Thursday, May 21, 2009

He's Home

This morning, Danielle and I drove up to Syracuse and brought him home. He's very happy to be here, and is currently enjoying a snooze in his own bed. He gripes about the limitations (can't ride his bike, has to have someone with him all the time, etc), but understands why they are there and is willing to work with them. Once we get our bearings and have a routine established we'll be happy to have visitors and arrange for people to come and hang out with him. Thanks for all your support - we couldn't have made it this far without it!

Steve

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

We're Getting the Hell out of Here!

That's right! Jason is GOING HOME!!! He will be discharged (released) tomorrow! Now is when the hard part really begins....

Isabel

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Run While the Coast is Clear!

I'm tired and off to sleep shortly, but wanted to add a quick bit about the day.

Jason's schedule was pretty typical: six therapy sessions (PT, OT, and cognitive), about every hour beginning at 8:30am.  But the highlight of today was a trip to the Carousel Mall.  I couldn't believe it when the recreational therapist told us this morning.

In the late afternoon we boarded a van for the mall, Jason and I along with another patient and his mother (Jason did complain about having to take the wheelchair lift the one step it would have taken to get out of the van).  We had some goals--get a map, go into some stores of Jason's choosing, and eat dinner at a restaurant, all in an hour and a half.  Walking through the mall was pretty uneventful.  We went to the Apple Store and Ritz Camera.  Although he struggled a bit Jason was able to successfully navigate us to those stores and to dinner.  When we got change back at Starbucks he mistook 30 cents for 80 cents, but was eventually able to come up with the right amount.  He also handled the escalators beautifully!  I did notice he has a little trouble keeping his attention focused.

We ended up having a wonderful dinner with Paul, the recreation therapist and a brain injured person as well.  When the bill came Jason made a few tabulations on his napkin and was successful in determining the final price with the tip included.  He said it was a fun afternoon, and a really nice escape from the hospital.  He said, "It's like real life again."

Isabel

Monday, May 18, 2009

Uncle Jim pays a visit


I was able to get up to Ithaca this weekend, and I had my first opportunity to spend some time with Jason and the rest of the family since the accident. I found my interactions with Jason to be encouraging and fascinating. Jason seemed to have a firm grasp about what had happened, where he was, and why he was there. One of the first things he mentioned to me, was that he felt he had "gotten away" with a lot of ill-advised stuff over the years, and that if this is the worst thing that has happened as a result, he felt he was lucky. As you can tell from prior posts, this increased awareness was a very recent development, so congrats to the patience and persistence of the on-site crew in getting through to Jason.

Another aspect I found encouraging is Jason's eagerness in thinking about everything and anything. He is articulate, logical, introspective, and expansive. However, he does this to a fault, over-thinking constantly on random or trivial matters. For example, he was playing Scrabble with Isabel when I first arrived, and I noticed a number of viable plays from his rack. When we wasn't playing quickly, I assumed he was having trouble finding words, but it turns out he had created some quixotic rules and ridiculously high standards for what to play - it had to be "nifty" (my word), filling in gaps on the board and utilizing as many already-played tiles as possible, and he had to feel good about the words that he was forming, though it didn't have to be an actual dictionary word if he could make a good argument for it. When he finally relented to make a "boring" play and played "loathe", one of the longest words he could make, I was ready to hug him!

So it's great that Jason can think and analyze, though he is still having difficulty with the judgement side of things. He has a marked tendency to jump to worst-case and greatly exaggerate, and this often creates friction with the hospital staff, which then needs to be smoothed over by someone from the family. For example, he has a lot of pain in is shoulder, but won't take pain pills of any strength, because he claims it would make him a drug addict. When the therapists (perhaps carelessly) refer to the need to "train" and "reprogram" his brain and his thinking, he goes off on how he doesn't want strangers controlling him and telling how he should think. One carelessly-worded exercise allowed for a different interpretation which yielded different answer, and Jason was convinced it was done on purpose as a trap for him. Jason's increased acuity is great to see, but I'm not sure the therapists fully appreciate some of the advances he has made, as his tendency to go off on tangents and rants obscures how much he really does grasp.

