july 4 and 5.  A picture is worth a thousand words


 
Friday, July 3, 2009
 
Jessica has settled in and appears comfortable in her new environment.
 
She had a very good day today. She had a very busy schedule of different therapies: physical, speech, occupational and recreational.
 
When the speech therapist asked her her name and gave her pen and paper, she wrote Jessica with her left hand. Although she is right handed, she cannot use her right hand yet. When asked for her date of birth, she wrote Feb. 23, 19991. The therapist then asked her "so, you were born in nineteen thousand nine hundred ninety-one?" She took back the paper and crossed off one of the nines.
 
They had been teaching her to use her fingers to communicate "yes" and "no". One finger for yes, two fingers for no. Today she was able to verbally say NO. Now she is practicing saying NO to everything.  
 
She is also feeding herself. She will not allow anybody to feed her. She has a good appetite. It looks like she will soon regain all the weight that she has lost.
 
Today Jessica took her first shower since the accident (with Denise). She seemed to enjoy it. Shampooing her very long hair was an ordeal, but it was accomplished!
 
We are looking forward to tomorrow.

Thursday, July 2, 2009
 
Today was the BIG day. Jessica was moved from Delray Medical Center, by ambulance, to Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital in Jacksonville. She left Delray at 9:30 am and arrived in Jacksonville at 3 pm. Denise traveled with her. Her dad and brothers followed in the afternoon.
 
Since this will be a completely different environment, it is important that she at least have familiar faces around her. Loving care from family members is important in the recovery process.
 
The uncertainty associated with the brain injury prognosis and eventual outcome can be very stressful. However, we are very optimistic that Jessica will have a full recovery.
 
We are extremely appreciative of your prayers and support. THANK YOU! 

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

 

Jessica is getting her appetite back. Today she ate her lunch and dinner plus a fresh fruit cup that her mother had bought for herself.

 

She also picked up her friend Sarah's cell phone and pushed the right buttons to call her mother (twice). Unfortunately, Denise was not able to answer the calls, so we don't know what she would have done if she had answered.

 

She was in a very good mood this evening as a lot of the staff came in to say good bye to her. She will be off to Jacksonville tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

 

Jessica has been accepted at Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. This will be the first leg of a long journey towards rehabilitation.

 

Since Jessica is still unable to speak and cannot walk or sit up, she will be receiving intensive rehab in an inpatient setting. The plan is for her to eventually go to Georgia.

 

We are very excited and hopeful that she will continue to improve.

Once again, we thank all of you for your prayers and support.

Monday, June 29, 2009

 

Jessica had an active day today. She ate a grilled cheese sandwich (one of her favorite foods) and seemed to enjoy it, She does not have much of an appetite, but that will improve with time.

 

She was able to respond to the neurologist's command to hold up two fingers. She did not, however, respond to his request that she wiggle her toes.

 

During speech therapy she was shown two picture cards and asked to choose the one that the therapist was naming. She chose the right one eleven out of twelve times by pointing to the card. She is still unable to speak.

 

She gets angry when not allowed to do what she wants. She pushed the therapist when she was holding her arm and not allowing her to pick her nose. She was also able to open the velcro belts that hold her in place when she is sitting in the cardiac chair. Obviously, she will not be able to sit in that chair unattended.

 

It is becoming more and more evident that Jessica is getting to the level where she will need to go to inpatient rehab. A decision will have to be made real soon.

 

 
Sunday. June 28, 2009

 

Our prayers are being answered. Tomorrow will be seven weeks since the accident and in these past three days we have seen much progress with Jessica.

 

Although she still has the feeding tube in her stomach, she is being offered food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Last night she drank the cup of soup which her mother was feeding her. It took a long time but she drank it. When Denise was feeding her some peaches (cut in small pieces) she took the fork from Denise's hand and put the piece of peach in her mouth and then handed the fork back to Denise. She can chew and swallow the food. Not in great amounts, but it is a wonderful start.

 

Jessica has lost 12 pounds. They will continue the feeding tube and start titrating it down as she increases her food intake. It will take a little while, but she is on her way.

 

During physical therapy yesterday she was able to sit on the side of her bed with a little bit of assistance from the therapist. She was able to balance herself by putting her left hand on the bed. She responded to command to hold her head straight. She is also responding more when asked to show two fingers.

