Evening

(entry by proud father)
This was certainly a red letter day in Mark’s recovery. He had his first food by mouth since November 28 (about 10 half-teaspoons of apple sauce) which he ingested with no problems. He talked in his normal voice, whether he covered the trach tube or not! He had his first visitor (Cousin Bev) and talked up a storm (Chris’s description.) He seems to get stronger hour by hour.

Morning

Sorry, my DSL has been on the blink for a couple of days, but I think we've got it back on line now.

Visiting hours are 4-9, Monday through Friday and noon to 9 on Saturdays and Sundays.

I went to a very informative discussion group yesterday on the best way to talk to and visit with a patient at rehab. Dick is working on guidelines for a comfortable and successful visit which I will put on the blog this evening. Mark is VERY READY for visitors! Mark is in room 213, which is a private room. The staff, especially his favorite nurse, Brian, is just great. They’re informative and very helpful. Don’t hesitate to press the call button if you have a question.

Mark continues to make tremendous progress, although he is very depleted by the end of the day. Even though he’s tired, he remains awake so don’t hesitate to stop by for a visit.

Surprisingly enough, Mark’s able to talk without covering his trach. It’s not very loud, but it is clear. He prefers you to stand on the left side of the bed (his right) and he will enjoy holding your hand so don’t hesitate to give it a firm squeeze. You may have to sit or bend over to be in his line of vision. If there is more than one of you visiting at a time, please take turns talking and give him time to respond.

Mark isn’t able to eat or drink just yet, so we try to avoid talk of these pleasures.

The latest pictures will be posted on the blog soon (if they aren’t already) so keep checking.

Evening

Mark’s progress is absolutely amazing. He wrote a note to his dad today, which reads “Fear and or pain applied are the best motivators”. We don’t know if this is an original thought or a quote, but we are pleased none the less. He had a full day of PT, OT and speech therapy today and was still awake and ready for more tonight.

Evening

(writ by hand by Dad) First full work day at rehab with some major accomplishments:
Got out of bed twice, sat up in a wheel chair for several hours. Went to the gym, getting out of the chair and sitting on a bench (with some help of course), picked the top cone off a stack several times and restacked them at another location, stood up (with some support) for a count of ten. Passed the swallow test such that he will get some apple sauce tomorrow (first food by mouth in more than seven weeks.) Is actively trying to communicate by mouthing the words, but we are all very poor lip readers. Now these may seem like minor accomplishments -- but try remaining motionless in bed for almost two months and see how much of an athlete you are!

First Evening in Rehab for the Second Time

Mark was transferred to rehab this afternoon and is doing great! They have those small televisions that I mentioned before that are hinged to this hydraulic arm that comes out of the wall that you can push/pull up and down and side to side. Dick and I were guessing which angle was best when Mark reached up and adjusted it himself.

He was getting a shower tonight and I hope they remember to put on his warm socks!

I will be going in at 9 so I can sit in on his consultations with the neurologist and neuro-psychologist. I should have lots of news tomorrow.

Evening

Mark was at his best today. He was awake and alert all day except for a few cat naps. Dick shaved him today and when I told Mark he looked beautiful, he batted his eye lashes at me. He's been doing all sorts of "Mark" things and I don't think much will have changed in the long run. Since today was a holiday, Cigna was closed and we couldn't get the transfer processed. But I think tomorrow we will give rehab another try and this time it's gonna stick!

If you've held off sending cards or whatever, now I think he can really enjoy them. So, the address of rehab is:

414 Paoli Pike
Malvern, PA 19355
(610) 251-5400

Visiting hours are from 4-9 if you'd like to stop by. I'll update when I know what his schedule is like in the next couple of days. I know that therapy is over by 4 but he may need a nap before dinner.

See you in Malvern!

Evening

Mark's nurse this morning said that his exam was excellent around 8am, but he became febrile (that means fever to us nurses – they made me an honorary nurse yesterday) later in the morning which makes him sleepy. He still holds and squeezes hands and follows some commands but has a hard time keeping his eyes open. When his fever hit 101.5 tonight they gave him some Tylenol. Then, right before I had to leave, his fever went down and he was watching one of his favorite shows, Myth Busters. That’s always a good time to leave. The move to rehab probably won’t happen tomorrow, they want his temp to be normal for at least 24 hours before they’ll transfer him.

Volunteers Needed: Dick would like to move some bookcases from Mark’s storage locker to my apartment so we can set up his office for him. We’d like someone with a pickup truck who can do some not too heavy lifting so he can make one trip. If you’d like to help out, call Dick on Mark’s cell phone.

Thanks!