Friday, November 30, 2007

Midnight PST

There is so much to write about...

Yesterday morning David did really well during PT/OT time in the gym. He walked 3 laps on the parallel bars, and was really determined to get out of his chair and go. Se, PT, told him to be patient, and count to 3 before he got up so they would be ready, and David kept counting really fast- determined to get up.

The respiratory therapist came to talk to David yesterday about his trache, and the anatomy of the throat- trying to alleviate the fears he has about suffocating and aspirating. The RT also gave an inservice to staff about traches, so that there would be no more incidences of not deflating the balloon before capping his trache.

Mom and I talked to the doctor yesterday about all her questions, specifically about rearranging his medicine schedule to give him more sleep at night. David's trache was capped in the morning and then at night, sleeping most of the afternoon. When he woke up, about 4 in the afternoon, we were told that he was pretty restless and agitated, hitting a nurse or two, and the nurses needed to sedate him to calm him down. He woke up from the sedation around 8 at night, and mom and I went to see him. He didn't talk to us much, but when mom dialed Kelli's number he started talking to her with the speaker phone on. Mom had to repeat some of what David said to her since his voice is still soft and whispery. He told her that she wouldn't believe the day he had, that "some crap" happened, and that he was hurt so much worse today. Of course our blood pressure was rising as we listened for the rest of the story. He said that a guy nurse grabbed his wrists and twisted them. Though we were fuming inside, we explained that sometimes the nurses worry that he's going to pull his trache or his peg tube out when really he just wants to scratch under the elastic band on his stomach that protects the peg tube, or rub his neck around his trache. But that's why they try to pull his arms away. David responded that he was so frustrated and that he tried to tell them... He didn't have his trache plugged, so we think that the way he would "tell them" would have been to keep trying to do what he needed- which would have worried the nurses even more. As furious and curious as we felt, we told David the part of the story that the doctors told us, about him hitting the nurses, and he felt really bad. He asked if they were okay, and we told him they were. We assured him that we would figure out what happened, and told him that he could have the nurses call us at anytime if he needed us. They're supposed to be calling us right when he wakes up from naps, but it seems like they wait until he gets settled into a wheelchair before they call us (which we're trying to change). David was pretty tired and started to fall asleep again, so we said a prayer and left him to sleep.

Today, we woke up and went to be with David while he got up and ready for the day-watched him shave and prep for Kelli's visit :o). The speech therapist, Bruce, had changed his appointment time from the afternoon to the morning to hopefully catch David awake, but for some reason David slept through most of the session. He woke up right after Bruce walked away, and we wonder if he's faking it... J/K, I know David likes Bruce. Then it was time for PT/OT, and David again did great standing and walking. He isn't a fan of them when they try to stretch and range his left arm, but when we tell him to push through it and remind him that's it's worth it, he lets them keep going. Kelli and Rose came during his session and were able to see David walking.

After a nap, Kelli went to hang out with David while mom and I had a meeting with the Neuropsychologist. Kelli showed David the video she made, and David watched intently and told a couple stories about the messages you all included. They took him outside and he got to hang out with his aunt, uncle, grandpa, Brea and the Mannings. During the meeting mom and I were in, we were able to problem solve a few problems about overstimulation, getting the nurses/therapists to be more attentive and patient when David talks in his soft voice- listening to what he needs and not filling in the blanks as he talks, trusting his movements a bit more when he seems to be aggitated or uncomfortable, watching some visual cues that he gives when he needs something, and to have them explain what they're doing and why so that David will understand their concerns and not just that they're "restraining" him. We talked to her (as well as the doctor earlier) about David's complaint yesterday about the nurse twisting his wrist, and she said that the nurse did have to hold his wrists down because David's movements were endangering others as well as himself. As hard as it was to hear that complaint from David, we also realize how David CAN and has hurt people when he gets frustrated. Hopefully our ideas that we brainstormed will help out in this area, informing the nurses of David's intentions and working with David's communication. It will only get easier when David is able to talk all day, so we need to be patient too. The neuropsychologist is sort of a liason between the doctors, staff, and us, and she was very open to our ideas and tried to explain some of the future issues we might have with David as he recovers more. When we finished the meeting and went to see David, he was ready to take another nap, so we let him.

At about 4 Kelli called (she was sitting with David for a bit) and said that the doctor wanted to meet with us, so mom, Annette and I went up. He tries to meet with us each day, and this time wanted to include David in the discussion. David had some things on his mind that he was trying to express by writing, but that was too hard. We asked him to be capped, and they allowed it. The nurse had problems doing it, this time in front of the doctor, and I was livid again! She didn't deflate the balloon, and she plugged the trache- so David couldn't breathe for a sec until another nurse took the cap off. When we told her to deflate it, she did and put the cap back on but David still had a hard time getting air, so the doctor asked her to check and make sure it was deflated all the way. Without checking she said yes, but the doctor told her to try again to get all the air out. She squeezed it with her fingers- while my brother's trying to breathe- and the doctor had to tell her to use the syringe and suck all the air out. She finally managed to get all the air out of the balloon and David could breathe easily again. The doctor addressed the situation again with the nurses at the station, and hopefully only the nurses or RTs who are trained with David's type of trache will be working with him. With David being able to talk, he asked the doctor about being able to swallow, and he wanted to talk to Bruce, the Speech guy. Luckily, Bruce was walking down the hallway and I flagged him down. He hadn't heard David talk, since David sleeps through his sessions, and was quite surprised and pleased. David asked what the swallow test was, and Bruce explained that its a 3 day test to see how well David swallows a certain drink. Bruce didn't know that the doctor had put in a request for it to start on Monday, and told mom that he didn't think that David would pass. But again, he hasn't seen David much outside of sleep, so hopefully David will pass with flying colors. Well, that just started the long night, as David was becoming more confused in his thoughts and expressions. He was pushing himself in the halls trying to find his "real" room and wasn't content in any place or area. It was really hard as I was walking next to him in his wheelchair, trying to explain where his room was and show him the pictures of his friends and family on his walls, but David was not content and seemed so frustrated. After an hour of that, mom and I both asked if they could give him some medicine to sedate him a bit. Never thought we'd ask that, but it had to be so hard on David to be in that state. David finally wanted to go to bed, and the nurses were able to feed him since he wasn't in one spot long enough to do that most of the evening. Once he was settled, we prayed again for him and we let him rest.

Thanks for the prayers and your patience as we skipped yesterday's blog! We know God is working miracles in David, and that each of David's new "states" is a step closer to full consciousness and healing. We ask that you continue to pray for David's healing, and for a peace and understanding that can only come from God. We also want to pray hard for his swallowing test, so that he can begin to enjoy food! That would be such a boost to his spirit!!!

-Laura
(I wasn't ready to go home, so I extended my trip 'til the 10th of December!)

P.S. I posted a few more pictures on David's recovery slideshow the other day, so check them out!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

11:30 PM
David is continuing to improve. The dr. gave me a questionaire to fill out and score on David called The Orientation Log (O-Log). If he answers 25/30 points correctly for 3 days then we know he is past the "post trauma stage"(?). The sooner he comes through this stage, the better his prognosis will be. He has to answer questions about the date, time, city, kind of place that he is in, name of hospital, month, date, year, day of the week, clock time, etiology of his accident, and what is wrong with him. I will ask him the questions tomorrow. However, tonight he was worried about his trachea and if he would be able to talk when they take it out. He has heard us and the nurses discussing inflating and deflating the tube in the trachea and why it has to be there: keep from aspirating fluid into his lungs, being able to talk when it is capped, etc. Well, he is hearing parts of the conversations, and is scared that he might suffocate, aspirate, or get pneumonia. He asked to talk to the dr. We promised that tomorrow he could. He said to tell Kelly he was sorry if he suffocated before she got here! Pray for peace for him. We have tried to explain and think that he is understanding enough to get him through the night hopefully. But what a miracle that he is questioning his treatment! He also this morning was unscrewing the bolt in his arm brace to stretch out his arm more. We laughed that he would become his own physical/occupational therapist or take over their jobs. During therapy today, he stood for 23 minutes at the standing table. Then again this afternoon for a shorter period. He walked the parallel bars a tad bit quicker today. We got a SMILE out of David today. PT was working on his legs and getting him to kick. Christa was sitting close enough by that he would kick her sometimes. She got back at him by tickling his feet. That is when he smiled! :-) He would imitate Christa by putting a "half-sphere, foam, shaped thing" on his head and trying to balance it. We were having fun with him again! The therapists are very good with David and the other guys here. They laugh and joke with them, but treat them very respectful. We are soooo thankful for them. Plus, they let us get involved helping too.
David communicated by writing quite a bit today. It is very hard to read. He looks straight ahead and writes down low. I don't know why he isn't looking at the paper or board that he is writing on. But, when we gave him a phone to text on, it appeared that he was looking straight at the phone. So.... I don't know what type of vision deficits he may have. He did nod yes when we asked if his vision was blurry. Please pray for that issue too.
The family is all leaving tomorrow. Steve, Christa and the kids will drive home early in the morning. I will take Laura and Brea to the airport. Some good "old" friends arrived tonight and are staying till Sat., Randy and Violet Rugh. David hugged Violet tonight and shook Randy's hand. He wrote "Rugh" on the board to let us know that he remembered them! Steve's brother, sister, and dad are coming up tomorrow for a few days. Then Kelli and Rose Manning are coming on Friday. Pray for a safe journey for all of them.
Thanks for all your prayers again. Patty

Tuesday pm (Wednesday), November 27-(28), 2007

11 PM P.S.T.

Today, during physical therapy in the gym, David stood for 15 minutes (with assistance) at a table while a recreational therapist worked with David. He was testing David with different objects, and David responded appropriately most of the time, but not all. It was a little hectic at the time, and they say that TBI patients can have trouble concentrating when there is a lot going on around them.

