Christopher's Rehab/Recovery 14

Sunday, May 16, 2010, 8:30 am ...just when I began to settle in and think I could relax, something new came our way.  It started last night with Christopher's fever.  The concern that his pneumonia was making a reappearance led to a chest x-ray and blood work-up.  He is coughing a bit...not too much, but enough to cause alarm.  The x-ray will be read by a Radiologist today, but the preliminary reading showed that his lungs look good.  We also got the first of several results from the blood work-up last night.  His white blood count is low which is indicative of a viral infection. Christopher slept well last night...from 9:30 pm - 7:00 am and woke up feeling good.  His nurse came in and checked his vitals, gave him his Dilantin (anti-seizure medicine that he will be on for another 6 - 9 months), he took a shower and was chatting away when all of a sudden he threw up.  It seemed to come out of nowhere.  I got him back to bed and informed his nurse about the nausea and vomiting.  He took his temperature which was about 99.5 ... lower than last night but higher than this morning when he woke up and it was normal.  They're not taking any chances and are treating any infection seriously.  Who knows, but this illness stuff was certainly easier 'pre-brain injury'when all I had to worry about was whether he was able to go to school or not... 4:45 pm Around 10:00 this morning Christopher's Dr., Dr. Bob stopped by to check on him.  He wasn't concerned about the 99.5 fever and explained to me that after sustaining a severe traumatic injury, the brain has difficulty regulating many things, the body's temperature being one of them.  Fluctuating fevers are quite normal and even to be expected for several weeks or months.  There is not much need for concern between 98.6 and 101.4, but once it reaches 101.5, they begin suspecting that there is infection.  Thus the reason for the blood work and x-rays last night.  They don't treat a fever under 101.5 with Tylenol or Ibuprofen because they want to watch the body regulate itself and make sure that it is keeping its' temperature under 101.5.   The thing that was of concern to Dr. Bob was the fact that Christopher had vomited this morning.  Evidently vomiting can possibly be an indication of swelling in the brain after trauma, so he is watching that very carefully.  He hasn't vomited again today, so that's a very good sign.  Another possible explanation for the nausea is excess acid in his stomach as his brain re-calibrates itself.  That is not a big deal at all and we are praying that that is what is going on.  He still doesn't have much of an appetite, so a lack of food combined with the inefficiency of his bodies' regulation could very well explain the nausea and vomiting.  His nurse just checked his vitals and his fever is now up to 100.5.  Still in the 'safe' range... Roby joined Chris and I for breakfast, which was a real treat!  He brought pastries from Christopher's favorite East Bay bakery, A Sweet Affair and coffee from Starbucks...yummm!!!  Because of his fever, his doctor didn't want him to have visitors, so we kept things quiet for most of the day.  Emily (photo above of Chris and Emily this afternoon) came to the hospital to relieve me for a couple of hours so that I could go home and bathe.  It's amazing what 2 hours away from the hospital and a relaxing bath can do for my spirits.  I stopped to get gas, cash and another cup of coffee from Starbuck's and was quickly on my way back to be with Christopher, feeling like a new woman!  When I arrived at the hospital, I found Christopher's good buddy from his soccer team, Mitch (photo above), in the room with his sister Amanda and their dad.  Chris was so happy to see Mitch!  Then I ran into his friends Logan and Hunter (photo below) and their mom in the lobby.  They had baked chocolate chip cookies and were just going to deliver them to the nurse's station for Chris, but I invited them up to see him for a short visit.  He regaled them with tales from the ICU and Rehab, talking non-stop for the entire 20 minute visit!  He's ba-ck... Christopher's room mate, Kiet has been improving by leaps and bounds during the past two weeks since we've been here in Rehab.  Two years ago Pattie woke up thinking that Kiet was having a bad dream.  It turns out that he was having seizures.  That day was just the beginning of their nightmare.  Kiet was different.  Over the course of the following two years, she watched as his personality changed, going from the lively, good-natured son she knew and loved to a somber, unhappy boy. Today, four weeks after surgery where part of his brain was removed, Kiet is back.  It is as though he woke up from that nightmare and he is once again at peace.  Pattie is feeling so very thankful to be able to say 'good-bye' to the blank stare that she had become accustomed to.  I am amazed at how he is progressing.  Two weeks ago when we entered this room, he was laying on his back in his bed, his entire left side paralyzed from the surgery.  He was rather quiet and serious, yet always sweet and pleasant to be around.  Today, however?  Kiet can now lift his left arm and shake my hand and he took ten steps on Friday which made Pattie and I cry!  He is happy and light-hearted, always chatting and telling us jokes, laughing as hard as us when he gets to the punch line. (photo above...Pattie, Kiet and Chris) I promised Kiet that I would put some of his jokes in my blog tonight, so here you go... "What did the football coach say to the Teller at the Bank?" "I want my 'quarter back!" "What did the duck say when the waiter brought him his food?" "Put it on my bill!" Ten days ago, before he was moving his left side, Paul challenged him to walk over to him and take $100 out of his hand.  He told him that it was his, if he would only do it.  Kiet, of course gave him a rather frustrated glare on that night, but I do believe that Paul is soon to be $100 poorer, and I don't know of much that would make any of us happier!  I love that boy and his mom, who have left an indelible impression on my heart.  We are truly blessed to have gotten to know them and I will be sad to say good-bye when we leave, but we do plan to stay in touch.  Though I would never choose to live through the past 25 days again, there are certain things, such as the meeting of beautiful people like Pattie and Kiet that make me thankful for this journey that we have found ourselves on. With much love, Laura