Jason seems to be making progress on the short-term memory side; a friend of his had come by Saturday evening after I had left, and when I asked him about the visit on Sunday, we was able to recall it and recount some details.

Overall, what really bowled me over, was hearing Jason talk passionately about how much he was looking forward to revisiting things, now that he had a fresh, new way of looking at things. Presumably this is a result of having to consciously think about thinking (if that makes any sense), but with him relishing thinking that much, I can't help but be optimistic about his recovery. He has already decided that he can find people to craft better recovery exercises than what the therapists are using!

Being there gave me even more appreciation for the relentless attentiveness this has required from Isabel, Suzanne, Steve, Danielle, and Peggy, keeping both Jason and the hospital staff on the right track. It's plenty exhausting, and not just for Jason (see picture). Hang in there, it's working wonders!

Jim

Saturday, May 16, 2009

A great end to the work week

Jason continues to have difficulty believing that he sustained a head injury.  He does not recall the accident, he has no scars on his head and by some miracle, he does not have headaches.  Yesterday he had two experiences that brought the situation into sharper focus.  

In the morning, he lost 2 out of 3 games of Connect 4 with the therapist.   He won the third game, and it was easy to see that he had remembered how to play by the end, but he was aware that he should have easily won all three games.  Later in the day, another therapist gave him some bills and had him write out checks, enter the amounts in his check ledger and then balance the ledger.  During this process he admitted that there was definitely something wrong with his brain.  He was a little discouraged at the prospect of having to re-learn what he has lost but we were able to reassure him that much of the information was not lost, it was just that the pathways to it were scrambled and would have to be re-established.

Isabel and I were both strengthened in our certainty that Jason will emerge from this better than ever.  We were encouraged by how much he does remember and by how fast forgotten skills come back to him.  In the morning, two of our favorite therapists showed us a worksheet that Jason had filled out on Tuesday and the same worksheet done that morning.  The difference was night and day.  Isabel had a really wonderful time watching the check writing therapy.   Apparently Jason argued about each bill and the various quackery that it represented.  He launched into a tirade when it was pointed out that he had received the senior citizen discount and another one when he was asked to pay the minimum balance on a credit card bill.  He told the therapist that he was "not a minimum balance kind of guy."  I was not there but according to Isabel, Jason was having a field day.  Isabel was in hysterics and the therapists, who try to be very serious, were unable to keep from laughing out loud.  

Jason continues to require tons of sleep but he is awake enough to be going stir crazy.  He says that the only place more restrictive that a hospital is a federal penitentiary.  Last night he had had it with the hospital and for what seemed like a long time, he was in a very foul mood.  We took him outside, but Upstate is an urban hospital and a far cry from the natural surroundings Jason loves so much.  Isabel took control of the situation and ordered a pizza which we ate in a little cafe area on the edge of the front lobby.  It really felt like we had gone out to celebrate on a Friday night, which we had.  After that we got ice cream and went back to Jason's room and played memory games.  The evening of normalcy was a huge gift to the three of us and we were reminded of how lucky we are.  

Thank you all for your support and positive energy.  It moves us forward every day.  

Peggy


Thursday, May 14, 2009

Life in Rehab, second attempt

Hello everyone.  This is my second attempt to describe life on 2N.  The first attempt was lost in University Medical Center cyberspace.  I hope this is coherent because the events of the past 12 days are catching up with me.

Jason's day begins at 8 am when they get him to dress and clean up.  At 8:30 he has a group breakfast with other residents.   This experience focuses on cognitive therapy in a social setting.  Jason says that the hospital food is killing him and he is probably right.  

