I was going to say, it sounds like you and Rowan have a long road ahead. And, while you don't want to miss his first few words or movements, you also have to take care of yourself and your own sanity.

And running will be something a little different from your normal routine... I think.

Good luck to you all...

Sounds like he's slowly progressing. Good news. Keeping up the prayers. Take care.

Machka,
Thank you so much for keeping us informed!!! So glad he is progressing. I will continue to say prayers for both of you'll.
Cheers,
David
Way up North

Best wishes and godspeed in both Rowan's and your recovery. I'll keep you both in my thoughts.

Running and walking ...

Your Weekend Rides -- April 21/22


And as always, several hours at the hospital.

Looks like I'll need to get a flu shot soon. :/ Flu season is about to begin, and it was suggested that since I now spend so much time at the hospital ... I'd better take precautions.

It's good to hear of his progress and that you've been able to incorporate some regular activities into your routine.

And in your recovery, Godspeed to you both.

At my age, I'm quite deliberate about avoiding other people's germs and so wash my hands frequently. Lots of people sniffling and wiping their nose of who knows what.

Flu vaccination helps protect you and everyone around you. Good to get it !

An EAR-LOOP face mask was highly suggested to be put on when visiting doctor's office not only to keep coughing spray contained but to help prevent touching one's face in the nasal area.

Thanks for the continued updates and it’s great to hear there is progress. I’m hoping that over time this whole incident will just be another chapter in your already long list of adventures together.

He's definitely in Post Traumatic Amnesia. Difficult roller coaster ride. Long stressful day.


This is a brochure from the Queensland Government, a Brisbane hospital.

https://metronorth.health.qld.gov.au...c-amnersia.pdf

This is another one from Victoria Government, a Melbourne hospital.

https://www.thermh.org.au/sites/defa...V4.0_10.17.pdf


Thanks for all your prayers.

That sounds like good progress! Best wishes to both of you.

Have you been able to get Rowan into a wheelchair yet? Perhaps going on some walks around the hospital perhaps there is a place you can get some sunshine and fresh air. This should be fall, so hopefully good weather.

No he's not that advanced yet and unfortunately the hospital is a construction zone in one of the busiest parts of town which would be way too much stimulation for him. They are building the new and improved hospital around the existing one. I'll be glad when he gets into the rehab unit. It is offsite in a nicer quieter area.

I agree that you and Rowan would seem to be making good progress. Getting into the rehab unit is a good goal at this point. It's good to have goals.

Thank you for the updates. I continue to include you and Rowan in my daily thoughts. I know it's a long road ahead, but it seems like Rown is getting excellent care and is making progress. Please remember to take care of yourself, Machka!

Rowan is actually progressing a bit slower than they had hoped. Some of that likely has to do with his ongoing chest infections and the fact that they can't take his trach out until the infection clears. They wanted to take his trach out last week, they wanted to take his trach out this week ... but he's not ready.

They tell me that when he has the trach removed, he might talk more consistently ... at least that's what they are hoping.

Meanwhile, Rowan is talking a little bit: words & short phrases. But he's 'in the moment'. It is unclear whether he remembers or what he remembers. He doesn't know names, places, dates or any of the testing stuff.

And his talking isn't consistent ... he won't talk for a while, then he might come out with a few things, and then it's silence again. When he's angry, he says a bit more than when he's happy.

If you've ever been with/worked with someone with dementia ... it's kind of like he's got reverse dementia ... like he's in the severe dementia stage now, but instead of getting progressively worse, he's got a chance of getting progressively better. But it is a very slow process.

There's very little worse than than the feeling of helplessness watching a loved one suffer through illness.

You are doing the best thing you can do, which is being there ready to help when you can.

My wife was once in hospital for almost a year and she still says the thing that most kept her going was seeing me coming in every day with a smile on my face. But luckily she never saw me just before I got to her room.

As long as there is improvement, you'll get there eventually ... a step at a time. It's a matter of endurance ... your specialty!

Just caught up with this terrible news after 3 weeks away.

*hugs to you both*

You and Rowan are in my prayers. Hang in there.

Rowan has been in the Neuro ward for just over 2 weeks now. He’s awake, breathing on his own, and swallowing on his own. They’re getting him sitting up every day. From the neck down, physically he’s all right … it’s just a matter of making the connection between the brain and the limbs.

They’ve fitted him with an automatic speaking valve, and he does say a few words … mostly “Yeah”. However, he doesn’t know his name, my name, where he lives, what date it is or anything like that. I’m not positive he knows who I am, but when I visit, he usually wants to hold my hand, so he seems to like me. However, he is starting to regain some long-term memory.

He still has his trach in, but they are hoping to remove it as soon as his chest infection clears. It’s improving, but it is taking its time.

I mentioned that Rowan is regaining some long-term memory. It's not happening how I expected. I sort of expected whole stories to come back ... like all of a sudden he'd be able to tell a short story of his childhood, or something we had done together, or a day on the job when he was a journalist. But it's not like that.

It's sort of like there's a 5-million piece puzzle in front of him, and each day over the past 3 or 4 days he has picked up a piece or two ... or maybe a few ... of the puzzle. The pieces are quite different, and don't necessarily connect to anything yet, and he might keep that piece, or put it down and pick up another one.

More specifically, the pieces seem to be in two categories: physical and word phrases.

In the physical category, he's doing things like trying to get up in the morning. Or typical hand motions like nibbling a corner of his finger, or putting his hand in a "thinking" position on his face. Little things that I recognise as typically "Rowan".

He's starting to do the physical things a little bit more consistently.

In the word phrase category, it is just that ... random phrases are coming back to him. Different ones each day. Like: "it depends on" or "in the sense of" or "in the context of". He'll start a sentence quite confidently with a random phrase ... and then kind of dwindle out like he doesn't know where to go from there. But that's OK, it's a start.

And once in a while, he'll say a short sentence or phrase that really fits the context ... like he's reached down and grabbed the right piece of the puzzle!

So far, he's not particularly consistent with this category and he seems to pick up pieces, use them for a little while, and then put them down again. Hopefully, as time goes on, he'll pick up more pieces and start putting them together. But this is a start.

And they tell me that when he finally gets rid of the chest infection and gets the trach removed that he might start talking more. Here's hoping that happens this week, at last!