A Birthday Breakthrough

Happy Birthday to Scott!  Today Scott wrote the words "It sounds like" during his occupational therapy session.  This is the first time he has responded to having pen and paper in front of him and he comes right out with nearly a whole sentence.  Amazing!  It is a welcome breakthrough because, although progress is  happening, I know it can feel like it is happening very slowly (especially to Jen who is with him daily.)  His physical therapy is also going very well and with the assistance of two people supporting him he is able to walk down the hallway.  

Doctors put Scott on Depakote, a drug that is primarily used for seizure disorders, this week.  Scott is NOT having seizures (though that is a common occurrence in TBI cases).  Since the drug has been shown to have positive effects as a neurological stimulator, doctors wanted to see if it might help in Scott's case.  Unfortunately his blood levels are showing that it is causing too much damage to his liver so he will not be able to continue to take the medication.  The blood tests also showed that something else is wrong but doctors are not yet sure exactly what.  One possibility is gall stones so Scott is scheduled for an ultrasound this evening.  Hopefully they will be able to determine what's wrong very quickly and it won't impact Scott's upcoming surgery.