Hyper

Saturday, November 21, 2015
9:00 AM - I arrive at The Harbor. Mike is walking very fast down the hall (without the walker). Repeating "o". I start walking with him. He comes back up the hall, enters the dining room and goes around the corner to where a man is sitting. Mike grabs the man's arm and yanks. I pried him off, grabbed his walker and we proceed to walk up and down the hall for over 30 minutes. He is much more physically stable since the Haldol is out of his system. Each pass I block him from entering the dining room. M gives Mike his PRN (as needed) medication in preparation for going to see the Brain Injury Specialist, Chena.

9:40 AM - T brings out Connect 4 and we attempt to have Mike play. He wants to go to the corner and bother C. Finally he sits and tries to play, but is antsy. C leaves the corner, Mike is immediately up and in the corner to sit in the vacant chair. We play Connect 4 again. The "o" continues, but he's a bit calmer. I ask S if Mike has been sitting in that corner, she says "You know what? He does sit there a lot." That was the issue. It wasn't C, he just wanted the chair.

10:00 AM - I go to Mike's room and find his shoes, then ask T if Mike can have his morning snack since we need to leave soon. Shoes on, yogurt eaten. "Come on Mike, let's go for a ride." Nothing, Mike is not budging from his coveted chair. "Mike, let's go outside." Nope. "Mike, it's a beautiful day, want to go outside for a walk?" Nada. "Come on Mike, let's get out of here for a while." Not moving.

10:20 AM - T helps me move the chair and make Mike stand up. Once up, he cooperates to put his jacket on and we leave. In the car, he is calm and the "o" stops. A couple minutes down the road he shouts: "I don't need to be at this place anymore!" We talk about why he is there. I explain where we are going and why. Mike tells me he doesn't remember anything about the accident. I ask him to cooperate as much as possible with Chena. He is calm.

11:00 AM - Arrive at Chena's office. Mike waits patiently. He asks me what day my birthday is in May. (Wow! He remembered the month.) I ask him his birth date. He remembers. I ask how old he is, he says 56. (He's 59) I ask him what year it is and he answers correctly! First time since the accident that he hasn't said 2012. (The year of his accident.)

11:10 AM - Mike is very cooperative with Chena and lays quietly on the massage table. She begins the treatment, which is very different and unusual to us. She is pressing on different areas, mainly on his face and head. I don't begin to understand it, but believe God orchestrated our connecting with her and so trust there is a reason and some good is going to come of this alternative treatment.

11:50 AM - Mike raises his head and shouts: "I want to see the doctor!" We explain that Chena is the "doctor" and he relaxes again. He shouts out a couple of other times during the course of the 2 hour treatment, but otherwise does great. Praise God!

1:00 PM - Chena explains what she has learned from Mike's body so far. Depression comes through strongly. Noise and touch cause a breakdown. I can't really explain it, but the way I understand it is that too much noise and touch cause his brain to not function properly. Mike's never been a touchy/feely kind of guy - it all makes sense. She checked his neurotransmitters and said the epinephrine (adrenaline) was off. We are scheduled to go back December 18 & 19 for two more 2 hour sessions. She's thinking it will take about 20 hours total. She says he will be sleepy the rest of the day.

1:15 PM - Mike is doing well, so I ask if he would like to try eating a burger. I caution him that he has to eat slowly, chew carefully and swallow so as not to choke. He says he will. (He's always agreeable if it's something he wants to do.)

1:30 PM - Drive-thru at McDonald's. I ask if there is a park nearby. We drive the 3 blocks, find the park and walk to the hexagonal picnic tables. We get Mike's legs in and he plunks down, misses the seat and flops backwards. Thankfully, his feet kept him from going over completely and the table was heavy enough that it didn't flip over. Phew! With effort, we got him upright, he ate slower than usual and even drank a Coke. It was a lovely fall day and the sun was bright and warm.

2:30 PM - Back at The Harbor, they had saved his lunch plate and he ate the entire thing, but is back to being hyper. I had to feed him so he wouldn't gorge. The "o's" are back with a vengeance. I get him to lie down to rest so that later we can watch the OSU football game together. I drive up to the local library to take a break, sit in the car, and read.

3:20 PM - Mike is sitting in the dining room. He did not rest. He cannot sit still. He keeps wanting to grab wheelchairs (with people sitting in them) and push them around. They don't like this. The next 2 hours are spent walking, blocking him from wheelchairs, watching a bit of the game. Over and over and over. I ask if he had his afternoon meds. Yes. Seems they are doing the opposite of calming him down. M says maybe Mike has built up a tolerance to them. He was definitely NOT sleepy.

5:30 PM - I feed Mike his supper, then leave to spend the night with my Aunt. I'm exhausted and remember why I couldn't keep Mike with me 24/7. Without the Haldol, the hyperactive, can't-sit-still Mike is back. Something will have to be done for the safety of him and others.

