October 27, 2009

Johnny,

Well, sit down...I've got a lot to tell you!!

Mom called me at 8:30ish and told me to call her as soon as I got to your room. She wanted to know if you had an IV. Well, I was in Midlothian when she called and by the time I got to Dallas, she was standing in the parking lot waiting on me. I just laughed! That's so mom! We got to your room and you weren't there. You were in NP therapy. There were two other people in there, a young girl with TBI who had been in a car accident and an older man who had a stroke and was having memory and speech problems. Your therapist would ask you each the same question and each person would answer in their own way. You answered correctly every time. She asked you what day, month and year it was. She asked what hospital, city and state you were in. She asked what time of day it was and you said morning. You knew it was fall. It's really very amazing!

After your NP therapy, you had an appointment with the opthomologist, Dr. Carmen. She's a neurological opthomologist. She said that your right eye has great vision for near and far. You saw every letter accurately. Your left eye, has cranial nerve damage to nerve 3. This nerve controls eyelid control, up and down movement as well as focus. She said that you have blurred focus and you can't move your eye to the left...that's nerve 6. She said that because you can partially open your left eyelid, it could mean that the nerve is trying to heal itself. But, because that nerve controls so many things, it could possibly heal one part while leaving the other parts damaged. If this happens, she said that you would have to wear an eye patch on your left eye because you could possibly have double vision and she said that would drive you nuts! All in all, it was a good visit!

I was sitting with you in the therapy room, waiting on Chris when Cindy came and sat down next to us and we were talking and I realized that your schedule was for yesterday and that you actually had a meeting with Cindy. Woops! Cindy suggested we go outside and have your session. I went up to your room to get you a blanket because it was chilly and then I met y'all down stairs. Cindy was asking you all kinds of questions and you were answering her but you seemed really tired. She was asking you a question and you put your hand up like you were writing and I said I think he wants to write. She gave you a piece of paper and a pen and then asked you what year it was. You wrote 2009...actually you added some zeros but your two and nine were perfect! Cindy asked me if you like to write and I said oh yes, Johnny is a journaler. Mom found tons of full journals when we were packing up your house. Anyway, Cindy said Johnny we need to come up with a gesture you can use to tell people that you want to write. When she said that, you put your hand up in the air and acted like you were writing. Cindy said, well, that will definitely work! We both laughed! After your session was over, I took you back upstairs, got your respiratory doctor to help me get you in bed and then he set up your breathing treatment. While you were doing your breathing treatment, you started using your new gesture, telling me you wanted to write. I gave you a piece of paper and couldn't find a pen. The only one I had was one that you push the end and the pen comes out and you push it again and it goes in. I showed you how it worked and gave it to you with the pen closed. You took it in your hand like you were going to write with it and then put it up to your chin and pressed it against your chin to open the pen. WOW! I got tears in my eyes! You wrote on the paper for about two minutes or so and I asked you what you were writing...I couldn't read it. You said what I thought was my name and I asked you if you wrote Jennifer and you said J, E, N, C, K. That's what it sounded like you said, it might have been something else entirely, and it probably was because you got frustrated with me and clicked that pen on the paper, closing it and then set the pen down. You were done. Ha! Your treatment lasted about 10 minutes and you were done. I rubbed your head until you were asleep which didn't take long, you were already very tired. Then I left.

Mom said that she heard from Texas Specialty and that they feel like the insurance company was in favor of you being sent to Texas Specialty...which is our first choice! But, they haven't heard for sure. Mom said she would call as soon as she heard something.

More to come....will update when I have more info.....

Well, insurance said no to Texas Specialty : ( bummer! But, our second choice said yes and insurance is suppose to get back to them with an approval in the next 24 to 48hours. You are on the schedule for therapy tomorrow.

I love you!! xo Jen