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
>>
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