Posted on 11/07/2014 3:01:52 PM PST by WhyisaTexasgirlinPA
Arrowhead (John) fell off a 20’ ladder at work, onto his head, and has a severe brain injury!
Broke all the bones in his face and skull, broke his shoulder blade and some ribs.
His last post was 10/20 in the morning. He fell about 2pm that same day and was LifeFlighted to the hospital; then, after about 6 hours of surgery, he went directly to ICU. It was touch and go for days in critical condition.
After 2 weeks in ICU he has been transferred to a Specialty Neurological Rehab center in Austin, as of 11/3.
He can move his arms and legs, so no spinal injury, but he is not cognizant. Sometimes he can respond to “can you squeeze my hand?”, sometimes not. His daughter is getting ready to go back home.
The nurses are calling them every day. Small improvements are noticed, such as he sat up for 10 seconds today, but no one has a prognosis. Brain injuries heal how they heal, when the heal, if they heal....3 to 6 months at least.
PRAY HARD, please!!!! And spread the word to your prayer lists.
I think you are correct - he seems to be aware and able in his own limited way right now.
Thank you for keeping us informed and all that goes with that.
Thank you so much for keeping us informed. Prayers continue...
A BTTT for our friend, and a reminder that he still needs our prayers for his recovery.
Writing to give an update on my dad. I was down in Austin from Kansas for the Thanksgiving holiday and was able to see him almost every day that I was there.
Dad is still very early in his recovery, but we are always excited about the little "hooray!" moments that we see. He is still on a feeding tube, but this week or next they will do a swallow test with him to see if he can swallow something soft, and make sure he does not cough it into his lungs. If all goes well with that, the feeding tube may come out, but it will still be a few weeks at best.
He tends to be very tired during the day, and sleeps a lot. However, when he is awake, we are able to ask him basic questions and we sometimes get a "yes" , "no" , or "okay." (He does try to occasionally speak in sentences, but it is a very low murmur and is very difficult to understand - it tends to be garbled.) However, he does have moments of clarity. Mom brought a set of dominoes for his room (one of his favorites) and we sat and played for a while. He and I were on a team together and I held up a domino and said, "can I play this one next?" He looked at the dominoes that had already been played, nodded, and said "if you want to." He was also able to shuffle the dominoes between games with his hands, like a muscle memory coming back very clearly.
With assistance from the therapists and a kind of sling, he has been able to walk about 20 steps a couple of times. However, this is only attempted once or twice a week because it is a huge feat and does tend to suck the energy out of him. He had a dizzy spell during therapy and his blood pressure dropped pretty low, so occasionally therapy doesn't go as planned. But they are sure working with him to try and get him to move forward with baby-steps.
For now that's about all! We love getting the FReeper cards, and mom reads each of them to dad multiple times and shows pictures, notes, etc. that people include. It is so very sweet and we are so grateful for the overwhelming support from his online community. You all are just wonderful! Thanks to everyone for their support and for the continued thoughts and prayers. Still no word on the overall prognosis, but we simply hope for the best in accordance with God's will. :) It's all we can do.
If you would like to send a card or note or ???, please FReepmail me for their address.
Thank you for the updates.
Prayers continue.
WOO HOO way to go Arrowhead! We’re rooting for you!
Prayers continue.
Continued prayers.
BTTT
Just saw this...
Father God... please heal your son... be with his family... where more than two are gathered in your name... so shall you be... so hear us, act and deliver your healing grace.
Prayers continue..
Kathy, thanks for providing the update.
With this type of injury, progress comes very slowly, but we are grateful that Arrowhead1952 is still here to make this progress.
I would encourage Freepers to private mail Kathy in Alaska for his address and to send a card. It doesn’t take much but means the world to our FRiend.
And, a “thank you” to our merciful God who has preserved Arrowhead1952 and is helping him heal, one day at a time.
Arrowhead1952 and his family are in the battle of their lives, and could use all the prayers their Fellow Freepers can offer on their behalf.
Bump.
Thanks for the update Kathy - it is tough to read but his daughter and wife are remaining hopeful so we should too!
Hopeful, one day at a time, one step at a time. Praying for complete recovery. Blessings.
May God be with him. Kathy you may remember when this happened to one of my friends. It is a long process. Tough on everyone especially him.
We praise Thee o Lord and we adore Thee. Be near Thy servant as he goes through recovery.
In the name of the father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, amen.
Slow and easy, buddy, slow and easy. See you soon.
Keeping you in my prayers, Arrowhead.
Thank you so much for the update, Kathy.
Patience and persistence..It’s a long haul.
Lord, give strength and comfort to and place healing hands on our friend, John. Please guide his medical providers with skill and wisdom. Bless those who love and support John in this long process of recovery.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord
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