still waiting...

Well, I am sorry but we really do not have much to share. Dad is still somewhat nonresponsive and sedated. He did not do well on his breathing trial yesterday, so they were reluctant to try again today. They did turn off one of the sedatives completely, which will take a few days to metabolize. The other sedative is shorter acting, so they can shut it off and it will be gone in half an hour, which is what they did yesterday when they tried him on the CPAP machine. He did appear to wake up a bit this morning, but what we are seeing as a family may be different than what the hospital staff is seeing because we do not have the medical/neurological background. This morning after being with dad for a few hours and feeling really sad and hopeless, he began to try to open his eyes and slightly move his right arm. Now again, we are unsure if this what purposeful or a reflex, but nonetheless, we were quite pleased to see him move at all!

This evening when Carrie and I went, his feet appeared more ticklish (I know it sounds cruel, but right now we are ok torturing him if it gets him to respond!), his right arm moved a bit more, and he was coughing quite a bit because he felt the tube in his throat more. These signs give us hope, but of course we have to also be realistic. We are just really unsure right now, and still have no answers or new information.

Hopefully he will be able to go for a CT scan sometime soon, as well as participate in breathing more. His vitals are good, which we like to see, and his coloring is also good. The nurse last night gave him a shampoo, so this morning when we walked in we saw the Hal we all know, love and thinks is so handsome!

So as soon as we have the information, we will pass it along, but for now it is another waiting game, which is quite intolerable and draining.

We love you all and thank you for your care and concern.

Love,
Tracy, Carrie & Linda

We have no answers...

So, as you all know my father is back in the ICU as of Sunday night. He had been having a continuous seizure, which I suppose can also be looked at as a stroke. What type of stroke, we are not sure because they have been unable to take him for a CAT scan due to his critical nature. He is on a ventilator again, not conscious, heavily sedated, and non responsive. We are really unsure as to what is happening, or to what the prognosis is. We just don't know, which of course is extremely scary. Right now what the doctors plan to do is to decrease sedation, decrease the vent, and see how much he can participate in breathing on his own, as well as get him stable enough to take him for a CAT scan. Once this happens, we will have more information about the damage that has been done and what we can expect. So until then, I am sorry but we just don't have any answers. My mom, Carrie and I are all together in Florida. Aunt Jinny is here taking good care of us. We are sticking together and providing as much strength and support as we can for each other. It is really hard right now, and we are all very sad and in pain. When we know more, we will certainly let you all know who have been so diligent about following my dad's progress. Thanks again for the love and support. We really need it right now!

I am sorry to report that we have taken a huge step back.....

Hal was taken by ambulance from Chatsworth Sunday night to the emergency room at Palm Beach Gardens Hospital, after he had a seizure.

I met the ambulance there about llpm and stayed with him until they kicked me out at 5am. St Mary's did not have an ICU bed so they put him in ICU at PBG Hosp.

He is in an induced coma, and as of this morning his EEG showed that the brain is still having seizure activity. They can't really give me much information, other than he is in NO pain, and it is important to let the brain rest and cool down. So he needs time and it looks like another waiting game.

Please continue your good thoughts and prayers...WE REALLY NEED THEM.

My daughters join me in thanking you for your continued support.

Much love, Linda

Hi Everyone,

Hal is doing fine at Chatsworth.

They are working him hard in physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. He isn't always happy, but I remind him of how lucky he is and how far he has come. His long term memory is good, but short-term memory is not so good. He does not remember the accident at all or the many weeks he spent in ICU.

The visiting hours are very lenient, but the therapy sessions are scheduled sporadically, on weekdays. I have found the mid to late afternoon usually works the best, BUT there are no guarantees. On sat. and sun. they have less therapy, so more free time.

Chatsworth is very easy to get to. From Mirasol: Take PGA to Ryder Cup Blvd through PGA National to Northlake Blvd. Turn left on Northlake and make the very first left turn. You will be crossing the oncoming traffic onto Hiatt Drive. staying on that road, Chatsworth is a two story bldg., yellow and pink to the right.

Friends visiting are very helpful, but please don't be offended if he does not recognize you...just tell him who you are.

Once again, I thank all of you for your caring and support.

Love, Linda

Hi everyone,

Linda here.

Well I have very good news! Hal will be going to Chatsworth tomorrow. This is really huge, and means that he has made great strides. St. Mary's Trauma Center is now calling him a "miracle". He truly has come back from the "dead".

Chatsworth is a sub-acute rehab/nursing center that is connected with Devonshire of PGA National. YEAH, he will be right across the street from Mirasol, and not only that, but it is a "pet friendly" facility.....SO, I can take Dexter with me when I visit him. Dexter is going to be so happy to see PopPop...he misses him.

This also means all of you who have been wanting to visit Hal can now go see him without it being an I95 trip. I will find out the visiting hours and post it on the blog.

Can you believe it???? The next stop for him will be home.

I attribute this to the love and prayers from all of our friends...I cannot thankyou enough.

Love, Linda

Hi everyone!

Here are some great pic's from tracy and my last visit to see dad. You can all see how much better he looks, much more aware and functioning!

He has been eating on his own, some "crappy" hospital food which is how he himself describes the powdered eggs he gets every morning and some tasty mom homemade food which dad has been getting everyday now. My mom said he has been calling her everyday to see when she is bringing his lunch and now he is requesting dinner as well! I think it is great that he is getting his appetite back and asking for things that he wants. The picture of him holding the paper is him giving a thumbs down to the hospital menu!

Tracy's post expresses the relief and joy we a re all feeling regarding my dad's progress, he has truly amazed everyone in his comeback and especially in the last few weeks we have really seen some amazing jumps in his awareness and abilities.

It was pretty intense to show him some of the photos of him when he was in bad shape and to see him try to make sense of it all. We just keep telling him how lucky he is and how great he is doing.

We are awaiting his transfer to the next facility where he will continue therapy and will be one step closer to home. There is still a long way to go and I think my dad is really working on his progress now that he knows what he needs to work on. We will love him and take care of him no matter what!

Thanks to everyone for your support and help and prayers!
-Carrie

I cannot describe the satisfaction and sense of relief I have experienced the past few days of being with my father. What a difference a few weeks make! He has made such tremendous progress since I last saw him over Christmas. The past two days he has been able to stay awake the entire visit, has interacted and conversed with us, has been able to sit upright in his wheelchair the entire day, used a walker to get to the bathroom, and has eaten complete meals (albeit pureed food and liquids, but so what?!?!). I am so proud of how hard he has worked to get to this point in his recovery. He has no idea how happy he has made everyone.

Carrie and I were also able to go with mom to visit two rehab facilities in the area to determine where dad would thrive and continue to make improvements. He will likely be discharging from the hospital in the next or so, so we need to have things in place in order for the transition to be smooth for him. I think there is some hesitation and trepidation on his part about what the next step will look like, but he has shown he is a fighter and will continue to challenge himself and his limitations.

Carrie and I have enjoyed spending time with dad the past few days, and we have tried to help him recall all that has happened to him the past three months. He does not remember the accident, or all that he has been through while at St. Mary's, which is probably a good thing! We have shown him some photos from when he was in ICU, as well as the stepdown unit, and he is truly flabbergasted at what he looked like and how serious this whole experience has been. We keep telling him that he is our miracle...

We are so fortunate to have him here and for him to be doing as well as he is. We can only hope that he will continue to make improvements, but if this is his ceiling, we are so lucky he has come this far:) We will take him and keep him any way he is!

I love you dad with all my heart. You are such an amazing and special person. You have shown such strength and courage throughout this experience. You are someone we should all aspire to be.

Love you,
Tracy