Zach's Day Home

Mom, Zach, and I at home

Zach pre-shave

Zach post-shave

On Sunday we got the opportunity to take Zach home for the day. This was a long time coming. While at home Zach, Mom and I went out to lunch at his favorite place Maria's. This restaurant has the best chicken tacos, and Zach proved that to me. We also stopped by and saw several of his friends and had some family come to the house. Then as soon as it began it ended and he was back to rehab.

Tonight (Tuesday) mom, Zach, and I attended a meeting for other TBI paitents. This was a good experience for Zach to see the many faces of brain injury and the severerity of this injury.

In rehab Zach continues to get better and learn more about Tramatic Brain Injury. He is looking forward to his release on Thursday and so are we!

Happy Halloween

For Halloween Zach dressed up as a Surgeon. To be exact he was a surgeon of radiology. All the staff called him Dr. Wright throughout the day. As for an update he continues to improve and has received orders to no longer use the wheelchair. He is desperately counting the days until he goes home.

Zach checks the blog whenever he gets a chance and loves reading all your messages!

Day 55 Feelin Alive

Hey everybody! Zach here! Just want to let you all know that I'm okay enough to do my own blog today. Tired from all the work I've been doing. Physical therapy has me tuckered, much props to Jennifer Cristenbury for that. There are a bunch of different therapies I'm doing that have got my head spinning and my body aching. I don't remember any of the accident and very little of the care I've received. Nevertheless I love the compassionate care I've had, and forget most of the faces that have given it. I don't know what else to write, so I'll have to stop here. I'm walking, working on my balance, and breathing way too hard. Thanks for the love you've sent me. I appreciate all the letters I've gotten and will return your postage as soon as I get free of this place.

THANK YOU ALL
Love,
Zach

Day 49 Enter Rehab!

WE ASKED ZACH TO TAKE A PICTURE OF HOW HE FELT ABOUT HIS NECK BRACE??? (This was when he took it off. He was so excited!!!)

After a week of sleeping by your side in the hospital, 11A. you have pulled out dobb hoffs, gotten mad, jumped out of bed, passed the swallowing test, savoring thickened juice enjoying this like nothing else matters....Who would have imagined this day? REHAB!

We went by wheelchair through the ominous tunnel from CMC to Rehab. You were obviously anxious about the move. You said, "I want to just go home". Then you were greeted by warm embracing staff at rehab. The resident did a great assessment on you. You have some upper motor neuron deficits...which is normal for you. Big change, after 6 weeks with a stiff C-collar on....It is finally off, per the neuro surgeon. What a relief...Your neck is so thin. Did we tell you that you have lost 40 pounds in 6 weeks. Now you are 160 pounds. Then Ang and I went to East Blvd Bar and Grill for some dinner and wine. You called us on our cell. So cool that you called us....So, We went back to tuck you in at rehab and reassure you are OK and on YOUR Way.

FYI: Zach will have a tight schedule with lots of work ahead of him. Visiting is limited in the next 2 weeks...please know he will need you when he comes home.

Happy for Mom to sleep at home, while Zach is safe and challenged.

Thanks again to all.

Day 42 Six Weeks Today

So we have made it to the six week mark with great strides on Zach's part. Today he had several visitors, Mom and I, Ammie and Popop, Lia and Joey and Ashley. He also had some of his past ICU nurses stop by.

For some reason today all Zach could talk about was having a Mango Smoothie. I think it was the resemblance between his tube feeding and what a mango smoothie would look like triggered that thought.

Until now we have refrained from taking any pictures of Zach but for some reason he was in a mood where all he wanted to do was pose and look at himself. So this was our day with Zach: (With his permission of course)

P.S.- The neck brace on is hospital policy until he his clear minded and can completely verbalize that he wants it off.















Mom, Zach and I. Zach his showing you his O2 Sat monitor cord he likes to remove.
















Lia, Zach and Joey throwing up the peace sign.

















Mom and her baby boy. He kept making goofy faces.
















Zach and Me. His rock star pose!