At 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 and 12:00 he has physical therapy.  This is focused on helping him regain his balance and especially repairing the muscles strain to his left shoulder that occurred in the accident.  Most of the physical therapy sessions also include a cognitive component which is really what he needs now.  His body, except for the left shoulder, is pretty much healed.   The 11:30 session is recreational therapy where he plays games with the therapist.   He really enjoys this because the therapist is a man about his age and they have common interests.  This therapist, as well as many other staff members, has had a head injury.  They are a constant source of inspiration.  

After lunch Jason passes out until about 2.  I have read that the injured brain requires a lot of sleep to heal and this certainly seems to be the case with Jason.  For this reason we ask that you limit visits but that you send cards or post comments on the blog for Jason to read.  He is deeply touched by your expressions of love and concern for him and this is very motivational.  The address is University Medical Center, Rm 2234, 750 E. Adams St. Syracuse, NY 13210. 

At 2 pm Jason has a focused cognitive session where they work on his memory and on making connections in his mind.  This really highlights which of Jason's circuits are damaged.  He can multiply 13 x 5 in his head faster than I can but he cannot look at a paperclip and then draw it when it is no longer visible.  Steve observed this activity with him yesterday and Jason commented that this exercise should be really easy for him but it was not so maybe he did have a brain injury.  He told me that it was very scary to admit to himself that this was true.

After another PT session at 3pm, Jason passes out again until dinner.

To my mind, Jason's recovery is miraculous.  He knows where he is and why.  His short term memory is definitely coming back.  I was very concerned that he could not remember how old he is until Isabel told me that he was pretty sketchy about this even before the accident.  Some of the other circuits may take a little longer but were are thrilled with his progress.  Until he is exhausted, he is lucid, eloquent and very opinionated.  He is easy to be with because he is interesting and funny and because he constantly expresses his appreciation for our love and support.  We have all been enriched by this experience.  

Please keep sending your positive energy in this direction.  Miracles are happening here!!!  We are so thankful for all of you.  There are no words to adequately express my gratitude.   Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

PS. Would Ralph S who visited yesterday please call me at 904-477-3208.


Wednesday evening update

Jason had a tiring day - tiring enough that he slept rather than do his last 2 rehab sessions. He continues to make small improvements, and is starting to acknowledge that he may have indeed had a head injury, since he sees that he cannot do some things that he thinks he ought to do. He is still confused about a lot of things, but he sure doesn't act confused - he is incredibly articulate.

One thing that would help, I think, would be for us to be able to tell him some details about what happened, but none of us really knows. If you were there, and can shed some light, please give me a call at 277-4264 (evenings) or 255-7559 (days).

thanks,

Steve

Life on 2N (Inpatient Rehab)


Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Life in rehab

Hi Everyone.  It took almost 8 hours yesterday from when the doctor told Jason that he was going to be moved to the rehab unit until we were actually settled in a room.  That is how things go in a hospital.  What a pain.  Anyway, we are thrilled with the doctors and staff here.  Everyone is compassionate, respectful and patient.  Jason is doing physical and cognitive therapy a total of three hours a day.  At this stage it is exhausting for him.  He is working very hard and has a good attitude.  He likes to be challenged.  He is starting to accept that he has a brain injury but it is hard for him because he doesn't remember the accident and his head does not hurt.  

Suzanne and I are running on very little sleep.  I am going to close out now but will try to give you some details of the therapy tomorrow.  It is fascinating.  

Be safe and keep your positive energy coming.  P

A Little Update

Hello All,

The mothers, Suzanne and Peggy, spent Monday with Jason.  In the early hours of the day a doctor from the rehabilitation unit stopped by to assess whether Jason was ready to be discharged to rehab.  Hallelujah he passed!  Around 3pm Jason was moved from his chaotic space on floor 5 to a quiet, private room downstairs.  Now begins the tough work of therapy.

Suzanne spent the night with Jason in his room last night.  It was either that or a bed for him where the top part was described by the mothers as a "tent" and a "cage."  The last thing we need is for Jason to think he's out camping somewhere in the wilds.  We're trying to help him find reality.