Sunday, November 22, 2015
8:40 AM - I arrive at The Harbor. Mike is sitting at a dining room table looking at a catalog. Calmer than Saturday. We sit for a while, then walk the halls again.

9:30 AM - Start getting him ready to go to church. He's antsy. The slacks I brought are too small. Yay! He's gained weight. No big deal, someone else's jeans are in his closet, they're too big, but I brought a belt. Mike doesn't complain.

10:20 AM - Finally cleaned up and ready to go. Gateway Church meets in the local Elementary School. We sit half way between front and back. Without his glasses, he can't read the words to the song. This makes him agitated. (I make a mental note to try to get new glasses. He's either lost or broken 4 pair in the past 3 years.) He speaks out loudly during the music and is very fidgety during the sermon. I brought his notebook and pen which helps by giving him something to concentrate on. He takes a few notes.  We leave during the last song. Both Pastors greet us, Mike sees snacks, stuffs 2 mini-cinnamon rolls in his mouth, before I can get him away from the table.  He speedily walks to the car, starting the "o's". Maybe this was too much stimulation on the heals of the new experience yesterday.

12:00 PM - We get his clothes changed, he swallows his pureed lunch whole. Very antsy and hyper. We walk. He tried to lie down. Popped right back up. I try to settle him in a chair in the hall with a book. He can't sit still. I let M know that I am leaving to go home. Mike stuck with "o" and popping up and down in the chair.

12:30 PM - I leave. I want to go to a large restaurant, where I will be "invisible", I don't feel like talking with anyone. I take in my book, eat and read.

1:30 PM - I start the 2 1/4 hour drive home. It is a good time to enjoy the quiet, pray, reflect, and think. I decide to more thoroughly research the medication Mike is on now. I want to see if anything throws up red flags. I cannot shake the thought that the Depakote could be causing this hyper activity. That he doesn't need another sedating medicine, because possibly that is just treating a side-effect of a current medicine. I pray that God will give Dr. Bostic wisdom. I am tired. Half way home, I stop and buy a coffee. I try to call a couple of people to fill them in on the weekend and help me stay awake. My right hip and back are aching.

4:00 PM - Home safe. Thank you, Jesus. Drop my bags and crash on the bed.

I am very thankful that we had no problems while driving to Orange and to church, that Mike cooperated so completely with Chena, and for the pleasure of Mike being able to eat solid food outside in the sunshine. What a blessing that we did not have any mishaps. God is good!

Please be in prayer for Mike and pray that God will impress on Dr. Bostic what is needed in order to keep Mike and others safe. Mike is not having peace and rest right now. It's been 3 years and 7 months since his accident, and we have yet to find the right, sustained balance for him between hyperactivity and droopy sedation. Pray for me also, that I don't internalize the stress. I'm praying that God will take away this feeling regarding Depakote, if it is unfounded and give me peace. If the Depakote is causing some of Mike's issues, then I pray that God will impress what to do about it on Dr. Bostic. Researching the medication and taking Mike to the Brain Injury Specialist are the only things left, that I can think of, for me to do in regard to Mike's situation. I have not gotten a sense that it is time for me to give up, yet. There is always hope.

God gives grace and peace. I pray that for Mike and me. We have been rescued from sin. One day we will be rescued from this decaying world. Hallelujah!

Galatians 1:3-5 (NIV)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for

our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, 

according to the will of our God and Father,

to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Connect the Dots

I was in Stanardsville with Mike on November 4-6. I think he looks much better now that the Haldol is out of his system. He has lost the really dark circles under his eyes and his eyes seem brighter and clearer. He is more stable physically also. His mind seems a bit clearer; however, he is a bit....edgy. It's hard to explain, but since he is not as sedated, the fast-blood Mike (his nickname in Palau) is more apparent. When his fastness is combined with the no-filters-TBI component, the impatience and quickness to action can cause problems for his overall well-being. (i.e. eating and walking too fast) I still think it's better than being overly sedated and unstable.

The Harbor has connected with students from a nearby high school who have volunteered to spend time with some of the residents. On Tuesday, November 3, two students from the cross-country team and their father came and took Mike for a walk. This is great, but unfortunately their first time out with Mike, he fell. Evidently, as they talked about running, Mike became excited and tried to run. I'm assuming they semi-caught him, because he wasn't seriously injured, but did receive scrapes on his right arm and a cut above his eye. The volunteers said they would be back, but I don't know if they have or not.

Thursday was a lovely Fall day and Mike was doing well. We walked a little and then sat in the garden while I showed him photos & videos of Caleb, Anastasia, and Watson. It did not seem to phase him that I had gone to Arizona (I wasn't sure if it would upset him that I went and he didn't).  He asked me if I lived with Mark and Anastasia. He still gets people in our family confused. I told him "No, Caleb and Anastasia live too far away."  Mike - "No, they don't!" Ah well, he enjoyed the photos. We do have the cutest grandson ever!

