Great Progress and a LONG Day

Yesterday was a day of great progress for Scott.  He had long periods of awake time and seemed more alert and cognizant of his surroundings then ever.  He is tossing and turning and moving all around.  He is reaching for he bed rails and attempting to pull himself up.  He is clearly trying to get up.  Jen and I were able to sit him up for a few minutes in bed for the first time ever.  He is reaching for Jen and Kay's hands and he and kisses them!  He can clearly distinguish who they are, as he didn't attempt this with me.  Also, when I left him yesterday and said good-bye, "I'll see ya soon" he raised his hand, gave a big thumbs up, and mouthed "bye Penny."  He knew exactly who was with him.  Also, when Jason visited later in the evening, he seemed to clearly recognize him and gave him a big wave when he arrived and when he left.  This is amazing progress.  It is no doubt due to healing and time.  However, it may also be due to the fact that he was basically unmedicated all afternoon yesterday as a result of his transfer.  We suspect this is the case because a nurse indicated to Jen, prior to his transfer, that Scott was becoming very active and that she had given him percocet to keep him safe in bed.

The question of how exactly to keep Scott safe and yet allow him to be active and alert to facilitate his recovery, is at the forefront right now.  That new challenge quickly arose after transferring him to a skilled nursing facility.  It was immediately clear that he was not safe there and it was a very, very scary transition.  When I arrived to the facility around 3 pm Scott had just arrived and Jen and Kay were wide eyed.  Jen stated they left him with the call button in his hand and told him to press it if he needs anything.  Scary!  Meanwhile, Scott his awake, smiling, grabbing the bed rails, and pretty close to launching himself right over the side of the bed.  Scary! (And exciting!)  Jen immediately got to work and within an hour or so they had made some alternative plans to move him closer to the nurses station, arrange for a "sitter" to be with him when family and friends are not there, place some motion sensors on him, etc.  Despite these efforts, ultimately the doctor at the facility determined that he was not safe there and should be moved to a higher level of care in a hospital.

Last night Scott was transferred back to a hospital, Kasier South San Francisco, and as of 10 pm he, Kay, and Jen were still in the ER waiting for them to decide exactly where to place him.  It was a very LONG day.

Over the next few days medical staff will determine what level of care Scott needs and where to safely place him.  Medically, he is ready for skilled nursing facility level of care.  Cognitively, he is not yet able to be directed to be safe nor is he able to advocate for himself.  Ultimately it seems that the "sitter" idea - having someone there with him at all times to make sure he isn't going to hurt himself and to speak up for his needs - is a good one.  Our concern is that if he remains in a higher level of care (or even in a SNF without an advocate) they may simply try to medicate him to keep him safe.  It is understandable why they would want to/need to do this but it seems completely counter to recovery from this kind of injury where it is crucial for his brain to be able to think and process clearly and we want him to start to physically regain his strength.