Marilyn's First Post

Hi all -

I am about to dictate Marilyn's first blog post.

Gareth

Hi everyone! Thank you for checking on me. My brain isn't quite working yet. I'll keep you posted. Gotta go. I'm tired.

Love,
Marilyn

In a week's time..

An extraordinary week has gone by. Last Friday, the 26th of October Marilyn was finally well enough to begin eating pureed food with assistance. Today we sat at a table and she ate regular food next to me on her own, no assistance. Last Friday she would generally only speak if someone called on the phone or if a nurse or therapist made her angry. Verbalization in itself, was clearly a struggle for her. Today she spoke most of the day asking questions about her injury and weakness on the left, telling us about her confusion, answering questions for each therapist. In short, coming back to life. We are excited to be at Craig Hospital- and not a day too late, given her progress this week. It is a very special place with a strong aura that immediately lets you know that good things happen here. She will excel here.

Tuesday October 30

Things are continuing to progress well. The main thing that strikes me, is how many steps that I didn't even think about being there, that are there. All the basic things we take for granted in our daily life are huge challenges for Marilyn to overcome. When we break a bone we stabilize it and wait for it to heal, but a traumatic head injury requires healing and so much work on the part of the individual. All this makes the road home seem very long but each day I see Marilyn getting better is one day closer.

Thursday October 25

Marilyn is in the first stages of gaining some speech and some movement on her left side. These are great signs as we continue down the long road ahead. Thanks to everyone for everything that has given us the STRENGTH to move through these first 3 weeks.

Monday 10/22 - Turning a Corner

Over the weekend Marilyn has woken up. She is now awake at least 80% of the day and very aware of her surroundings and the people around her. So - I think I can officially say we have turned a corner! That makes this week especially big with lots of evaluation by rehab and neuro docs to figure out what is going on with speech and especially with her left side. She and I will be working hard. Keep sending the energy, we are on the way...

Friday 10/19 update

Our first week at Kindred is drawing to an end. I've gained a good perspective on what we face in weeks and months to come. First, there really isn't a dramatic "wake-up" from an injury like this. Progress is incremental, often subtle and slow. Challenges are maintaining Marilyn's health while getting her plenty of rehab therapy. I am comfortable that is happening here, although I am sure I've been a bit of a pain in the neck to the caregivers.

Overall - she is trying to break through. Good signs include: chewing and swallowing ice, yawning, holding a brush and taking it to her hair, holding a toothbrush and taking it to her mouth, tossing a ball at me, snapping her fingers, spending part of each day in a special chair and even going outside, trying to speak on the phone, opening her mouth and sticking out her tongue so I could brush her teeth, turning on the TV with the remote and changing channels and more. I hope for more wake up time, speaking and revival of her left side in time.

I've found some good sources for understanding what is going on with Marilyn that I will share with you. First the Rancho Los Amigos scale lines out the general stages of brain injury recovery: http://www.rancho.org/patient_education/bi_cognition.pdf. Also the Craig Hospital website (Marilyn's next stop) provides many educational resources here. http://www.craighospital.org/TBI/HealthandWellness.asp

Slowly but surely

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Marilyn is showing sign after sign of her strength. Her waking periods are more and more lucid and active and I am confident that she absolutely knows who is around her and where she is. She has begun regular therapy too. Our goal this week is to establish a routine, both for her and myself. It is easy to get impatient and wish that she would fully wake up and start speaking - but it is a slow process. She is trying so hard to break through and I believe that she is going to blow us all away..

Also - I want everyone to know that Marilyn and I hear your collective voices. For different reasons, we can't always respond, but your energy is felt. Thank you, it means so much.

Gareth

Looking back and moving forward

words and photos by Bill Hatcher
Hi All, When I went to visit Marilyn and Gareth last week at University hospital I made some photos. These photos are from the first days in the ICU. Marilyn's room was decorated with many photos including her high school graduating class and her adventures with Gareth as well as her life and travels with her adorable dogs from Vanderbilt to Colorado.



When Marilyn first opened her eyes Gareth was at her side and she was surrounded by family and friends. But there was much work to be done to help Marilyn and to deal with the myriad of details of Marilyn and Gareths new world.
A communications post was set up just outside the ICU to field calls, meet with visitors as well as to begin this blog.

We kept busy contacting Marilyn's friends, Marilyn's Mom and Dad, who were at Marilyn's side through all of this, were a great help in contacting friends from Marilyn's high school and college days. We also received many calls from friends and family. Gareth, when he was not at Marilyns side, was on the phone. In the first few days there were hundreds of calls made and received. Gareth often had to make calls from the hallway since reception inside the ICU was poor.

The first few days in the ICU were so stressful as Marilyn's condition was being assessed. Each hour in the ICU would bring new news from the excellent team of doctors and nurses working with Marilyn. I watched as friends and family talked to Marilyn. When she had the strength she seemed to try and comfort them with a smile or hand movement. My three days in the ICU went by so fast it seems a blur.

Marilyn is now out of the ICU and in rehab. Her injuries are healing and her progress is positive. She is taking strong steps toward fully waking up. Her recovery will require time and plenty of love and care from her friends. Thank you all who have visited Marilyn and have reached out to help Marilyn. That kind of love has no measure in the degree it helps Marilyn in her recovery.





Bill

About Marilyn

I thought I'd add a post that tells all about Marilyn - the extraordinary person that we all want back with us. So this is a little story of who Marilyn is - please add your own on this post.

I met Marilyn about 7 years ago when she moved to Dolores. She moved there to work for Indian Health Services at the Shiprock Hospital as a Nurse Practitioner. Marilyn has a passion for cardiology and she eventually spent two years in Chinle, AZ working on a cardiology study on the Navajo. She graduated from Vanderbilt - a fact that she is very proud of, a truly academic background. In the realm of family practice she worked for Valley Wide Health in Durango and Mancos and now works at our own Dolores Medical Center. The thing that has always struck me about her is her diligence in really taking great care of people. She analyzes and thinks through every diagnosis - never making assumptions. She uses her knowledge and seeks additional knowledge to do her very best for people every day.

A Nurse Practitioner is an advanced care giver. Marilyn has the knowledge and legal authority to make referalls, prescribe medication - in short make most of the decisions a doctor would with the advantage of being able to spend time with each patient. So that's the work skill side of Marilyn.

I won't wax poetic here about our nearly 4 years together, how wonderful she is (she is) etc. Suffice it to say that Marilyn has stood by me strongly and consistently. We're going to bring her back 100%. I'm excited to read your stories and impressions of Marilyn. I'll keep reading all the posts on this blog to her too.

Signs

This afternoon and early evening Marilyn woke up a few times. This evening, she gave us two big signs. First, the nurse asked if she was in pain. Marilyn shook her head , no. Then we gave her a pen and a pad (right hand, Marilyn is left handed) and asked her to write her name. She scribbled for a moment and then clearly wrote an "M".