Getting Better

Neil woke up this morning with his right eye swollen shut. No worries--just a little residual fluid from the surgery. I'm guessing he'll have an awesome shiner soon. Knowing I was going to mention his eye in the blog tonight, Neil asked me to also note that the swelling went down a little during the day so that he could open his eye half-way by this evening.

He was a bit sleepy today--still recuperating I think. He'll be ready to get back in the therapy saddle soon. We have to get official approval from the doctor before he can go to his out-patient rehab again.

Here are the pills Neil takes each day. Quite a reduction from what he had been taking before we left Kessler. The huge pills on the top row are nutraceuticals left over from the study Neil was involved in while he was there. We're not really sure about their efficacy, but they certainly can't hurt, so we'll use them until they're gone. You should see him take those horse pills. He's quite a trooper.

Home For Good

The doctor was pleased as punch with his handiwork and you can see why. Look at the lovely shape of that noggin!

Getting home ended up taking a little longer than we'd expected. Just got back from the hospital around 10:30 PM. Neil has a bit of a problem with orthostatic hypotension and lying around in bed for two days didn't help matters. After a physical therapy check, waiting for doctors, BP testing, and extra fluids, we finally got the okay to leave. Neil should sleep well tonight. It was a pretty exhausting experience for him (and us).

All the King's Horses and Dr. Danish

Surgery was a success--Neil is back in one piece. He's been thirsty since the recovery room, and very groggy. It's been a strange experience to see him attached to all the tubes and monitors again, but this time he's aware of his surroundings and wants to know what everything is for. He'll be here at RWJ through the night and then back home tomorrow.

I'd almost forgotten how terrific Neil looks with a symmetrical head. Even though it's bandage-covered, it's nice and round. We're so happy to be able to save the helmet for it's original purpose only. Neil's aim is to be ready to use it for snowboarding next season--some good motivation for working hard at therapy and healing!

Prayers Requested

Off to get some good sleep before tomorrow's surgery. We're all a little nervous, but glad to finally see Neil's skull made whole again. Your prayers and good wishes have sustained us through so much already. I know they will help us tomorrow as well. In return, we offer our thanks and our love.

Sunny Sunday

It was Neil's first time back at church today and I was busting my buttons. He looked great in his shirt and tie, so the helmet only made him feel a little bit awkward. Everyone was so kind and were genuinely happy to see him back. Neil seemed pleased to be doing normal, familiar things again and I was glad to see he was alert and focused enough that this turned out to be a positive experience.Scott's sister Shelly is here for a week to help out. We always love it when she comes, but circumstances around her visit this time are much happier than they were when she rushed here in January two days after the accident.

One more trip to Robert Wood Johnson for lab work was necessary today, so we ran over for a quick test. After Neil braved the needle again, we shyly peeked into the ICU to see if we could catch the eye of any of our familiar nurses. We hadn't been there since February 18th, so we weren't sure that any one would recognize us, but they rushed up to see us when we came in! I think Neil was surprised at all the attention, but when we explained to him how much these people meant to us and what they did for him, he simply said, "thank you."

We want to add our "thank you" too, to all the nurses (even those we didn't get to see today) for giving so much to Neil's recovery and our comfort. And "thank you" to our church friends who welcomed Neil back with so much love.

Sticky Brain

I picture Neil's brain to be like walls and walls covered with adhesive. The events and experiences that happen throughout his life are little notes that attach to these walls and stay there for him to recall and review. Since awakening from his comatose state, his current memory walls have very little adhesive. Things may stick briefly before they fly away, or not at all. We've been hoping and praying for stronger glue to hold onto the moments, the people, the feelings he encounters.

As I woke Neil up this morning, I quizzed him on upcoming events for the day and things that had happened yesterday and found that everything stuck! He remembered that Aunt Shelly was coming. He remembered visiting with Mike and texting Justin yesterday. He even remembered what he and Justin were texting about. It would have been wonderful if he could have continued throughout the day with his new memory skills, but the glue began to give out and the notes had trouble sticking again.

Those little moments of clarity are a thrill and give us hope for more. His short-term memory is improving gradually and we're looking forward to more experiences for him to remember.

Here's Neil finding a way to make his left side participate in a posed smile. Looks pretty authentic. It won't be long until this smile is real.

Disclaimer: I didn't take the lovely photo of the horse farm a few days ago, but I did spend a good hour on the Internet finding that picture of the exact farm that we passed on the way to therapy.

Wii Therapy

Neil's PT back at Kessler 1 actually recommended Wii Fit to supplement his therapy at home. We had some fun today heading soccer balls and trying to figure out how to execute a proper ski jump. Because the game wasn't designed for brain injured individuals Neil needs a little assistance, but I think it will be a great addition to our home repertoire of activities. Do you think our insurance will let us submit the purchase for reimbursement? ;-)