Update #101

Dave stood up for a full minute yesterday! Still with the assistance of PT and OT, and it was still quite a strain, but it was amazing! From what he says, his difficulty with standing up isn't the strain on his legs or arms (which he uses to support himself on the parallel bars) but rather the strain on his chest because the wound vac pulls tighter when he stands. We're certainly not complaining about the fact that the vac is still holding - six days straight now - but hopefully, whenever they do have to change the dressing, the Wound Care Team can find a way to relax the pressure on his lungs a bit so breathing and standing won't be so difficult.

After standing, Dave stayed in the wheelchair for an additional hour and a half, his longest time yet! During that time, he was evaluated in higher level processing by another speech therapist, and he passed with flying colors! Basically, aside from his eyes (I'll clarify the plural in a minute), the brain injury does not seem to be causing any other issues.

As for his eyes (and I apologize if I've already put this in a previous post - it's hard to remember what has been communicated), in addition to the blindness in his right eye, Dave informed us not too long before we left Knoxville that he has something similar to sunspots in his left eye, which make it even more difficult to read and focus. The spots and blindness, combined with some numbness in the fingers of his right hand, will be the only serious issues that will make going back to work difficult (difficulty focusing on a computer screen and difficulty typing and holding a pen). At some point, we will be seeing a neuro-opthamologist for his eyes, and OT is supposed to begin working on increasing bloodflow to his fingers - please be praying that both issues will be resolved quickly.

One other thing that I forgot to mention - Dave got moved to a new room on Saturday. Early last week, a roommatte moved in to the other side of room #420, an addition that made the room a whole lot more claustrophobic and noisy (he enjoys talking on speaker phone on his cell phone at full volume). On Saturday afternoon, when the roommate had gone out for a cigarette, his and Dave's nurse, Sue, made a side comment about how much quieter it was with him gone. When Dave and I agreed, Sue offered a move to a room across the hall. She couldn't guarantee that Dave will always have the new room to himself (in fact, there is a good chance that he will get another roommate), but for now, the room is quiet, private and much nicer. For anyone who is coming to visit or sending cards, the new address is room #421.

Finally, a friend of ours from Bible study passed on this link to a news story that came out on the night of Dave's accident - http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=59074&catid=2. Not much information, but it is amazing to think of how far he has come since June 6th. God is incredible, and Dave and I pray nightly that He will reveal to us how this awesome story will continue to be used for His glory in the future. Can't wait to see what He has in store!