Greetings Everyone,
Today, we wanted to actually spell out specifics of where Rachel is at, and where she is going.
Where She Is At
Right now, Rachel is cognitively all there. She can understand anything we throw at her, whether it's old memories, math problems, or other 'mind benders'. There is no question that her mind is very sharp, and so far, we cannot detect any difference mentally from where she was before this all happened up until now.
Physically, she has a challenging road ahead of her. She can make sounds, but she's not currently speaking. She can move her arms a little bit, but not enough to really manipulate anything. She can read just fine, but she can't hold a book. At this point, she can't pick up objects, or even 'high five' us. She can eat soft foods, but she's not moving her body much below her neck. She can move things a little bit, but not much. The hope is that where there is little movement, more can be built.
Where She Is Going
By November 14th, the medical staff wants her to be able to accomplish the following:
1. Be able to provide assistance in getting in and out of a wheelchair.
2. Be able to regain 25% of her physical ability, which includes standing up without anyone to balance her, sitting up on her own, etc.
3. Be 50% understandable in her speech.
4. Only require 25% help in feeding of semi-solid foods.
This will be her first benchmark, and hopefully she far exceeds it. However, much prayer, sweat, and work will be required to reach it. No doubt, she has had an amazing journey in the past month, and the chips have fallen enough for us to all get a baseline of ability, of where she is actually 'starting from'.
From this point going forward, "work" is the name of the game. She will be doing plenty of it, so if you want to mail an encouraging card, gift packs, or random objects of affection, you can do so at her new address. She has her own room, and the staff has given her the freedom to decorate it any way she chooses.
So to sum, if you are looking for some very specific things to pray for:
1. The ability to move her tongue, and verbal communication.
2. The ability to move and control her arms.
3. The ability to move and control her hands, fingers.
4. The ability to move and control her legs.
5. Faith.
Thanks for your care,
- Josh
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Fun With Numbers
Friday, October 5, 2007
Consider This...
Greetings Everyone,
It appears that the staff at the Madonna Rehab Hospital have no problem working Rachel to the max. Since she has arrived, they have made it clear that the only reason that she is there is to build her strength and health back up to a level where she can function independently. They have a very strong philosophy of 'do it yourself', which is quite different from a traditional hospital.
Here are the highlights so far:
1. She starts work at about 9:00 AM. She bathes, helps get herself dressed, and prepares for the rigors ahead.
2. She had an endoscope put down her nose yesterday, so the doctors could see her swallowing muscles function. They even burned the video to DVD for us. We're going to put it on UTube. Not really. The results were good, she can swallow decently, and she will begin with a soft-food diet today.
3. They stand her up on her own feet several times a day, and take her to the gym several times a day as well. It has been made clear that hard work will be needed in order for her to regain her strength, and so far, she has had a great attitude about that work. They are constantly putting forth challenges in front of her that are a bit more difficult than the previous task.
4. She is beginning to point to letters to communicate however, on Monday, she will have the Trach removed (yeah!). At that point, they will begin working with her in getting her 'speech muscles' (tongue, throat, etc) back up to par.
They weighed her upon entry to the facility, and surprisingly, she hasn't lost much weight. This is a good thing, as she has basically been immobile for the past month.
Phil and Crystal are the two that have spent the most time with her the last few days, and in the very limited amount of time that they have been at Madonna, they have seen a pretty dramatic improvement.
They have a tentative release date of November 14th, however, that will be evaluated and re-evaluated each week that she is there. They can hold her for much longer than that, depending upon her progress. Meaning, if she keeps progressing, they will keep her there longer.
RuthAnne and Crystal will be spending the week with her starting this Tuesday.
ONE QUICK THING TO CONSIDER: It has now been a month since this whole ordeal began.
30 days ago today, it was questionable whether or not Rachel would live.
28 days ago, we were told Rachel would probably be a vegetable.
27 days ago, we were told Rachel would probably be on a ventilator (breathing machine) for the next 6 months.
21 days ago, they concluded that Rachel's 'swallow muscles' were so weak that she might never be able to eat on her own again.
14 days ago, we were told that Rachel would probably be stuck in the hospital in Iowa City for 2 - 3 months of pre-therapy, just getting ready for true rehabilitation.
6 days ago Rachel was still waiting to get out of the ICU.
