Brandon had a rough night, but a really patient cute 19 year-old nurse named Emily. She sat by his side all night long and watched him to make sure he didn't pull out his feeding tube. He woke up around 12:00am and said he wanted to go to the kitchen and that he was hungry. They've had him on a feeding tube to try to get some nourishment into him since they are still unsure what he can and cannot eat. He was so insistent that he started to get a little cranky with us and insist that we not touch him and move out of his way. He really wanted his midnight snack. We finally had to call for back-up and a sedative. He settled down and slept until about five.
At five he asked to go to the kitchen again so we took him to check out the kitchen. He opened all the drawers and cupboards looking for food; the drawers he couldn't reach with his hands, he opened with his feet. We got him some ice chips and then went back to his room. We were so proud of him because he ate them using his right hand! He also was speaking very clearly. He asked the nurse to "get him some more please" and told her "thank you for doing that." It was amazing the difference a little food and water made.
When he finally woke up around 9 am he was complaining of pain for the first time. He said that it was his broken sacrum that was hurting, so they gave him something for the pain and then he slept a little while longer. Once he woke up, they took him down for a swallowing test.
Today ended up being really fun, at first! Brandon was back! However, he was is a little overconfident and had a hard time remembering that his body is still not quite co-operating. He walked about 550 feet today and did the stairs. (With help, of course.) And it wasn't a slow walk, it was fast and he did really good at not dragging his right foot. It was awesome!
Kassi and a friend came to visit today and he was so excited that he pulled them both into bed with him and put his arms around their necks and cried. He misses Kassi so much! She was cringing the whole time because he was hurting her, but she never said a word because she was so excited to see that he was almost his old self again.
All day long he has been saying that he is bored. We asked him what he would like to do and he said he wants to go snowboarding. We tried to put a movie in for him and the DVD wasn't working so then he got up to fix the DVD player. The problem is that he can't walk by himself, but he thinks that he can. He has been up and down and up and down all day long and we are all exhausted!
He hasn't been able to drink any kind of fluid. Because of the brain stem injury, he is inhaling when he drinks fluids. Because of this, he hasn't been able to have a drink of water. So all day long he has been asking us for water and trying to trick us into giving him water, and when we won't give it to him, he asks Kassi. Finally by about 2:00 he had had a little too much stimulus for the day and was so frustrated with us for not giving him a drink that he lost it! We couldn't get him to settle down, so they had to sedate him again. This was a little traumatic for Kassi and I so we took a little break in the tranquility room downstairs.
Kassi and I talked to the nurse and the doctor today after our traumatic afternoon and they decided to take the feeding tube out tomorrow and put him on an IV so he isn't so thirsty. Tomorrow he can start eating solid food again. He had one of the best nurses today. They call her the "Traumatic Brain Injury Whisperer." She wears a cute snowman shirt, big bell earrings and a tingling bracelet. She's been really good with him.
Now that it is 6:00 pm and he is finally awake, he is doing much better. He is eating ice chips like crazy and visiting with Eric and Amber and Aimee and Brad. (Not all at the same time in order to keep the stimulus down.) I hope he gets some sleep tonight. Everyday brings a new adventure and he is going to be out of here before we know it! We are still working on having "the lights on" all the time and keeping him from getting too frustrated with himself, but it will come. He gets stronger everyday!
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