feb 2012

It's now 1 year since Bev's accident and Bev is improving very slowly. The effects of her stroke and brain injury have left her with poor balance when walking and limited endurance, she can walk about 150 meters unaided before needing to sit and rest. Bev uses a walker for short trips and we take a light wheelchair if we are going anywhere that requires a lot of walking. Bev's hands have suffered from not moving for so long resulting in curled fingers. The right hand has recovered to a large extent and the left hand is slowly improving. Bev has permanently lost the sight in her right eye and the upper portion of the right side of her face feels numb all the time. This will probably never go away. Bev's right eye must be lubricated 10 to 12 times a day as the right eyelid does not close all the way when she blinks and the eye dries out, this may improve with time. Bev will probably need physiotherapy for another 2 years. Bev is also being treated by a neuropsychologist to address some lingering issues from the brain injury. During the healing process the 2 bones in her lower left arm have become fused with excess bone growth which stops any rotation of her lower arm. In May Bev will have an operation at St. Mikes to remove the excess bone buildup to restore the ability to rotate her arm.

On a brighter note her therapists are pleased with her progress and say that Bev can still expect a great deal of improvement with continued therapy. At the present time Bev gets therapy 5 days a week at home. Bev has started to get back to cooking meals, maybe 3 times a week. She has not resumed any housekeeping, she says she never liked doing it anyway. We keep busy with visits with friends and family, eucher nights etc. We leave for a 6 day cruise on Feb 20th. Bev is starting to get excited about that. Bev is also going for a girls weekend in March with some old friends.  Life is slowly returning to normal,or rather the new normal. Hopefully when the weather improves Bev will get out a lot more.

We would like to thank our many friends and family who have provided so much support over the last year.  You have made the last year easier to deal with.

Thank you all,

Bev & Dave

Bev-Sept

My mother, Bev and our oldest, Sherri

Just in case there is still anyone following the blog, I apologise for taking so long to update it.  Bev has been home for 2 months now and we are getting into some sort of a routine.  Bev's arms and hands are still weak, in particular her left arm and hand. Her walking is slowly improving but her balance still needs a lot of work.  Bev's short term memory is not very good but hopefully in time it will improve.  A physiotherapist has been coming to the house twice a week for 1 hour visits since mid July. Starting this week physiotherapy will be 4 times a week for an hour each time. An occupational therapist will be coming twice a week for an hour each time and Bev will have a once a week visit with a psychologist for the next ten weeks.  Physiotherapy and occupational therapy may last up to 3 years. Bev has permanently lost the sight of her right eye and the right side of her face feels numb.  She can play cards with the help of a card holder, she can read using a Kindle. Bev watches a lot of TV especially Criminal Minds. We do go out to visit people or go to a restaurant. We went to Balm Beach near Midland and stayed overnight. It looks like it will be a long slow haul from here on in. I don't expect any fast improvements like we saw during the first 4 months.  Considering that, this will be my last Blog for awhile.  I will try to do 1 final Blog in February, 1 year from the date of the accident. Thanks for the support from all the friends and family who followed this Blog.

Dave

11:45

Not much to report in the last little while. Bev finds it exhausting to use the keyboard so I guess you're stuck with me for awhile. Hopefully the physiotherapist will be able to get Bev's hands working better. Somehow she manages to use the keys on the TV converter though.  The physiotherapist will be coming to the house twice a week. We don't know the schedule for the occupational therapist yet. It seems to take forever to get these things sorted out. Bev can get in and out of the pool with help, getting in is a lot easier than getting out, she has been in a couple of times now.  The heat keeps us in the house most of the time. One of Kim's friends lent us a floor model air conditioner for the main floor and I installed a window air conditioner in the bedroom so we are surviving the heat OK.  It looks like we will have to finally break down and get central air. Bev goes back to St. Mikes this week for a neurophysiology test to determine the extent of nerve damage to the right side of her face from the blow to the head. Hopefully it will go OK. Her right eyelid is functioning better so the nerve damage there seems to be healing itself.

1:30

Bev doesn't feel up to doing the Blog just now. One of her lower right teeth was damaged in the accident and it started bothering her recently. She went to her own dentist last week. The dentist said it must be extracted but considering Bev's injuries and the long list of drugs she is on the dentist sent her to a dental surgeon in Newmarket. It was just supposed to be an evaluation visit but the dentist decided to remove the tooth immediately. At least Bev didn't have any time to get all worried about it. With the help of gas and some valium the whole thing was done before she knew it, she doesn't remember a thing.  It turns out that the receptionist is the wife of our car insurance agent so she knew all about Bev's accident. The new physiotherapist visited on Monday for an evaluation and will be back Thursday.  It looks like she will be coming to the house 2 days a week. No word on the occupational therapist yet. Bev is going back to St. Mikes tomorrow to have her eye looked at.  We went to Jack's 65th birthday party on Friday night and had a great time. On the weekend Sherri came down and kept Bev busy while I caught up on other things. Bev now has a Wii with the Fit program so Sherri set that up and Bev enjoyed it very much. Two friends from Bev's work dropped by for lunch today so we are keeping very busy.

7:30PM

Hi its me again (Bev). I’m home!! And believe it or not I’m home for good. It feels so good to wake up in my own bed with Dave beside me!!!!!!!!!!!! They took me by surprise when they said I could go home on June 30th but I wasn’t going to argue! Physio hasn’t started yet but it should be soon. They called today and she has someone in Aurora but nothing was said. We were out twice this weekend – once to my younger brother Ed’s for Christen’s birthday (on Sat) and once to Grace & Ron’s (on Sunday) for dinner. I may have been exhausted but it was worth it.