Sleepy Watson

I can see for miles and miles!

Cool hats

I had a great 10 days in Arizona. Watson is at such a fun age. He was crawling fast and would take several steps. I'm convinced that ottomans are a must for those learning to walk. He would careen around those things, fall, scramble up again, go round and round, giggling and having a fine time! His laugh would have all of us laughing. Such a doll.  I am so blessed to have been able to go and see Watson during this quickly changing phase of his life.

We also enjoyed a short 2 day trip to Sedona and Flagstaff so that I could see more of the beauty of Arizona. We saw the red rocks and visited some adobe ruins which I found very interesting plus a volcano site. (Sunset Crater?)

From the ashes

Beautiful scarred tree
preserved from the volcano 

Anyway, back to Mike. He is still on pureed foods and thickened drinks. They brought his plate and I asked for a lunch plate too. He ate all of his plate and I shared my solid food with him. I had to constantly remind him to eat slow, chew and swallow. Since he was doing so well, I decided to take him out to get his haircut. We found a local barber and he did OK. I'm guessing that the noise of the clippers bothered him, because he would keep turning his head. The barber was very kind and worked with him. Afterwards, we went through the drive-thru at McDonald's to get him a milkshake. While waiting in line, he kept moving things around in the car. I asked him if he needed something to do with his hands and he said "yes!" All I could find in the car was a straw, but he took the paper off and played with the flexible straw until we placed our order and got the milkshake. Now that he had something to occupy him, I decided to drive a little so we could see the beautiful fall foliage. We drove up Lydia Mountain which isn't far and then he was ready to go back to The Harbor.

 On Friday he had a dentist appointment for a filling. After seeing how he did at the barber, I asked the director if he could be given his PRN medication before going to the dentist. That was granted. Now let me back up. On Tuesday night, I had the idea to email Pastor Aaron at Gateway to see if anyone from their church was available to go with Mike and I to the dentist on Friday. I received an automated response that the Pastor was unavailable until Nov. 11, but it gave another Pastor's name, phone number, and email in case of emergency. This wasn't an emergency, so at first I wasn't going to email, but decided I would, just in case this other pastor had heard of our situation and knew of any volunteers.

Well, I think God has been having a lot of fun connecting dots for Mike and I. When I heard from Pastor Matt, it turns out that he is from a small town close to Blackstone, he went to the same high school that lots of my family went to (including me) and was in the band with 2 of my nieces. He even went to a dance with one of my nieces! God's small world! He was available Friday, so came and assisted Mike and I to the dentist office. It was so great to already have connections which made it all more comfortable for me and gave us things to talk about right away. The best part is that he was able to meet Mike, learn more about him, and is going to work at getting a couple of guys to come visit Mike on hopefully a regular basis. Mike did fantastic at the dentist. He was calm while driving back and forth plus conversed a little bit with Matt.

When we returned, it was lunch time and Mike became very anxious. We were able to show Matt where Mike's room and games were and then proceeded quickly to the dining hall. Lunch was difficult and I could not get him to slow down and relax. Matt went on and left while Mike was eating. After getting his noon medication, we took a walk and he began to calm down. By then he was tired, so I got him in bed with a book then headed home myself. All in all, I believe he did very well with both outings and meeting a new person. I'm very glad he did well on both drives. That gives me more confidence to take him out for short trips which is a pleasant diversion for him and makes me happy to get him out.

I will be going up again this Friday. Mike will have his first treatment with the brain injury specialist on Saturday from 11-1. I would appreciate prayers. I will be taking him to her office in Orange which is about a half hour drive from the Harbor. It's right at lunch time, so I will take him yogurt before and maybe after also, until we can get back for his lunch. Since he's on the pureed diet, I don't want to take him out to eat. I'm excited to start this treatment and hope we'll see some improvement as the treatments progress.

He does seem to be settling in and more comfortable at The Harbor, so I am thankful for that improvement. The staff said he has really enjoyed watching football. They were amazed at how different he was while watching a Redskins game. They said that Mike and another lady were cheering and Mike knew all the rules of the game. That long-term memory is there when given the right stimulation. Is always a joy to hear those good reports. The other interesting thing is that the older women there seem to have taken Mike under their wing. When we returned from the barber shop on Friday, one lady came up, took me by the arm, looked at me with such kindness, and said "Thank you, that was so good for him."  It reminds me of how God shelters us under His wings.

Psalm 91:1-4

The one who lives under the protection of the Most High

dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."

He Himself will deliver you from the hunter's net,

from the destructive plague.

He will cover you with His feathers;

you will take refuge under His wings.

His faithfulness will be a protective shield.