Welcome, Readers to the greatest update yet!
First of all, I want to let you know that I won’t be able to update the site again after this until mid-April. My web master will be vacationing in Britain for a few weeks. Let’s hear that collective “Awww!”
Secondly, our appointment with Dr. Kaelin went fabulously on Friday. I had such an anxiousness about Friday’s appointment that I got down on my knees before we left to seek God and ask Him to walk before us; not that He hasn’t been already. Anyway, Dr. Kaelin was extremely excited by Danny’s progress and could tell that there has been some improvement in his legs. His comment was that he was ready whenever we wanted to pull the trigger. Well, we defered to his expertise and he suggested we start the admission process. This process can take anywhere from days to weeks, so we’ve already begun dealing with insurance. So, pray that insurance comes through! Anyway, for the first time, I felt Danny began to grasp all that has happened to him. When we were wrapping up with Dr. Kaelin, he started to cry and say that he was scared. I asked him what he was afraid of and he said he didn’t understand what was going on. I assured him that we were all there to make the best decision for him and that we were all there to help him get better. I asked Dr. Kaelin when we needed to schedule the next follow-up appointment and he said that Danny would follow-up with him in-patient.
I think Danny will really benefit from the intensity and the focus of being there. It’s going to be tough not seeing him as much as I do now, but at least he’ll be getting the therapy he needs in the ABI Unit. We actually took him up there again after the appointment hoping to find his first speech therapist. There were several patients lined up in their wheelchairs who were much worse than Danny; some even worse than he ever was. He didn’t like seeing them and asked to leave. I got right down next to his ear and encouraged him to work hard. I told him that he doesn’t look like that and he is getting better everyday. I hope that Danny recognizes that on some level.
I have given the timing of Danny’s return to Shepherd over to the Lord, yet again. We’ve knocked on the door so I told the Lord that whenever is the right time for Danny to go back, it’s up to Him. Basically, if they call next week and tell us that they have a bed, I am trusting that that is the Lord who has opened the door and I’ll walk through it. If it’s a month from now, again, I’m trusting the Lord for His timing.
On the physical therapy front, the tilt table has been denied by insurance. I’m really not surprised since the request was for one that cost over $6,000. What do they think we need? One made of silver? Anyway, I was expecting them to deny it. So, Plan B is that Danny heads back to Shepherd so soon, he won’t need one here. Plan C is that we order one for Danny until his return to Shepherd and Plan D is that we find one to lease as long as Danny’s needs it. So, we’re still exploring options.
Last night, I was able to stay the night with Danny. Loida, Danny’s mom, got up with Corbin so I could stay with Danny. Of course, it isn’t the same as sleeping in the same bed, but I did push the twin bed up next to Danny’s. He actually asked me to stay with him on Saturday night. I told him that maybe I could on Sunday night. Well, when we were putting him in the bed last night, he asked me what side I was going to sleep on. Good news! I guess he remembered? Anyway, we were dosing off when I see his right hand come out from under the covers. He said, “Allison, hold my hand.” It was awesome! So, we fell asleep for the first time in months, holding hands.
Today, marked a great day as far as his eating and swallowing progress. Danny was able to drink thickened nectar. it was just about the consistency of a just melting Frosty from Wendy’s. Danny did great and ate a whole plate of food that he had to chew. I am hoping that Danny will have that tube out before he heads back to Shepherd. Wouldn’t that be awesome!?!
Corbin had his 6-month check up last week. Weighing in in the blue corner…he is up to 19lbs. 6oz. and stands at 26 1/2 inches tall. He got two vaccinations and has a respiratory infection. I have to administer an inhalers three times a day for five days. You try doing that for a six month old; it isn’t easy. Anyway, Corbin may have a hernia too, so I’m taking him to a pediatric surgeon on Thursday. Hopefully, the poor child won’t have to endure surgery and me too, for that matter.
Well, I need to get this message up to the web master for loading before he leaves for vacation. If you all are dying to know what is going on, just email me and I’ll try to respond.
Many blessings, Allison
