The hard work begins

12:02pm

This morning at 7:30am, I checked my cell and found a 12:30am voice mail from rehab advising me that there had been an "incident, but Taylor is ok". In a panic, I called rehab and found that Taylor fell out of bed, but wasn't injured. I set a new land speed record getting to rehab to check on him. I was probably not a real pleasant person there this morning, since no one called our home at 12:30am after getting voice mail on the cell phone. I made sure they know in the future to call every number on the list until they reach me.

He's fine, but it could have been a real problem. He said he couldn't find the nurse call button, and had turned on his side to look for it and fell out. I'm not sure how he did that, since the bed rails prevent him from falling.

While I was there, the occupational therapist came to Taylor to take some measurements to gauge the range of motion in his arms and determine how his legs are. He was moved to a chair and taken to the exercise room where he began some written exercises to assess his fine motor skills. Later today, the physical therapist and speech therapist is working with him. He won't finish up until around 4pm, so we'll be back after that to spend the evening with him although he'll probably want to crash early. Today he'll get the biggest workout he's had in 2 months, so he sure to be tired.

This peacock was spotted this morning while driving through the FINR property. We told Taylor on Saturday that we had seen a peacock on the drive in, and he looked at us like we were nuts. Now, we have evidence!

"I wish this had never happened"

Taylor has tried talking several times, but has not been able to get enough air volume out to do it. There is a Passy-Muir valve that can be put in his Trach that permits him to inhale through the valve, then it closes, forcing him to exhale out of his mouth and allowing him to talk. In the past, he felt like he couldn't get enough air and didn't want to try it very long.

Last night, his mother and sister left rehab at 8pm, and I was going to stay until he went to sleep. Last night was his first night alone at FINR, and since he's at a new place with new people a county away I wanted to make sure he was resting well before I left.

I was talking to him at about 8:30pm (me talking, he listening) when he suddenly said "I wish this had never happened." He just said it. No valve, no help....just said it. Then....he started talking. I immediately called his mother and told her to put her phone on speaker and he said "I love you, Mom.....I love you, Lauren" They immediately turned around and headed back.

It was the strangest thing. He just suddenly started talking and talked until he got tired and wanted to go to sleep. Before he did, we called his Grandmother, Aunt and Uncle, and a couple of his friends so he could talk to them for a few minutes.

His voice is a little gravely. He said "I sound like a robot". But, it's a beautiful sound, no matter how it comes out. We waited 59 days for last night to happen. It was the next major accomplishment we were waiting for, and one of the most important. I'll be with him within the hour - today is going to be a great day. I've missed hearing his voice for so long, I may have him read the newspaper to me if he runs out of something to say.

6:02pm

Today I asked today if it would be OK to post a picture of him on the blog. I told him that I had cropped him out of previous photos, and would never post a photo without talking to him about it. I told him I knew everyone would be interested to see how great he looks....even with short hair. So, here's the official photo approved by Taylor!

Day 1 at FINR

4:30pm

Taylor's first day at rehab is going good. His friends Tim Valdez and Katie Kimelton came down to visit. He was REAL glad they made the trip.

He also got dressed around 2pm and went outside for a couple of hours in a special kind of wheelchair that allows him to lay back. It's like a recliner on wheels. Once he builds up the strength, we can take him for a cruise on some concrete trails that run around the property here.

I told Taylor that a lot of his friends check the blog each day, and I have deliberately not put a current photo of him on the site. I asked if it was OK if I put a current photo on, and he said it was. Unfortunately, I left my camera at home, so I'll have to do that tomorrow.

Taylor is using his right hand and arm a LOT more than he has been. Today he showed me how quickly he can make a fist with his right hand, and I was REALLY surprised. His right hand/arm and leg has been very slow. In the past couple of weeks we noticed him moving his right leg more, and we've noticed him moving his right arm and hand more. But, the speed at which he's using it recently is really surprising. And, that's without getting cranked up at rehab so we're all expecting to see some major improvements soon.