Sadly, as Jason's head heals some frightening things are becoming apparent to him.  As of last night he was vehemently denying that he had even raced on Sunday.  He was convinced that he merely acted as an official and that someone had put him in the hospital on purpose.  The upcoming days could be very hard for Jason as he heals and the reality of his situation sinks in.  But I feel very confident that eventually Jason's hard-working, nothings-gonna-stop-me attitude will kick in!  Keep sending those comments.  They've been hugely motivational!

Isabel

 

Monday, May 11, 2009

Isabel has HER phone again.

Starting today I am back to using my regular cell phone (with the number ending in 3943). Please contact me at this number, not on Jason's phone. Thanks. Isabel

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Ending to the Day

When Suzanne arrived today she told Jason the interesting story of how a well-meaning neighbor put a cat inside Suzanne and Steve's house that she thought belonged to them. Turns out it did not!  Steve was awakened in the night and bitten when he tried to keep the cat from attacking their cats.  

When Steve arrived at the hospital at least 45 minutes later, he mentioned the funny cat story and JASON REMEMBERED IT!!!!!   This is incredible!!!  His short term memory is coming back!  We are still smiling here, and hope you are too.  

Thank you for all your positive energy.
Hello everyone.  Peggy is blogging today.  Isabel needs to recharge.  

Jason made great physical progress yesterday but had a little bit of a mental setback after the chaos of yesterday.  He is now able to walk short distances and tolerate up to two hours sitting up in a chair.  He is awake and active for 4-5 hours at a time.  This is a dramatic change from when I arrived on Thursday.  

Mentally he in totally intact except for his short term memory and he does not always understand where he is and why he is here.  It is obvious that his mind is working overtime to get things figured out.  He has had several theories.  One was that he was on a ship of immigrants and that no one spoke English.  He decided this because of the long corridors with rooms off of them, hearing foreign languages all around him and the "festive atmosphere."   His second theory was that he was a player in a multi-layered video game.  He has talked about "getting his matrix on."  By the end of the day we had him somewhat reoriented and talking about the need to plan the wedding.  

It is easy to understand why Jason is confused.  I can't imagine a worse setting for a head trauma patient.  There are lights and beeps and alarms all the time.  The food may look like a waffle or sausage but it is really pureed food reformed to look like what it was originally so you bite into it and it doesn't taste anything like what you thought it would.  New people come in and out of the room at all hours and many do not speak English or speak it well. Lights go on and off with little consideration for whether it is night or day. 

Yesterday I was talking to a nurse in the hall about Jason and she asked me "are you door or window."  His last name is Vanstaveren so I said, "no, neither."  Then I realized she was asking me if he was the patient near the door or the window.  Isabel and I are becoming disoriented and we have not have any bumps to the head.  

The good news is that Jason is incredibly smart and his mind is working all the time.  We believe that this constant mental activity is what is going to hasten his recovery.  Also, aside from short term memory and being oriented to place and current situation, everything else is fine.  He can read, reason, joke, grouse and speak passionately about injustice.  He is still the Jason we all love.  

Tomorrow we are hoping to get Jason transferred to the inpatient head trauma rehab.  This is a quiet, sane setting where they will provide him with therapy to reconnect his damaged circuits.  We expect to see exciting and rapid healing.  Please keep sending your prayers and affirmations.  We are so grateful for all of you.  Peggy

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Saturday

Jason has had a busy morning! Around 8, he got a new roommate, who was very loud and also very incoherent. Jason was irritated when he went to get his left shoulder x-rayed, and when Isabel and Peggy showed up around 9, he told them that he was on a cruise ship full of immigrants. He is sometimes disoriented, and it must have been frightening to think that he was the only one who spoke English, but he has acknowledged that he is in a hospital. He does have reason to believe he is among foreigners, though, because he is! One of his doctors has an accent, during his x-ray there was a Russian man also getting x-rayed, and his newest, calmer roomie only speaks Bosnian!