He did not have his trachea ‘capped’ so he could not talk today. The doctor told us that perhaps by Saturday his feeding would be under control and he could be ‘capped’ again. Persistent Patty wasn’t content, and made the doctor add to the nursing orders that, with supervision, David could be ‘capped’ briefly between feedings to allow him to talk.

After we left the gym David wheeled (with some steering help) into a multipurpose room where they have computers and video games. They have a ‘Wii’ video game system that has a one handed controller and a bowling game (among others) that seemed perfect for David to try. The coordination required was tricky for him, but he sort of got the hang of it after a few tries. It might turn out to be a favorite. As we were leaving we asked David “where to next” and we tried to get him to write on paper what he felt like doing. He can write legibly sometimes, but often it is a chore to decipher what he has scribbled. He finally wrote “my room”, “relax”. He was pooped.

Tonight they got David into a wheel chair again and took him into the hallway for a ‘walk’. Patty “talked” to the nurses for a long time before they agreed to ‘cap’ his tracea. Back in his room she asked if he wanted to call Kelli Manning and he nodded. David listened for a long, long time to Kelli talking before he said (so quietly that we had to strain to hear him and interpret to Kelli some of what he was saying) “I’m in the hospital”. “I can’t talk or walk”, “I can’t do anything”. He said “I want to go to Riverside” and “I have to stay a while”. (Steve's narration ends here and Patty's romance novel begins). He told Kelli that she was what got him through the day. We asked Kelli to tell David when she was coming up, she said, “Thursday! Then we asked David, “Can you wait three days to see Kelli?” He replied, “I’ll try to wait.” When we told Kelli to hurry up, but drive safe, David nodded yes and said, “Drive safe!” That’s another miracle if you know David’s driving history!!!!!
PS from Patty: It was like straight from a romantic movie, maybe better than Officer and a Gentleman! The nurse, nurse’s aide, Christa and I were all in tears! On the other end of the private conversation, Kelli and (her mom) Rose were in tears at the new library by their house waiting for a meeting to start! It was GREAT! OK, so we’re off to see the romanticist for another exciting day. PRAISE GOD! Thanks again for your prayers and don’t stop! This is AMAZING! How great is our God!

Monday, November 26,2007

This morning David went to the gym with OT and PT, and he had his trache plugged so he was able to talk. We reminded him of that, because it's got to be a little confusing having his trache plugged one hour and not the next. When we told him to let us know if he was in pain or needed anything, he said "I want my mom" a couple times before we heard him enough to understand. Mom was in the room, but watching him from behind. Of course she quickly went to him, I'm sure just elated!! He stood for 15 min. with support behind his knees so they wouldn't buckle. Mom held a ball in different places for David to grab and throw back to her, trying to get his elbows off the table in front of him and aslo to get him looking more to his left. He had a harder time when the ball was on his left side, and would sort of feel his way up mom's hand in order to find it. We're not sure how well he's seeing out of that eye, or if it was just out of his scope of vision right now. Either way, he found the ball each time and continued to stand. An Occupational Therapist came in to assist. While stretching David's left arm, wrist, David said, "My arm is broken." They explained that it wasn't and they were going to help him be able to use it. After a bit of rest, they took him to the parallel bars and helped him walk the 6 feet down and back. He still needed help moving his left leg, the PT said David did about 25% of the work on that side. David was really tired after the session and went to bed. It was a great morning!!

This afternoon we had "the meeting," where we discussed where David is in his recovery and addressed our concerns with the whole team of specialists working with him. The doctors and therapists are so good at updating us daily, that there were no surprises. They told us about their plan to get David to eat three or four bigger "meals" through his feeding tube rather that the constant feeding that he's been getting. They need to make sure that he can handle the meals and digest them before they take out his trache. There's a balloon ring in the trache that actually protects his lungs in case he were to vomit and then aspirate (food going into the lungs, leading to pneumonia). The bummer is that they will not be able to cap the trache much for the next couple weeks and therefore he won't be able to talk much. It is another step in the process for David to get to eat real food though, so we'll be patient.

After the meeting we checked on David again and he was agitated a bit while PT was working with him again. I asked David if he had to use the bathroom, and he gave me the bathroom signal (crossing 2 fingers), so I left the room and he used the urinal (in bed). Sorry for the details, I'm sure he'd be embarrassed with me posting his bathroom info, but it's so exciting that he's gaining control of that stuff, able to communicate it, and also that he's aware the alternatives and chooses the urinal. He kicked mom out yesterday- actually he said "I want my mom to leave"- when he had to go, and again, that shows that David is becoming more aware and wanting to be more discrete. He fell asleep after he used the bathroom, so we left.

David was asleep each time we tried to visit this afternoon and evening, and so we let him, even though we're sooo anxious to be with him! He did tell Christa that he had to use the RR tonight, but again fell asleep right after that. Mom stayed in the room while David slept and stretched out his left arm, wrist and fingers. He extended his arm about 135 degrees and let her leave it that way for the hour she was with him.

We're excited for tomorrow, and have so much hope in David's recovery! Thanks for all your prayers and support! God is so good!!

Laura

Monday, November 26, 2007

3 AM


I can't really sleep because I am so excited and thinking a lot about this whole journey we have been on. I am thinking about some things that may need some clarifying too. First, on Friday when the Respiratory Therapist plugged David's trachea, he did so for two hours. On Saturday they plugged it for four to five hours. Then on Sunday, it was for six hours. For several of those hours on Sunday, he slept.
Another thought that keeps running through my head is about expectations. This year at my elementary school, we have been starting a "No Excuses University" program with the students. In a nutshell, this means that we set our expectations for each child very high. We are expecting them to not only be "No Child Left Behind" in reading, writing, and mathematics, but we are expecting them to set their goals on going to college, and nothing less. These high expectations that we have for these students has carried over with David and his rehabilitation. Since I expect that he can understand, instead of waiting for him to proove that he can understand, I have pushed the hospital staff to give him a chance to do things that they think he isn't ready for. We can't set our goals too short for anyone. We need to have faith that others can attain higher goals than we would ever have thought possible. When Steve and I went to see David around 9:30 PM tonight, he was "aggitated" and we were all waiting for his medication to calm him down. But as Steve and I played football/catch with him and tried to get him to write, he became less "aggitated". We acknowledged that it must be frustrating that he couldn't talk right now. (His trachea had been "uncapped" at 6:00 PM when he was asleep. When he woke up, he couldn't speak.) While playing catch with a footbal, we explained that he would be able to speak again tomorrow (today now!), reminded him that he could mouth the words, or write them down. He quit squirming so much in the bed. (Of course, the meds had started to take control also.) I'm seeing that his "aggitation" isn't being obnoxious as much as he is frustrated with not being able to communicate and expected to just lie in bed and do nothing. Please pray for the drs. and nurses to all understand how aware he is, and allow him to communicate, and have patience for him to follow directions. For instance, the nurses needed to pull David up higher in the bed, David can now help by grabbing the rail at the top of the bed, and using his feet to push himself up. But this takes time and help from the staff. The nurses aren't aware of this growth, and just start moving him by themselves. How frustrating that must be for David. Also, pray that they speed up the "process" of the trachea and feeding tubes quickly. God may be healing him too fast for our medical community to understand! I know he can swallow and has more control in his mouth than they think. Pray that they would see this quickly also. Pray that they stop drugging him so much during the day. I told the nurses today that David has been sleeping most of the morning away, and going to sleep in the evenings early. I know he needs to heal, but does he need to be drugged to sleep? He gets tired easily by being out of bed, going to PT, using the wheelchair to cruise around, and trying to figure out the computer. I am wondering if he needs ANY extra sleeping meds. We have a family meeting with the staff tomorrow, pray that all these concerns can be expressed and understood by all of us as a team. The team of drs. and nurses are outstanding and pretty open to my agressive therapy approach already! Now they are hearing it from Christa and Laura too. I have seen David a few times get too anxious and have a hard time waiting for the nurses to help transfer him to the wheelchair, or get him situated. He has the wheels of the wheelchair turning before they have him all the way back in the chair or can put a seatbelt on him! I tell you, I can't wait to see what he can do today! Thanks again, Love, Patty

