Update from Brenda last night:
Psalm 106:1-2
Praise the LORD!
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD,
or declare all his praise?
Frankie is improving every time I see him. This is very good news. However, the days that I visit with him have some very bittersweet moments in them. First, he really wants me to stay with him at the hospital, but I explained to him that COVID regulations, put in place by the hospital staff, will not allow that. Second, he really wants me to bring him home so he can “sleep in his own bed”, and return the next day for therapy. Third, because his short-term memory is getting better and better, he remembers that I am not there every day, which makes him sad because he is by himself.
On further explanation on how he is doing, I am amazed at the improvements he is making from day to day.
Today, while I was there, he stood up at the sink and brushed his teeth. Before that he had participated in many rounds of therapy: physical, occupations, and speech.
He told me that the speech therapist told him why he could only have liquids and that they were going to do another swallow test on him. Of course, I had not heard this so I was not sure exactly how this conversation with his speech therapist actually played out. About 30 minutes later the speech therapist stopped by the room and told me that Frankie wanted to see his last swallow test and he wanted her to explain to him why he could not have anything but liquids. So, long story short everything that he had told me was exactly correct as to what happened earlier in the day. The speech therapist also said that he would have another swallow test on Wednesday to see if they can advance his diet.
As far as his strength goes, he is now in a regular wheelchair. He is able to maneuver around some by himself. He is still weaker in his left leg, but he again is improving in the strength there on a regular basis. He had a little setback with his right hand as he had an IV that infiltrated, which slowed down his therapy for a few days as this was very sore. However, he has once again started to use that hand and arm more. Today he was able to do the bicycle motion machine with his hands without losing grip with his right hand, which is new for him. Otherwise, his left upper extremity has been strong from the beginning and his right lower extremity is getting stronger every day.
His eyes are another story. He is having a very hard time seeing anything close up. He says he cannot see out of his right eye at all. However, he can see out of the left eye. The next step here is to see a neuro-ophthalmologist, which we are working on.
I am truly amazed at his recall. He can remember the day of his accident up to the point where he started to climb the tower, but he cannot remember anything after that until just recently. I told him it was by the grace of God that he could not remember that right now. There are still times that he has some gapping him his thought and speech, but he is getting so much better.
Here are a few specific prayer requests:
1. Pray for his eyes. Pray that he can understand that we are working on getting him to see a specialist to evaluate this.
2. Pray for him to continue to gain strength in his extremities, especially his right arm.
3. Pray that he is able to have his diet advanced from just liquids after this swallow test on Wednesday. I think this will help him a lot. It will also move him closer to getting rid of his feeding tube.
4. Pray for his short-term memory to continue to improve as it has been doing.
Praise:
His overall improvement physically and cognitively.
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