Hey Brad,
Good news!  Thanks for sharing.
Kathy


At 10:22 PM 5/12/2006, you wrote:
>Thanks Brad for the update.  Isn't God Awesome?
>Vinny
>----- Original Message ----- From: "B Dunse" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Friday, May 12, 2006 3:59 PM
>Subject: Andy Update Friday
>
>
>>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
>>