Sunday, November 25, 2007

7:30 PM

You know what? Everyday is so amazing! Today, was nothing less! Miracle after miracle is happening every minute it seems like. David finally woke up around 10 AM for PT, well not really woke up. He seemed pretty drugged up. But he helped with getting into the wheelchair, and wheeling down to the PT gym. First he stood at a table for 10 minutes with the PT behind him so that he wouldn't buckle at the knees. Steve and I kept him busy with playing catch, shooting the dart gun, tried dice, and some cards. He did well through most of it. Then after taking a 10 minute break, he walked 6 feet, with help through the parallel bars that he held on to with his right hand. One therapist stood in front of him, the wheelchair with the feeding tube behind him, another therapist helping to move his left foot (90%), and me in front of him saying "Walk to mommy!" Steve, of course, was videotaping! We were so excited to see him upright. He needed so much help, but......it was another milestone. We got to experience that twice with a break in-between where I read him some of your blogs. Now, you can write them to David! When we arrived back at the room, he was tuckered out and slept from 11:30-3:30. We got a call that he was awake and went back to find him ready to show us how much he could talk. The girls, Christa and Laura, took him to find a computer in the hospital with internet. There he told them what his email address was. He corrected Laura when she typed bikerman169@yahoo.com. He used his fingers on his right hand to show her 2-0-0-5. Sure enough, when she checked, he was right! Then we tried for probably 40 minutes to understand what seems to be a complicated password. He was writing numerals and the word "shift", and saying "no shift" and talking very clearly but quietly. The nurse at one point, tried to tell David he had to leave his seatbelt on when he was undoing it and straightening himself in the chair. He told her, "I have to adjust myself. My right butt cheek hurts!" Then we tried helping him and he said he wanted "pillows" not a blanket. When I went to get the pillows, he told Christa, "Thanks for getting me the blanket." Then gave her a hug! (Isn't that the sweetest?) After awhile of working on the password, he pushed himself away from the computer and said, "I need to take a break to think about my password." Christa wheeled him outside. They tossed the football to each other, David throwing and even catching it one time! After a few minutes, he said he wanted to go inside. Once inside, another nurse, Mike, met him to put his left arm brace on. He was very cooperative and even tried to help put it back on. Then he told us he wanted to go back to his room. Wheeling back to the room, he made a 3 point turn (sorta running into us all) to turn around. He was getting pretty pooped out and needed a break, so we all left and came across the street to the Fisher House where everyone had helped make a delicious ham dinner. The families here are amazing. We are laughing and having a great time with several families. Another miracle...we ARE laughing and doing well! This is exciting to watch how fast David is being healed. The nurses are excited and amazed at his progress also. They are so amazing with David. They treat him like a person and we appreciate that, ya know! Thanks for all of your prayers and remember to write TO DAVID now on the BLOG GUESTBOOK, OR COMMENTS. I think he might be able to read them. Pretty cool, huh! Love ya all. We can't do this without your prayers and support, or GOD! THANK YOU! (Don't you wonder what will happen tomorrow?....... to be continued.....Monday! Patty

Saturday, November 24th, 2007

10 PM PST

Hi everyone!!! This is Gary Huddleston, David's uncle, Steve's favorite brother. We are up here in Palo Alto with Rose, (my wife) Annette (David's aunt) and Robert Huddleston, (David's Grandfather)visiting David, Steve, Patty, Christa, Laura, and their kids. After reading the earlier blogs, I must admit, that seeing David the first time on Friday, it was a shock. We kept reading of all the miraculous improvements, which they were, but expected a bit more then what we saw. We knew not to expect too much, yet hoped that things were better. It was distressing to see him so helpless. Of course there really was all the little miracles from God. Every improvement was a miracle. But we must realize that David started from practically nothing. All of those "little miracles" have added up, but to us, it is still saddening. Friday's visit was frustrating for us, to say the least, although Steve said that it was a improvement over Thursday. After visiting San Francisco on Saturday, enjoying some excellent clam chowder, we saw David again. It was a much better visit for us. He was more alert, and active. He had his trach capped and was actually TALKING!!! Some of the things he said was "I want my mom", "lean back" "I want to go home", "I can't talk anymore", and a few more that I can't recall. David, and most all of the family, went for a long walk around the hospital building, with a break for David to play a bit of the piano with Laura. He eyed the soda and snack machines longingly, and we made a dash out of there with him in tow. He tried to go online on the computer at the hospital, but unfortunately, the dsl was down. He wanted to check his "myspace" page. He seemed to be frustrated that he couldn't get on. Maybe tomorrow! It was a nice visit today, which filled us up with hope again! We know he has a long way to go, but with GOD'S continuing help, and much patience, and all the love prayers and support from family, and friends, he can be whole again.
I would also like to tell everyone how amazing Steve, Patty, Christa and Laura have been. They are SO supportive, upbeat, positive, and loving of David. They have kept their sense of humor through all of this. I don't know if i can ever be as strong as they are. Of course they worry, and pray. They talk with each other about the days events, David's highs, and lows. They have SO much faith in GOD, and trust him to heal David completely, yet know that he may not be whole, and will love him wholeheartedly anyway. They are the best support team David could ever get.
I am very proud to be a part of this amazing family. We, as you, will continue to check this blog every day for the updates.
Keep up the prayers!!!

Friday, November 23, 2007 PM

9:30 PM

A couple updates. I can't figure out this computer and the pictures, maybe Laura can help me tomorrow. David had some company tonight. His Gpa Huddleston, Aunt Annette, Uncle Gary and Aunt Rose came for the weekend. David seemed alert when they visited him. They thought that he looked better than they expected but also felt it was still depressing to see him lying there in that condition. He fell asleep around 6pm tonight. We have been checking on him all evening and hoping he would wake up. This may be the night he sleeps! I'm looking forward to more excitement tomorrow. Patty

Friday, November 23, 2007

1 pm
I know it is early for a blog, but it has been a great day! First, David's respiratory therapist came in and decided that on Monday we could cap his trachea. I suggested "patiently" that we should try it today! He agreed after a bit of bribing. Not really, no bribing. OT came in and we decided to put David in the wheelchair. So I learned how to transfer him from the bed to the chair, a piece of cake. And they thought it would take all week....... OK, so, David is in the wheelchair and his trachea is blocked, which means he is breathing out his nose and mouth. When he coughs it sounds like DAVID! YEAH! But then we are encouraging him to make some sounds, and he tried and made some type of sounds. Now, we hand him my phone and ask him if he wants to call someone.....he dialed my phone number by himself!!!!!!! Then we hand him Steve's cell phone and ask him to dial my number....he dialed Steve's number!!!! Next I called him and he answered the call. He tried again to make some noises. Then he tried to call Brian, his brother-in-law from the "contacts". He knows what he is doing! Also..... we found out at noon that he is clear from the bacteria that was keeping him in isolation. He got to go outside!!!! He loved it. Bella and Brea finally got to give David hugs. They were so excited, and David just put his arm out to get the girls. David helped roll the wheelchair and used his foot to help steer. We helped him but it won't be long. They laughed at me when I asked for a motorized wheelchair that he could handle all controls with his right hand. The reason being to not get him an expensive, personalized one is that they want him up and walking. That sounds good too. But he could really get around NOW with a motorized one! (I know, patience!)We stayed out there for 30-45 minutes until Speech Therapy came to get him and take him inside where he wouldn't be distracted. We are THRILLED! This is a day to be thankful! God is sooooo good and faithful! Thank you God! Love ya all! Will write later with more happenings from today! If I have your email, I'll be sending you a picture from today. If you don't get one, email me back so I can put you on this computer's email address. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving Day, 2007

10 PM P.S.T.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with our family (minus Brian, who hit some snags at work and couldn’t get off in time to fly out from Texas) at the Fisher House. A church donated a turkey, ham and most of the fixins, so many of the people here got organized and together we put together an awesome meal for 20-30 people. There was a lot left over, so we’ll be eating turkey for breakfast tomorrow morning!

This morning Patty and I saw a different side of David. He was aggressive, and he scared Patty. He pulled her toward him, and she said, “Oh, do you want a hug”, but he bit her hair and would not let go. When she finally pulled away, he had hair hanging out of his mouth that he had ripped out of her head! Then as she was interacting with him he grabbed her fingers and twisted them as he pulled them across his body. She felt like he could have broken them. I talked to two doctors about this, and they said that in a way this was good, because this is one of the stages that TBI (traumatic brain injury) patients go through as they slowly emerge from their coma.

Christa and Laura spent a lot of time with David again today while Patty, Mike and I watched kids and grocery shopped. After we ate our big meal we all took turns visiting David. We tried to see if he would type on the notebook computer. He punched a few keys and hit the backspace to erase, but that was about it. Patty typed some words and asked him to point to those objects, and he did. Some. Mike played dice with him, and David would point to the dice that showed five, three, etc. He is still quick with his answers to his sisters math questions.

After he fell asleep, Patty stayed a long time and “ranged” his left arm and leg. This is where we stretch and straighten his limbs to help prevent the stiffness that can result in permanent lessening of his ‘range of motion’. His arm especially is so tight that we cannot “range” it while he is awake.

We looked at photos and videos of David that we have taken since the accident and it was clear how much progress he has made. We are still concerned about his future, but it reminded me of the Israelites after God performed miracle after miracle in bringing them out of Egypt. As they continued to wander through the wilderness they had to look back at what God had already done in order to keep their faith strong. As we look back we have faith for the future.

Steve

Friday, 10:37 am...

Yesterday, when Laura and I went in to see David, he gave us high fives, hugs and kisses on our cheeks and hands!!!! It totally made the last 20 years of no kisses worth it, to get ours yesterday! It felt like heaven to feel his hugs again. He slept a lot when we were there, which we knew he needed. There wasn't any therapy yesterday, so it was good for him to just rest. Later that night the nurses put him in his chair and we talked quite a bit with him (mom, Laura and me). We asked him if he knew why he was in the hospital and he gave us a thumbs down. We explained that there was a car accident. We asked if he remembered hanging out at the beach in Turkey with his friends. He gave us a thumbs up. We asked if he remembered the rocky beach, the chicks in bikinis, etc., etc. and he just listened intently. We asked if he remembered each of his 3 friends in the car and he gave us an immediate thumbs up for each one! Boys, you should have seen how his face seemed to light up at the mention of your names! We asked if he remembered Michael Cote, his commanding officer, and his thumb went way up! His memory is there, that's for sure!

