Today one month ago was the worse day of my life! We had no idea if Michael was going to live or die. It really didn't look very good. The homicide department took over the investigation, DCF had to open an investigation, not because we were awful parents, but because if things went the way they thought they were going to, they had different resources to get us through the tragedy that we were almost certain to have.
But Michael has proven himself to be strong, God has proven himself to not be finished with Michael. And the Doctors have proven themselves to be amazing. He might not be where we want him to be at this moment. But he is ALIVE. He has so much potential. He has a full life ahead of him. He has friends and family....and strangers that are rooting for him.
I am so thankful for everyday with this kid. I can not wait for him to be able to read all of these updates.
Waking up is not as pleasant as one might thing. It is obviously a great step, but it is so heartbreaking to watch. In movies, you see patients wake up and they are just perfectly normal in the blink of an eye. That is not real life. And to add on top of that brain injury.
Michael has his eyes open a good portion of the day. It started as a blank stare, and now he tries to make eye contact, but he gets tired of focusing his eyes very quickly. His body tenses up, he is so extremely skinny, you can see his ribs and his legs are very bony. His heart rate goes too high, more than likely caused by pain. The more he becomes alert in his mind the more freaked out he is, the more he can feel the pain that he has, but he can't express it other than with his vitals.
While it is a step in a great directions, it is sad to watch. It is sad to see your baby possibly be in pain and know that there is nothing you can do to help him....thats when you just have to say a prayer.
On a better note:
Ortho came in and removed the splint off of his arm. Its going to be sore and stiff for a bit but physical therapy will get that better. They did an xray yesterday and told me this morning that his femur is completely healed. They originally said he wouldn't be able to put weight on it for 6-8 weeks. Which really worried me about him going to rehab because learning to walk again is a huge thing that I wasn't sure how that would work out if he is unable to put pressure on it. Its only been about 2.5 weeks and they said it is completely healed. So that is totally amazing and it is a worry that I don't have anymore.
About rehab:
We were hoping to go to rehab yesterday but his heart rate was SOOO high (180+) They thought maybe it was neurostorming so they gave him a med to calm him, so if it was neurostorms then that would help. But it didnt help at all. Motrin helps a little so they think that it is pain related. More than likely its him waking up a little bit more and so he is realizing how uncomfortable he is. Last night he had a really good night but then this morning his heart rate was high again, until he had a dose of Motrin. The doctor who has been chatting with the rehab place is going to let them know why they think his heart rate is going high, so we will see later on today if he is going to go today or not.
How are the other kids?
The other kids are being very strong. They all ask a ton of questions. They pray for him. They think about him. They worry about him. They are ready for him to get better so he can come home. I have explained to them what him coming home means and they are very eager to get him home so we can start helping him be him again.
Adler cries a lot because he misses me and Tim, but once we go to rehab he will at least have Tim home every night so that should help him.
Shout out to JUST 1 MORE:
They raised 3003 dollars for us during their dart tournament :-) Thank you to everyone that participated and donated! You guys are awesome!!!!!!! And we will find a way to pay it forward for all the support we are receiving!
Thank you all for keeping Michael and our family in your thoughts and prayers! We really appreciate it.
I read your blogs and it makes me so sad, but I am also happy that he is doing relatively well. I am amazed at your strength and courage as his mother. I am amazed at Michael's courage and strength. I am in awe at how amazing Michael is. God is allowing Michael to face this challenge because he has a lot of faith in Michael. I love Michael, and I love you all. We pray for Michael every day.
ReplyDeleteMy good friend's husband was in an accident and was in a coma for a period of time. The doctors said that he would be a vegetable, that he would never walk or talk again. He could hear every word they said. He worked through it, and now he is back to normal. We pray every day that Michael will continue to be strong, and will heal from his injuries. We love all of you!!!