10:00pm TAYLOR SPEAKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Taylor talked, but this time it was no fluke. He talked and talked until he got tired and went to bed. We'll tell you more about it tomorrow.

FINALLY - Taylor's off to Rehab!!!!!

9:24am

It's official. The left hand and the right hand apparently negotiated an agreement, the process to release him from Lakeland Regional Medical Center has begun and he's been assigned a room at the Florida Institute of Neurologic Rehabilitation (FINR).

After 58 days, Taylor is FINALLY going to begin the real work of getting back to the old Taylor. He still has the Trach, but the Trauma Doctors here say it's ready to come out, so we expect that to happen soon at FINR.


He'll be able to have visitors over the weekend, so if you want to visit him, call his mother on his cell at 581.6821 or me at 295.1375 and we'll give you the details.

9:30pm Taylor made it!

Taylor made the trip well to FINR and he's settled in for the night. His mother is staying tonight, but starting tomorrow night he'll be staying alone at night.

The facility is very nice....and big. It's situated on 900+ acres 10 miles south of Nowhere. This is the acute medical care facility where he'll be staying for a while and then he'll move into one of the smaller cabin style buildings.

For now, Taylor has a private room but on Monday he'll be sharing with an 18 year old boy from Orlando who was in a car crash on January 1st of this year. He was in a coma for 2 months, and is now walking around the building visiting with his family. Another very lucky survivor

This is the view out of Taylor's window. Nice! His fishing rod ended up on the side of the road somewhere during the accident, so he'll be getting some new equipment to test out in the lake very soon. There are some paved trails, so as quickly as we're allowed to take him outside in a wheel chair, he'll be zipping around the place.

Even though he still has the Trach and feeding tube, he'll start physical therapy and occupational therapy at 9:00am on Monday morning. They're not playing here and Taylor knows it. He's ready to get started although I'm sure he'll complain Monday night about how hard it is. And, it WILL be hard on him for a while until he builds his strength.

Maybe tomorrow

5:45pm

Taylor is now in a circle jerk holding mode. First he's going, then he's on hold, then he's going, then he's on hold.

It's been no secret that he would be leaving here for rehab but the insurance company and the rehab facility seem to be like a married couple that is having a spat and not talking. Just a case of the left hand apparently not knowing what the right hand is doing.

But, the latest we got today is "everything is fine" (I've heard that before) and hopefully he'll head out of here tomorrow.

He'll be transported by ambulance - hopefully the last time he'll ever see the inside of one of those things.

False Start

7:30pm

All the staples were removed today and Taylor's Neurosurgeon signed off on him so he's ready to head out. Even though he was to leave today for rehab, the insurance company now decided to throw a curve ball at the last minute. Hopefully he'll be out tomorrow.

Taylor's mother left the hospital today after spending the past 7 days here while I recovered from illness. Tonight is my first night back on Taylor duty. As soon as I told him I was staying, he asked where his ear plugs were. Funny guy.


8:10pm

When we created this blog, we figured some of Taylor's friends and some of our friends and family would check it on occasion to see how he's doing. As it turns out, a LOT more people check it each day than we imagined would.

It's really nice to know how many care about how Taylor is doing. Tonight he is really alert and I read to him all the towns below where those who have checked his blog either live or where their ISP server is located. He was REALLY surprised not only to find out that there are about 100 visitors daily, but people from coast to coast check in on him.

Lakeland	Florida
Tampa	Florida
Bartow	Florida
Vadodara	India
Winter Haven	Florida
Lima	Ohio
Gainesville	Florida
New York	New York
Miami	Florida
Houston	Texas
St. Petersburg	Florida
Plant City	Florida
Palm Coast	Florida
Sarasota	Florida
Atlanta	Georgia
Miramar	Florida
Cleveland	Ohio
Gig Harbor	Washington
Alpharetta	Georgia
Brownsville	Tennessee
Clermont	Florida
Cincinnati	Ohio
Memphis	Tennessee
Birmingham	Alabama
Wood Dale	Illinois
Tallahassee	Florida
Yonkers	New York
West Bloomfield	Michigan
Clearwater	Florida
Naples	Florida
Andover	New Jersey
Pt. Charlotte	Florida
Los Angeles	California
Ashburn	Virginia
Jacksonville	Florida
Charleston	South Carolina
Pensacola	Florida
Chicago	Illinois
Coral Gables	Florida
Mt. Laurel	New Jersey
Irvine	California
Nevada	Iowa
Keller	Texas
Seffner	Florida
Issaquah	Washington
Haines City	Florida
San Jose	California
Valdosta	Georgia
Indianapolis	Indiana
Dayton	Ohio