Day 41 Catching up on week of progress

First off let us apologize for the lack of blogs this week. We have been consumed with Zach and his progress. I will try to update you day by day this week as I can remember:

TUESDAY- Mom and I were informed that Zach would be moving floors once again. Good because they felt as if he was getting better but bad that because we were still dealing with Zach pulling out all sorts of tubes. That was a rough day and with Zach restrained in his bed mom felt better if she stayed over night.

WEDNESDAY- Mom was tired and up all night with Zach and the noise on the new floor. After ripping out yet another feeding tube the doctors kept it out for the day. That morning they removed Zach's trach. YAY. He is now completely breathing on his own. Later that day they decided to do a swallowing test on Zach to see if he was able to eat food and drink liquids. He past the part of concentrated liquids ( pudding, applesauce, etc.) but failed drinking liquids. We assured Zach that we would try again another day. On a side note this swallow test is the only thing that now comes between him going to rehab or not.

THURSDAY- Zach has become more and more understandable with is words daily. Yesterday he went without a feeding tube for most of the day because every time he takes one out the nurses have to put it back in the nose, call for an x-ray, wait for the x-ray to make sure the tube is in the stomach, wait for the doctor to read the x-ray, and then start the feeding. This is a process. However he was in a good mood for most of the day. The highlight of being on this floor is that Physical and Occupational Therapy come by to work with him once a day and get him out of the bed.
On this particular day one of our favorite physical therapists decided to put Zach in the wheelchair and wheel him over to ICU. Everyone was so impressed with Zach and he was grinning from ear to ear with each compliment.
Later that day Zach and I watched the movie Aladdin and sang (Zach mouthed) all the songs. The Rehab Resident came in and was overly impressed with Zach. She expressed that she was going to use Zach for a study for some neuro meds he was on but he was improving to quickly. OH DARN! She assured him that they are excited to have him over there. He grinned.

FRIDAY (Today)- Zach and Mom had a slumber party once again last night. When she left she told Zach she was going to go home to get some coffee and shower to which Zach responded that he too felt that he should come home to get a shower and some coffee. "That sounds like a good idea mom." I came in the morning and spent the day with Zach. He had both PT and OT where they sat him up on the edge of his bed. Zach and I played a card game of war and I quizzed him on "Are you smarter than a 5th grader" questions. He's smarter than his mother and I.
Even though he has his feeding tube in he is thirsty and hungry. He told me that since it was the weekend he felt like we should go to Fuel Pizza. I told him once he got better he can have all the pizza he wanted. You feel so bad but know you can't give him anything.

Everyone that talks or deals with Zach loves him (how could you not). He is so polite with everyone that comes in the room and waves to them when they leaves. He remembers so much and needs to be reminded about so little. Zach does have his random moments where he will speak of a car on interstate 77 or the Louisville baseball team but its just a blurb and then hes back.

He's doing so great and there are so many more little details. Thanks for being patient and will update you soon.

Ang and Jo

Day 37 Progressive Care

Zach your sole goal today (now yesterday) was to remove any and all tubes protruding from your body. You mastered this art by convincing me of your need to suction yourself (good job) and then so doing, inched your way up to your dob-hoff feeding tube. Yes and yanked it out, right in my presence. There is much much more to this day...I will savor it in detail later....Let's just say, you have a powerful ichinen (determination)! And you tired me out today with your total resolve to be free. It is time to get out of that bed. (By the way, you like the small blue pillow from your room, and enjoy the squisshy ball and the frog that lights up when you squezze it. )

Zach you now are good at nodding your head to yes and no, giving thumbs up and down and snapping your fingers when mad. You like changing the channels on the TV. In between your aggravation to be free, you watched both soccer and football today. You are now fully aware of person and time....You know who we are, and you know this is 2008. You still don't know where you are...when we ask you "are you in the grocery store? " or "are you in the hospital?" you don't know yet. So we keep orienting you to the place, the present.

You are now on the trach collar only! Yes, the respirator has been removed from your room and replaced with an IPPB machine (for treatments only). The chest tube is clamped...we await the chest x-ray results and pending removal of this tube....if you keep progressing in the fashion, as we know you will....You clearly will be in Rehab by the end of next week for sure! WOW!

By the way, Ange and I LOVE it when you hug and kiss us now....