January 3, 2012

The doctor came by today and said that Bro. Dale looks really good.  They asked him some simple commands such as "stick out your tongue" that he is still not able to follow.  Also when she asks him to take a deep breath he is not able to do it on command.  But they think that ability will come back. 

The speech therapist said that she hasn't been able to get him to brush his teeth.  So Mrs. Doug told him to do it and he would do it. They were showing him pictures and he would point things out.  For instance, she would have a picture of a watch and picture of a bed and asked him to point to the watch and he could do it.  But it took a few times to get him to answer a question such as "which one would you sleep in."  Then she had him counting and he would move his mouth to count up to ten!  But at one point, they apparently had him on overload because he verbally whispered, "wait!"  They both heard him say it!  So his first word is "wait."  We were so sure it was going to be telling Mrs. Doug to "shut up!"  haha! 

The occupational therapist came in and put the electric stimulation on his right hand.  She got him to flex and open like he was waving several times.  She put about 20 clothespins on his clothes and asked him to find them and put them in a bucket.  He was able to find all of them and put them in the bucket. She would hold up a card with a number and ask him to hold up that many fingers.  He was getting some of those.  Then she showed him the face of a clock and asked him to write in the missing numbers.  His numbers weren't exactly clear, but they were in the right positions. 

At one point, he was trying to communicate something to them that they were not able to figure out.  So they gave him a pen and paper and asked him to try to write down what he wanted to say.  He wrote several letters, but it was not clear what he was trying to say. 

Mrs. Doug was able to talk to them about the goal for him to get into the Methodist Rehab in Jackson.  So they agreed to work him harder and get him ready for that.  They will start doing therapy out of his room more because that's how they do it at the place in Jackson.  They will definitely start hooking up the speech valve to the trach while he is in the therapy room and leaving him off the oxygen while he's there.  But for now they will reconnect the oxygen when he gets back to his room.  He was unhooked from the oxygen for 30 minutes or more while they were in there today and he did great. 

Johanna shared this passage from Hebrews with Bro. Dale just the other day and he started moving his mouth to try to respond.  They couldn't tell what he was saying, but it was clear that it was meaningful to him:

^"7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. ¹² Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. ¹³ “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed." Hebrews 12:7-13