Another feeding tube

2:04pm

Yesterday, Taylor got a new feeding "tube within a tube" that will bypass his stomach. This procedure did not require putting in a whole new line, so he was thankful for that. This should eliminate him getting sick to his stomach.

Taylor reached another milestone yesterday when he was able to sit on the side of his bed for 2 minutes. The physical therapists were impressed. That probably doesn't sound like a big deal to most, but for someone who has been laying on his back for 54 days, it's a biggie.

Taylor's healing from his surgery is going well, and he's still on target for getting the staples removed later this week. Then, it should be just a matter of days after that when he gets released to the physical rehab facility to begin the rebuilding process.

6:00 pm TAYLOR MAY BE BAILING OUT TOMORROW!!!!!!!!

The latest word is Taylor will be bugging out of Lakeland Regional and headed to the Florida Institute of Neurologic Rehabilitation sometime tomorrow. So, in case you're planning to visit Taylor tomorrow, call first.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

12:00pm

Taylor's mother reports that he's doing a little better today, after having a fairly restful night. For Taylor, a "good night" is if he sleeps 3 hours at a time.

Taylor is still on target for getting the staples removed next week, then being released to rehab. But, he cannot leave until he is off some of the heavy duty pain killers he's on so we hope the pain specialist that didn't make it yesterday comes by today to get started on that.

6:00pm

The Dr. said I could visit Taylor after I've been on medications for 3 days, so today I visited for a couple of hours. When I got there, Nick and Nate's mom, Christy, was there visiting Taylor and his mother. She's always been one of Taylor's favorites.

He looked much better today than when I last saw him on Wednesday The swelling on the side of his face and head is down considerably. I also noticed he was moving his right hand and arm a lot more than he was when I last saw him. His mother said he'd been giving the Sidekick a good going over, so maybe that helped a little.

This afternoon he had the Pick Line (an inlet where multiple IV's can feed) moved from his left arm to his right, just in case a slight infection he has is coming from that.

Lauren - a great daughter

The greatest unsung hero during this whole ordeal for us, next to Taylor, is his sister Lauren. She has been the absolute rock that has helped hold all of us together. She has given up almost every bit of available social time to be with him, and rarely has she missed a day at the hospital. During the first couple of weeks, she slept with us in chairs and on the floor of the waiting rooms, and now she stays overnight often with her mother to help keep an eye on Taylor. She has made a lot of personal sacrifices for Taylor, but he has always....always....meant everything to her so it's no surprise.

From the very beginning, it was obvious we would probably depend on her more than she on us. When Taylor's mother learned in the early hours of March 1st from the Deputy that Taylor had been in an accident, she dropped the phone on the floor, looked at me and said "Taylor's been in a wreck, he was ejected and is being airlifted to the hospital". The phone was disconnected, so I called the Deputy back and learned where Taylor was being taken.

The 3 of us got dressed and were out the door within a minute or so. Before we left, Lauren said "Do you have your insurance card?" That demonstrates just how clearly she was thinking when we were freaking out.

On the way to the hospital, Lauren said all the right things to try and calm us. We, of course, wondered the possibilities......Would he live? Will he be a paraplegic or quadraplegic? Will he have a catastrophic brain injury? Will we ever hear him talk or feel his hugs?

When we were able to visit Taylor in the Emergency Room, he was heavily sedated and likely didn't know we were there. Lauren went to his bedside and said "Taylor, I'm sorry for anything I've ever done that made you mad". Knowing that Taylor was in desperate medical trouble, it was heartbreaking to watch and listen to.