He ate breakfast and lunch, though he complained a lot about the quality of his meals. He is supposedly scheduled for another swallowing evaluation today which might clear him for solid foods, but we gave him some watermelon and tofu and he chewed that just fine. His appetite for the watermelon was impressive, and when we told him that he needed to take smaller bites, he said "I cannot be stopped!"

We gave him a sponge bath and a quasi-hair washing, so he is cleaner and smells better then he did this morning. He also changed into real clothes, so he looks presentable. Jason is still pretty snarky and constantly makes smart-ass comments, but he is also smiling and joking with the hospital staff, surely a good sign.

Also! He read! On the white board above his bed, I wrote 'NUMBER ONE STUNNA' and he read and said "damn right!"

He is exhausted from eating so much and sitting in a chair for his wipe-down, and sleeping soundly.

Danielle

Friday, May 8, 2009

Jason is awesome

Well, now I am really encouraged.  It was hard seeing Jason yesterday.  I had not seen him right after the accident so I did not have the perspective of how much progress he has made.  He slept most of the time and when he was awake it was for brief periods.  His speech was good but he was often confused and was not able to sit for long or to stand up. 

He was groggy most of the morning but he really woke up when Suzanne and Steve came and he has shown incredible improvement.  He complained to us that he was not challenged here and that this was a "wimpy place."  He told us that at football camp they really made you work or they "kicked your ass."  We used that to give him a  major pep talk about how strong his will is and how he has worked through pain before.  He really got it!  Since then he has been amazing!!!  He talked to Isabel and me for a long time about the Tour de France.  He remembered all the riders, who won last year and gave us his predictions for this year.  Then the physical therapist came and he kept pushing himself all through her visit and really hung in there.  He is totally back to being his extreme self.  We told him he had to stay in the chair for an hour to be able to be moved to rehab next week and he is still sitting there.  I am so hopeful.  His kick-ass attitude is what is going to get him through this and he is tapping into that.  

He still says "everything hurts" and apparently he is having double vision so he is still not able to stand.  I told him that we can't wait to have him officially in our family and he said that it was going to be "awesome" and he was really glad that Eloy and I were going to be his in-laws.  Bless his heart.  Please continue to send your prayers and positive energy.  We can feel the love of all of you and are so grateful.   Peggy

Friday - out of the ICU and unplugged

Jason moved out of intensive care today, and they took out the IV, so he is completely unhooked. He still complains about the pain, but he's doing it more articulately, and we're having real conversations. He alternates between being psyched about working hard to heal, and just wanting to rest.

He really enjoyed me reading your comments to him, so keep them coming!

Steve

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Thursday: Snarking

I arrived at the hospital around 6:30pm this evening, so I expected Jason to be asleep and to stay that way for most of my visit. Lucky me, though, he decided to wake up around 8, and I was very pleased to find that he was just as snarky as ever! We had been told that since he passed his swallowing test he would be eating pureed chicken and greens, but since it was his first night back on "real" food, he was spared that particular delicacy. He didn't want anything to do with the applesauce we had for him, but his nurse brought him some chocolate ice cream that he was very excited about.

Isabel started feeding him, and Peggy and I were nervous that he would fall back asleep mid-bite and choke on the ice cream, but Jason told us: "I won't choke. I'm an expert, don't worry."

He kept saying "everything hurts on me!" so his nurse brought him some Tylenol to take with his ice cream. He tried to chew the first pill, and I told him not to, but then it just sat around in his mouth, dissolving and probably tasting terrible. He was told that he needed to swallow the pill, to which he replied: "give me more ice cream". It took him a while to swallow it, and we told him several times that he needed to do it, and every time he had something to say right back to us. "I can do it, gimme more ice cream" "I wish you nags would stop bothering me" and "yeah, yeah" are some of the best ones.