 

We are profoundly thankful for all your prayers and good wishes. We ask that you continue to pray for Jessica's recovery

Thursday, June 25, 2009
Today Jessica was put on the tilt board and she was able to stand flat on her feet. She also picked up her left foot while standing there.She responded to command to show two fingers. She did this twice. She was offered pudding to eat and was given a choice between vanilla or chocolate and she chose chocolate. She appeared to enjoy being able to taste the chocolate. This is the first time that she has had food in her mouth since the accident six and a half weeks ago.She smiled at her mother for the first time, which made Denise very happy.

 

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

 As we moved and stretched her legs she was a little more cooperative than usual. She did not seem to have as much pain. She still likes to pick at her nose and clean her fingers on whoever is close by. She gets a real kick out of playing that joke on people.

The nurses also said that they are going to recommend that she have more physical therapy during the day. This should help improve her a great deal and speed up the progress.

We are still trying to get her into Children’s hospital in Atlanta. However, the cost is an obstacle now but we have a small army of dedicated friends and neighbors trying very hard to help raise the funds. We are very appreciative of their efforts and unyielding support.

"A healthy attitude is contagious but don’t wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier."
Author Unknown

Tuesday, June 23, 2009    

Today was a pretty cool day. For the first time in a long time we were all able to have some laughs with Jessica. She was in rare form today. When we walked into the room, she was covered in what appeared to be chocolate milk. It turned out to be her food from the feeding bottle. She somehow was able to maneuver herself into position to grab it and yank the cord right out. It spilled all over her as she lay in bed. She had the look of a small child when they know they did something wrong and as soon as she saw us she broke out into a cry.

That is the way things are now, she has regressed to a child like state. Everything she grabs she puts into her mouth and you can’t let her have anything to close. Otherwise, she will grab it and break it or put it in her mouth. She also has discovered her nose; she likes to pick at it. When you tell her not to, she just smiles, laughs, and finds it to be the funniest thing ever.

We were playing around with her by not letting her touch her hair or face and pulling her arm back. Her reaction was to laugh and snicker until she got frustrated then she started to cry out by moaning. However, we have quickly discovered that her moans are more of attention seeking and that she is not in any pain or anything. She just likes to cry out to get attention and that is fine with us.

The big moment for me was when I gave her a little piece of chocolate. Up until now, she has not had anything in her mouth to eat or drink. We have been afraid of her lack of ability to swallow. It could be dangerous for her if she could not swallow because she could choke.

I had a sneaking suspicion that she would be able to do it just fine. I gave her a little tiny piece and she loved it. She had not tasted anything in so long that she quickly started to saver that taste and swallowed with no incident at all. I know she could do it, so I gave her another little piece. I guess that will be our little secret for now.

It was a high light so to speak. For now, all is well. We are still working on getting her to children’s hospital in Atlanta. There has been a lot of support from friends and newfound friends that we really appreciate. We can’t thank you all enough for your efforts and determination in helping us get Jessica to Atlanta. I know she will be there soon, it is such an important step for her to take.

“If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.”

John Heywood (English Playwright and Poet, 1497-1580)

Monday, June 22, 2009

Six weeks today, sitting bedside and she looks like she is trying to tell me to get her the heck out of here. At least when I ask her if she is ready to go she stops being so restless. She spent most of the afternoon flipping her pillow like a pizza.

She fell asleep for a little while holding my hand. When I arrived today the whole crew was here, brothers, father, grandmother and she was laughing and smiling. She likes company and enjoys it when people are visiting.

She is starting to moan a lot and that is a good sign of progress. I also noticed she was moving her leg a little more. She really is trying hard to get out and moving and this leads to her frustration because she is unable to. So for know its steady as she goes….

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.
Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."
Helen Keller

 Friday, June 19, 2009

Today Jessica is putting her gown into her armpits instead of pulling it up.  She got a new wheel chair with a backrest that helps support her. We wheel her around in the wheel chair instead of the old cardiac chair. Jessica got a new apparatus that lifts her up out of bed and puts her into the wheel chair. Today Jessica also put a flashlight in her mouth and started to laugh while she held it there.