Taylor's accident has caused some personal hardships for Lauren. She slapped a boy that wished death on Taylor then spit on her, getting her a 5 day suspension from school. Then, on her very first time behind the wheel of a car after the accident and while enroute to the hospital with her mother, one of the local intellectually challenged Cops gave her a traffic citation. Then, just last week, after the High School sold her a Prom ticket they came to her on Friday before the Saturday Prom and told her she couldn't go to Prom over the March 2nd slapping incident. It makes no difference that the school Code of Conduct doesn't permit ongoing punishment like that (only permits barring them from activity DURING the suspension period) , but it's their kitty litter box, so not much could be done - but I tried.

Throughout all of this, Lauren has been her normal happy, upbeat, "everything will be OK" self. It would sure be easy for her to wonder when SHE will be getting any attention. But, Lauren is mature beyond her years and knows that for now, it is almost all about Taylor.

And, we're not nearly through. As best we can tell, and if we're lucky, we're about 1/2 through the Big Trip. Rehab is expected to last about 2 months - maybe more. But, who knows? It could be less than expected. So far, he's done everything way ahead of schedule.

Before long, Lauren will get some well deserved attention. I'm sure she'll be getting several "It's all about Lauren" weekends this summer.

Rough Night

8:40am

Taylor's mother continues to stay with him around the clock, since I'm still sick.

She said he had a rough night last, with a fever of 101, and a vomiting spell. His heart rate went to 150 beats per minute during all of that.

Jessica Kent spent the night in Taylor's room last night and was able to help Suzie out several times during the evening. That was a BIG help.

Today a pain management Doctor will visit Taylor to determine what should be done differently, if anything, to help mitigate his pain.

As I sit at home, I constantly think about how much more miserable I would be if I was in Taylor's situation. There are some things I can do to make myself a little more comfortable, but his options are very limited.

It's just hard to imagine what he is going through. In spite of everything, he'll still smile when a new visitor comes in and says "thank you" when someone does something for him.

Taylor is OK

6:30am

Taylor is doing OK. He is still in a lot of pain and isn't resting for more than a few hours at a time, but his fever is not going over 99.5 or so and every other vital sign is good.

I wasn't able to do an update yesterday after getting sick with flu-like symptooms Wed night. I won't be able to go back until I'm over it for obvious reasons. That means Suzie is now entering her 4th day bedside with Taylor. He requires pretty constant care 'round the clock, so even in the middle of the night getting 2 or 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep is a thrill.

But, then we look at Taylor and realize our discomfort is nothing compared to what he has and is going through.

The day after

9:34am

Taylor slept well through the night, thanks to Dilaudid and Adavan. He still has a lot of pain, but after going through what he did yesterday, it's no surprise.

I'm not sure of the plan for today, but I suspect it calls for more of the same - keep him drugged and comfortable.

Before we commented on what great nurses he had in MICU. He has another great group in the Trauma Unit too. They work very hard to keep him comfortable and avoid the medical things that can cause problems. I suspect we're about to run all of them crazy. We are with Taylor 24/7, although we rotate nights so one of us can have some uninterrupted sleep every other night. But, from 8am until 10pm or so we're both with him. If he was off the Trach and able to call on his own for assistance, we'd let him rest alone at night. But, until that happens one of us will always be with him.

4:37pm

It's been a tough day for Taylor. The staff is trying to mitigate his pain and recently got approval to up the dose. He is not resting much, and when he's awake he's in pain and very uncomfortable. He has significant swelling on the side of his head, due to the procedure, so the Dr. said that is adding to his discomfort. I've not seen him in this kind of long term pain since he's been here. Hopefully, he'll get to sleep and rest through the night.

5:55pm

Taylor has a fever of 99.5, but given what he went through yesterday it doesn't seem to be a big deal. Let's just hope he doesn't have a repeat of last week. Even with the increased pain medications he's not resting. He really does not feel good at all.

A friend just stopped in and with the alphabet chart Taylor told him "I feel like someone dropped a bag of bricks on my head". That's probably an understatement. The pain he has endured over the past 49 days has proven to me just how tough he is.