Message from Dave: Sorry about last weeks blog, or lack of it.  Somehow when I tried to post the blog it disapeared. I didn't realize it until we started this one. Hopefully Bev will be assessed and approved this week for physio and occupational therapy. Most of it should take place at home but we may have to travel once a week to Scarborough.  Our social life seems to be getting back in gear with invitations for dinners and people coming to our house to visit.  It sure beats driving to downtown Toronto every day.

8:30

Hi its me again (Bev).  Home for the weekend but have to go back to rehab in about an hour.  Dave had a good fathers day.  Both Lynne and Janice came to visit today, both on separate occasions, but it was nice to see them.  From what I gather nothing much is new so I guess things are carrying on without me.

 Update from Dave:  The weekend was very busy with many visitors plus someone from Rehab First who came to evaluate Bev's needs for ongoing care once she comes home.  Bev's discharge date has been moved from July 12th to June 30th.  Last week Bev went back to the eye doctor once again. The doctors are satisfied that Bev's right eye is in good condition but there is no indication that her sight in that eye will return.  Bev also went to a stroke clinic but the doctor put off any treatment until he could review Bev's MRI results from the Texas hospital. Bev goes to a Plastics Clinic today where a plastic surgeon will look at the scars on her arms.

6:30

Hi, this is Dave,

Bev wasn't up to doing the blog this weekend, nothing serious, just too many things got in the way and she ran out of time.  Hopefully she will be able to see to the unanswered e-mails using Toronto Rehab's computer during the week. I will try to get her back to doing the blog next weekend.  Thanks for sending her e-mails, she is always suprised when someone takes the time to send her one.  Answering them is good therapy for her hands, it takes some time for her to type in a reply so please be patient if she hasn't answered yet.

The therapists introduced a new clinic in Bev's list of therapies called a balance clinic. In controlled conditions they push her over to measure her reaction to prevent her fall and practice ways for Bev to retain her balance.  Bev also went back to St. Mikes last week to a fracture clinic where they confirmed that all her bones have healed, so physiotherapy can step up her exercises without fear of injury.  They also confirmed that Bev's left arm has some healing issues, apparently when serious fractures occur at the same time as a significant brain injury the body goes into overdrive when producing new bone material.  This excess bone material has fused the two bones in Bev's lower left arm and also produced an excessive amount of bone in Bev's upper left arm.  This stops Bev from being able to rotate her left hand as the two arm bones cannot move independently, also Bev cannot bend her left elbow any tighter than 90 degrees. The doctor explained that in about 1 year he could operate to remove all the plates in Bev's arm as well as the excess Bone material. This should return a greater range of movement to Bev's arm but would require a lot more physiotherapy. It will be up to Bev whether she wants to have it done or not.  This week we are off to St. Mikes on Wednesday to see the eye doctor again and on Friday for a stroke clinic.  Combining this with all the different therapy clinics makes the days go by faster. Bev comes home for good no later than July 12th so only one more month to go.  It feels like I haven't had a chance to catch my breath since the accident Feb 5.

4 PM

HI IT’S Me (Bev) I,M home for the weekend!




Thanks for taking an interest in the blog and a special thanks to Dave for doing it. How he found the time is beyond me but I guess it was a lot quicker than going over and over and over everything on the phone; I’m doing better but I’m still in rehab and only come home on the weekends. What a bore



We went out this morning (or should I say early this afternoon). My E.I.is now up to date and they should get it deposited on Tuesday. I wanted to look for some new furniture too but believe it or not Newmarket doesn’t have a furnioture store (such as a Brick or Leons.) So we settled for visiting the Churher’s. Peter wasn’t home but we had a nice chat with DIANE and Holly,





Talk to you’ALL next weekend.

Love and thanks for all your support.

Bev

 
Hi, this is Dave,  as you can see Bev is taking over my duties on the Blog. After 4 months and 100 blogs I feel it is time to step aside and let Bev stay in touch directly.  If there is  anyone out there still reading the Blog I will get Bev to update it every weekend. As Bev's health improves I find I am spending more time directly involved in her care and not just visiting every day.  Weekends are spent almost constantly with her so it's only fair that she does her part and takes over the communications duties. If you want to contact Bev directly please e-mail her at owenfam@live.ca  Hopefully Bev will be able to answer you next weekend.
 
Thanks for your support,
 
Dave

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.

7:30 AM

Bev has been moved to another room. If you are looking for her she is on the same floor, room 40.  Bev is still in isolation so gown and gloves are still required. Bev's ability to stand on her own is slowly improving and the physiotherapist now has Bev standing, facing the wall while holding on to a hand rail. While doing this Bev can shuffle her feet about 3 meters to the right and then back to the left. While still standing Bev does the following exercises 10 times each, stands on her toes, stands on her heels, kicks each leg back.  After all this Bev goes for a walk in her stand-up walker.  The physiotherapist assists Bev through all of these exercises. 

7 AM

Bev had a quiet Easter weekend, no chocolate bunnies but her sister did bring Bev a dark chocolate Aero bar.  Bev is able to feed herself with her right hand and is slowly increasing the amount she eats. She says the coffee all tastes burnt. Bev can't get from a prone position to a sitting position on her own but once sitting on the edge of the bed she is able to stand up on her own, if only for a few seconds, without support. With Kim and I supporting her Bev is able to slowly walk the 15 feet to the washroom and back. Bev has been off the oxycotin for over 1 week and the episodes of imagining things seem to be diminishing.