The “wow”ness
The wow factor, the “wow”ness of it all finds me almost at a loss for words. There is so much to say, so much progress that it is mind boggling. The ground breaking events of the last week started slowly but when they added Ritalin to the picture, the momentum increased so quickly that it was sometimes hard to keep up with each “new” .
I left you at the family meeting, so I’ll pick up where I left off. It was a round table discussion of Michael’s progress from his admission to Mt. Vernon Rehab on 11/21 to the family meeting on 12/6 and the plan for the following weeks. Each therapist had a turn to speak with Michael’s doctor speaking first. He spoke of their combined pleasure with his progress and asked if we were. He gave us an update from the xray of the fractured vertebrae T1-T4 (no shifting, no changes, still healing), and the plan for arthroscopic knee surgery on Monday to snip off the piece of torn cartilage. About having the optometrist across the street fit Michael for glasses in the coming week and about beginning a Ritalin schedule that would hopefully assist with jump starting initiation. To our delight, the doctors update ended with a forecast for another four weeks at Mt. Vernon.
Each therapist spoke of Michael’s progress and his never ending desire to push harder. The common denominator with each therapist was the frontal lobe damage and it’s effect on Michael’s ability to initiate action in all areas. With speech in particular, his therapist spoke of the obvious signs of fatigue and how it creates a “shut down” of sorts to Michael’s brain. They all reminded us again of the importance of keeping visits no longer than 15-20 minutes at a time with a minimum of the same amount of time in between. To be aware of our own antics and heightened activity. To be calm and positive in nature when speaking. That too much noise and too many visitors can slow his progress.
It’s so easy to get caught up in all the visible “good stuff” that we forget about how damaged his brain is and far he has to go. The Ritalin kicked in and so did the language and conversational milestones, the humor, although still weaker on the right side, walking 67 feet with minimal support using both legs, using both arms and hands to maneuver and support. The new found ability to move his right leg and to pull himself up from the bed to his chair with almost no support. Unless you make yourself look deeper, this guy is superman. All this week when the speech therapist asked Mike where he was, he would answer “Walter Reed Hospital”. She asked why he thought he was at Walter Reed and with a big grin, Mike answered “that’s where super heroes go”.
Saturday was a beautiful day, sunny and almost 50 degrees. Donned with jacket, hat, shoes and very cool sunglasses, David took Mike out for 35 minutes to enjoy his first breath of fresh air since the “almost” last breath on October 21, 2007. Sylvette asked Michael on Friday what his favorite time of the day was and Michael answered “Waking up. I love waking up.” Yeah Michael, we love that part too.
He is so pleasant and easy to be around. He smiles at everyone, he laughs when you laugh, he remembers, our super hero makes us feel good when we’re around him, everyone rejoices and wants to be in his company, to be a part of this miracle unfolding. We are all so thrilled, so thankful that he is here that we forget how fragile and vunerable he is. We must protect him still and we cannot lose sight of that.
Please visit him. He needs to know that you’re there cheering him on, still believing in him. The therapists say that we, Michael’s huge support group, are an integral part of his recovery. Just be conscious of his surroundings…how long have you been there? does he look tired? are you just asking questions? is he only saying “yeah, uh huh”? If so, he’s tired. Tell him about what’s going on in your life, pause in between subjects. Don’t be afraid to ask him if he’s ok, if he needs or would like a little quiet time. He will tell you if you ask. He won’t, if you don’t. He will keep smiling and trying to make you feel good.
Be real, don’t feel like you have to entertain him or keep conversation going all the time. Quiet in between is ok and helps him regroup. It is the quality of your visit that counts, not the quantity of time spent.