Taylor has always had a low threshold for pain, but he's about met his match with some of the things he's had to endure here. On top of everything else, he gets a shot in the stomach once a day to help prevent blood clots. He cringes when he sees it coming. I do too.

Taylor's Big Day

7:06am

Today is Taylor's last surgery, and what puts him 1 step closer to getting out of the hospital. He is anxious about it, but knows this is his last big hurdle here.

1:34pm

Taylor's surgery was to start early, but didn't start until around 10am. He's out and back in his room now. He is NOT happy and has a massive headache. He's waiting now for some medication to relieve the pain.

2:10pm

Taylor is heading down for a CT scan. The staff thought his "bad side" (right) was looking a little slower, so want to make sure that there is nothing going on causing it. Looks like nothing to worry about. I don't see any difference, but nurses probably look for things that parents don't.

4:00pm

He's back and the CT scan looks good, so they say. He has a gigantic headache, as you might imagine. Hopefully, he'll rest throughout the night.

The rehab folks are here today putting the final touches on his transfer. He should be getting the staples out of his incision in 5 days or so, then he's outta here and headed south.

Surgery tomorrow!

5:55am

Surgery is still set for tomorrow, since it looks like the infection that was bothering Taylor has run it's course. This set him back a week or more getting out of the hospital and on to rehab.

Taylor is getting a little nervous about the surgery. He's real anxious to get past it so he can go to rehab. But, he's beginning to worry about the procedure. About an hour ago, he looked me in the eyes and said "I'm scared". I told him that based on what he's already been through, this will be a cakewalk for the Doctor and if somebody would write down the instructions it was probably something I could do. I'm not sure that reassured him much, but by the time I finished that, the Adavan kicked in and he went back to sleep.

Last night Taylor woke up and within a few minutes asked to use my laptop. I have wireless Internet and he said he wanted to check his Myspace account. He logged in on his own, and read a message from Nate Valdez that really got him worked up. In fact, after he read that message he didn't want to read any more. Both eyes filled with tears but he said he wasn't sad, just moved by what Nate wrote.

I told him when he gets to rehab and feels like it, we'll go through all the cards, emails and letters he's gotten, and show him all the notes left by the 150+ people that have come to the hospital to check on him. I probably should have waited to say that, since it turned welled up eyes into flowing tears.

I told Taylor that there were so many more people that loved him and thought so highly of him than I ever imagined. I asked him if he had ever realized that there were so many who thought he was so cool, and he shook his head "no".

It's times like that when I am SO glad that so many people have shown him that they care about him.

I want a hair cut, a Sidekick and Shogun

5:50pm

Taylor has had another fever free day. Thank goodness. He was getting real tired of feeling that bad, and we were getting tired of being that worried.

He's had a pretty relaxing day - to the extent you can relax in a hospital bed for what is now 6.5 weeks. He had some friends come by and enjoyed some Dilaudid while he sat up in the chair.

Taylor had a couple of shaved spots where surgery has been done, so had kind of a modified Mohawk. We had Maria, the girl that has cut his hair for the past 7 or 8 years, come by the hospital to get everything cut to the same length. Taylor really likes the 'do now.

Months ago Taylor got on a Sidekick kick. He had a pretty impressive sales pitch, but it wasn't enough to make me buy one for him. Yesterday, he spelled out Sidekick on the alphabet board and began to tell me all the things he could do with it from rehab, including IM'ing us.

OK. We're weak. He's getting a Sidekick.

Shogun is a Japanese steakhouse in Lakeland that Taylor frequents often. He probably has a frequent flier card from the place. He's a true patron, always opting for chopsticks instead of a fork. Today he told us he wants to go to Shogun as soon as he gets out of rehab. Odds are, we'll take him the very night he gets discharged from the place.

We're looking forward to a nice, quiet evening tonight and hope Taylor will get through the night hassle free. If he'll keep this up, he should be able to do the surgery thing this coming Tuesday, the newest date set for that.

