Christopher's Rehab/Recovery 15

Monday, May 17, 2010, 3:30 pm It's official...Christopher is being released from the hospital tomorrow!  Yes...he is finally going home!  Well, it feels like finally to him, but it is six weeks ahead of schedule for everyone else.  We are all amazed, his doctors and nurses included, at the rapid recovery he has made from his near-death fall from that tree 26 days ago.  Thetrajectory of his recovery is mind-blowing and we are so thankful for the path he seems to be on.   His progress from week-to-week is incredible to watch.  From last Monday to today, he has stopped begging incessantly to go home.  I actually think that the last time he asked was on Friday.  His mood has become more positive, pleasant and consistent.  He seems to be feeling at peace with where his is and why.  Last week when Christopher began re-telling the story of his fall from the tree, including the 911 calls, the ambulance, the airlift to Children's Hospital and the surgery that Dr. Sun performed on him that first night, some of the details were sketchy and changed from one telling to another, but now, for the most part, that story seems to be coming together for him.  Remember that early last week he thought he was in the hospital because he had broken his foot!   Chris still complains about therapy, and that will likely never end (uggghhh...a whole year of that...)!  It's just not his thing, but hopefully as his mind continues to clear and his comprehension of the severity of his brain injury begins to resonate with him, he will come to accept it.  This lack of understanding and confusion is part of the injury and is to be expected.  It is precisely that which makes recovering from a brain injury so difficult.   Christopher has asked absolutely everyone, Doctors, Nurses and Aides if they would show him the CT scan and the MRI images of his head and brain and today was his lucky day!  Dr. Tran took us to a computer and explained what we were seeing.  The first photo above is an MRI image.  The bottom right side shows the swelling in his skull where the fractures are and the bright white areas on the top left show the injury to the left frontal lobe of his brain.  The next image is from the CT scan taken the night of the accident.  Along the bottom right side of the image, you can see his mis-shapen skull, and if you look carefully along the right side, you can see the fractures, especially when you compare it to the left side of the image.  The black area just to the right of the skull fractures is air.  Dr. Tran said that she's not sure where the air comes from.  We would need to ask a Radiologist about that.  It is likely that his skull will remain mis-shapen for the rest of his life...oh well... 8:00 pm Several of Christopher's doctors stopped by for a visit today, including his Rehab Doctor, Dr. Neufeld (top photo above) and his Neurosurgeon, Dr. Sun (photo above).  It was a day filled with bittersweet good-byes as we spent some time in the PICU hugging and thanking many of Christopher's wonderful nurses, including Claire, Sara, Sarah and Carol. (photos above) There will always be a tender spot in our hearts for these women who so competently and lovingly cared for our child during his most critical hours.   This evening during our final dinner at the hospital, Kiet, Christopher's room mate  (pronounced 'Kit') showed us just how much drive and determination he has, as he walked to Paul, reached out his hand and took the $100 promised to him!(photo right)  We all cheered for him, and I know that Paul has never been more pleased to see money snatched from his hand.  We are so looking forward to keeping in touch with Pattie and Kiet and we will miss them so very much.  Having them for room mates this past two weeks was truly a blessing. Today our friends and neighbors, Pam, Natasha and Jack Absher brought lunch for Christopher and kept him company while I ran home for a quick bath and to catch up on a few things.  I have actually adjusted amazingly well to my new normal... sleeping, eating and being with Christopher at the hospital, running home to clean up and then turning around and heading back to do it all over again for the next 24-hour period.  That is no longer going to be my normal, as of tomorrow afternoon, though.  While I would love for life to go back to what it was a month ago, with Christopher being his old, independent self, making his own breakfasts and lunches, doing his own laundry and hopping on his bike, running from one friends' house to another, stopping along the way to climb some really awesome trees...I know that life will be different for quite some time.  That is okay, though.  I adjusted once, I'll do it again.  I'm just thankful that my child is coming home tomorrow and I feel optimistic about this road that lies ahead of us.  I know that there will be bumps along the way, but I have confidence that we will not be beaten...we will not only survive, but we will conquer this! Love, Laura