Paul gets an A for effort!

We met with the doctor today and he reviewed the brain injury Paul suffered along with his other injuries.
He said that they are very happy with the progress Paul has made in the 7 days he has been here. He has reached the first goals set for him, which now means they will put him in the actual rehab program, and no longer will be considered in the prep program. Time is what we will need. The paralysis on his left side of the face is due to the injury to the cranial nerve that controls his facial muscles and his eye and eye lid. They feel that with time, the movement will come back. They will schedule an appointment with an opthamologist when the time comes, to assess his eyesight.
His speech will be slow as he tries to improve the muscles around his mouth. He is also not trying to talk since he is used to not talking The trach tube should be removed by Friday. This will help him get used to breathing through his mouth, which will get him used to speaking again. They are very encouraged by his progress so far, and feel that he has a good prognosis for recovery. While there will be changes in his behaviors, the doctor said it would be more noticeable to his immediate family. There will be subtle changes obviously, due to the extent of the brain injury. But he should be able to get pretty much back to normal.
They have increased his therapy to 3 hour stretches at a time. This was the first day and Paul had been out of bed from 7:30 am until 2:30 pm. At the end of this period, he was still able to stand up and use a walker to walk the length of the hallway and back. It was quite a hike, and the walk back to the wheelchair went a little faster - he really wanted to sit back down. He wasn't too badly out of breath, which surprised me because the injury to his lung may cause him to have less stamina than before. Over a long period of time, the lung will improve. I could not help by cry, watching my Paul walk so far. It is so representative of how far we have come!!! I could almost see the angels and saints who have prayed on his behalf to our Father in heaven smiling down on this wonderful sight. Our complete thanksgiving to everyone of you who have said a prayer on Paul's behalf. He is walking today because of your intercessory prayers. I know this to be true. The staff here is so encouraged by Paul's progress and his effort to do what is being asked of him.
They have taken him off any medication that might cause him to be sedated in any way and have given him meds that will slow down the 'spinning' of his brain to help him form thought processes better.
Also, tonight, they are going to give him a bit more solid food, to see if they can get him to chew and swallow his food. He has shown a total lack of interest in the pureed food - was just too much of a change from his Subway and Wendy's diet. If he can do this well, he will have the stomach feeding tube removed sooner than later.
One tube at a time!!!

He is still confused about why he is here. This is all to be expected and they will continue to help him orient himself. We understand there will be good and bad days, but so far, we have seen so many improvements that everyday has been an olympic day for us!! This has been another gift from God. We have not had to wait for long periods of time for anything. Five weeks later and Paul has been able to stand and walk with the help of a walker. What a great blessing to this family and all of you who are praying!!

His projected date of release is January 12, 2006. He should be pretty much functional physically by then, and will need to have additional therapies for his speech, comprehension and motor skills. But again, we expected this to be a long road and will be thankful for any progress, no matter how little the step. It will be easy knowing that we are not walking this path alone.

Peace, love and a walk in the park to all of you!
Jon and Rebecca Fidero