Earlier that day, we went through listing the names of people in the pictures that are taped to his walls, friends and family. I would ask, "can you find the picture of Bella?" We would watch as his eyes would search the walls and then he would give a thumbs up. He did this repeatedly for quite a few people.

At another point in our day, David was laying on his side and Laura and I were talking to him and Mike was sitting in the chair that was towards his back. We asked if he could see Mike and he turned his whole body over and looked right at Mike! It was awesome! He has come SOOOO far from when we left him in DC! We are truly encouraged by all his improvements, memory and ability to process things as fast as he does. To God be the Glory for the miracle that is David's life!

- Christa

Wednesday November 21, 2007

From Wednesday (I couldn’t get the internet to work in my hotel…sorry!)

It has been so great to see David again! I cannot believe how much he has changed since we last saw him, and yes, I do read the blogs :o)! I guess there is a lot that’s up for interpretation, such as how long it might take David to complete a “task,” or how graceful he is at performing it. And I’ve been reading the blogs with the David that I saw last, who was much slower and less obvious at completing commands. It turns out that in some instances his response time is just as quick as you or me, and he DEFINITELY understands what we’re saying!!

Today Christa, Mike and I quizzed him on his multiplication facts and he showed his answers on his right hand super quick- which means the facts were pretty simple, but he gave us 4 fingers for 2x2, and 3 for 3x1. My brother’s a genius I tell you! We got some high fives on command and he waved goodbye to several of his nurses/therapists when we asked him to. He pointed out the words “Christa,” “Love,” and “Mike” on a board. We gave him a pen to a magna-doodle board and asked him to write his name, but that was pretty scribbled and unrecognizable. He seemed really intent and looked like he was writing paragraphs for us to read… Someday soon. He thumb wrestled with me this morning, and I mean really thumb wrestled. He even did the pre-wrestle part of moving his thumb side to side before attacking mine. I was impressed. And he scratched Christa’s back a bit when she asked him to. At one point Mike was sitting off to his right, and started talking to him about video games, and David turns his head and eyes to him and just listened like nothing had changed. When we’ve been playing catch, he’s been sort of flicking the balls after he “winds” up, but today he really threw the ball hard at Mike. David loves to pull at our gloves, snapping the fingers off one at a time. I won’t let him pull mine because I have a terrible fear of rubber bands- from when David and Kevin Huddleston used to chase me around the house with their stupid rubber band guns. Many of his behaviors are really repetitive, and he’ll continue with them until he’s distracted with something else or he gets bored, but he seems to have control of what he’s doing. And some things aren’t always consistent, like him answering our questions with a thumbs up or nod. He likes to get our attention by holding his hand out to us, and it was nice to know when he needed or wanted something. We can’t wait until we have a definite communication system, and I don’t think it will be long.

We saw PT and OT a couple times today. They sat David up in his chair twice, and it was really neat to see him help them out so much. He got to stand up 3 times with support for about 5 minutes each. I think that wore him out and he nodded that he wanted to get back in bed after that. Speech therapy came in after that, but David fell almost instantly into REM sleep. We decided to let him sleep and we left for the night, hoping he would get better sleep tonight ‘cause he’s still only sleeping an hour or two at night.

Thanks for your prayers! It’s wonderful to see God in action and answering our prayers! And thanks for your comments, they remind us of whose helping fight David’s battle through prayer and support! Brian wasn't able to make his flight tonight- he had to work today and probably tomorrow. Hopefully he'll be able to make it this weekend, I know that it's imortant to David to see him.

Have a happy Thanksgiving tomorrow! We have a lot to be thankful for!
-Laura

Tuesday, November 20th, 2007

11:30 PM
David was sleepy again today since he didn't fall asleep untill 4:00 AM. He started waking up around 11:00 AM. Just like his old schedule!
It was great to visit and pray with Travis Osbourne this morning. We love seeing friends and family. Speaking of family, Christa, Bella, and Tobey arrived by car around 3 PM. Laura and Brea arrived at 3 PM at the airport. Tonight, Mike flew in around 10 PM. Now all we're missing is Brian, who will arrive tomorrow.
Today David and the therapists worked on transfering him from the bed to the wheelchair, where he stayed for an hour. After I talked to a VA rep, I went back in the room and handed David the magnadoodle. I told him to sign his name while I was busy with someone else, ha ha. Well, when I turned around, I saw that he had written what appeared to be his signature for his first name. It looked pretty good considering that he always had messy handwriting! I was shocked! I erased it and tried again, but didn't get anything the second time. I wished I had taken a picture of it before I erased it. Later, I was playing with the magnetic letters and wrote "shop" and "cart". I asked him to point to each one and he did! Tomorrow, I am going to figure out how much he can read!!!!!
Christa and Laura spent a lot of time with David this afternoon. They were excited that he was tracking them in the room, recognized each of them, and looked so much better in the three weeks since they had seen him last.
Today was the second day of a negative culture for the aci...bactrim bacteria to show up. If it turns up negative for the third culture in a couple days, we won't have to wear the "blue prom dresses" aka gowns, and gloves anymore. The nieces aren't allowed in David's room until he is cleared either. They stood at the door, waved, and said "Hi!" though. Continue praying for the negative culture again please! Also, that we will be able to communicate better with David. He is sooooo frustrated! Us too that we can't help him. Pray for his swallowing reflex to come back so that he can graduate from his trachea and feeding tube. He wants to put everything in his mouth. The dr. said that we could try the Listermint strips that melt in your mouth. Yesterday, I tried to get him to lick a sucker. He grabbed it and put it in his mouth! (He can't have anything by mouth still.) He sucked on it and then took it out when I asked him to. He did that one more time, and then fell asleep. That was a relief, because I didn't think he would give it back, plus if he had bit the sucker....it's possible that he could have aspirated, instead of swallowing....it wouldn't have been good. He is loosing weight and needs to start eating real food: smoothies, In and Out Burgers, ice cream, etc. again! Thanks again for your prayers and support. Hope to see all of you soon! Love, Patty

Monday, November 19th, 2007

9:45 PM PST

It was Thanksgiving again in Palo Alto. These Northern Californians eat all the time! I'm stayin' here!! A very patriotic and caring group fed us a turkey lunch with all the trimmings at the Fisher House and I'm embarrassed that I don't even know who they were. But poor David couldn't enjoy any of it.

This morning the respiratory and physical therapists battled it out and respiratory therapy won. Physical therapy had to come back after lunch. That is when, along with the speech pathologists, the PT guy took David outside in a wheel chair. We think that David liked it, but he doesn't really show emotions. We explained that David (before the accident) was quite proficient in a wheel chair, just ask some of his friends (Sean and the Chris's) about their Magic Mountain escapades. When I told David it was time to go he started pushing the right wheel on his chair and was ready to take off. But because his left hand is not working yet, the therapist kept pushing it for David (he said they were pushing 50/50) but I think David could have pushed a lot more if he was allowed to. When we got to a spot out of the wind (it was cool out) the speech therapists worked with him for a little bit, then we went back inside. It was a start, but we were hoping for more. Maybe we have to be more patient. The doctor said that we can start getting David in a wheel chair three times a day now.

Here are some cool thing that happened today. Patty arranged three word on the magnetic board (car, home, snow) and David kinda pointed to the correct ones. All ready he can read as good as me. Patty used a back scratcher on David, and he took it and was playing with it. Patty turned her back to him and asked for a back scratch and he turned it in his hand so it was at the correct angle and scratched her back. When we arrived this morning we were informed that we no longer have to wear the masks in his room. They were the worst! If he tests negative two more time he will no longer be in isolation, but the doctor said he would be surprised if it happened that quickly. We will see about that.

Christa and her girls drove part way up today. They stopped in Bakersfield to visit the girls great grandmother (Mikes grandma) and spend the night. They will probably arrive here in the early afternoon. We will pick up Laura and Brea at the San Jose airport at 3:30 PM tomorrow. We will nearly have a full house. Wednesday night their husbands (Mike and Brian) will fly in, and then we will have a perfectly full house. It will be a great Thanksgiving even if we can't cook. Also tomorrow, Travis Osborne, David's old high school youth pastor (easily the best that has ever lived) will stop by in the morning to visit him in the hospital. We are looking forward to that.

God is faithful, and he reminds me when I'm feeling frustrated of just how far David has come (we didn't know if he would even live) and we can trust Him to continue to work out His perfect will in David's life. Exactly what that will mean is a mystery to us now, but we know that God loves David and through faith we trust Him.

