Gaylord, Day One

Rob's been at Gaylord for one day and they've already made sure he moved his bowels, they're treating his dehydration, he got washed up and dressed this morning, and even walked with assistance to the bathroom so he could use the toilet.
The Speech Therapist met with him this morning and okayed him to stop using straws to drink with and discontinued the requirement for mooshed-up food.
The Occupational Therapist came in shortly after Joel and I arrived for our visit today. Rob was pretty confused and not making much sense at all. One of the nurses said it was because he was bound up and dehydrated. I can understand that. And I'm glad they're actively working to make him feel better. :)
Later on in the afternoon, the Physical Therapist worked with Rob a little bit. Again, he wasn't feeling well, so it was a short session. She said that he'll be really getting into his therapy program on Monday down in their gym. She told Rob to enjoy his last day of rest tomorrow. :P
I'm not holding up too well today. It seems like as soon as I relaxed, my body began shutting down. I'm having a hard time talking and swallowing, and a really hard time walking. I probably should've taken my wheelchair today. I hated having to leave Gaylord early this afternoon, but I was fading so quickly I needed to make sure I would be okay for the ride home. I can't eat anything because it feels like I'm swallowing shards of glass. I'm going to head upstairs to lay down for the rest of the evening and make the trek back down to Wallingford to be by my husband tomorrow morning. Goodnight! :)

Lovely...

Apparently Rob also has a broken vertebrae in the back of his neck that no one mentioned. :/ Gaylord filled us in.

Confirmation!

Just got the official word that Rob's been accepted to Gaylord and will be taken there by ambulance today at 1 o'clock. This is a fantastic step on the road to recovery. :)

Moving Day?

I was happier to see the one-on-one person was awake when I arrived at UMASS this morning. And to see that Rob's bed was dry. I immediately got him into some comfortable pants and asked him what he wants to do today. He didn't reply right away, but then said, "I still have delayed reaction." He had his french toast and peaches for breakfast, then I received a call from Gaylord Hospital. They have a bed! :) They just need to obtain a No Med Pay letter from Geico in order to get authorization from Anthem for him to move in. The doctor came in to check on Rob and said they were working on getting him somewhere with room, so I let them know. They absolutely agreed that he has to begin aggressive therapy and needs to get out of here. I'm concerned that he hasn't had a bowel movement in over a week. His right foot is warm and red, which concerns me, too. That's the leg with an oozing wound on the knee. The nurse took a look, but didn't say much more than, "That's weird." I helped his PCA get him freshened up for the day and now he's napping. I have all the things he needs to go to the rehabilitation hospital in the van, so I guess today's plan is to wait for the big move. I'm not saying he's definitely going to Gaylord because I've seen how plans change around here. I'll certainly keep the updates coming. Thanks for all the continued support.

George

It's just a little after 8:30 pm now. Rob's accident was one week ago in about two hours. Mom Comeau and I visited Gaylord today and it just really depressed me. So, I've been sitting at Rob's bedside talking with George. George is assigned to Rob as his one-on-one person until 11pm. He told me not to worry so much about the rehab decision. He said to just get him to the first available place so that he can start to get better as soon as possible. The case manager here had given me a brochure for a place called Fairlawn here in Worcester. George tells me it's a good place. It's the closest place to where we live and I guess insurance arrangements can be made since the other facilities don't have room. Poor George has some personal things going on and I'm hoping our conversation didn't depress him too much. He says this is a reminder that there's always someone worse off than you. I'm thinking that the chain of "worse" has to stop somewhere and it definitely seems like we're the final link. Oh well, George has been good company this evening. I'm sure Rob will be okay once I leave if George is on guard. It's after 11 that I'm worried about. :S

Rehab

Apparently UMASS wants to discharge Rob to rehab today. They haven't been forthcoming about what I should expect and now I have to hurry up and find a place to go with him. Spaulding, Gaylord, and Mount Sinai have no beds available today. I'm hoping they don't just pick a place and send him to it. I'm a bit freaked out by all of this.

Something I didn't even think about!

