September 20th, 2008

Micah's doing okay, he's been better and he's been worse. He's currently having some blood pressure complications, but on the upside, regaining some core muscle strength. He's very happy to have his kids back and they are doing very well! All the kids are getting A's and are very happy they're home. The construction has begun on the house and the walls are going up now! Micah is going to have a wheelchair accessable room and each of his daughters will have their own rooms! They're very happy! Micah remains positive. Last night he joked that staying positive is his full time job! Overall, there are some health setbacks, but the family is pulling together and we're figuring this out. =). Right now we're working on getting a wheelchair van with a lift donated so we can get Micah around once he gets home. Thank you for your positive thoughts =).

August 17, 2008

Wow!It's been an extremely busy month for Micah and family! I'm happy to report that Micah is doing so much better. Over the past month he has regained greater function of his arms, including triceps and biceps, as well as wrist control! He is now able to do basic care tasks such as feeding himself! His growth has been amazing and has made us so proud! Amongst everything, Micah has regained his uplifting energy! He smiles and laughs constantly! Many times I'll walk into his room and find him making jokes with the nursing staff (who love him!). Micah's now in a power wheelchair and zooming around the grounds. He's at a great rehabilitation center where he receives occupational, physical, and recreational therapy everyday. Micah's also passed the swallow test and is now able to eat! Just a few days ago I brought spring rolls, a welcome change from the liquid diet of his ICU stay.

On the home front, we are renovating the family home to make room for all of Micah's cool new contraptions, like the hoyer lift, wheel chairs, special beds, etc. We are racing to clean out the house, get permits passed, draw up plans, and start construction so that we are ready with a wheel chair accessable house that is welcoming for our beloved brother and son. I also just found a van for Micah, we are checking it out tomorrow, this way we can get him to his Project Walk appointments (a great outpatient rehab that will try to get him walking again!).

So, that is the jist of Micah's update. While he works hard everyday to recover physically, we, his family, are preparing for his return. We're also busy raising money for the home renovation, wheelchair accessable van, Project Walk rehab for when he returns home, a 24 hour caregiver and all the fancy instruments we need to take care of him. We're realistically looking at about $130,000 worth of expenses, so, come to a fundraiser and spend what you can! =) We'll be at the Viejas event, it should be a blast and we love to see all of the support from those who show up.

Much Love, Meggin

July 14, 2008

There really hasn't been much to report again.. though I am pleased to say that Micah's voice has not relapsed, so he has had some voice since the 9th. He can't speak loudly yet, and he sounds a bit girly.. but I'm sure that will improve as he strengthens them ;-) He's been passing his swallow tests as well, and today is the day he's scheduled to begin eating apple sauce. That should bring him a good deal of joy, and before you know it he'll be accepting prime-rib donations ;-) He once again demonstrated some finger movement.. specifically, squeezing. It's not very pronounced, however, he's apparently been thinking he had no control over his fingers, so hasn't been working it along with his other muscles. We have almost completed arrangements (just need a final nod from kaiser now) for him to go to one of the more renowned rehab facilities for this type of injury. That means visiting him will be something of an excursion (vacation?) for he family, however, if they could get him up and going it will certainly be worth it!

July 9, 2008

After suffering from a minor dietary complication, Micah was moved once again to a more medically staffed facility. A bit more of a luxerious accomodation, he is now air conditioned, has a flat screen TV, and an air-bed which blows climate controlled air across his body. After spending half an hour hacking up a lung last night, his vocal cords seemed a bit more engaged, and today he was able to use his vocal coards while speaking again! Hopefuly he will develop a full voice after he has had a bit to strengthen them.