Good Night. Steve

Sunday, November 18, 2007

2:30 pm

Sleepyhead is asleep again! Finally he is catching up on his beauty sleep. He had Physical Therapy today, even on Sunday. After doing some range of motion stretching, David was helped into the wheelchair again. He did great for an hour and a half. We played some dice, and Steve took advantage of changing the game every time it was his turn. We taught the therapist and nurse how to play our favorite game of dice, no name has been given to the game though. David fell asleep as soon as he was helped back to bed. But, woke up as soon as the nurses decided to move him up in the bed. I think it only took a few minutes for him to fall back to sleep. Steve is staying with him and I am going to sew. :-)

Steve and I tried a church today here in Palo Alto, the Vineyard. It was good and we had some great prayer warriors pray with us after the service. After church, we saw sleeping David again. There was another bar-be-que on the patio for vets and families. Lots of great food again and fun talking to other patients and families. Can't wait for David to be able to be out enjoying these outings with us. There are many interesting veterans here changing my life with their heroic stories. I pray that Steve, David and I can be as affective in changing their lives also. Pray for David and his emotions. I feel like he is somewhat depressed. Thanks, Patty

Saturday, November 17th, 2007

9 PM PST

Today was a slower day, as some of the doctors are off on the weekends. We were able to be there when OT & PT came by (some call them Se and Georgette), and they brought a brace for David's left arm. It is a temporary one but it seemed to help a lot by extending his arm. He wears it for two hours then it is removed for two hours, etc. After two sessions it seemed that David's arm stayed more extended than before. While Georgette (AKA OT) put on the brace and got it configured for David, Se (yes that would be PT) worked on stretching David's left leg, knee, ankle and foot. She walked us through the right and wrong ways to do it as she went, which was very informative.

Patty and I had a turkey lunch provided by some very patriotic groups. We think the American Legion, VFW and other groups were involved. We were served outside in the courtyard where the weather was sunny and warm.

Patty spent several hours with David after lunch when he was very active (grabbing tubes, hoses and stuff) but not very reponsive. Patty did get a long hug when she asked for it. But she thought for the most part he was kind of out of it this afternoon.

I spelled off Patty later, and David and I played dice together, now I owe him $23. Just kidding. But after he rolled a pair of dice a few times, I would say "my turn" and he would quickly pick up the dice and hand them to me. It seemed that his reaction time was quicker than usual. I think this is confirmation that he is a natural born gambler. Or something. When that novelty wore off I tried a million things to keep him busy and interested, until finally he fell asleep. Talk about an answer to prayer! We love being with David, hanging out, working and playing with him, but it also can be very hard work. We will sleep good tonight!

We love and appreciate all of you who have been praying for David. Thanks.

Steve

Friday, November 16, 2007

9:46 PM PST

This was another exciting day! First of all, David slept for 4 hours last night!

Another great part of the day was that I got a kiss from David, and so willingly. I don't know if he is forgetting that he never liked to give kisses, or that he actually really appreciates us now!!! The articles we have been reading say that after a brain injury, the person's personality will change. What a great change! I'm wondering if his colorblindness will be corrected too!!!? After the kiss, he was very tired and started to take a nap. Unlike Sleeping Beauty! Whoops, he should have done that last night, because in comes the respiratory therapist. I thought David was going to crawl out of the bed. He did kick the guy when he turned around! But, Joe continued his job and laughed at David and said he would have to watch his foot. He suctioned his lungs and made him cough. Now you see why Joe isn't David's favorite person! The stuff he is sucking out isn't as thick; so the warm, moist air and treatments have been working.

Next, several of the doctors came in to see if we had any questions. I mentioned that David's right eye looked slightly red, and they agreed to have the opthomologist come back to check it. We still hadn't heard what the results were from the test on Thursday. His eyes are looking closer to the same size in dilation too! Dr. Mc Donald agreed. Through more/different drugs they are going to try to relieve the spasticity in the left arm. This is very frustrating, because we were able to do some range of motion with his elbow, shoulder, wrist, and fingers in D.C. . Now, they resist much of the movement we could do becuase he was so relaxed when he would sleep. Of course we don't want him drugged up anymore, so...???? We tried to show the drs. how David can use the board to answer yes and no questions, but he was too tired. They were glad that he could do that now.

Another short nap for 15 minutes occured before the OT and PT ladies came in. At first they wanted to just let him sleep, but Steve and I said NO! Get him out of this bed! So, they did! They worked on sitting him up at the side of the bed again. His blood pressure stayed low, and they decided to try him standing. When told to lean forward, David did some of the work. When told to lift up off the bed, David did some of that too! Finally they decided he was doing so well, they would try transfering him to the wheelchair. It was awesome to see him out of bed. He sat in the wheelchair and answered some questions with the yes/no board again. Steve suggested they raise the arms up so David could sit up with better posture which worked even better. Before getting out of the chair, David started to fall asleep again. Steve and I decided to leave after he got back to bed and let him sleep. We went to San Francisco for a few hours, had some corn chowder and crab soup that was delicious.

Arriving home, we went to check in on David again. He had been just fallen asleep 5 minutes before we got there. Maybe tonight he will sleep better. So again, God is answering prayers and we continue to see David's brain healing. Everyday there is something that improves. Oh yeah, he is turning his head now to see people and objects on the other side of the room. The therapists had said to talk to him from the left side of the bed so that he would start turning his head. And David did that too! Yeah!

Thanks again for all your support and words of encouragement. Don't forget to sign the guestbook, or post a comment, so we know who is praying. Thanks Mike and JoAnn, and Joe at Bogner Pools for helping with our pool after the fires. :-) Jenna, thank you so much for staying at our home, and taking care of Chester, the plants, and the house. Kelli said you are a great housekeeper! Someone will be lucky when they marry you!

This computer thinks that I don't have any email addresses, so if you would send your email addresses to me at phuddle104@charter.net, I would appreciate that too. God Bless and love to all. Patty

Thursday, November 15, 2007

10:00 PM PST

When we arrived this morning, the respiratory therapist was there working with David. He checked to see if David could be moved up to a different tracea, but he is not ready.

The occupational and physical therapists arrived in tandem to work with David, and sit him up on the side of his bed. He sat there for 11 minutes, and his blood pressure remained fairly constant. They will try this for two more days to see if he is ready to get into a wheelchair and go outside. Patty and I keep thinking that they already did this at Walter Read, but I guess they have to see for themselves. Hey, it's still progress.

As we returned to his room today, Patty bent over and asked David for a kiss (if you know David you'll know this is a major miracle) and he puckered up and gave her one. Tonight his eyes (both!) were tracking moving objects, and even across to his left side. Sometimes when a TBI patient has trouble moving one side of his body, even his good side will not move past the midline of his body. This was double exciting!

He is still not sleeping at night (about 2 hours) so that is an area to continue to pray for. Thanks for all of your prayers.

Steve

Wednesday, November 14th, 2007

10 PM PST

At one point today we had the neurology team, and several of his doctors, the opthamologist?, the occupational and physical therapists, as well as his nurse and assistant nurse (coach), Patty and me in his room. He seems to be getting plenty of attention, and maybe they will learn to schedule their time with him a little better. Besides all of these, his speech pathologists were in later to test him. He did pretty well in responding to all of their commands and requests. He nodded, gave Hi Fives, pointed to objects and pictures, is starting to track objects with his right eye (but not past the middle of his body), and for the first time shook his head 'no'. I need to mention that he might give one of these correct responses once, and then not respond at all to the next question. There is a still a lot of inconsistency.

Yesterday Patty asked him to smile (he really only has one expression, and that is no expression) and he made a huge effort to smile, though not real successful. Today he had more control of his mouth, trying to imitate us by attempting to mouth a couple simple words. He only slept two hours, max., last night so please pray that he starts sleeping more. The doctor told us that this is common for brain trauma cases, and this can be compounded because they are changing many of his meds.

We praise god for his progress, but realize that this may be a really long and tedious road that we are on. Thanks again for all of your prayers, comments and support, as it means the world to us and helps us to keep on going, cheerfully.

Steve

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Noon, PDT



Here is the address for us and/or David:


Steve and Patty Huddleston
c/o David Huddleston
VAPA
3801 Miranda Ave.
Rm. D-134, Bldg. 7
Palo Alto, CA 94304


David is pretty sleepy again today. We stayed this am. and tried some activities with him. He is running a slight temp. 100.3. He is being treated with antibiotics for the aci..bacter germ, and will probably need something more for a urinary infection. The Speech Therapists came in to evaluate him and we told of all the communication he is doing. They were interupted by the medical dr. who came in to check on his temp and what that might be. They will be back at 1pm. Steve and I took a tour of the facility where about 40 soldiers stay, professional offices, the gym, and pool. Everyone is very friendly and helpful here. We drove to the store and around town yesterday. It is beautiful up here. The weather is in the 60s with light clouds and BLUE skies. TTYS Love, Patty

Monday, November 11th, 2007

7 PM Palo Alto, CA time.
We are finally all here in Palo Alto, checked in, and starting to settle in. Let me back up and tell you about the last two days, I didn't have a computer, sorry.