Jessica had some visitors today. Her girlfriends Sarah and Amanda stopped by to see her. They were able to go outside for a while and enjoy each other’s company. Almost like old times…

 Currently we are working on getting her to the next facility. We are hoping to get her into Children’s hospital of Atlanta. It has a fine reputation as a reputable facility that has a lot success working with people who have suffered similar types of injuries.

Every day that passes our optimism grows and appreciation for what we have as well. We are very thankful to all the individuals that have been supporting and expressing their concerns for Jessica. There are far too many to mention, Jessica is very fortunate.

 Keep the prayers coming and the positive vibes, they are working and her moving around with intention is proof. Remember that yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery, today is God’s gift and that’s why we call it the present…Until tomorrow…

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Another Thursday has past us by and Jessica got out of bed and ran around the room today. Well not really but we sure are hoping she will be able to one day.  She actually was able to brush her teeth ( in her own way) and grab and place an oral swab into her mouth. She also licked her lips for the first time today.

It is not running around the room but strides of progress like these are very encouraging.  I think her mother is losing the hair battle though. Every day she brushes her hair in order to get the knots out. Jessica really doesn’t like that for some reason and it turns into a battle. It makes her very restless and agitated but the only alternative would be to cut it. If you know Jessica, her hair was extremely important to her so that is out of the question.

Overall she has improved tremendously over the last week or so. The nurse came on and said she was giving them high fives and smiling during the previous night. As we are sitting here watching the war between her and her mother combing her hair, she took the comb from her, put it in her mouth, and began to laugh. It was as if she was saying I won this one, better luck next time. Today was a good day…lots of laughter in the room today, many improvements…

Until tomorrow….

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Today was a big day for Jessica filled with smiles for everyone except her mom, this after a long night of no sleep. The nurses reported that she spent the night moaning and making sounds. This is good but bad, she needs the rest but needs to start to talk and making noises is the first step towards speaking.

This morning her therapist put her in tilt table. It is like a bed that they lay her on then tilt her into a standing position. She was able to stand flat footed, which is important because being in bed with this injury many times leads to “drop foot”. That is where the toes point downward all the time and contracts her Achilles tendon and calve muscles.

This afternoon she was noticeably restless however just about all the staff says they are getting a smile from her. She also waved to Abba (her grandmother) as she left and said good-bye.  This really made her day. I have not seen a smile on her grandmother that big since the accident.

Well that about sums up the day, I am sitting here now with her holding hands and looking at her look at me. I wonder just what she understands, but I know she hears me so I tell her she is getting better and that seems to relax her a lot. Thanks for checking in, smile and enjoy your day, love you family and friends. Until tomorrow…. 

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Today Jessica was in a very good mood I just wish she would smile at me like she smiled at the physical therapist Gene and the night shift nurse Linda. Her heart rate is doing better they lowered the medication she was on. We have been taking her outside for 10 minutes a day. Last night Cindy brushed her teeth. She is also starting to move her left leg a little now. We hope that we will be able to get her to rehab soon. It looks like we may be able to send her to Childrens hospital in Georgia. Every day she is looking better and better, there is no doubt that she is able to focus and follow you with her eyes. Unfortunately she is still not to the point of being able to follow commands.  All for now, thanks for checking in….  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

them when she does come around because I am sure they will pay for calling her “Rocky”. There is nothing like sibling rivalry if you know what I mean.

We are told that she is classified between a level three and four according to the Rancho Los amigos scale of cognitive function, there are ten levels all together to give you an idea of where she is. They say she may be released any day now in order to go to a rehabilitation facility. However we have not found one that is suitable for her just yet or one that will accept her without reaching a higher level. We are hoping that within the next few days we will have found one. It is still too early to determine what or how complex and advanced her injuries are going to be so we have no idea of what the long term affects will be. We are hopeful that they will be minimal and that over time will become nonexistent. Thats all for know, thanks again for keeping in touch, God bless you all...