4 days ago we didn't know if Rachel would even be accepted to Madonna for rehab.
3 days ago, Rachel arrived at Madonna for full rehabilitation.
And now, here we are...
Pretty amazing to consider, eh? We think so. If you ever wonder if your prayers are being heard, just look at the time-line listed above. Thank you for all your support.
- Josh
It appears that the staff at the Madonna Rehab Hospital have no problem working Rachel to the max. Since she has arrived, they have made it clear that the only reason that she is there is to build her strength and health back up to a level where she can function independently. They have a very strong philosophy of 'do it yourself', which is quite different from a traditional hospital.
Here are the highlights so far:
1. She starts work at about 9:00 AM. She bathes, helps get herself dressed, and prepares for the rigors ahead.
2. She had an endoscope put down her nose yesterday, so the doctors could see her swallowing muscles function. They even burned the video to DVD for us. We're going to put it on UTube. Not really. The results were good, she can swallow decently, and she will begin with a soft-food diet today.
3. They stand her up on her own feet several times a day, and take her to the gym several times a day as well. It has been made clear that hard work will be needed in order for her to regain her strength, and so far, she has had a great attitude about that work. They are constantly putting forth challenges in front of her that are a bit more difficult than the previous task.
4. She is beginning to point to letters to communicate however, on Monday, she will have the Trach removed (yeah!). At that point, they will begin working with her in getting her 'speech muscles' (tongue, throat, etc) back up to par.
They weighed her upon entry to the facility, and surprisingly, she hasn't lost much weight. This is a good thing, as she has basically been immobile for the past month.
Phil and Crystal are the two that have spent the most time with her the last few days, and in the very limited amount of time that they have been at Madonna, they have seen a pretty dramatic improvement.
They have a tentative release date of November 14th, however, that will be evaluated and re-evaluated each week that she is there. They can hold her for much longer than that, depending upon her progress. Meaning, if she keeps progressing, they will keep her there longer.
RuthAnne and Crystal will be spending the week with her starting this Tuesday.
ONE QUICK THING TO CONSIDER: It has now been a month since this whole ordeal began.
30 days ago today, it was questionable whether or not Rachel would live.
28 days ago, we were told Rachel would probably be a vegetable.
27 days ago, we were told Rachel would probably be on a ventilator (breathing machine) for the next 6 months.
21 days ago, they concluded that Rachel's 'swallow muscles' were so weak that she might never be able to eat on her own again.
14 days ago, we were told that Rachel would probably be stuck in the hospital in Iowa City for 2 - 3 months of pre-therapy, just getting ready for true rehabilitation.
6 days ago Rachel was still waiting to get out of the ICU.
4 days ago we didn't know if Rachel would even be accepted to Madonna for rehab.
3 days ago, Rachel arrived at Madonna for full rehabilitation.
And now, here we are...
Pretty amazing to consider, eh? We think so. If you ever wonder if your prayers are being heard, just look at the time-line listed above. Thank you for all your support.
- Josh
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Big Day In Lincoln
Ryan and Rachel at Madonna Rehab Hospital. (Nancy, Ryan's mom in background)
Ryan is working with Rachel's left arm.
Ryan is working with Rachel's left arm.
Rachel has been at Madonna 1 1/2 days and it is totally different than a regular hospital. Yesterday, they downsized her trach to a 4...so half the size of the first one. They may take it out tomorrow, if not tomorrow then on Monday.
Mom and Dad have been there since she arrived. Josh and I have yet to go and visit, we are looking forward to seeing her and her new place. The staff sounds amazing. Dad said that the staff are all friendly, direct, helpful, and are glad to answer any question-anytime. I have no doubt that Ryan will be there to visit Rachel everyday...living only 40 minutes aways. I envy him for that reason. We live about 4 hours away.
The rehab sounds pretty intense. They said that the only reason that Rachel will be in bed during the day is to rest/sleep if needed. All the different therapist will start working with her once or twice a day, working up to 3 to 4 times a day. Presently, she has a speech, occupational and physical therapist. So that is a minimum of 3 times a day (of therapy) working up to 12 times a day between the 3 of them. They work Monday through Friday, 1/2 day on Saturday and take Sundays off.
