Posted on 11/07/2014 3:01:52 PM PST by WhyisaTexasgirlinPA
Arrowhead (John) fell off a 20’ ladder at work, onto his head, and has a severe brain injury!
Broke all the bones in his face and skull, broke his shoulder blade and some ribs.
His last post was 10/20 in the morning. He fell about 2pm that same day and was LifeFlighted to the hospital; then, after about 6 hours of surgery, he went directly to ICU. It was touch and go for days in critical condition.
After 2 weeks in ICU he has been transferred to a Specialty Neurological Rehab center in Austin, as of 11/3.
He can move his arms and legs, so no spinal injury, but he is not cognizant. Sometimes he can respond to “can you squeeze my hand?”, sometimes not. His daughter is getting ready to go back home.
The nurses are calling them every day. Small improvements are noticed, such as he sat up for 10 seconds today, but no one has a prognosis. Brain injuries heal how they heal, when the heal, if they heal....3 to 6 months at least.
PRAY HARD, please!!!! And spread the word to your prayer lists.
Prayers being sent.
Thank you, Lisa and Kathy, for this update.
We share the disappointment about the seeming lack of progress in the rehab process.
Then, we remember, just how fortunate we are to have John still with us.
Lisa, you and your family are not giving up, so neither can we.
I am sure John would love to receive cards and letters from his Freeper friends.
Freepmail to Kathy in Alaska will get you his address.
Lisa, we pray for your dad, and for you, your Mom and your whole family as you go through this ordeal.
Sounds to me like you are doing a terrific job in a very stressful situation. Keep up the great work.
Your dad will pull through this. And a big part of the reason he will is because he has you and his family pulling for him. A man cannot ask for more than that.
God bless all of you.
Prayers up. May God bless Arrowhead1952 and his family.
Prayers up.
Mega-sigh. More prayers for our friend to continue improving. God, hold his hand and make him strong......
Continued prayer for our dear FRiend Arrowhead and his family.
Thank you for the update.
Prayers continue....
Lord Jesus our Savior and our Healer, be with Thy servant and grant him a full recovery.
We pray in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, amen.
Thanks very much for the ping/post/update, Kathy (and Lisa).
(prayer)
Arrowhead1952, a FReeper, one of America’s finest BUMP!
Sorry to hear about the setbacks, but continued prayers nonetheless.
Fervent prayers for Arrowhead’s improvement...Strengthening, comforting prayers for lisa, Mrs AH and all who love and support AH.
Thank you for passing on the news. We’ll keep Arrowhead in our prayers.
I have been wondering how your dad is doing. Thanks for updating us.
It does sound like the fluid is causing his problems. Prayers the good doctors can correct it.
This is tough news, but the brain is pretty remarkable, and doctors really don’t know all that much about it either.
We were told that my Dad would not likely regain his speech and ability to walk unassisted. However he came to live with me, and made progress. He had good days and bad, but he did regain his speech and was able to walk again without assistance.
The new neurologist that we used when he moved told us it was remarkable to do that with so much damage from his stroke.
Saying prayers.
Thanks for the update. Praying for the Lord’s intercession in this situation.
Merciful Father, Lord Jesus, and our Beloved Holy Spirit,
We place before you the one we know as Arrowhead1952 with great hope and gratitude of the Grace you are bestowing in his battle.
We ask that you would place your healing light at the atomic, molecular, and cellular levels in the injuries which Arrowhead1952’s brain has sustained. We pray for the proper balance of the brain and spinal fluids. We pray for the restoration of balance. We pray for his ability to maintain muscle mass, and any other issues known or unknown to his medical professionals.
We ask that all medications, procedures, and medical interventions and therapies be 100% effective so that he may once more continue his track in obtaining milestones in recovery, thereby allowing his continued treatment at the neuro facility.
We ask that you will surround him and his family and circle of loved ones with the strength of your arm and love. See all of them and us victoriously through this battle of one of your own.
We further ask that all we pray here on Arrowhead1952’s behalf may be multiplied and also granted according to thy will in any and all similar situations of need. We are grateful knowing that you have our precious friend in your hands and that we can count on your grace and mercy to bring forth your highest Plan in this situation.
We ask this in thy name, Lord Jesus, and are grateful that you hear and answer.
Amen
Lisa, Prayers will continue.... prayers for not only recovery.... but for peace & comfort.... May God be with you and your family.
bttt
Come on, John, we’re praying and pulling for you..
Praying for him and his family. May God be merciful to them and grant them strength and comfort.
I wanted to send you a quick email update about John's progress. Because he was not meeting the specified goals in PT/OT/Speech Therapy, he is being discharged from Texas Neuro Rehab - but, my Mom was able to get him into another rehabilitation facility for the short term. :)
(He does have to continue to meet goals to stay in this facility, so we are not sure how long he will be there.)
I will be down in Austin for a few days next week and will be going to see him, so I'll have a first-hand update coming in a couple of weeks. However, Dad's sister went to visit him yesterday and wrote me such a fantastic, detailed email about what he did that I am including some of it below. It gives a great play-by-play about what his day is like:
Just got home from visiting John. Thought he had a very good day in all 3 therapies. First Michelle (nurse) got him dressed and up in his wheelchair; so we sat and read over his birthday cards and played the CD and read him a Bible story.
Then Barbara (speech therapist) came by and said the swallowing study went OK except John moved around so much. Not quite ready for food yet, but today he got bites of yogurt and thickened apple juice, besides the ice chips. He kept pointing to the apple juice when she asked which he preferred; she even switched positions of the two containers. He snickered when I mentioned that he looked pretty hungry. Also I got to feed him additional ice chips on my own, which he enjoyed. Then Barbara told me I could brush his teeth, but luckily just then Sara came to do OT.
So they sat there and she (being very patient) helped him get the toothpaste on the toothbrush, but once he got used to it he did a good job of brushing on his own. That was great. Then she took him to the room with the kitchen and he pivoted to the bed thing with some assistance but he was so much stronger than I'd seen him before. He was supposed to take some folded up socks from the left and place them in the laundry basket on the right. He reached for the socks on the left but couldn't see the laundry basket on the right until she brought it almost in front of him... Guess the vision field may not be quite equal on the right side; plus he wanted to unfold them and fold them a different way.
He had another speaking event in OT. He said, "didn't know I was supposed to" when she mentioned something; and then he said something we didn't understand. That was the only speaking other than yeah and no that I heard. He did make different facial expressions and kinda laughed (about my age) earlier. Pretty soon Jenn (physical therapist) came and took him to the gym where he again pivoted to bed with just a little assistance. This was impressive since he was standing and fairly balanced with just a little support from therapist, and did it quite a while; that was great. Then he went walking (with the shopping cart) and he had that shopping cart going almost out the door before you knew it. He walked out in the hallway (she asked him which hallway he wanted to walk down and he pointed to the shorter one) and all the way to the windows and then we had him sit in the chairs to rest.
She also mentioned to me the other day she told him to "march" and he put his hands on his hip, had a funny facial expression as if to say "I don't think so." All in all I was so pleased since the last time I was there, he seemed to interact more.
I will continue to keep you posted, and will let you know how my trip to see him goes at the new facility. Please thank all of Dad's FReepers again for keeping us in your continued thoughts and prayers, and for all of the cards. Mom and I just love to go down there and read them to him, and Dad likes to hold them and look at the designs.
Have a blessed week,
Lisa
From me....cards for Valentine's Day would be nice. Hint, hint.
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