No trach. As the techs were bathing Mike this morning, his trach accidently came out.

11-13-07 @10PM - No trach.  As the techs were bathing Mike this morning, his trach accidently came out.  Because Mike had been breathing so well on his own, his doctor and the respiratory nurse made the decision just to keep it out.  His nurse Sheila, checked his oxygen levels throughout the day and Mike was able to maintain 95-98%.  They were very pleased.

The huge area of swelling in the skull flap area is almost non-apparent.  The stocking cap that Mike wears to cover the now indented area, is very similar to the “skully” he used to wear from Banana Republic.  Mike looks great but with outside evidence of daily brain storming, there is still swelling and bruising on the inside.

There is talk of transferring Mike to the Mt. Vernon Rehabilitation Center in Alexandria as early as this Friday.  We all believe that if Mike were able to make the decision himself, he would approach his rehabilitation aggressively.   4-5 hours of physical therapy, 7 days a week is much better for his recovery than 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week.  Mt. Vernon has a special brain injury unit and normally requires that patients have the ability to respond consistently to commands.  Although Mike is not consistent, he is young and strong.  They have agreed and believe a jump-start is in order.