After he finally managed to finish his ice cream and swallow his pills, Isabel and I were asking him some questions. I remarked that he sounded like Pedro, a character in the movie Napoleon Dynamite and Isabel asked him what movie Pedro was from. Jason said that he knew, but didn't want to talk about it. We asked him again, and he finally grumbled "All the little Mexicans". I asked him if he knew how old I was, and his first guess was 17, then 15, then 25, and then "who knows?"

When Isabel was rubbing his back, he said "I guess I gotta get out of here, babe." She asked him how he thought he could do that, and he said "A buggy. A wagon or something."

I'm so encouraged by his attitude, and I can't wait to see what snark is yet to come!

Danielle

More for Thursday

Dear All,

Today has been a truly amazing, miraculous day.  Jason is now using full sentences, he can recognize the people around him, he knows who the President is, and more.  He's still sleeping most of the time, but this is fine.  His body has been through a lot in the last 5 days!

I thought you might like to hear about some of the things he's said that has had us laughing today.  Here are just a few...
  1. This morning the physical therapist and nurse were moving him---forcing him to get out of bed.  As he sat on the edge of the bed, one woman supporting him on each side, the doctors came by making their rounds.  Tracy, his nurse, said, "Oh look, the doctors are here."  They poked their heads in and Jason gave a casual, half-wave and said "Oh hey."
  2. When they told him to stand he said "What are you talking about?  You must be crazy."
  3. The PT asked him to perform a number of tasks for her, including thumbs up and touching his finger to his nose.  She said, "Jason are you listening to me?  Are you going to do what I said?" and he replied "Oh yes ma'am."
But the one that takes the cake is:  Aaron and Max, two good friends of Jason's stopped by the hospital this afternoon to visit him.  At the time he was sitting upright in a chair (this was after the exhaustion of the PT visit), and was noticeably tired.  When they came in I was sitting next to Jason.  I yelled his name and shook him to wake him up.  I yelled, "Jason?  Jason, do you know who these people are sitting across from you?"  He mumbled, "yeah.." and trailed off.  "Jason," I yelled, "What are their names?"  He didn't answer so I yelled this a few more times.  Then he snapped, "I know their names," and fell asleep again. So I yelled back, "Ok then, what are their names?"  He took a second and muttered "Raphael and Domingo."  In his exhausted, sleepy state Jason still had the strength (and brain power) to make a snappy, wise-ass comment like that one.  God I love him!

As always thank you all for your warm wishes!  I've found such joy in reading all of your loving, encouraging comments.  They've really made me smile.

Isabel 

Thursday's progress

Jason passed the swallowing evaluation! He now will get to eat apple sauce and other puréed foods. He can drink from a straw. The occupational therapist wants us to encourage him to do as much for himself as possible. The physical therapist wants him to move his body as much as he can. The more active he can be the better off he will be.

Moving out of ICU depends on the availability of a bed on another floor.

Isabel just went to pick up Peggy, her mom, at the airport. It will be good to have her here to support Isabel and offer her excellent knowledge in the medical field.

Jason is taking a well deserved rest from the morning's hour and a half long activity. Pretty amazing for a guy who was completely immobilized only 3 days ago! What a relief!

I'm going to a class today on brain injury. There's one each day and today's topic is about cognitive skills.

The many, many messages of care and concern, love and prayers has meant so much. Thank you and keep them up when you can.

Suzanne

Thursday AM progress

They've gotten him to sit up, and even had him in a chair for a bit. He pulled his feeding tube out last night, and some of the sensors, too - that's gotta hurt! Then again, he says he hurts everywhere. He can count from 1 to 10, but when they asked him to do it backwards, he said it was too much work. He knows where he is and somethng about what happened ("I fell") and when he was born, but still doesn't know what year it is, though he does know the decade. The neurologists have "signed off on him;" I'm not sure what that means, but I suppose they must like what they've seen.