Monday, June 01, 2009

            Things are looking much better for Jessica today. The Neurosurgeon said that she is progressing very well and that she needs to start her acute rehabilitation. This means she needs to go to another facility that will work with her specific needs such as re-learning how to do just about everything. We are hopeful we will find one soon and get her the help she needs. Her Fever has almost disappeared but she still will get a mild temperature in the mornings. She has a great deal of phlem in her lungs that she is constantly coughing up. She is still not moving her right side all that much so they have placed different orthopedics on here to help keep and maintain her mobility. She is suffering a lot of atrophy now; her legs are starting to become rather thin. Her arms seem a bit swollen and we are told it is from all the poking and I.V.s she has had. She is now completely off the antibiotics so we hope the MRSA will not re-appear and have to start her on them again.  She still has a tracheotomy and a feeding tube but is breathing more and more on her own. She is able to make different faces that display her emotions, still waiting to see a smile soon. I am sure it is just around the corner, just a few more days. Until then it is one day at a time. We are seeing some great improvements and are very hopeful of a full recovery. It goes without saying how much we appreciate all the prayers and positive energies put forth so unselfishly from so many, we can’t thank you all enough. Dont forget to cherish the moments no matter how insignificant...Until tomorrow...

Friday, May 29, 2009

Step Down

            Today Jessica has improved so much that she was finally “stepped down” which means she was transferred out of T.I.C.U. and into a step down unit. The next step is for her to be transferred to a Rehabilitation facility for “Acute Rehab”.  This will be a crucial part of her recovery and one that we are still trying to determine where it will be. That is another story… The good news is that she has made amazing progress over the last three days. Here fever is gone for now and it looks like the MRSA infection is well under control. She is now tracking a lot better with her eyes and actively moving her arm, the movement is a bit clumsy but she is moving it with a specific intent. She is scratching at her nose and running her fingers through her hair. As I sat bedside today telling her to keep up the fight, to be strong and that she was doing very well, she was tugging at my shirt and looking directly in my eyes. It looked as if she was trying to speak, trying to ask me to help her…trying to ask what happened and why she was where she was. However a look of pain soon came over her and I lost eye contact. She held my hand and squeezed it while I told her that everything would be better. It was a gut wrenching experience that I will never forget.  I am very curious to know if she is in pain and how much she understands. It is evident that she understands when visiting hours are over because her expression changes to one of sorrow and it looks like she is crying when we leave. In particular when she sees her mother leave the room. It is still very difficult to see her in this condition but the good news is she is getting better and better. I cannot express our gratitude for all the kind and encouraging words, prayers and positive energy that has been bestowed upon us during this complicated moment. It certainly seems as though it is working because Jessica is getting better.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Today when I saw Jessica it was the first time I saw her yawn since she was here. I also noticed that her fever has gone down since last night.  She is also tracking a lot more.  She turned her head to the left that is a good sign, because she used to only keep her head to the right. The nurse took away the breathing tube and replaced it with a oxygen cuff today. They are also putting an arm brace on her right arm because it seems to be stiffening up. We were also told by the nurse that Jessica is being moved to regular ICU, but we don’t know when. She has improved dramatically since the first day she was here.  It is still hard to go home every night without Jessica. I hope she comes home soon.

  Wednesday, May 27, 2009

                Today the first thing I noticed when I saw Jessica was she had better eye contact and she would almost stare right into your eyes as if she is trying to say something. I also noticed that she would grab your hand more rapidly than before. Unfortunately she is still fighting her fever .The nurse also advised us that we cannot over stimulate her so we have to talk to  her without touching her or touch her without talking to her, while doing so we have to stand behind her and  let her see us one at a time. Although it was a tragic accident she will have a positive outcome.  When I come to visit my sister I am sadden but know she will pull through.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009                                      

Another Day In TICU

                Today the nurse said that the medication was changed. She is now one two pain killers instead of three and different antibiotics. Her fever is now 100.6 we are hoping it will go away soon. She will almost track you with her eyes so we are confident that she will be able to do this soon. This will be a big step forward in her recovery that we all look forward to seeing. It seems she is starting to move her right eye more this is very encouraging to us. The night shift nurse has been off for a week and he said she has shown significant improvement. However she still does not follow commands but we are all sure she will soon enough. Hopefully tomorrow will bring more good news for Jessica. Thanks for stopping by…

Monday, May 25, 2009

Day Fourteen

            Today Jessica is doing better. The nurse had told Jessica if she could stick out her tongue. Later at 3 o’clock the speech specialist had came in and tried to make her talk. When the specialist left she told us to block her right eye because she keeps looking to the right not to the left. We put a pillow on the right side to prop her head up, but not blocking her vision, hoping to prevent her from looking that way. When you talk to her it is best to talk to her from the left side, because doing so she would attempt to look to the left. One more day has past and today marks two weeks since the accident happened. Everyday is a little bit better so we are very hopeful that she will continue to get better and be discharged from the TICU unit. Thanks for checking in more to come tomorrow.... 

