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