Christopher's Brain Injury 11

Friday, April 30, 2010, 8:30 am

There are two things I hope Christopher will remember about his time spent in the PICU.  The first is that he was loved and amazingly well-cared-for by both Doctors and Nurses 24/7.  The other thing is that he should never do drugs because withdrawal is torture!  After several rough episodes throughout the evening of thrashing, hallucinations and fever, Christopher finally fell into a peaceful sleep.  I went to the lounge this morning around 1:30 am to try to get a little sleep of my own.  I was beckoned by Elise, his nurse sometime around 5:30 because he was having a really hard time and was calling for "mom." His arms are restrained, but he just can't stop moving.  He throws his legs over the rails, rolls from side to side and basically looks miserable.  He grabs onto what ever he can and if he happens to catch your hand, it's quite an adventure!  His strength has amazed everyone.  Elise told me that at one point last night, she was afraid that he was going to break her finger, and she wasn't joking!   If any of you have ever experienced "restless legs syndrome," that is what his entire body feels like.  It is as though he just wants to crawl out of his skin.  It is awful.  He is also running a fever, which is typical with withdrawal.  

After increasing several meds with no luck, they ordered some morphine for him, but even that took almost an hour to kick in.  I tried some of my tricks from last night, you know, stroking his face and such, but that seemed to irritate him this morning, so I just sat there and talked to him quietly.  There are two things that I have found seem to capture his attention.  One is when I tell him about the helicopter ride he took to Children's Hospital last Wednesday night.  The thing that quiets him the longest though, is when I ask him if he wants me to tell him about Chief (our Great Dane).  He always stops his movement and says, "ya", in a breathless voice.  He lays perfectly still while I tell him about how Chief is obsessed with sniffing us when we come home from the hospital and that he just can't seem to settle in, knowing that Christopher is not where he should be.  I tell him stories about the two of them wrestling, playing and sleeping together.  It is rather sweet to see his breathing calm, if only for a few moments.  Then I begin to lose him again, but that is okay.  He is reacting normally to his withdrawal from the narcotics that kept him quiet and still during those very crucial days when swelling of his brain was so feared.  I know this will not last forever, only a few days, and I know that we will be by his side to help him through it.

11:00 pm
Things definitely improved as today progressed.  Christopher continued to have periods of restlessness, but they are becoming less and less intense.  He is much more calm and is sleeping more peacefully between bouts.  

Our favorite part of each day is when the light bulb seems to go on and he makes the proper connections.  Here are a few of the wonderful and sometimes funny things Christopher had to say throughout the day:

*Last night, he told Paul that he was thirsty

*He was becoming frustrated with his nurse, Elise as she held his arms to stop him from pulling out his arterial line in his foot and he said, "Stop it, Emily!" (this was the first time he mentioned his sister)

*While reaching for the feeding tube in his nose, he said, "get it out!"

*When our friend, Tess from Minnesota walked up to his bedside, he said, "What are you doing here, Tess?"

*I read him a letter from his friend Walker and he chuckled out loud when I read the line, "C U Dude"

*Upon seeing our friend Mae walk in the room, he said, "Oh my gosh, there's Mae!" Paul asked him, "Do you remember her?" and he said, "I remember..."

*Paul said, "Hi", he said, "Hi, who are you?", He then said, "Can you please call my mom."  Paul said, "Yes" and Chris said, "Thank you."

*He woke up with Paul at his bedside and said, "Hi Dad! How are you doing?"

*He said, "I've been sick"

*While listening to his iPod, he said, "That's a good song."

*His nurses are remarking how polite he is.  Even when he is agitated and telling them something to do or not, he says "Please" and "Thank you"

*As he was struggling to get comfortable in bed this evening, he said, "Can you help me, Mom?"

*Paul asked him to give him a 'high five' and he did!

*And my favorite... "Do I have to go to school tomorrow?"  Paul said, "NO" and Christopher said, "Sweet!"

We are so encouraged by all that Christopher said to us today!  Two days ago, we didn't know if our son would even be able to form words, much less sentences and coherent phrases.  His doctors and nurses are thrilled and today was a day filled with hugs and tears all over the PICU!  He still has a long road ahead of him, but he is showing us, just like Dr. Newman said, in bits and pieces, the extent of his injury.  

In a text message to me, Paul said, "We may rename him Lazarus..."  Yes, it does feel a bit as though he has risen from the dead...

Love, Laura