July 17th Update

Post submitted by Jim Owens from speaking with Pat on the phone:

Don continues to work hard in Rehab.

Here are the highlights:

They are using some electro-stimulation on his left arm, leg and shoulder periodically to "wake the nerves"

He is doing various exercises to promote movement and return of balance. One involves pushing a basketball across a board. He moves it very slightly, but Pat says the therapists are encouraged and consider this to be progressive.

With help from two therapists, he stood up for the first time today. They put a leg brace on him today, but he still needs lots of support to stand and move. They are working hard to get him to move his left leg. They consider any left side movement as progress.

Pat says his medical team will not give a definitive long term prognosis. They do say he may drive again and return to work, but they emphasize that these events will take a great deal of time to occur.

He starts his day at 8 AM with breakfast, and goes through his therapy regimen until
2:30. He often falls asleep in the wheel chair on the way back to the room.

They expect him to be in the hospital, in therapy, for 4-5 more weeks. At that time he would be sent home, and would continue out patient therapy.

Pat says he has not really felt up to having company. She feels that this is due to his medications and his being very tired from the therapy sessions. He has very little appetite, and many odors or smells like soap, lotions or perfumes are offensive to him. Pat feels that they are finally getting his medicines balanced, which will improve the these issues.

He continues to have difficulty seeing to the left, which the Docs call "left side neglect" he has to force himself to turn to see the left periphery. His catheter was removed today, which is a positive.
Pat continues to emphasize that the recovery process is going to be long. She says her spirits are buoyed by Don's progress and his willingness to work toward improvement.