Today, she got to wear clothes for the first time in 4 weeks! Shirt, pants, socks and shoes. I am sure she loved that. They sat her on the side of the bed, worked on her core muscles, had her stand a bit, put her in a high back wheel chair and took her to the gym for a bit.
They are still in the 'assessment' stage of the process. From the testing they did, her mind works very well. Her reading comprehension is good, and so are her reasoning skills. Her vision seems to be 98%...the only hang-up is an occasional double vision. They couldn't figure out when the double vision happens, but it is rare. At this point, not a concern. Rachel's since of touch is excellent. The Physical Therapist had her do some new exercises that had not been done before. There seems to be innervation to all muscles, even if weak, a little bit means that it can be built upon and fully regained if Rachel so desires.
Tomorrow Speech Therapy is going to do one of those swallow test (tomorrow) where they have a camera inside her throat and video her swallow to make sure everything is working properly. Today they gave her ice chips and had her do several facial and swallowing exercises. Imagine not tasting food for a month? I am sure she is motivated to get this figured out. She is frustrated that she cannot talk yet, her vocal cords do work and air is getting to them...once again, Rachel will have to relearn this technique that we take for granted.
I am sure that Rachel will be sleeping very well tonight. She worked hard today and put everything she had into her first full day at Madonna.
Mom and Dad have been there since she arrived. Josh and I have yet to go and visit, we are looking forward to seeing her and her new place. The staff sounds amazing. Dad said that the staff are all friendly, direct, helpful, and are glad to answer any question-anytime. I have no doubt that Ryan will be there to visit Rachel everyday...living only 40 minutes aways. I envy him for that reason. We live about 4 hours away.
The rehab sounds pretty intense. They said that the only reason that Rachel will be in bed during the day is to rest/sleep if needed. All the different therapist will start working with her once or twice a day, working up to 3 to 4 times a day. Presently, she has a speech, occupational and physical therapist. So that is a minimum of 3 times a day (of therapy) working up to 12 times a day between the 3 of them. They work Monday through Friday, 1/2 day on Saturday and take Sundays off.
Today, she got to wear clothes for the first time in 4 weeks! Shirt, pants, socks and shoes. I am sure she loved that. They sat her on the side of the bed, worked on her core muscles, had her stand a bit, put her in a high back wheel chair and took her to the gym for a bit.
They are still in the 'assessment' stage of the process. From the testing they did, her mind works very well. Her reading comprehension is good, and so are her reasoning skills. Her vision seems to be 98%...the only hang-up is an occasional double vision. They couldn't figure out when the double vision happens, but it is rare. At this point, not a concern. Rachel's since of touch is excellent. The Physical Therapist had her do some new exercises that had not been done before. There seems to be innervation to all muscles, even if weak, a little bit means that it can be built upon and fully regained if Rachel so desires.
Tomorrow Speech Therapy is going to do one of those swallow test (tomorrow) where they have a camera inside her throat and video her swallow to make sure everything is working properly. Today they gave her ice chips and had her do several facial and swallowing exercises. Imagine not tasting food for a month? I am sure she is motivated to get this figured out. She is frustrated that she cannot talk yet, her vocal cords do work and air is getting to them...once again, Rachel will have to relearn this technique that we take for granted.
I am sure that Rachel will be sleeping very well tonight. She worked hard today and put everything she had into her first full day at Madonna.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
New Address!
In Lincoln:
Madonna Rehab Hospital
c/o Rachel Garrison
5401 South Street
Lincoln, NE 68506
(spell out the word 'south')
Yeah, we have an address for Rachel. Thank you for your patience :-)
I just talked to dad, and he is very impressed with the facility and staff thus far. We haven't heard much about what the future looks like...yet. But the 'word on the street' is that Rachel's trach will be out soon...somewhere between 5 - 10 days. So we'll see.
~RuthAnne
En Route
Presently Rachel is being transported to Lincoln via ambulance. Mom is riding with her and Dad is in their vehicle, following behind. Josh and I returned home late last night.
We all are curious as to what the next several hours and days will look like. I believe that they will start assessing her and begin to figure out her 'starting point' either upon her arrival today or first thing tomorrow. By Friday, they should have a general idea as to how long she will be an inpatient at Madonna. When she gets released from Madonna, then she can continue therapy with them as an outpatient.
