Back in Rehab

Well, we moved back to Walton Rehab late Thursday and got Judi all settled in. Today was a big day since it was the first time she was able to participate without all of the "gadgets" we had to contend with the last time. Gone is the hated back brace. Gone is the hated neck brace. Gone is the hated helmet as well. Judi is a totally different patient this time and she seems to be picking up where she left off as opposed to starting all over.

I believe she will be talking very soon. She is working on making sounds and she mouths words at times. Her vocal chords are weak from lack of use (never thought that would be an issue for my girl) and she needs to regain strength in her diaphragm. She is also trying to figure out how to manage all the aspects of actually speaking (air flow, tongue, lips, etc.). We were able to give her some applesauce and "honey thick" cranberry juice today and she thoroughly enjoyed that. As you may recall, she had just been able to start eating a little the day before we had to go back to MCG. I can only imagine how good it tasted to have something that wasn't antiseptic tasting in her mouth for a change. At this point, it is more for speech therapy than for nutritional purposes, but it won't take too long before she can begin eating regularly again.

She spent a couple of hours in the wheel chair today and was very comfortable. This is where the lack of gadgets really paid off. She never got hot and her heart rate stayed steady throughout. We are building slowly here since we still need to develop her muscle strength to support her in the sitting position, allow her to get acclimated to the difference in her back from the surgery and allow her neck muscles to strengthen from having the neck brace on for so long. She is doing awesome as anticipated.

We have already begun trials with "capping" her trach for short periods of time and she tolerated that very well. I suspect that we will finally have the trach out next week sometime. Again, you may recall we were going to remove her trach the morning we had to go back to MCG. I will be VERY happy to see this source of infection eliminated and it greatly simplifies many of her rehab activities as well.

Judi also has a new doctor that recently joined Walton Rehab (Andrew Dennison) who is a brain injury specialist. In just a few conversations with him it is obvious he has his act together and is already evaluating some different treatment options for Judi's mental recovery.

I continue to have faith that we will be able to get Judi back to her old self, but I also realize that it is going to take some time for that process to occur. The next week or so will determine if we continue down the high intensity rehab path or bring Judi home for a while to allow her to get stronger (mentally and physically). There are merits to both and we'll make the decision that is best for Judi. She can have visitors here, but the hours are limited and must be integrated into her rehab schedule. Give us a few days to get in the groove and see how tired she is at the end of the day. After that, we'll see what we can fit in. Thanx for being patient.

Hopefully this gives everyone a good feel for where we are. Keep praying for us and you never know when you might get a phone call from Judi.

Steve