July 3, 2008

Micah is now in El Cajon; a pleasant change for the family, as this places him at least 30 minutes closer to us. There is not much to report by way of his recovery at this time; he's pretty much just trucking along. His voice is still quite weak, so he is not yet able to make phone calls again, however, he indicated that after he's been able to settle in, he will be receptive to the occassional visitor... so if you want to visit, drop me an e-mail, or call his cell phone. (I don't wish to post his cell phone on the web, so e-mail for it if you don't have it) His current rehab facility is primarily a long-term care providing facility, and does not appear to offer extensive physical rehab, so it would be great if any visitors chose to help out with his rehab. (move his ankles, gently massage his legs, help with wrist, finger, arm excersises and such)

June 26, 2008

No update in a while; but that's mostly because nothing's really changed. Micah's trucking along.. getting stronger, breathing more comfortably, spending more time watching DVDs. They've started keeping him off the ventillator most of the time, and now he just has an oxygen mask over his trach.
Either Friday or Monday, the hospital wants to move him to a rehab facility; somewhere in El Cajon. We were presented the choice of either El Dorado, or Chase, so now it's just a matter of trying to determine which will offer the highest level of comfort, best care, and put the most effort into rehabilitation. After an indefinite period of rehab at one of these facilities, it is expected he will relocate the the Sharp Memorial rehabilitation clinic near the 163/805 junction, where he will spend a few weeks preparing him to return home. That's all long-term though, and at the present, he's still just trucking along.

June 21, 2008

Today is looking really good for Micah! They have him on the talking trach, and instead of attaching it to a ventilator, they just have an oxygen mask over it. That means he's doing all the breathing, and lung clearing (coughing) all by his loansome. He was energetic, and today we watched Mr. Deeds (funny beginning, cheesy latter half), and the beginning of Master and Commander (great naval war movie) before our mom visited, so the movies were suspended.
His talking today was much fainter, however, he is also not having assisted breathing from the ventilator. The trauma surgeon indicated he did not have control of all of his breathing muscles, so he was still developing compensatory strength in the upper chest muscles which kept his breathing a bit weak. This means he's doing great; breathing on his own, and out of the woods, but he still needs to strengthen up a bit before he'll be able to speak in a powerful voice. Of course, anyone who knows Micah knows building strength is not a problem for him!
The doctor also reinforced what we have already hypothesized, which is that any movement he has now indicates regions of his body he will most likely be able to gain full (or at least greatly improved) mobility of with limited theropy. That means with no miracles, no additional procedures, etc, it is completely reasonable to expect him to be using a wheelchair and computer without assistance in a very short time-period.

June 20, 2008

Micah is continuing to show improved mobility! Today he demonstrated that he has absolutely complete movement of his fore-arms, as well as his wrist and very minimal movement of his fingers. He also demonstrated that he can lift his upper arm, though this took a good bit of effort. This is only a very short step from having full upper-body mobility! Micah had a hard day for most of the day today, as after installing the talking trach, he was not breathing in sync with the ventillator system. (when breathing unassisted he was fine, however, assisted breathing was causing significant discomfort and anxiety.) He spent much of the day hyperventillating, and passing out/convulsing as a result while the nurses were preoccupied with another patient who was on the verge of dying. Eventually, the trauma surgeon checked in, and was able to resolve the situation... Micah is now doing great, has good energy levels again, and during the day can talk with the talking trach. He has asked that he get no visitors so that he can concentrate on resting and recovering, and so the only people with him right now are those who are assisting him.

June 17, 2008

Spirits are high, breathing seems to be improving, all seems right with the world! :-) The nurses plan to start training Micah for the talking trake tomorrow, and so, if all goes well, it is expected to be in within a couple days. Meanwhile, Micah is drumming now (clicking to the music ;-) in accompanyment to the guitar, and is able to pass enough air over his voice box that he is able to faintly whisper. Now it's just a matter of waiting a few more days for him to be able to talk again... in the mean time, he is more lucid, and getting stronger every day!

June 16, 2008

Micah is clear and coherent today, and his spirits are lifting as he regains the ability to take care of some of his needs. By bandaging his suction device to his hand, he can now lift it to his mouth to clear fluids while he is unable to swallow, and with his other hand he is able to change channels on the TV... allowing him to watch TV for the first time since he was injured. (before he was unable to because he could not sit up to see it) We put a DVD player in for him this evening, so now the big thing is waiting for him to be able to talk. No date has been offered as to when a 'talking trake' will be put in, however, it was generally thought it would be a few days after the initial trake.. so any time now.
In order to use the suction tool, Micah is having to lift his fore-arm in a lateral direction; evidence he has control of muscles we were not previously aware he could use.
As his clarity of mind has returned with the reduction of certain drugs, he seems to be amiable toward visitation more often than immediately after the operation, however, please be sure to check that he is up to your visit before stopping by.
This has definitely been a day to lift spirits after the long period of confusion, discomfort, and immobility.

