Day 45: Going Home- April 27, 2012

It's hard to believe that today Scott was able to go home!! 

How thankful and blessed we truly are. 

To look back and see how far Scott has come in 45 days bring me to tears.

  

We packed up early so that we could get out of the hospital as soon as we were given the go ahead. We said many goodbyes to the team that worked with Scott. I can't even tell you how many wonderful and special people work at Barrow's. We are luck that CTN is just across the street from Barrows so that we can stop in and say hello to all our old friends. 

We snapped a few shots while waiting for the discharge paperwork to be finished. 

Being Silly Together :)

Headed out the doors as a "free" man!! 

Scott left Neuro Rehab without needing any prescribed medications or assistive devices!! 

The only thing that was on his list was Tylenol as needed.
That is a true miracle!

Patti opening the door for Scott.

Here is a the last video that we will take in the hospital :) 

Things we did after discharge:

- Get Scott's Glasses Adjusted

- Went to Our Favorite Thai Place for Lunch

- Went Home to Find Many Wonderful Surprises

Like a FULL Pantry and Refrigerator!! 

(Thanks to all the friends and neighbors for doing that for us)

- Scott also got an Extra Big Early Birthday Surprise... an iPad.

-We Went on a few Walks 

- Ate Popcorn 

- Played Sudoku 

- Had a Wonderful Dinner from a Fabulous Neighbor (Thank You to the Lines Family)

- Skyped Family

Now it's on to a new stage of life for us!! We are excited to begin this new phase of 

Scott's Return!! 

A thumbs up and a "Wahoo" to you all!! We love you and are so thankful for everything you have done for us!! We continue to be awed at all the love you have shown for us. 

We hope to one day pay it forward!! 

Now we are off to get some sleep in our own bed tonight. 

Love, Scott & Ashley

Day 44: Hey Hey Hey Goodbye - April 26, 2012

Sorry no fun video tonight. 

Today has been a day of prep work and goodbyes. Tomorrow we officially end our stay here at Barrows Neuro Rehab which means we won't have any therapies tomorrow. We are so appreciative of all the help and care we have had here. It amazes me to think of how far Scott has come in such a short time!

We started off his day with physical therapy. Today we mostly watched Scott do his thing... including walking, and moving up and down the stairs unassisted. "Wahoo" for no more gate belt or blue gown. I was also announced as his official public hand holder which means we are free to hold hands in public wherever we go. I will also act as his bodyguard if he should ever need one. So watch out... I have some big muscles. :) (I will mostly be stationed on his right side to help in crowed areas, and be on the lookout for curbs and other potential tripping hazards.)

After our first session of PT we headed off to speech therapy where Scott continued to do an impressive job at every task. Do you remember the alphabet game he did a week ago? One of todays challenges was to take 3 letters and name the letter that comes directly before or after the stated letters.

For Example:

D   T   U

If you were to answer for the letters that come before they would be, C, S, T

If you were to answer for the letters that come after they would be, E, U, V

He would take groups of 3 letters and answer for the before and then on the next line he would alternate to answer what letters come after. 

It was tricky but he did a great job. 

For OT today he has been given the approval to use a Thera-band. He has been doing more work on the right arm and shoulder. We were also given a list of exercise to continue once we get home.

We were also able to go on a quick outing today to Chipotle with his PT, Recreational Therapist, and another patient.  Scott got a burrito that was about as big as his thigh. He thoroughly enjoyed devouring it as we enjoyed some cooler, yet humid, Arizona weather. 

Yumm makes you hungry just looking at it. 

We quickly made it back to the hospital in time to have a very very important interview with the Director of CTN. (Center for Transitional Neuro Rehab) We were so happy and thankful that Scott's physician has been pushing so hard to get him into this program. It was a great meeting and we are happy to announce that Scott will be starting a "staggered admission" into the program. Basically this means the program is full at this point. As the different therapies begin to have openings we begin meeting with them until he is full immersed in the program. We are hoping by next Friday we will be starting the initial assessments for at least two of the disciplines. 

This is huge news and we are so excited!! The ultimate goal of this type of program is to have the patient return to payed work or back to a school setting. We have been told that Scott is a "perfect" candidate for CTN.

The rest of the day was spent in silent reverie, as we anticipate the events of tomorrow. I am still amazed that tomorrow Scott and I will actually be HOME!!! No more nights spent in the hospital!! We can hopeful get some uninterrupted sleep. 

Speaking of sleep it's about time I get to bed. 

Goodnight to all.

I know I say it often but I mean it every single time, thank you for your love, prayers, and support!

Love,

Ashley

Day 43: My Cup Runneth Over - April 25, 2012

I love to interview Scott on what happened during his day... sometimes we talk about what I will ask him beforehand and sometimes we don't. I like to see what he can remember and where his thoughts take him. 

If you aren't able to watch the video... here is one part of what Scott was talking about. 

Today during PT Scott was given a full cup of water and asked if he would walk with it from one area of the hospital to the other. He had to manage many different things while walking. 

Such as, balance, speed, arm movement, eye movement, concentration, all while talking and walking with us. He did a very good job and only let the water spill a few times. As I was pondering what to title this post tonight it felt appropriate to name it "My Cup Runneth Over" I truly feel that the progress we have seen from Scott is such a miracle. Truly our cup runneth over with support, love, and blessings!

Also I remembered to take a photo of his right side of his face today. Here is how it's looking. 

 Also his facial muscles are really starting to come back to his left side of his face!!  

He spent the day getting accustom to his glasses. 

Loving that Scott smile!!

