Monday, July 26, 2010

This damn brain injury!

Something tells me this blog is slowly going to turn into simply a long list of things Dad says!

Well it will be for a little while, anyways. Mom and I had another really good day with him today. He had a rigorous three hours of physical therapy this morning during which, in a fit of frustration, he said "this damn brain injury!" Then apparently towards the end of therapy he said, "give me a break," and "back to bed." Pretty good, eh??

It's almost like hearing his own voice has woken him up or something. He took a little nap in the late morning and then he was wide awake all afternoon, sitting up, looking at us, talking to us. He's started to follow conversation, looking in the direction of whoever is talking to him. This afternoon the nurse threw something heavy in the trash can and he whipped his head around toward the noise. Just a week ago he would barely turn his head toward anything. He even laughs when we laugh; it's hysterical. I'd estimate that about 95% of what he says is gibberish, but he obviously thinks he makes perfect sense. Hopefully he doesn't get too frustrated with us for not understanding! Then there's the 5% of the time that he really does make sense. He often repeats things we say amidst sentences of gibberish, obviously trying to contribute to the conversation. Mom and I have come to the conclusion that he at least understands what happened and where he is...to some extent. It's better than nothing!

The other good news is that he's starting to assist in his transfers from the bed to the wheelchair, meaning that he's now bearing some weight on his legs. Apparently during his transfer after pt this morning, the physical therapist said "phenomenal transfer!," to which Dad replied "phenomenal transfer!" We'll take it!

I'm off to bed, but before I go, just a quick note about Grant...for those of you trying to keep track of his adventures, he's started a blog (such a copycat)!
Enjoy!

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