see Jackie later today. Even though this is taxing for him, it is needed to help him and his body wake up.

If anyone in your family or any of your friends are in the medical profession, give them some thanks today.  Until you are in the position we are, you don’t realize just how special they are.

As always, I will post later tonight.  Thanks for the positive thoughts, prayers and support.

We have received so many cards and well wishes from friends, relatives and
people we don’t even know.  There are also numerous fundraising efforts underway.  We even met one of the ambulance medics who was first on the scene.  Please know how much all of this support means to us! You have touched us in a way we can never explain. We are grateful for it all, and we are blessed to still have Jackie whose strength amazes us every day!

A second wind – after a nice long nap we decided to give physical therapy another go.  The PT team moved Jackie to a chair and Jim and I started talking to him.  Much to our surprise his left eye opened almost a quarter of the way and his right eye opened just slightly.  We could tell he was trying his hardest to look at us.  The best feeling in the world!  I still think Jackie was tired so we did not see many of the voice command responses as yesterday, but we didn’t care.  We were just glad that we were able to communicate, even if it was in the most basic form.

He didn’t last very long in the chair, but any time was good for his circulation and overall health.  He has been back in bed ever since and it looks like we may have another busy night ahead, controlling his ever moving hands.  We are up for the challenge!

Thanks for continuing to send positive thoughts and prayers our way!

Back to a day of rest.

Jackie is tuckered out from yesterday and his busy night. He was moving his arms constantly from 11pm until 11am.  We had to keep making sure he did not pull his trach hose.  His hands were curious, he was touching his mouth and was starting to move his hands up to his head.  Jim stopped him before he could feel the staples. This is all good!

When therapy came in he did not really respond other than squeezing hands.  We are told this is a normal part of recovery for people with brain injuries.

They keep trying to get him up to his goal level for nutrition.  His body is slowing starting to process the liquid.

The blood clotting meds continue to be administered.  Once his blood gets to the level they would like, he will get a CAT scan to make sure there is no additional bleeding in the brain.

The marathon continues.  If you are having a bad day today, for whatever reason, try to put things in perspective.  Be kind to those you love and everyone for that matter – and as always keep praying for Jackie. All our thanks.

What an incredible day.  So much to be thankful for.  So much to celebrate.

Jackie continued to have good neuro exams throughout the night.  He definitely is tired as this was the biggest day he has had since he was admitted to the hospital.

His hands are very active and he is already putting them on his trach tube.  He is more curious than anything at this point.

Jackie is still struggling with his feedings.  We had to stop them for a while today to give  his body a chance to digest the nutrition. He is now back on them and we are hoping his body starts processing them better.

He has also started the blood clotting meds again through IV.  Blood draws are necessary every couple hours to ensure the levels are correct.

Going to keep the post short.  Will give another update tomorrow.

Many thanks to everyone.  We are so fortunate to have such a huge network of support.  So appreciated!

Today is the 15th day we have been in the hospital, ten of those days have been in the ICU.  Every day Jim and I would meet with the Trauma and Intensive Care teams during their rounds.  Every day they would tell us that the trauma Jackie suffered to his brain was severe.  We appreciated the candor from the docs and have been praying with all of you and taking things one day at a time.

All morning we were playing some songs from Jackie’s playlist on his phone. He was showing similar body movements as he had made yesterday.  His eyes remained closed.

I know BU held some prayer vigils yesterday and I know Jackie is on many prayer chains and there are many individual prayers being said even by Monks.  God is listening and helping as a small miracle happened this morning.

Now that the weekend is over and the specialty staffs are working, the Speech Therapy team stopped by.  They were able to see him one time in the ICU and because of Jackie’s visit to the OR on Friday were just now able to see him again.

Lenora came into the room and started working with Jackie.  Jackie squeezed her hand on command and also slightly opened both of his eyes.  She asked me to touch him and talk with him.  I told him that it was time to wake up and I sang a Caorle King song to him that I always used to sing to him on mornings he was grumpy and didn’t want to get out of bed.

“You’ve got to get up every morning with a smile on your face and show the world all the love in your heart,
Cause people gonna treat you better, you’re gonna find yes you will,
That your beautiful as you feel.”

Jackie started to cry.  I think at that point he knew it was definitely me.  Then Lenora asked him to give a thumbs up. Without hesitation he did!  She asked him to wave to his Mom and he waved a very small wave.

My  parents are here and we summoned Jim to come over right away as he had gone back to the hotel to catch a quick nap. The nurses were waiting to get Jackie in the shower so we couldn’t hold him off much longer.  They put Jackie on a PVC rolling stretcher and started wheeling him into the shower.  Jim got here just in time to say hi.  Jackie’s eyes were closed again but when Jim touched his shoulder and spoke to him he opened his eyes again slightly and smiled and then cried. We all cried.

After the shower Jackie came back to his room and the Physical and Occupational Therapy team were waiting for him.  They did some stimulation tests when he was laying down and then they held him up on the side of the bed.  They tried to get him to hold his head up which he tried to do with some success.  They also asked him to hold up two fingers, he did. Then three fingers, he did. The response was more than any of us expected.

They moved him to a chair and after an hour his heart rate started to rise.  It was time to get him back in bed.

We know there will be ups and downs along this journey.  We are just pausing for a moment to celebrate this most wonderful blessing.

We feel your love and thank you for all of your prayers. Keep them coming. TTL

I  know we were told to look at progress one week at a time, but I feel the need to celebrate today, for it had bountiful baby steps.

As I posted this morning, Jackie was starting to stroke Lindsay’s hand.  Later in the day I was holding his hand and he was stroking mine and squeezing it a little.  We were thrilled even though he was not making any of these movements by voice command. I also noticed that he was moving his legs more than any other day that I can remember.

Some family and very close friends who we actually consider family stopped in for a visit.  Words were softly spoken to Jackie for encouragement to wake up. From Jackie’s heart rate and eye movement behind his lids, we could tell he knew they were there.

Now it was Jim’s turn.  He was holding Jackie’s hand while Rich our nurse, who also happens to be a Life Flight medic, was also bedside.  Jim asked Jackie to squeeze his hand and he did!  Rich had the same experience and noted it in Jackie’s log.  PTL (Praise the Lord – thanks Mom for the abbreviation)

Not much later Jim and I were alone with Jackie and when we were talking to him, his left eyebrow went up and we saw a very tiny glimpse of his left eye.  It was a moment we will always remember.  Right before this happened I received a text from a good friend who said she had a dream that Jackie opened his eyes today.  Even though it was only one eye and even though it was barely open, it was one of the most beautiful things we have ever seen.

We definitely had some challenges today with the start of his nutritional feedings, but we have learned that daily struggles are just part of this journey.  Jim, my rock, continues to be strong and as always helps keep me calm – at least he gives it his best try.

Once again we continue to be overwhelmed by the love and support we are receiving in so many ways.  Don’t know how we will ever be able to thank everyone.  Please know how much it means to us.