Sometime later today they are going to check and see if he can swallow okay. If he can, then they can start giving him real food. They may or may not move him out of the ICU today.

Steve

Heartbeats



Jason's body is working hard to repair the damage, and this is the evidence. It really is incredible how hard his heart is pumping. His pulse shows in his temples, his throat, his chest, and even his stomach. Thought you all might like to see that in true Jason fashion, he's giving this his all.

Danielle

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

The road ahead

We got a visit today from one of the people in charge of "discharge planning" - what happens after the hospital stay - another encouraging sign! Still, it's clear that there's a lot of work ahead. They hope to be able to move him out of the ICU tomorrow - again encouraging, but we will need to adjust to a lower level of staff support there. After that will come rehab, possibly first as an inpatient, then continuing after he gets to go home. That's all we know at this point; everything depends on how quickly he progresses. He seems to be gradually becoming more interactive and responsive, and our stress level has definitely let up a bit.

He woke up... continued.

Jason is awake!!!  We're so excited here!!!

So far he's said: "I have to pee" and "I need to turn over."  Also, I'd like to mention that of course, Jason being Jason, his respirator tube was not removed by the nurse or doctor.  No.  Instead Jason decided himself that he was done with it and pulled it out on his own.  The nurse described that she was at the desk and heard the alarm in Jason's room and thought to herself, "I bet that pesky guy yanked that thing out."  Sure enough.

Thanks so much everyone for all your thoughts and prayers.  I feel so hopeful that Jason will be standing there with me on June 13th!

All my love to you,
Isabel

He woke up!

Wednesday morning - Isabel reports that he not only woke up, he talked! (Said he had to pee.) So they've taken all the tubes out of him. I'm sure he's by no means out of the woods yet, but this is a huge step. Give thanks to the divinity of your choice!

Steve

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Tuesday morning update

Called Jason's sister, Danielle, this morning at 9:00 - she stayed in Syracuse with Isabel last night Here's her good news:
They went into the room, turned on the light and said good morning to Jason. He opened his eyes and looked at each of them. Isabel remarked that he probably was feeling pretty bad and he nodded his head in agreement!!!! Yeah!! She asked if he wanted to hold her hand and he reached his hand for hers.

Thanks for all your prayers and good thoughts. Please keep them coming. We'll keep you posted as we can.

Suzanne

Quick TUES morning report

The nurse said Jason had a pretty quiet night. He awoke only a few times and briefly. She said he still isn't following commands as well as she would like. For example, she asked him to give a thumbs up and he lifted his entire hand up instead. But she tells us this is good news. Jason opened his eyes shortly after D and I arrived this morning. He seemed to make eye contact with us both and when I asked him a question he nodded. He gave my hand a good squeeze as well then fell back into sleep.

I'm affirming that we're going to have a good day today. Thank you all so much for your love, energy, prayers, and good thoughts. We'll see you soon.

Monday, May 4, 2009

6 PM Monday - no major changes. Since there is no indication of spinal damage, they were able to remove Jason's collar and other support stuff; he looks a bit more like himself now. Every so often he wakes up for a few minutes; he opens his eyes and moves around. Except for sometimes squeezing someone's hand, he doesn't really respond to things people say, though.

We really appreciate your messages of support, and I'm sure he will too when he wakes up - thanks!

Steve
Yesterday, Jason hit a pothole on the road of life - at high speed on his bicycle. He went over the handlebars, and, despite the helmet, received a severe concussion and was airlifted to University Hospital in Syracuse. He spent the night under heavy sedation, on a respirator because the sedation was so heavy. This morning they stopped the sedation. He is able to move and there are hints that he hears people, but no clear responses yet. They've kept the respirator going, even though he is breathing on his own, just to be safe.

Last night they did an MRI and did not find any hemorraging or spinal damage, which is very good news. Now we just have to wait and see how long it takes him to come around some more.

Steve