I got in to see Andy today. When I got there he was sleeping. It was
getting close to noon and I figured he'd be eating lunch soon so we stuck
around. After a little commotion from the bed next door, Andy woke up. He
was moved to intermediate care instead of right in the ICU department.
When he woke up he sat up and I started to talk to him and etc. He gets on
this spitting thing and was doing that. I don't know why he gets on that
but he begins to spit, or tries to. I asked him some questions and he
mumbled something, I asked him to speak up cause I couldn't hear him, so
he said the same mumble louder, I never did figure out what he was trying
to say. Then the rehab nurses came in to take him for a walk. My daughter
got to wheel the IV stand and the two nurses walked on each side and
I walked along side or behind them and talked with the nurses. I found
out that he is walking very good. A slight issue with balance at times but
he was trucking along at a pretty good clip, a normal slow walk. The
nurses, just shortly being assigned to him asked me if there was anything
more they needed to know about Andy, that is with reference to topics of
general conversation so they can begin to talk with him. I said he had a
son Bradon. They said "Oh that's what he was writing, we wondered, he
wrote out Bradon's name on paper". I thought that was awesome. As we were
walking down the hall they asked him where he lived and he said Marinette,
which really isn't true, he lives in Peshtigo, but had lived in Marinette
most of his life though. He mumbled something about probably needing a
smoke a couple of times. Between his walk and lunch I had asked him again
if he remembered who I was, I had asked him when I first got there and he
didn't really reply, just that mumbling. This time I asked him and he
didn't say anything again, then I asked him again more persistently and he
said "Brad Dunse" right out clear as day. That was moving for me. I asked
him if he was anxious to get out of this place and do some fishing. He
said he went fishing Monday and that's where all the pictures came from.
He has some pictures in his room of him holding some fish. Then he got on
a repeating thing which his mom said he will do. He kept saying over and
over "Went fishing Monday, went fishing Monday, went fishing Monday"
and what seemed sort of encouraging to me was he was saying each phrase
as though he was saying something else, he was using a different
intonation in his voice. Like he was trying to say something else but the
fishing thing kept coming out. And he would wriggle his legs sort of
fidgeting like a boy. So I asked him what kind of fish did he get and he
told me Walleye. Then he went on with the fishing on Monday thing and then
I asked him where did he go fishing and he told me Hattie Street Bridge,
which is where folks do go Walleye fishing in Marinette. One time, before
his walk he said something about his cousin, my daughter. I think he was
asking if his cousin was going too on the walk. Because they asked my
daughter to hold the IV stand and walk with it ahead for them. He asked
about her again and then chuckled a bit. One sort of funny thing happened.
I asked him if he'd been watching any fishing shows on TV or if they had
any good fishing shows on TV. He replied "55 should be alright". Of course
I dismissed it as more jibberish. But later when talking with a guy in
town here, he said that channel 55 is the outdoor channel here. So I guess
I was the one off the mark. Andy doesn't talk much but answers you. He
doesn't initiate conversation, but he seems to understand things at times.
If you ask him persistently or firmly louder he answers you. The nurses
came in and said we're your favorite nurses, and he chuckled at that. He
also had asked if the "other girl was coming", he was referring to another
day nurse who had been there. At one point I mentioned his son Bradon, he
said something that sounded to me like "my son is helping me", I asked him
to repeat it and he repeated the same thing. I think from his comments,
which there was another mumble he did that I thought referred to his son,
plus his writing his son's name, I think he is very much fighting out of
this thing for his son's sake, using his son as incentive to get out of
the dazing state he is in. I talked to him asking him stuff like. "did
grandma and grandpa come see you" and he said "I don't think so". They did
but he was sleeping at the time and I told him so. I was extremely pleased
at his progress. He fed himself some today, said "yuck" when he ate some
of the hospital food, told the nurse "I can't " when she wanted him to eat
more. He can speak very clear, even cussed once which came out clear haha.
I don't mean to make light of that but we'll work on that later, now just
getting him back to dialoging normally is the goal. He's done some
muddling too but I think could be just his pain meds and perhaps because
he has of course had major head trauma and is a bit internal in his
thoughts and communications. After lunch the patient next bed over was
coming back from a test and so they asked us to leave. I went to Andy and
told him that we had to go but we'd stop by before we left town, he didn't
say anything, so I told him again, and then again, and my daughter said...
"Dad he's holding out his hand to shake your hand", I grabbed it firmly
and told him I loved him a couple of times and we'd be back and to take
it easy. He didn't say anything but just the fact he held out his hand to
shake it meant he was cognizant and also caring about our relationship. I
am really really glad I came. I could have spent the day there no problem
just to see him and talk with him. He has got a long way to go, and I pray
the repeating phrases ,spitting , and boyish behaviors and stuff goes
away. He sometimes will sit up half hunched over looking at his bed and
moan a bit or move about a bit but I suppose he is still hurting pretty
good. We spent nearly three hours there and maybe an hour or so of that
was waiting for him to wake and waiting out the door while his roommate
was being attended to. Your prayers are affective and yet coveted, and I
plead with God to maintain the miracle he's working in him, and that Andy
somehow realize God is healing him and that he turn to him for all he has
to offer.
Brad
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