Saturday, November 9th:

When Steve and I arrived at David's room there was some chaos as the nurses and drs. were getting all his meds, records, and paperwork ready to go. During our conversation, they asked if I was worried about anything. I mentioned that I couldn't sleep well the night before. I continuously worried about David and his trachea, and when it gets clogged he has a hard time breathing. His oxygen level can be OK., his lungs can sound clear, but he is sweating, sounds like he has emphysema, and is very upset. I asked if his inner cannula (tube in his trachea) had been cleaned or switched, and another nurse answered, "Yes". The nurse I was talking to said, "Well, let's check it so you don't worry." It was a little clogged up so he changed it out and put several more in the medical bag going with us. On the plane, he began having the typical complications as I said above. Several nurses were trying to figure it out, even though I was giving my input over and over, and being ignored. They messed with humidification, gave him a breathing treatment, took away the blankets and everything else that David was throwing off of himself. When we made a stop at Scott AFB, they gave him morphine and some other drugs, which didn't help. They continued to be perplexed, I continued to tell them about my lengthy experience with this situation and my remedy: change out the inner cannula, and gently at first, tried to hand them the replacement part several times. One nurse finally explained to me that it isn't a sterile atmosphere in the plane, and they didn't want to change it because of that.

We arrived at Travis in the early afternoon PST. At the hospital he still seemed to be in distress. I continued to tell them he needed a clean inner cannula, and even show them where the replacement one was, and they continued to say he was fine! Next, (now 4:30 PST), they tried another breathing treatment. No change. I asked if they would just change the freakin cannula. Oh.......guess what......they did and he started breathing easily and went right to sleep! I am learning to be more assertive and am realizing that I do know what he needs -sometimes!!!! :-)

That night also had a couple heart stopping moments. Literally! As Kristie, the nurse, and I were in the room talking about her years in Turkey, David stopped breathing! We shook him and yelled at him, and he came back. That happened twice before 10pm. Plus, another time he just froze and had a blank stare. I yelled his name again and put my hand in front of his face. He snapped out of it after a few seconds. I slept in his room that night! He was fine until he just about slid out of the bed! He wants out! But when he lies flat, he has a harder time breathing, so I woke up to his loud breathing again. The nurse helped my straighten him up in the bed, and after a couple coughs, he was fine. We woke up at 5 or 5:30 again to the same thing. Now it was time to start getting him ready to leave by 8 am for Palo Alto!

Sunday, November 10th, 2007

Palo Alto is amazing! I met 2 doctors and several nurses, who had fantastic attitudes about his coming experience and what they want to do. They will begin changing him to some different meds that won't sedate and confuse David as much. David raised his right arm, right hand, and held up one finger, and then two. He can raise his hips up off the bed now. He is pointing to specific people when shown pictures of family and friends. :-) He remembers you!!!!! He has nodded his head now several times for a yes answer. He clicks his fingers. Thumbs up and thumbs down are improving in coordination. The left knee is bending. Speaking of thumbs, his left thumb and pointer finger are more relaxed, instead of clenched. One dr. said he is very tight on the left side and will especialy need that worked on. He mentioned specific drugs and therapy to help with that issue. Laying a couple of cards on David's lap, I asked him to give me one. He did, but then got the next 3 wrong.

They have officially moved him to Level IV of the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Scale! Yeah!!! Well, this is the confused and agitated level! His senses are really coming around and he can't sit still at all! He is using the repirator tubing as a sling shot (with his foot!) to shoot the cover off his trachea cover!! Pretty funny actually! He got extremely creative while I was busy putting up pictures around the wall and not watching. I tied some extra tubing that I found on the side of the bed for him to pull at, instead of the other tubing attatched to him (well not after I ignored him and put up pictures). Now they have someone to sit with him constantly to coach him not to pull at the tubes! OOps! Now I can play with him and the "coach" reminds him not to pull stuff off. He sure is getting quick at pulling of the tight socks and blood clotting gadgets velcroed around his legs! LOL! Here's another funny!: I was sitting at the foot of his bed talking to the nurse, and David puts his leg on my shoulder and justs starts shaking it. He repeated that a few times, and then I turned my back to him and said if you're going to do that, why don't you massage my back? He put his foot on my back and started moving it in circles to massage it! I guess the foot in my face and on my shoulder was probably more "pay attention to me" then just an involuntary reflex!

Monday, November 11th, 2007

Another good day. I woke up to the phone ringing. My almost 1 year old granddaughter, Tobey, called me on her mom's cell phone while getting her diaper changed. She is a smart one!

When I went to see David today, we looked at more pictures and he continued to point out everyone correctly. I took out the cards and today he knew them about 85%! How about that for progress! I met Dr. MacDonald, and discussed with her if I could take David outside. Maybe soon...... We now have to gown up and wear gloves and masks to see him since he is testing positive for the acin...bacter thing. So she needs to see if we can take him out and expose him to others. Steve arrived about 11 am and since David only slept two times last night for 30 minutes each, he was pretty tired. He continues to give high fives and hugs goodbye. The nurse just called and said David was awake, so Steve has gone over to visit some more. Our room in the Fisher House is almost directly across the street from his Rehab Ward. It is so convenient. I can't wait to see what the therapists all think and do tomorrow!
God has been so faithful! We are so excited about his progress. Continue to pray for his healing, and specifically from this stupid germ. I don't want anyone else getting it but it would be nice to take David outside. Thanks for your encouragement and your faithfulness to pray for David and the family. We enjoy and check the blog for comments and guests all the time too. Love, Patty

Ohhh.....P.S. I just remembered that David helped me shave his face today. Not only did he hold the electric razor longer and better, he stuck out his tongue by his lips to shave that area better. I'm sure there are more improvements from today that I am forgetting. He is doing so great!

Saturday, November 10th, 2007

9 PM Washington D.C. time.

Patty and I met David and the medical team at 5 AM this morning on his ward. They were busy getting everything together for his flight. At 6 AM the bus finally pulled out for Andrews AFB for their 9 AM flight with David and 1 other patient (who was able to walk onto the bus on his own) as well as Patty and a team of 3.

Patty called briefly from Scott AFB, where they spent two hours on the ground loading and unloading patients, although Patty had to stay on board.

She finally called about 3:30 PST to say that they were on the ground at Travis AFB. They made it, but it was a very long and hard trip for both. David was agitated, hot and sweating, and found it hard to breathe.

Tonight they are staying in the hospital at Travis AFB, Patty in housing on the 1st floor and David on the 3rd floor on a regular (non ICU) ward. Patty is pretty in tune with David and she insisted that he was not breathing normal, even though they thought he was. They finally gave in and traded out the inner tube of the tracea, and he was fine. If they would just listen to the moms! Patty said that David nodded yes a few times today. They will be picked up by a team from the Palo Alto VA Hospital about 9 AM tomorrow.

An exciting bonus for Patty is that Kristie Olson, a friend who used to work with her at Twinhill Elementary, now lives up in Vacaville and was able to get on base and bring food to the starving Patty and see David. Hopefully they will be able to hang out and catch up on all of the gossip. Not that they gossip.

I will catch a taxi in front of my Fisher House at 4:30 AM tomorrow, and fly out of Reagan International at 7 AM for Ontario, CA. Then my plan is to drive a car up to Palo Alto on Monday (very early) and meet them about noon.

So things are moving right along as planned, finally. We know that your prayers have a lot to do with that. Thank you, and please continue to keep David in your prayers.

Steve

Friday, November 9th, 2007

7:30PM Washington D.C. time.

Before we even left the Fisher House this morning we got a call from Laura (in Texas) that she had received a message from Daniel Wooten (in Turkey) that David was scheduled for an AM flight tomorrow to Travis AFB (in California). Weird how the word travels. And Daniel was right, Patty and David will leave the hospital at 5AM for a 9AM flight out of Andrews AFB. They will probably spend Sat. night at Travis before a several hour ambulance ride to Palo Alto V.A. Hospital on Sunday (or Monday, or Tuesday?) morning. I will take a commercial flight Sunday AM to Ontario Int. Airport near home. Then I can drive a car up to meet Patty and David. It will be good to be closer to home (about 450 miles?) and I think that David is really ready for rehab.

David had a good day. They took him off all of the wires that monitor everything, and off of the tube that both humidified the air and gave him a bit of oxygen boost. He looks even more normal. We continue to work on the communication skills! He pointed at something and then snapped his finger as if he wanted his mom to get something for him right now! Maybe we are reading a little into that one, but it would be something he would try to get away with. After being 'pulled up' by his petite (but very strong) physical therapist, she supported him but let all of his weight rest on his own feet and legs, and he 'stood' there for 7 seconds. We had him sit in a different chair for awhile also. These are all a start towards greater things.... Like snowboarding! He even waved goodbye as we left his room this afternoon.

Daniel Wooten's mom, Christine, emailed that Daniel will be sent from Turkey to Landstuhl Army Hospital in Germany (where David was sent, and close to Daniel's home in Ramstein) to have his hand looked at. His hand was injured in the auto accident, and has not healed properly. This is an answer to prayer, and we will continue to lift up the Wooten family in prayer. This will be a happy reunion for their family too. Give Daniel an extra big hug for us too. :-)

So we return to California very encouraged and with 'thankful' hearts. Like the Prodigal Son, David was almost lost in the accident, but we are full of joy that he is returning to health and California.

Steve

Thursday, November 8th, 2007

11:30PM Washington D.C. time.


Today was a great day for David. Here is a list of today's accomplishments: He pointed at stuff, he nodded yes, he 'hi fived' us, he pulled his sock off and (after it was started for him) he pulled it back on, he turned his head and looked at nurses when they spoke to him, he lifted his chin, coughed, stuck out his tongue, and took a deep breath when asked to by the nurses.