- Love to you all,

Ashley

Day 42: Havin' A Ball - April 24, 2012

Check out what Scott worked on today after his therapies were over... 

Think this looks easy? 

Wanna Try: Stand on one foot, shut one eye, and catch the ball with your non-dominate hand. 

Now switch hands, imagine that you don't have much feeling in your dominate hand or foot.

Also imagine that your dominate arm is broken and your shoulder can't be raised very high.

How did you do with this game?

I am so amazed!! 

Day 41: In His Own Words - April 23, 2012

Hello to all. For the post tonight I wanted to do something a little different. I decided it would be fun to hear todays events from Scott himself. So here's Scott:

Here are some images of how his wounds are healing. They look so much better, but for those of you who are squeamish... you have been warned. 

Trach Stoma 

Stomach Stoma 

Right Arm

Left Arm

I forgot to take one of his head but I will do that another time. Anyway I want to end with one quick story. Today in OT Scott was working on a worksheet that had a list of jumbled letters. The objective was to find a 4-5 letter word somewhere in the mix. It looked something like this:

1. lytruewsao

2. gahalarmrp

On number two Scott circled the letters alar. I was confused for a moment but he explained that alar means wing. He sounded so convincing so I didn't say much. 

A few minutes later he tried to tell me that glarb was also a word... he said it was similar to glop. I told him to try again and he admitted that one was made up. Anyway tonight I wanted to look up alar just out of curiosity and sure enough Scott was right...

a·lar

   [ey-ler]  Show IPA

adjective

1.

pertaining to or having wings; alary.

2.

winglike; wing-shaped.

3.

Anatomy, Botany . axillary

 I am learning something new everyday!! Goodnight to all of you.

-Ashley

Day 40: Scott's Return - Sunday, April 22, 2012

The guard changes once again and Scott is excited to see his mom Patti.  Like everyone else, I am in awe with Scott’s progress and have full confidence that he will be returning to Med School this year.

I have been spending the day attempting to put into perspective the past 40 days.  They unfold something like this...

• March 13th, the day of the accident and a phone call that no wife or parent wants
• 8 days in ICU at Flagstaff Medical Center
• 9 days at Select Specialty Long Term Care Hospital
• 5 days at St. Joseph's Hospital Neuro Care Unit
• And next Friday he is scheduled to be discharged after 23 days at Barrow Neurological Rehabilitation Hospital

In retrospect it is phenomenal that Scott has progressed this far so fast.  We have all been witness to an unbelievable example of physical, mental and spiritual strength in action.  Scott's future is once again his and we will all continue to support him in every way possible.

The new phase of Scott's recovery has already begun.  No longer is it Scott's Recovery, but now it is Scott's Return.  Return to home.  Return to church.  Return to school.  Return to athletic activities.  Return to the Air Force.  Return to LIFE.

This new phase will also mean a change with this blog in that the majority of entries will now come directly from Scott and Ashley.  It has been a special honor and unbelievable pleasure for me (and I'm sure for Patti as well) to contribute and share these posts over the past 40 days.  But this is Scott's story and we know his and Ashley's voices will be the best going forward.  And we are so blessed that Scott is able to directly contribute!  I certainly am looking forward to every future post.

Lastly, I leave everyone with this picture of Scott and Ashley dropping me off at the airport and picking up Patti.  And yes they are dressed for Scott's Return to Church.  Indeed, Scott is returning!

Joy!
-- Mickey Moore


________________________________________________


Ashley here, I just wanted to add a few notes to today before bed.

- A huge thanks to Mickey for all his work this week!! Thank you also for all your contributions to the blog!


- Church went very well and Scott was able to interact and remember almost every single smiling face that came to greet us today.


- After church we stopped by the house to change and eat lunch. It was such a wonderful moment to be at home together. My heart was smiling I think.


- For those of you who don't know, Scott loves to eat popcorn! Scott eats about 1-3 bowls a day when he can. (We like to air pop our own as a healthy snack) As soon as we sat down at the table I pulled out a big bowl of popcorn for Scott and suddenly life felt a little more complete.




- Scott was able to have a few visitors after we returned to the hospital. He played one of our favorite games (7 Wonders.) He was able to keep up and remember all of the complex rules. He even tied Kenny for first place!


- I also failed to mention yesterday while Scott was eating his Thai food he wanted to use his chopsticks... and he was successful with his right hand!!

 Much love to you all!!

Ashley

Day 39: Thai Spice and Everything Nice- April 21, 2012

Ashley posting again this evening. I think I am going to keep it short and sweet tonight. 

Saturday's tend to be a lot more relaxed around here. Scott was able to start the morning off nice and easy. He didn't have any scheduled therapies today but that didn't stop Scott and Mickey from having a little therapy of their own. This allowed me to do some shopping and cleaning of the house before we get home on Friday. (I can't believe we are going to be home this soon!! We are so excited.)

Here are the highlights from Scott's day:

- Playing Sudoku on Mickey's Ipad

- Exploring the halls of St. Joseph's (Scott is beginning to remember when he rotated here in January)   

- Scott sharing a very delectable lunch of Thai food with Mickey. (Scott was even sweet enough to save me some. He knew I would be sad if I missed out.)

- Scott had a few friendly faces visit today. He loved giving out hugs and sharing in some great conversations.

- Eating dinner while watching an episode of The Big Bang Theory.

- Playing Scattergories over Skype with a few family members.

- Doing multiple math "homework" worksheets that speech gave him to work on over the weekend. 

- Setting out his clothes for church tomorrow... including remembering how to tie his tie. 

Love and thanks to you all for your continued support!! 

Good Night- 

Ashley