Thanks to Small Dog Electronics' donation of a power cord, the blog can continue!
Today John was removed from the ventilator and is now breathing on his own through a trach collar. It takes a lot of effort on his part to work the muscles involved in breathing, so he is really working hard at something we take for granted along with his huge task of healing his brain. But moving off the ventilator moves him one step closer to moving out of the ICU into a regular room. This morning he woke with some eye movement and some eye contact, but with no real responsiveness or alertness. I'm told this is normal, and although at moments like this it's excruciatingly difficult, I'm clinging to the vision of him well and healthy.
The question of where he goes beyond Fletcher Allen is as yet unknown. Levels of Recovery are often measured in rehabilitation programs with the use of the Rancho Los Amigos scale to assess cognitive functioning. Today John remains a Level II requiring total assistance, and his Level of Disability is vegatative. These scales will be used to determine the most appropriate rehabilitation facility available to him. We have some time before this decision has to be made, and our prayers are that his condition improves enough over the next week or two to become an appropriate candidate for the Fanny Allen Rehabilitation facility here in Burlington.
Two baby steps forward, one back, but in the right direction.
Bless
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4 comments:
We'll pray that his next move is here in town. It's hard to think of him moving to another place to rehabilitate. However, any progress forward, no matter how slow, is still a step forward. And we'll be patient for him. He'd be patient for us!
One step at a time. Slow and steady wins the race.
Carmen
The Jay area is continually sending Love and Prayer.
Many thanks for the updates. We are hanging in there for you John.
Love and Blessings to you all.
ditto. xxoxoxoxxoxxoxoxxox
Thank you for continuing to keep us updated on how John is doing :)
I found a few good pieces of information about what the Rancho los Amigos scale and the Level of Disability scales mean for people who might not be familiar with them. Both of them are fluid--used to track progress.
I hope that Fanny Allen is his next step. Remember that if you need anything, I'm at the hospital almost every day.
Peace and positive thoughts,
Corey
http://www.birf.info/home/bi-tools/qlinks_disabl.html
http://www.waiting.com/rancholosamigos.html
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