The therapists dressed David in a shirt and shorts (like boxers) that had Velcro on the sides but looked normal, and we think it helped him to feel more normal. Patty and I (after helping the therapists-the trained professionals-sit David up yesterday) did the same today by ourselves. It was probably scary for David (he knows us pretty well) but he lived through it. He sat without any one supporting his back for maybe 30 seconds, and I'm sure he could have stayed upright a lot longer, but I didn't want to push it.

Christa and Kelli called to talk to David (he held the receiver and listened) and as they were talking Patty was telling him in the background that if he held his finger over his tracea he could talk to them (say hi). So we helped him by covering his tracea (suffocating him) and saying talk, talk. In spite of us he actually tried moving his mouth a little like he was trying to talk.

It was all very cool! God answered a lot of prayers today, and it increased our faith. We are anxiously waiting for tomorrow.

Things that we would like to see are more movement on his left side, and less agitation (or discomfort) when his meds start to wear off.

We love you all and thanks for your prayers and comments,

Steve

Wednesday, November 7th, 2007

10:30 D.C. time

Oh, did we say we are learning to be flexible????? Am I a teacher who has to be flexible all the time????? Well, we just went up to see David, and....
When we got to the elevators, I pushed floor 5 (where David was supposed to go), Steve (pessimistic??/realistic????) pushed floor 4 (where David has been), "just to make sure". He got off, I stayed on (for a minute longer) and then we walked to Ward 45C. His name was on the board still, ohh... and.....he was still in the room! Steve wins again!!! They were "afraid" to receive him on the fifth floor, without someone to be one on one with him, or in a room right next to the nurses station. Oh well, we like the 4th floor nurses and doctors! His heart rate also jumped up to the high 140s this evening, so I guess he does need to stay there a tad bit longer.
Before we turned our car in on Tues., we drove David's and my suitcases down to the aerovac dept. so I wouldn't have to walk it down at 4:30 AM. So, after seeing David asleep on the 4th floor, Steve and I went downstairs to the aerovac dept.. I decided to get my suitcase out of storage, since we now might be here through Mondayish. When we asked for it, and explained why, the lady in charge said the flight might be on Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, flexible is as flexible does.........? Wow! Good night! Thanks for hanging in there with us! Check out the new pictures of David's Recovery on the blog too. :-) Patty

Wednesday, November 7th, 2007

8 PM Washington D.C. time.

Well, Wednesday came and went and we are still here in D.C. They tell us that we may fly Sunday or Monday. Who knows? (Someone reminded us that Monday is a holiday - VETERAN'S DAY. We are learning to be flexible. Sort of!

David had a good day, with lots of positive feedback from doctors, nurses and occupational and physical therapists. It made us appreciate how well he is progressing. It just seems soooo sloooow sometimes. Patty and I are afraid that our reports might make David's condition seem better than it really is. We watched some video that we shot yesterday, and were taken back by the lack of any expression on his face, or in his eyes. We don't want some of you to see him and be shocked. In the beginning, we were forced to face the fact that David might die, or be a 'vegetable' the rest of his life. From that 'low' point everything looks up. It is a good day when our son lifts his right thumb as a sign. We praise God and thank the medical professionals for how far he has come, but the reality is that he has so far to go. In many ways he is like a newborn baby. He can't speak, eat or do anything for himself.

Now that we have established how bad off David is, we can start to brag about him some! The occupational and two physical therapists came in today, at the same time, and worked jointly to sit him up on the side of his bed. In getting him ready the O.T. asked him to put his sock on and David raised his knee and brought his foot back so he could. He only has one usable hand so he really couldn't finish the task, but after she 'started' the sock he attempted to pull it on farther. He responded well to several other 'challenges' also. As he was lifted and held in a sitting position by the PT, with his toes on the floor, another PT and Patty massaged and worked his feet to relax/stretch enough to lay flat. This all took 30-45 minutes, and was quite a work out for David (and the therapists). They say that in Palo Alto he will get many hours of therapy.

We are hoping that tonight they moved him up to the fifth floor. He will have a couple less wires attached to him (blood pressure, oxygen sensor, and heart rate monitor that aren't needed anymore). Plus he will get more therapy there. That makes us excited. We just said we should walk back over and check him out! So off we go...... Steve

Tuesday, November 6th, 2007

7 PM Washington D.C. time.

We got to the hospital to find David awake but kind of quiet. Quiet in his actions (calm) but maybe emotionally depressed. Or maybe just drugged a bit, but it seemed to last all day. We talked to him about his amazing progress and how we were proud of him and his fighting attitude. Also about God's faithfulness in healing him, and how this condition was temporary. We prayed with him throughout the day for God's hope, peace and healing.

Patty tried to set the ground rules for communication with David. Thumbs up and no thumbs up. David was not interested, and did not respond. She tried different forms of communication, all of which had the same result. Later though she asked for a hug and David gave her a big one armed hug.

I tried playing with a (bicycle) horn (paper stuffed inside to mute it so other ICU patients don't have coronaries) with David without much response. But I made a popping noise with my mouth and David moved his lips as if he were making the same sound. No sound came out, but with his tracea it wouldn't anyway. But it was the first time that we have noticed him deliberately moving his mouth. I felt like it was an important step, and I pray that God continues to restore this part of David.

As of 7PM Tues. the military has not scheduled David for tomorrows flight to Palo Alto. We have dropped off 2 suitcases for David and Patty at the medical air evacuation office hoping that we get a call at any hour tonight telling us that they can get on the plane. As frustrating as this is we have to believe that when it is God's perfect timing we will go.

Please continue to keep David in your prayers. We thank you for your faithfulness.

Steve

Monday, November 5th, 2007

11:00 pm EST

Here's a quick update from my evening with David:

He was a fighting monster tonight! Trying to rip everything off of himself! And almost too strong for all of us to manage. I told him again that these tubes and wires were temporary and that they were there to help him heal for a short while. If he continued to fight, then they would have to restrain him. He seemed again to understand and relax some. Shortly afterwards the meds came and helped to knock him out! I have never believed in drugs as much as this month...keep them coming!
Tomorrow I am going to figure out a way for him to communicate. My brilliant Speech Therapist friend from work, Nancy Hoey, suggested to use the movements that he has to answer yes and no to. Move one way for yes, don't move for no! Ha! Great idea! Can't wait to get there and figure this one out. I always wanted to be a (Nancy Drew) detective! My other hero was Helen Keller! She figured out a way to communicate when she couldn't see, hear, or talk! My oh my, what a coincidence !?????? God has been leading me in this direction since I was in 5th grade! I used to walk around the house and pretend that I was blind. Then, during high school, I started studying and working with Severely Handicapped kids and Elementary kids. My Masters in College was about preparing handicapped adults for independent living. Not that David will be handicapped, but God did prepare me for this time of rehabilitation. (Maybe I should have chosen another field to study!)
Palo Alto is going to happen on Wednesday, the nurse told me as I was leaving the hospital tonight. The Air Force liason had just called to tell him that it was a go. We'll be on our way to some challenging rehab finally. Yeah!
Thanks for your prayers and support again! You are awesome, and so is God. David continues to progress again today. The nurses responded positively to David's fighting tonight. They said that it means he is coming out of it more and more. :-) God is good! Keep on praying world, we need some help and some strong Christians who will continue to believe when life gets tough! God didn't say it would be a piece of cake being a Christian, but He sure helps us to walk through these valleys. Love y'all! Patty

Monday, November 5th, 2007

8 PM Washington D.C. time.

Patty and I saw David early this morning and he was awake but soon got sleepy when they gave him his meds. We had time to talk (one sided of course), "play" with weird stuff, and stretch and bend his arms and legs (irritate him). So it was good fun.

While he slept we went back to our little room and did laundry and packed. We didn't really know when we would be leaving for Palo Alto (we now think Wed. or Thurs.) and have heard that we may only have several hours notice. In the Fisher House we have to clean our room and bathroom and make the bed before we leave, maybe in the wee hours of the morning. Life is tough!

When we returned in the afternoon he was awake again, and we hung out with him for a while. Then his nurse, Jean (who has two sons, 17 and 19) suggested that we put him in a chair, and if we were up to it, take him for a ride outside. If we were up to it?! Does a bear..........? So we went for an excursion through the hospital and all over out front in the sunlight. David raised his face toward the sun rays and seemed to bask. He also drifted in and out of sleep. But it was still cool. Sometimes you just have to have faith that sitting by his bedside and talking to him, or touching and massaging him or trading him the horn for the squishy football, for the orange, for the balloon, for the apple is helping him. We tried the marker and paper again and he held it perfect and seemed to think, but that was all that happened. There were some funny moments, like when he grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his face and head, and then instead of resting his elbow on the side rail of his bed he rested it on my belly and seemed quite content.

The doctors made their rounds and they thought he was doing much better physically, he is coughing up less junk, and hasn't needed much suctioning today. After his next meds he of course got sleepy so we left and got some awesome cafeteria food. Patty went back up to check on him afterwards and I came back to our room to write this update.

