7 AM

Bev came home Friday afternoon for the weekend, she will be coming home every weekend from now on.  Bev's walking is improving, she can get around the house without using a walker as long as someone is close by.  We went shopping for shoes and went to the nursery for plants, she supervises while I plant.  Some friends dropped in to say hello and Bev enjoyed that very much. Bev's stamina is improving every week, she spends less time sleeping during the day.  Bev received a lounge chair on Saturday that lays back almost horizontal for naps and then tips forward and up so she can stand up from a sitting position without assistance, all with the touch of a button.

7 AM

Just a quick update.  There were no major events this week. Bev was busy every day with the therapists. She continues to improve and is starting to walk up some stairs with assistance.  Bev is no longer being fed overnight through the tube to her stomach, this has improved her appetite during the day.  If Bev maintains her weight the tube will be removed within the next few weeks.

6 AM

Bev was able to come home for the weekend, she suffers from car sickness so she takes gravol for both the trip home and the trip back to rehab.  Bev cannot climb stairs to the second floor so we set up a bedroom in the dining room at the front of the house. Bev spent most of Saturday sleeping. We set up a small bed in the family room and Bev went from sitting in a chair to laying in the small bed most of Sunday and Monday. She was able to join visiting family members at the table for dinner both Saturday and Sunday. Bev was in good spirits all weekend.  Bev will probably be able to come home every weekend from now on and hopefully be able to have more visitors.

There was a "family" meeting on Friday at Toronto Rehab, Bev, Kim and I attended. This was a meeting to review Bev's progress and determine further treatments. The staff of Toronto Rehab plus a representative from Rehab First, Bev's Case Manager and Bev's lawyer were present. Rehab First will be providing Bev's ongoing rehab once she is home. It was confirmed that Bev will be released from Toronto Rehab on July 12th. The staff at Toronto Rehab said that considering the extent of Bev's injuries they were surprised and pleased at the progress she was making but noted that she still had a very long way to go and that home treatment would be needed for a long time. On Monday afternoon someone came to assess the house to see what aids Bev will need right away as well as further down the road.

9 AM

Bev had the operation on her right eyelid to keep it closed yesterday. It doesn't close the eyelid all the way, some opening is left to be able to apply antibiotics and lubricant. The stitch can be removed at later date if the nerve to the eyelid muscle heals. The operation was longer and more painful than expected and Bev's eye will be bruised and sore for a few days.  The results from Bev's x-rays and bone density scan show an excessive  buildup of new bone around some of her injuries, these may have to be removed some time down the road as they may impede movement in her left arm and hand.  Bev continues to do well with her various therapists and we may be able to get her out of the rehab centre for more extended periods this weekend.

9:30 PM

Sorry I haven't posted a new blog lately. Due to technical difficulties BLOGGER would not allow new blogs to be posted.

Bev has had a busy week,  she is making good progress with all the different therapists working with her.  She has advanced from pureed food to chopped food and soon will advance to a more solid diet.  Bev is still having a lot of trouble with her left arm and hand so a new set of x-rays were done on Wednesday. On Friday Bev had a full body bone density scan. The x-rays and scans are done at Mt. Sinai hospital right next door. Bev is taken through a tunnel between Mt. Sinai and Toronto Rehab. On Thursday Bev went to the Opthamologist at St. Mikes to look at her right eye.  The optical nerve is damaged and will probably not heal but just in case it does it is important to keep Bev's eye in healthy condition. The nerve that controls the muscle that closes the eyelid is damaged and so Bev cannot close her right eye. This causes the eye to dry out and if left the way it is permanent damage will eventually occur. To prevent this the doctors will operate on Bev's right eyelid next Wednesday to put in 1 stitch between the upper and lower eyelids to keep the eyelid closed. Bev has had a lot of tests in the last 2 weeks to determine if her brain is working as if should. This includes a lot of memory tests, problem solving, logical thinking and whatever else the psychologists can come up with. Bev passed all of the tests with ease so there seems to be little chance of any permanent brain damage. The staff have told Bev that her time at Toronto Rehab will be over by July 12th and that she would be going home then.

8:30 PM

Bev had a session with the speech therapist on Friday. He gave her 1/2 of a tuna sandwich that Bev had no problem eating. He said he would see about switching Bev over from pureed food to chopped food. The evaluation period should be just about finished and we should find out about Bev's program soon. On Saturday we were able to take Bev outside in a wheelchair.  We took her to Dundas and Bay to a hairdresser for a real short haircut. The wind really bothers Bev's right eye so we bought her a black eyepatch, very becoming. On Sunday Bev had a lot of visitors.  Back to the therapy grind Monday morning.

8PM

Bev has been at Toronto Rehab since Tuesday. She has had meetings with all the therapists and doctors who will be working with her. Physiotherapy and Occupational therapy have already begun. The speech therapist will spend 2 hours with Bev Friday, speech therapy also includes Bev's ability to chew and swallow food. Today the main doctor spent 2 hours with Bev going over her physical injuries/stroke as well as symptoms from her brain injury.  After all the evaluations are complete the staff will design a program for Bev which should tell us how long they expect Bev to stay at the centre.

3:30

Bev was moved to Toronto Rehab-University Centre early this morning. It was difficult to say goodby to Kerry the physiotherapist as she has really gone out of her way to see that Bev's needs were taken care of. Toronto Rehab is located just south of Mt. Sinai hospital and across the street from Sick Kids hospital on University Ave.  This is one of the three centres in Toronto that offers Acquired Brain Injury Rehab as well as Stroke/Trauma Rehab. The wing that Bev is in just opened in February, it seems to have the latest and the greatest of everything. Within 2 hours of arriving, Bev had gone through the admissions interview and had a meeting with her new physiotherapist.  She is scheduled to meet with occupational therapists, speech therapists etc. during the rest of the day. They intend to keep her busy every day so visiting hours will not start until 4 PM.  Bev is in a private room as she is still in isolation.  The rooms are VERY nice. Large sit down showers, Bev will get a shower every morning. No more hospital gowns, Bev can wear pyjamas while in bed and a track suit during the day. For the time being Bev is still on pureed foods but hopefully that will change soon.

4 PM

Bev will be moving to Toronto Rehab tomorrow (Tuesday) at 9 AM.

7 PM

On Thursday the physiotherapist got Bev into a normal height walker. This walker has wheels on the front legs and small skids on the back legs so Bev can't get ahead of herself. With the help of the physiotherapist supporting Bev, and me following behind with the wheelchair for Bev to sit in when she gets tired, Bev made it to the end of the hall. With assistance Bev can now use this walker to get to the washroom.  Bev's new room has a shower and the nursing assistant helped Bev to have a shower on Saturday, the first in almost 3 months. All of these improvements are moving Bev up the list to get into a rehab facility but no word yet on when a room will be available. The long wait is starting to get to Bev and she desperately wants to come home, even if only for weekends.