She's Funny, That Girl

So here we are.  Three months after Jamie's accident and she is walking, talking, eating, healing and getting ready to head into the next phase of her recovery.  Last weekend Ron and Kathy went to look at one of the transitional living options.  The report back was really encouraging.  The residents have a full day of therapy, and live in an apartment setting.  Each resident is responsible for their own cooking, hygiene, chores, etc., so even if the formal therapy is just during the day, everyone is working on building their skills in their down time, too.  The therapies also sound like they are more specific and intense than what happens at the Rehab Hospital setting.  The focus at this facility is cognition and getting everything to work together.  Throughout the course of treatment, there are 26 different skills that each resident works towards completing, and it is a big deal when they accomplish it! When a resident finishes the 26th task, it gets announced over the loudspeaker and is acknowledged.  (Not really sure WHAT the tasks are, or how long it takes to complete, but whatevs.)  All in all we have a good feeling about this facility, but there are kinks to work out as far as getting all the pieces to fall into place.  Please be praying that if this is where God wants Jamie to go, that He work behind the scenes to make it happen!

Jamie has had a pretty good week! She did have a bit of a rough day on Thursday (she may or may not have hit her physical therapist. oops.) but overall, we have seen some pretty positive days.  On saturday in speech therapy, she and Jonathan (her ST) did an exercise where he would show her these cards that have a picture of a clock with a certain time on it, and she would have to look at it and tell the time.  The goal was to get through the entire deck (I think about 30-40 cards?) and to get each one right.  The challenge in this exercise is not so much recognizing numbers or anything like that, but rather for Jamie to focus on the card and slow down long enough for her brain to process what she is seeing and send the correct answer to her mouth.  She did GREAT and only had 7 cards that she had to do over.  Go Jamie! We've noticed that when Jamie focuses and pays attention to what is being asked of her and is given time to really process, she does much better.  When not given that opportunity, she tends to just guess at things.  This exercise also helped her work on her ability to attend and stay focus for a specific period of time. 

I mentioned that Jamie had a bit of a rough day on Thursday, and while she was frustrated and upset, there are positives in it, too.  Jamie was able to express that she was frustrated because she's not "like she was before" and that there isn't enough being done to help her.  When asked by the doctor, she said that she was feeling a bit depressed, but was able to talk through a lot of her emotions and feelings of frustration with her doctor.  While we hate that Jamie is frustrated and struggling with being down about where she is, we also rejoice that she is gaining enough cognitive function to even HAVE these emotions.  She has progressed far enough to know that there are things that are different now, and things that she needs to work on.  While heartbreaking, its still good news and evidence of progress. 

Having said that, the last few days have been really great and she has been really positive and upbeat.  We are always encouraged when she is so ready and willing to do what is asked of her and her tasks in therapy.  On Saturday she played "HORSE" with Ryan (and lost, because her brother is mean and wouldn't even let her get one up on him!), and yesterday she had a whole slew of visitors.  We had a great time just hanging out in her room, joking with her and laughing.  We kept asking her Jason's last name, and she insisted on saying the last names of movie stars. (Priestly and Statham).  When we gave her a hint that it started with an "H", she got it right on the first try.  Also, she remembers that Ross' last name on "Friends" is Gellar. :)

One thing I keep hearing is that it is hard for people to imagine what Jamie is like right now.  I know I say on here that she is talking, walking, etc., but it is important to remember that while she is so much herself, there are some differences.  For example, her speech is fairly monotone right now.  Her voice is hers and she sounds like herself, but there is not as much inflection or emotion in it.  She can mimic your intonation and inflection, but not put it in herself as much.  The way this has been explained is that because she isn't thinking far enough in advance of what she is going to say, her brain doesn't have time to add the inflection.  At first I thought it was because of the intubation, etc. but, shocker of all shockers, I was wrong! So, I assume that as her cognitive function develops, she will be able to add more emotion and inflection into her speech. 

Another thing to note is that while Jamie can walk and get around, her balance is still a little wobbly.  This has something to do with crystals in her ear (I could be totally wrong), and will hopefully improve over time.  I think this is another one of those wait and see things as well.  When she is standing and walking, its a little bit like a toddler learning how to balance themselves.  That or someone who is quite inebriated. :) Sometimes I ask Jamie if she's drunk when she's wobbly, and we have a good laugh about it. (It's important to keep things light, right?) Because she is still a little wobbly, and probably because its hospital rules, she is still in her chair during non-PT time.  Its just safer that way.  However, as she gets stronger, she needs less and less help getting in and out of her wheelchair.  Also, when doing our bedtime routine last night, she did the whole thing standing up (brushing teeth, washing face, even flossing!)

All in all, as ever, Jamie gets steadily better each day and each week.  We are so thankful to God for his MANY blessings.  We try and remind Jamie how far she has come (which sometimes she gets a kick out of) and reassure her that we know she is working really hard.  She always tells us that she is working really hard at getting better, and has told me on a few occasions that she "feels very loved" right now.   We said a little prayer last night before I left (she stared at me the whole time) and when I was done, she said "Amen. That was a good prayer." Thanks Jamie. 

Please be praying that she continue to improve in her cognitive abilities, that she is able to work through her frustrations and share how she is feeling, as well as continue to improve on her balance and the physical goals that are being set for her.  Also, please be praying about this next step!!

love, us.