Day 45

2:55am

Taylor is back on the Temperature Rollercoaster. At around 11pm last night, his fever began to rise again, peaking at 100.5 or so. It's now at 99.4, but he's very uncomfortable and cannot sleep. He's asking for some pain killer, but he can't have anything for an hour. He's counting the minutes.

11:17am

Taylor has done well so far today. His temperature was at 97.8 a couple of hours ago, and was just checked at 97.9. Hopefully, the medication is resolving the infection issue and he'll be ready for surgery this coming Tuesday.

8:40pm

Taylor has had a good day. His fever has stayed down all day, he's had friends visit, sat up in the chair for 1 1/2 hours and Frank the cat stopped by to chill. His mother and girlfriend are camping out in his room tonight, so we're hopeful he'll rest and get a good night's sleep. He's earned it.

"Why me?"

7:45am

Taylor slept 8 or 9 hours uninterrupted last night. After being up since about 4am yesterday morning, he needed the rest.

His temperature this morning is a little over 100, so the infection is still there. The staff is doing a lot of tests to try and find out what the problem is, so it can be treated

He asked the question again,"Why me?" As parents, we like to think we can answer our children's questions, but this is a hard one. His mother may have found the perfect answer - "Why were you the one who made it, against every odd that came your way? Because God has a special plan for you, and it's our job now to go with the flow."

Amen to that.

5:40pm

Taylor has had another terrible day. His fever spent a lot of time around 103, so several things had to be done to get it down. At about 3pm or so, it finally came down to 98.7. We're not too excited yet, since it's come down before but shot back up,but we're hoping for a quiet night for him.

He has friends visiting now, and is as funny tonight as he was before. He just got a little dose of Dilaudid, so he'll be in Happyville soon.

Earlier today, Taylor's Neurosurgeon visited Taylor and brought the head of the medical department with him. The head dude said "I wanted to meet the patient I've heard so many good things about". His visit was timed perfectly. In addition to just feeling miserable, Taylor has been feeling down lately. He probably thinks we'll tell him anything to make him feel more positive, so when a medical professional says things like that to him, it can't help but perk him up a little.

9:39pm

Taylor's temperature remains normal. His girlfriend, Jessica, has been here for hours comforting him and helping him get to sleep. He's finally resting and it he keeps this up, he should rest through the night. He sure deserves it.


More Mean People

In a March 19 posting I commented on some nice and mean people. A couple of the mean ones were administrators at Lauren's school who suspended her for 5 days after her 5'2" self slapped a 6'0" boy who told her he was glad Taylor was injured and then spit in her face.

She learned today that she would not be allowed to attend Prom tomorrow night. Nice. Thatta way to inflict a little more misery on  Lauren.  They sell her the ticket, then days later they take it 
back.  After spending most of the day on the phone with school officials and others, it was very clear that the administrators decided not to follow their own published Code of Conduct which states that a student, while suspended, may not enter onto school property "....and all other school-sponsored activities or from the school bus for a period not to exceed (10) school days." During the suspension period Lauren could not attend school or a school-sponsored activity. OK. I get it. But, there is nothing in the 60 page Code of Conduct that permits additional punishment not specified in the manual. What's the point in having a written manual if the administrators can do what they want anyway? NO WHERE in the manual does it say that in addition to the 5 day suspension, she could continue to be punished throughout the year.

In the words of Yogi Berra "It ain't over till it's over". And, it ain't over. Lauren can't go to Prom, but if the administrators think I'll roll over and let this happen to another girl whose looked forward to Prom all year, bought a ticket, got the dress, made the hair appointment.....then was notified at 11am on the Friday before the Saturday Prom that she couldn't go, they have another thing coming.

There has already been some good that has come out of Taylor's tragedy. A girl that got mad at Lauren last year and stopped talking to her approached her after Taylor's accident, expressed her sympathy then told her that she regretted their falling out. A good friend of ours has arranged for something nice for families at the hospital that find themselves in our position - I'll tell you about that later when it's finalized.