Upon arriving home this evening, I did as much research as my brain could handle on rehabilitation for Rob's traumatic brain injury. What freaks me out is that these facilities also specialize in MS therapy. I think about our children and feel so badly that now both of their parents' brains aren't working properly. However, since these facilities treat both of our disabilities, our family will get exactly what we need to function together.
Gaylord in Wallingford, CT has moved to the top of my list. All of their rooms are single rooms and accommodations can be made for a family member to spend the night. I'm impressed by the fact that they will come to UMASS and meet with Rob's treating physicians there, meet with Rob and all of us, and make an informed decision collectively as to whether or not Gaylord is the right place for treatment, as well as a personalized care plan based on Rob's specific needs and the needs of our family. They also accept BOTH of our insurances, which is huge!
Here's something I didn't even give thought to, but is very important - THEY ALLOW OUR DOG TO VISIT!!! :D
I expect to receive a call from one of the nursing staff at Gaylord before the end of the week. I confirmed that I wasn't hearing back because UMASS needed to make the referral first. Once the referral is received, they will arrange a meeting at UMASS and we can set up a tour of their hospital. They only do tours on weekdays, which will be difficult, but they do have a beautiful virtual tour on their website.
Rob would be able to receive mail there and visiting hours are from 1 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. They have all kinds of real-life settings, including a grocery store, for use in their care programs. I'm really looking forward to speaking with them further. I hate the thought of Rob living in Wallingford for who-knows-how-long, but I absolutely want him to receive top-notch care.
While I'm also impressed with Spaulding in Boston and feel their facility would be wonderful, they will not accept our secondary insurance and there's a hiccup with our primary insurance. Because we don't know how long Rob will not be able to work, I don't know how long we'll have our primary insurance. Also, our primary insurance is specific to Connecticut.
I don't care much for two of the other facilities UMASS mentioned to me. Mount Sinai at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford came up somehow. I can't quite remember if it's something I found or something they found. Who cares...Anyway, it's in the middle of the city versus Gaylord being on 500 acres of former farmland. There's the dog thing, and the overnight stay thing...I just really like the idea of Gaylord so much better. I'm trying to think outside the box of convenience on this. I really want Rob to get better. I don't think throwing him into the middle of Hartford when we live in a suburban area will be a good thing for him. They do train station simulation and cross walks with traffic signals, which isn't something Rob needs. I feel more comfortable with the variety of rehabilitation at Gaylord, the customization of treatment, the ammenities, the setting, and the family accessibility there.
Of course, I suppose this could all change if something there creeps me out. I wish Rob could help me decide. :( [He'd hate them all - he's very picky.]

First Day Out of ICU

So, I'm not too impressed with this new area Rob's in. I was told they'd start therapy with him once he got into a regular room, but not one person came into his room all day. One doctor was in early who told me it's good that I spend the day with him because he needs familiarity. At one point, though, his nurse asked me if I'm a nurse. She said I seem like I have medical background in me by the way I'm taking care of Rob. Just instinct, I guess. ;) Anyway, this is going to be a long haul. I need to find out what our insurance will cover as far as a rehab facility, then see where there are beds available before I can start making decisions on that. (This is the crappiest decision I've ever had to make.) I was told that he'll be discharged to rehab as soon as he's awake and talking more. Based on how lively he was today, it's not going to be long before that happens. His mom and I brought toys for him that kept him busy. She played music for him on her phone and he was singing along to some of the words. He recognized people's pictures and was better able to identify his visitors today. He still thinks he's at Day Kimball Hospital, but at least he's aware he's in a hospital. Oh yeah - he wanted to write. He circled numbers and wrote "8290923" twice. Don't know what that is. He wrote "Cyclone" and signed his name. I'm feeling badly about how much the horse and work is on his mind. :/

Visiting

Now that Rob's in a regular room, there are fewer visiting restrictions, but there's much less room. He's also in with another patient, so we will probably not be able to spend as much time with Rob. :(

Neurology

It's 2:30 am Wednesday and I just received a call that Rob's been moved to the Neurology floor, which is awesome, and is now in room 409. :) This is great news! No more ICU!