The rooms for the patients are private and one person is allowed to spend the nights with her. Rachel is free to decorate her room however she likes. From the pictures we saw, Madonna is very spacious. The bedroom is nice and big, easy to maneuver. The grounds cover 22 acres. Madonna does have housing available to the family, on a first come basis. From what we understand, there will be an opening on Friday. :)
For some more info:
http://www.madonna.org/
and for specifics go to
http://www.madonna.org/progs.htm
FYI:
Candlewood Suites in Lincoln has an agreement with Madonna and gives a discount to those visiting someone at Madonna.
Thankyou for you continued support,
~RuthAnne
We all are curious as to what the next several hours and days will look like. I believe that they will start assessing her and begin to figure out her 'starting point' either upon her arrival today or first thing tomorrow. By Friday, they should have a general idea as to how long she will be an inpatient at Madonna. When she gets released from Madonna, then she can continue therapy with them as an outpatient.
The rooms for the patients are private and one person is allowed to spend the nights with her. Rachel is free to decorate her room however she likes. From the pictures we saw, Madonna is very spacious. The bedroom is nice and big, easy to maneuver. The grounds cover 22 acres. Madonna does have housing available to the family, on a first come basis. From what we understand, there will be an opening on Friday. :)
For some more info:
http://www.madonna.org/
and for specifics go to
http://www.madonna.org/progs.htm
FYI:
Candlewood Suites in Lincoln has an agreement with Madonna and gives a discount to those visiting someone at Madonna.
Thankyou for you continued support,
~RuthAnne
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
To Lincoln
Friends,
Yes, Rachel got accepted to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska. Rachel gets transported tomorrow around 8am and will arrive early afternoon. As more details come, we will be telling you about them.
~RuthAnne
Yes, Rachel got accepted to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska. Rachel gets transported tomorrow around 8am and will arrive early afternoon. As more details come, we will be telling you about them.
~RuthAnne
Moving Forward
Good Morning Everyone,
Well, we are all excited today, as it is the day that we will get word whether or not Rachel will be accepted into the Madonna Rehab Institution. She had her interview yesterday, and that went very well. Two nurses from Madonna came to evaluate her, and let us know what is to be expected while she is there.
It appears to be a top-notch facility, and all the therapy concentrates on getting the patient back to a level of normal functioning. They have practice houses, practice restaurant's, practice cars, practice garages, and a host of other simulation environments where they will take a patient, and work on coordinating the movements in that environment. Their goal is to get a client to a point of normal functioning as fast as possible.
The program appears to be very intense. They only uniform she will be wearing is sweats and workout clothes. Their baseline of activity begins at 3 hours of therapy per day, and builds from there. We asked what she would be doing the rest of her time there, and the lady laughed a bit and simply said "she will be resting during the rest of the time".
Ryan went back home yesterday to get some work done this week. RuthAnne, I, Crystal, and MaryAnne are holding down the fort here. Rachel continues to show marked improvements each day, whether it's stronger coughing, fine motor movement, eating ice, or something else. She has a great staff of nurses working with her on the General Neuro floor that she's on now.
As soon as we get an answer from Madonna, we'll put up a short post to announce it.
- Josh
Well, we are all excited today, as it is the day that we will get word whether or not Rachel will be accepted into the Madonna Rehab Institution. She had her interview yesterday, and that went very well. Two nurses from Madonna came to evaluate her, and let us know what is to be expected while she is there.
It appears to be a top-notch facility, and all the therapy concentrates on getting the patient back to a level of normal functioning. They have practice houses, practice restaurant's, practice cars, practice garages, and a host of other simulation environments where they will take a patient, and work on coordinating the movements in that environment. Their goal is to get a client to a point of normal functioning as fast as possible.
The program appears to be very intense. They only uniform she will be wearing is sweats and workout clothes. Their baseline of activity begins at 3 hours of therapy per day, and builds from there. We asked what she would be doing the rest of her time there, and the lady laughed a bit and simply said "she will be resting during the rest of the time".
Ryan went back home yesterday to get some work done this week. RuthAnne, I, Crystal, and MaryAnne are holding down the fort here. Rachel continues to show marked improvements each day, whether it's stronger coughing, fine motor movement, eating ice, or something else. She has a great staff of nurses working with her on the General Neuro floor that she's on now.
As soon as we get an answer from Madonna, we'll put up a short post to announce it.
- Josh
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