June 15, 2008

Following the trake, unbeknownst to the medical staff for some time, Micah was not receiving air to one of his lungs. (I can only imagine this would mean/result in that lung being collapsed) As a result, he was in notable discomfort, and after a great deal of effort managed to convey the problem. After treatments yesterday, the lungs seem much better, and the amount of fluids appear to be decreasing. While he could swallow, he is still not comfortable doing so, so is still being suctioned regularly. We are now waiting to see if there is a delay in how long it will be before he can talk, however, none of these issues should create a long-term problem.
Today's nurse has comfirmed that he has some muscular control in one of his hands. While this doesn't indicate anything specific, it does offer a great chance that he will be able to regain some function in his hands with a limited amount of rehabilitation.
His improved condition seems to have helped lift his spirits once again..

June 14, 2008

Micah has completed all scheduled operations as of this morning. The sedation and pain medications are beginning to fade which has him a bit disoriented, and he still becoming accustomed to breathing through the tracheotomy. His overall level of pain seems much lower now that he no longer has a tube down his throat, and we look forward to his mental clarity returning!

June 11, 2008

For any that have not heard Micah's status (or are misinformed on it), Micah is currently intubated and sedated. Because he has a tube down his throat blocking his airway, he can't talk or make any 'throat' sounds, so we have been playing guessing games as to what he wants/needs. He has full head mobility, though between the drugs and the neck brace it seems fairly limited. He also seems to have full shoulder mobility, and can move his biceps and triceps. I believe I saw a twisting motion yesterday which would indicate at least a third motion, but he doesn't have the basic motor skills needed for articulation with his arms.

He can feel as far down as the top of his legs.

Before the surgery he could only feel toward the top of his chest, and most of his arms; he could barely feel his hands. At that time, he could also use his biceps (curl his arm inward), but it seemed involuntary, and he had no triceps control. So, while the surgery was only intended to improve stability, the decreased compression on the spinal cord did allow some improved mobility. Hopefully with the reduced constriction, he'll also be able to reduce nerve swelling and heal/improve even more.

The reason he's intubated right now is that the area around the C1 vertebrae was too damaged for the doctor to be able to safely put a supporting band around it. As the C1 is cracked (no dmg to the nerve), they are worried that were he to start to choke (as he is redeveloping control of his abdominal muscles), they would further damage the C1 during an emergency intubation. The C5 and C6 are considered sufficiently reinforced at this point, and the C1 will heal completely within about a month, so all in all, the operation was a complete success with the C1 problem just being considered an inconvenience. (A rather major one for Micah as that tube causes considerable pain for him)

They put him on blood thinners after the surgery so he doesn't develop blood clots, however, he had too much bleeding during the weekend (expected bleeding; he was hooked up to drainage tubes), so they had to do a transfusion and stop the blood thinners. As they are now worried about blood clots reaching his heart and causing severe damage, they will be installing a blood-clot 'net' today. This is a rather simple procedure (they don't even move him) where they put a tiny net in his artery. The primary risk of this procedure is that they typically don't retrieve the net when they're done, so there is a less than 1% chance that over the span of his life, it may come free and travel to the heart, requiring open heart surgery to remove. It is possible for them to remove it before then without extensive surgery, however, I think they may be worried about other risks in that procedure.

Thursday, he will receive a tracheotomy which will replace the tube in his throat. This will be MUCH more comfortable for him, and within a few days after that, he will most likely be able to talk either using the trake, or bypassing it. He has been breathing on his own as it is, so I suspect he'll just bypass it.

When Micah could last talk, he made it clear he wanted everyone to remain positive and optimistic. While this may be a major life change for him, and a few of the rest of us, he's still very much alive, and can still have a fulfilling life. He does seem to be gaining feeling and mobility with time, so I think it's not a far stretch to think he may gain use of his hands in the near future.. at that point, he is once again self-sufficient, and won't have to deal with the feeling of helplessness which I think is what we are all mourning. So, stay positive.. the atmosphere when he could talk was fairly jovial, and once he's no longer in constant pain, I expect it will be again.