Miles to go...

I got to finally meet DrD yesterday. She is the brain injury guru around these parts and many others. In any job environment, there are always politics and disagreements. Hospitals are no better and in many cases worse. I am sure there are some of the same issues here, but one thing is not. There are no complaints or snarky comments about DrD. Every single staff member has nothing but wonderful things to say about her. They say she is dedicated. They say this is her life. They say she is amazing. They say she is the best. They say we are lucky to have her for a doctor. Today one nurse told me that she has seen anoxic brain injury patients be wheeled in here and then walk out, she says she had never seen that before. Sigh. So what does she have in plan for him? Well, she wishes he had gotten here sooner (don't we all??!) she has to counteract some bad habits that he has established and then she has to prepare him for treatment. He had been given nothing to help him relax, no muscle relaxers or anything, and after months of this with very little physical therapy, he is tense, he is tight, and is favoring certain positions. When he is moved or stretched it causes real and phantom pains that in turn cause him to withdraw or tighten further. The immediate goal is to relax his limbs, muscles and his brain. Let him feel the simplicity of peace so that when they start the regime, he is in a place to venture out if he is able. From my understanding of brain injury, it can be very scary for them as they are trying to figure out how to respond. Their nerves and signals can misfire and send mixed messages. A simple touch on the arm, can be interpreted as pain in an injured brain. By relaxing him first it can make him feel less protective and more accepting of changes as they are introduced. The next big thing we found out is that he is going to be getting the defib (pacemaker like device) installed probably this week. The doctor does not want to start therapy on him only to have the ticker rebel like what started this whole mess. In the middle of typing this, we just had another visitor, a special eye doctor. She came to look at his eyes and see if there was any noticeable damage. We have noticed that bright light seems to bother him, and that he squints his right eye. After examining him she determined that the cardiac event caused a muscle contraction that has forced his right eye slightly off. The result? He is probably seeing double. This does explain the light, how he seems uncomfortable with rapid movements in front of him, and how he seems to furrow his brow and squint when trying to look at something. She said it can cause him headaches and confusion in addition to seeing double and being unable to focus.. They can give him a shot of botox in the eye to release the contraction. It will last up to 6 months and at the end of the time, his eye will either be retrained to stay in place or he could have another injection. Another thing to help him be in optimum fighting mode. Another new thing we have discovered since we have been here. I know it has been two weeks today and we were all hoping to see him jump right in. Throw some drugs at him and see if it works. A bit like getting to Christmas morning but finding you can't open your gifts until Valentine's day. Anticipation. Expectation. Rehabilitation. I will take the first two to get the third. We still don't know where we are headed. if it will work, but what we will know is that he was given the opportunity to succeed. That is really all I can ask for. DrD is in charge. I am grateful to finally have a guide on this journey. It has been a bit like being dropped in the middle of an unknown forest and trying to find your way out. I could see the sun overhead. I could feel the ground beneath my feet. My children were behind me asking "are we there yet?". There were no signs but I chose a path and committed to it. Now I have met up with someone who has travelled this path before. She doesn't know yet what obstacles may have fallen since the last time she travelled it, but she knows a few things to watch out for as we travel along. We have found a map, it is outdated and does not have all of our journey charted, but together we will add to it as we make this journey. We will stay the course, and find our way out no matter which path ends up taking us there..... "The woods are dark and deep, and I have miles to go before I sleep......."