1st installment - About Dave's Brain Injury
2nd installment - The Electrical Current
3rd installment - The Prognosis
4th installment - Dave...what are you doing here?
First a little Q & A
Since I started this blog last month, I have been asked these two questions quite often - and thought you might be wondering the same thing:
How do you remember all of these experiences after so many years?
I actually wrote these experiences down several year ago and have had them tucked away in a Word document on my computer. I wrote them down after hearing a strong message in my head and in my heart that I needed to share them. I was just never sure how to do it. Several weeks ago, as the anniversary of Dave's accident was nearing, I was telling a co-worker about it. He suggested I share them through a blog. And that's how Brain Injury Miracles got its start.
Is Dave okay with you sharing this information about him?
Dave is totally on board with this. I have him read every installment before I hit the Publish button. In the last installment about his encounter with his dad, I was amazed at how vividly he still remembers it. He had me change some of the wording to reflect exactly what his dad said to him.
And now...The Visit with the Neurologist
In the weeks after Dave came home from Madonna Rehab Hospital, I can't deny that the brain injury realities we were facing started to overshadow the miracles we had experienced thus far. I was dealing with an overwhelming backlog of work at my job. Dave was enduring outpatient therapy sessions at Madonna and hating every minute of it. Molly wiped out her knee during marching band practice and would need surgery. The kitchen counter was covered with medical bills that required attention.
It had also became apparent that Dave sustained other injuries from his fall that had been ignored during all the focus on his brain. He was dealing with pain in his right shoulder, hand and knee. Between Molly and Dave, we were becoming regulars at the orthopedic office.
But especially bothersome to Dave were severe headaches that were plaguing him on almost a constant basis. Dave was toughing them out with ibuprofen because his doctors didn't want him on narcotic painkillers that could impede the healing of his brain. During a visit to Dave's general practitioner, the doctor suggested that Dave see a neurologist to determine if other options might be available.
So the day came when I took Dave to see a neurologist here in Lincoln. As the nurse guided us back to the exam room, we walked by the neurologist's office where he was sitting behind his desk. I noticed that he glanced up and watched as we walked by. Shortly after we were situated in the exam room, the doctor knocked on the door and then opened it. Dave and I both said hello to him. I found it odd that he just stood there in the doorway staring at Dave.
After a few seconds he came into the room and asked a few questions about Dave's medical history and his headaches. The doctor then said, "I'm sorry to hear that you're having headaches and all, but I just got done looking at your CT scans and, from what I can see, you shouldn't be walking or talking."
"You shouldn't be walking or talking."
Well...that immediately put everything back into perspective.
I don't remember anything else that happened at the appointment after the doctor uttered those words. I don't remember the doctor's name. I don't remember what options he offered to help Dave with his headaches. Those words just kept resonating in my head reminding me of what a miracle Dave's recovery was.
Dave, with his memory issues at that time, doesn't remember the appointment at all. That's why recounting this experience is so good for both of us (and hopefully for others, too). It's a reminder that it's much easier to deal with life's stresses when you take a time-out and focus on all the blessings instead.
Up next: For Better or For Worse