Sunday, May 24, 2009

    DayThirteen                       

She still has a fever and is more alert than usual. The nurse is putting her in a cardiac chair for a couple hours a day. She is trying to focus and last night she had a fever of 102 but it went back to normal in the morning. Today I saw her right arm moving and that is good because she hurt the left hemisphere of the brain that controls her right side. Today I saw her cough and it made her look strange, the noise she made when she coughed was like a chocking gagging sound that made me feel frustrated because I couldn’t do anything but  watch. Seeing my sister like this makes me feel like my insides were getting ripped out. I hope that tomorrow will be better for her.   

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Day Twelve

                Today and yesterday was and is more of the same.  Small incremental steps of improvement are what her recovery is all about.  She has spent the last few days heavily sedated fighting her fever. Last night it was not as high reaching 101 degrees and her white blood cell count is improving.  The change in antibiotics looks like is taking effect and the nurses say her fever should be gone before to long. Seems like she has been very tired and frustrated with her condition, it has to be tough not being able to talk or do anything you used to. Not much else to report today still wait and see… thanks for checking in…

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Day Ten

            Today was much like the weather, no desire to do much and not too much going on. Jessica is still showing small significant improvements. Today we noticed that she was moving her head to the right and also moving her right arm considerably more. Best of all it seemed as if she was actually making some facial expressions. Without a doubt she is much more active and moves around a lot. This of course may not sound like much but it is still an improvement and we are happy to see it. Her antibiotic was changed today and the nurses and doctors decided to put her back on her ventilator to help her breathe overnight. Her fever is still there and seems to get stronger as the night approaches. Tomorrow they will do more cultures to see if they can zero in better on what is making her sick. One day at a time is the motto… only time will tell how the true extent of her injuries but as for now she is progressing and not regressing so this is good. Not to much more to report today still limited visitation so stay tuned. Thanks again for checking in, until tomorrow.  

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

DAY NINE

                Walking into the TICU (trauma intensive care unit) today you could hear the Neurosurgeon making his rounds. How would you know? Because he shouts at the patients instructions much like a military drill sergeant in order to check for progress.  You hear commands like, HOLD UP TWO FINGERS- STICK OUT YOUR TONGUE and the like.  As he approached Jessica’s bed we were anxious to see her reaction.  Never thought it would make us happy to have her stick her tongue out at us but…

She didn’t. She did move her left hand in a courageous attempt to hold up two fingers, but the fingers really didn’t stand out.  Next he pinched her upper chest area and she quickly reacted by grabbing his hand as if to say “Hey take it easy Doc.”  The Doctor then turned to us, smiled and gave his prognosis.  “She is going through a text book classic comeback. Everyday a little more awake… these types of injuries take time and she is progressing very well. “We were delighted and thrilled to hear those things and as quickly as he came he left. Reacting on queue to verbal commands is the next big step or measure in her progress. All we need are some cheerleaders and a band every time they come to check and see if she can do it; it’s that big of a step.

            She is doing better every day. We are eagerly anticipating her holding up the two finger peace sign.  To be honest I’d be happy if she just gave me the finger at this point in time… as long as it was on command of course. She is now breathing on her own with just a little help from the oxygen to make sure she doesn’t lose her breath. Her ability to move her left side is progressing along nicely. However we are still waiting to see more movement from her right side. So far there is not much. This is an area of concern but it is still very early in the recovery process. She has suffered many contusion and we have to wait for the swelling to go down in order to see more improvement. Her MRSA infection and pneumonia are under control and her fever comes and goes. All in all it was another good day. As I approached her bed side I held her hand and she grasped it tight as if to acknowledge that we were there and that she knew everyone was praying and rooting for her to make it through. I am sure tomorrow will be a better day.

5/19/2009