I keep praying that God continues mending the messed up parts of David's brain, and rewires the fried circuitry and all the while grants David patience and peace. Some times I think I see frustration on his face and I pray that God gives him hope. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Steve

Sunday, November 4, 2007

10:30 pm D.C. time

Sleepyhead David was pretty boring all day. He slept most of the day until 6 p.m. When we arrived in the am the nurse had just given him his meds and he was out cold. We left and went hiking and came back about 1 pm and he was awake for just a short time. We played with the punch ball, squishy football and round ball, plus all the fruit (minus the banana). He threw the football a couple times to Steve (he's not ready to be a quarterback quite yet!) Actually he acted bugged that we were playing with him. He didn't stay awake very long, so we went to the cafeteria for some great :-( food! David was still asleep when we arrived back so we mozzied on over to the waiting room and visited with another family. About 6 o'clock, sleeping beauty awoke. He seemed restless and uncomfortable. We shaved him, washed his hair with a shower cap that you just put on and massage, then voila, your hair is instantly clean! He kicked the punching ball several times with his right leg while it was raised in the air! He definitely knew what he was doing too! He threw the squishy football to Steve several times (maybe 6", but he threw it!) We gave him a paper and pen, then found a marker and clipboard, and asked David if he wanted to write. He scribbled back and forth on it. We tried writing YES and NO and drawing :-) and :-(, to see if he could point. That wasn't very successful today. He did hold the pen and clipboard and looked seriously like he wanted to tell us something. After that, I put some shaving cream on the clipboard to see if he could write with his finger. Well, lets just say that it got all over everything. Boy, the room smelled so much better though! I wish I could remember the medical word for sweating, but David was doing that profusely. That is one part of the brain that isn't regulating itself yet. However, he was able to wipe his head with a towel, sheet, pillow, my hand, etc.! When he had his hand full of shaving cream, he tried to wipe his face too! Oops! The nurse thought I was crazy. Humph, I don't even care any more! The best part of the day was when I was sitting next to him, and said, " I wish I could get a David hug again." He reached over and put his arm around my head, kinda got me in a head lock, but still.... it was a hug! The nurses even saw it! (Our camera battery and phone battery were both dead, so we didn't get a picture or a video.) I guess I'll have to ask for another one tomorrow. :-) :-) :-) He continued to reach for some things in our hands, and put them back. He also took his hand and felt Steve's face, head, beard, and glasses. He continues to feel my wedding ring and today he rubbed/felt my arm where my sweater was, then reached up and messed up my hair like he used to do. :-)
I bought a toy gun that shoots foam wafers, thinking that would entertain all of us, but it didn't work when we opened it! Cheap toys!
As far as Palo Alto, we checked downstairs at the Aerovac Office and they don't have us on the flight schedule yet. So we won't be leaving tomorrow. Maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. David seems to be doing better with the med. to thin out his mucus and I'm feeling much safer about his trachea and him moving.
Thank you all for your prayers. Pray that we get to Palo Alto soon to start more aggressive therapy. Praise God for continued signs of progress and encouragement everyday. Pray for the other men who are in the hospital and in rehabilitation here. Let's continue to pray that David's left side will begin to have more mobility. Also, pray for Daniel Wooten and the guys in the car accident with David for peace and healing. Thank you to all the vets who continue to serve our country. Patty

Saturday, November 3rd, 2007

Midnight, Washington D.C. time (don't forget to change your clocks)

We walked to the hospital (crisp fall morning with the trees turning colors) and when we arrived David was being moved to a different room. Not upstairs like we had been anticipating, but 3 doors down to a private room. This was to protect the other patients from David's new 'acinetobacter' germs. Apparently they can hang out in his system and not pose a real threat until they become active (like ecoli?). They don't plan on treating him until this happens. It may never become an infection. We don't really pretend to understand this one!

We played with two new squishy balls that we bought him. One is a very small football and a couple of times he tried to throw it a little. He is still fighting fevers, which the doctors think is just from the head trauma. When they give him his meds. (about every 4 hours) he gets sleepy.

After lunch we got a phone call from Christa and Patty held the receiver next to David's ear so he could listen to her. He took the phone from her and held it himself. After a bit he repositioned his arm so that his elbow was resting on the bed rail and it looked just like the old David talking on the phone.

Because when they drilled the bolt (brain pressure sensor) into David's head in Germany they had to shave 1/4 of his hair, he has looked a little funny. Today we gave him a haircut (I brought the hair trimmer from home) so he looks a little more military now. We have been shaving him but because of stitches and scabs we had to leave a mustache and goatee, but today that all got shaved. He may not pass inspection but he looks darn good. Steve

I guess we are the experienced parents now, we met a new family whose son was shot in the head. The dad talked about his fears and how the drs. tell them his son is lucky just to be alive, and to look at the recovery over a period of time not day to day. Some of the same stuff they told us. "Be patient, be patient, be patient.......". We were able to share how much David has improved and encourage him today that the brain can repair itself, but slowly.

We continue to be ministered to by the families at the Fisher House here too. They have been through so much, and have such great outlooks overall. Amazing! The reality of bodies being
blown apart and the faith that continues to shine is awesome. One guy after a year and a half is looking forward to having his lower leg amputated because of the mobility limits and pain he has suffered from his foot now! There are so many fascinating miracle stories here. God continues to be faithful. David's blog ministered to me so much today when I was feeling down. I can't believe that he had these songs and posters on his My Space! God has had a plan and we continue to watch it unfold. Patty

Friday, November 2nd, 2007

10PM Washington DC time

We got to brag about David to the neurologist and the 10 member team of doctors that make their morning rounds. We mentioned that we had an eventful evening with David, and all of the wonderful new things he was doing. They were ready to move him upstairs to an ordinary ward today until I asked if the nurses were able to watch him as close up there. I voiced my concern about his trachea clogging, affecting his breathing, as we witnessed last night when he seemed to gasp for air. They said if they could get a bed next to the nursing station they might still move him, but that they shared my concern.

David seemed fine but a little sleepy this morning, and when the nurse said she was going to bathe and change him Patty and I left and took the Metro train to downtown D.C. to see some national sites. We walked to the White House (they didn't have me on the list to chat with the President, so we left) the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Viet Nam Memorial and the Washington Monument. That was a lot of walking so we caught a bus back to Union Station (near the Capital building) and rode the Red Line back to our new home. It is hard to leave David, but it was fun to get out. When you are already not "emotionally normal" it was a very tearful event walking past the names of the 58,000 men who gave their lives for our country in the Viet Nam War.

When we saw David tonight he was still in his 'old' room. He had a fever again and seemed like he was not feeling well. We still "played with him" with the fruit and the "large balloon with big rubber band attached" thingy. Like last night, I held the rubber band and he grabbed the 'belly button' end of the balloon and pulled back and when I said "go!" he let go and it hit me in the face. The only thing missing was that there as no expression on his face. But it was still real cool. We know that he can see and respond to commands.

The nurse then told us that they had isolated a germ called acinetobacter in his system that is causing his continued fever. This specific germ is only found in the soil in the Middle East. Apparently we have developed really good medicine to treat this since it is common in Iraq as well as Turkey. He will be on antibiotics for it, but we don't know if it will delay his trip to Palo Alto or not. We will learn more tomorrow morning.

I know that Daniel Wooten (one of David's friends who's hand was hurt in the accident) has been having trouble with his hand not healing properly. Daniel, I wonder if you have this 'germ' also. Please check into it, and we will be praying for you.

Instead of asking you to pray for specific areas of healing for David, I pray that you just ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what areas to pray for. We appreciate and love all of the prayers and support. Thanks to Twinhill Elementary for all the cool stuff that they sent. Special things from Patty's students and an amazing "care package". We love you all.

Steve

Thursday, November 1, 2007

11:00 D.C. time

Wow! Again we see God's hand as David improved again today. We went shopping and bought some exciting toys for David to hold and identify. He surpassed that trick. He is starting to see again. When we walked in, he was wide awake. I handed him a banana and laid an orange, lemon, lime, and a slinky on his lap. He felt the banana for awhile and then tried to bite it, peel and all. Remember, he can't have anything by mouth yet. I scratched the citrus fruit and told him to smell them. He did! Steve held one of the fruits up in front of David at arms reach. David picked it up out of his hand! Several times he grabbed items that we were holding on his right side. After wrestling the banana out of his clenched hand so he wouldn't eat it, I presented the sponge toothbrush with some water. He took it out of my hand and put it in his mouth (he hasn't been unclenching his jaws until tonight)! I gave him a small dixie cup with water to refill his sponge, and he took the water cup from my hand to drink. Again, we wrestled and finally he sucked dry several sponges full of water! Of course, after a few minutes of excitement, David started breathing weird and I had to get the nurse. Scary! The trachea tube was clogged and after suctioning and changing the tube, he was o.k.! The problem wasn't from him drinking the water! The nurse said he would note to the dr. that David was choosing the edible items to eat and wanting to drink now. They will have to do an x-ray to check his swallowing capabilities. Then I guess he can eat and drink! I also got a punching ball and David played with it slowly. He was able to grasp the small belly button on the back side and pull it so that it hit us too! I've seen some pained expressions on his face but he isn't finding humor openly yet! Can't wait for the smiles and him to say "mommie" again! :-) I don't think it'll be too long! Steve and I were so excited tonight about David's sight starting to come back. When I gave him a slinky to hold and play with, he seemed to be tracking some too! Hallelulia!!!!!!! Isn't God good?! Thank you Lord. (My vision of Chester being a guide dog was a bit disturbing! Can you even imagine that 120 pound retriever walking into a restaurant or store!) Now that is funny! Keep up the faith and remember that God has David in His hand, along with all of us. Make sure you tell your loved ones how much you love and appreciated them too! Thanks to all of you again for your prayers and encouragement. TTYS Love to all, Patty