Steve wrote this note to family and friends last night.
Wednesday 9:45 p.m.
No words can describe the deep relief that I felt when, during my lunch hour from court today, I was able to read Stan's report on Bill's extraordinary re-emergence into our world.
I learned later that I missed a lot of sobs of happiness back at the hospital as the families got to share the excitement of that hoped-for transition.
Later this evening, when I was able to get to the hospital, I could confirm that Bill was Bill again: his personality is there, his appetite, and even those impeccable manners--the kind that every son-in-law should have. I told Bill that Friday looked like a good day for us to pick up on our crossword collaboration.
Bill does not appear to have any other injuries other than the head injury. He will have at least a week at the hospital for additional therapies, including cognitive therapy to make sure that all of the synapses are firing.
Briggs
Briggs has not had the same dramatic improvement as Bill, but hers is steady.
And it sure helps to have an upgrade in the roommate department. (If you haven't checked the blog, Briggs and Bill are now roomies--no word on who has to do the dishes.)
Briggs is now able to open her eyes while conversing. She continues to have some dizziness, headaches and fatigue. They think the dizziness is related to the bleeding behind her tympanic membrane, or it might just be her overall banged-up condition.
She is moving faster on her walker and showed some promise on the railing/stairs physical therapy station.
We think that the stitches from her facial lacerations will be removed on Friday.
Finally, we think that they have cleared the skull/neck fracture issue. By the third day of MRI's they believe that the contusion there is not going to interfere with the structural healing of the fractured occipital condyle; instead it appears to be only related to the ligament. We think that the translation is:
No surgery, just 3 weeks in the neck collar.
While she also has other concerns, with her improvements--no doubt aided by her excellent physical condition prior to the accident--we are hoping--without any confirmation from medical-type people--that we will be able to bring her home within the next few days and continue her therapies and convalescence here in Mankato. Time will tell.
When we left, both were sleeping soundly. We're hoping to do the same.
Wednesday 9:45 p.m.
No words can describe the deep relief that I felt when, during my lunch hour from court today, I was able to read Stan's report on Bill's extraordinary re-emergence into our world.
I learned later that I missed a lot of sobs of happiness back at the hospital as the families got to share the excitement of that hoped-for transition.
Later this evening, when I was able to get to the hospital, I could confirm that Bill was Bill again: his personality is there, his appetite, and even those impeccable manners--the kind that every son-in-law should have. I told Bill that Friday looked like a good day for us to pick up on our crossword collaboration.
Bill does not appear to have any other injuries other than the head injury. He will have at least a week at the hospital for additional therapies, including cognitive therapy to make sure that all of the synapses are firing.
BriggsBriggs has not had the same dramatic improvement as Bill, but hers is steady.
And it sure helps to have an upgrade in the roommate department. (If you haven't checked the blog, Briggs and Bill are now roomies--no word on who has to do the dishes.)
Briggs is now able to open her eyes while conversing. She continues to have some dizziness, headaches and fatigue. They think the dizziness is related to the bleeding behind her tympanic membrane, or it might just be her overall banged-up condition.
She is moving faster on her walker and showed some promise on the railing/stairs physical therapy station.
We think that the stitches from her facial lacerations will be removed on Friday.Finally, we think that they have cleared the skull/neck fracture issue. By the third day of MRI's they believe that the contusion there is not going to interfere with the structural healing of the fractured occipital condyle; instead it appears to be only related to the ligament. We think that the translation is:
No surgery, just 3 weeks in the neck collar.
While she also has other concerns, with her improvements--no doubt aided by her excellent physical condition prior to the accident--we are hoping--without any confirmation from medical-type people--that we will be able to bring her home within the next few days and continue her therapies and convalescence here in Mankato. Time will tell.
When we left, both were sleeping soundly. We're hoping to do the same.
Steve and Nancy