So, we'll take Lauren being cheated out of Prom and do something positive with it. Hopefully, we can influence rational people at higher levels to make sure this doesn't happen to another high school girl.

Surgery Cancelled

7:51am

The surgery scheduled for this morning won't happen after all. Taylor woke up with a 102 degree fever, so he'll rest today instead. We're not sure when it will be rescheduled, but Taylor is not happy that there will be a delay.

Last night, central Florida had some pretty strong thunderstorms. Taylor woke up in the night and told his mother that he was scared about the surgery. He then asked her to open the window blinds so he could watch the rain.

Now that he's off medications that kept him fairly unaware of his surroundings, he wants to know everything that is being done to him.

6:55pm

Taylor has had a very rough day - probably the worst we've seen since March 6th. He was doing so well, then this fever thing started. They are checking everything to try and identify the source problem.

He is back on an IV and not getting anything in the feeding tube since he previously vomited and frequently gets nauseous. He has been getting medications via the feeding tube but today when he got them he got sick again.

He has slept very little since 4am today when this all began, but he is now finally resting. We just hope it will last through the night, that he can get some well needed rest and get over whatever is causing the fever.

The surgery probably won't happen now until Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on how he does with whatever is causing the fever.

Please continue to keep Taylor in your prayers. No matter how good things may sound on any particular day, his condition is still very serious and there are a lot of minefields that he must walk through safely before he gets to the end of this trip he's on.

Wednesday, April 11th / Taylor speaks - for real

4:38am

Taylor had visitors last night, so he never got to doing whatever it was he wanted to do on the laptop. I'm curious to see if he wants to email someone.

Tonight has been a rocky night. His coughing has started back up and when he coughs his head hurts. He cannot have another round of medications until 5am, so I spent the past 1/2 hour massaging his feet, rubbing his forehead and holding his hand. He's finally gone to sleep - I think.

He woke up at about 3:00am, with eyes full of tears. He looked at me and said "I want to go home". Having to tell him that he can't, and that he still has to go into rehab once he leaves here is one of the hardest things to do. He just wants to go home and for everything to be back the way it was. He is so tired and weak. He's lost over 20 pounds and on a 6', 146 lb guy, that's a lot.

6:32am TAYLOR TALKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Taylor gets a breathing treatment every 4 hours or so. The respiratory therapist hooks a device to his Trach that introduces medication in a mist and inflates his lungs to really get it in deep. It's not something Taylor enjoys very much.

This morning, for the first time, Taylor was able to talk. His voice sounded very strange....very deep and gravely. But it was pretty clear. He looked at the nurse and said "Get this shit off me".

I wondered for the past 5 weeks what his first words would be. When he was in MICU, the first words of the guy in the room next to him was "WOW! I want a shower and a steak, in that order". Taylor's was "Get this shit off me". If there was any doubt before, let me make it official. Taylor's back.

11:03am SURGERY TOMORROW

Taylor's Neurosurgeon just visited and said the CT scan done yesterday looked good. So good that he's going to do surgery tomorrow to replace the piece of skull that was removed on 3/6 to relieve swelling. The downside is that Taylor can't be transferred to FINR this week, but the upside is that he won't have to come back to LRMC to have that procedure done, and FINR can be a little more aggressive than they thought they'd be able to.

Taylor is pretty bummed. He wants to go to rehab, and he wants to go now.

What a way to start a Tuesday - Taylor impersonates "Curly"

11:10am

I SO wish everyone that knows of Taylor's plight could be in his room today. It's not quite big enough for that crowd, but he is just cracking us up.

On February 16th, we were at a restaurant celebrating Lauren's 17th birthday. Suddenly, Taylor began to laugh and told us how he had just discovered The 3 Stooges. He said he sat up for 3 hours in the middle of the night watching a marathon. Curly just cracks him up. It's a guy thing.

So, as soon as he felt like watching television (he only watches 30 min or so at a time) I told him I'd get a DVD player and bring in 3 Stooges movies. This morning, he wanted to watch The 3 Stooges. But - instead of writing "3 Stooges", he did an impression of Curly...one of the gestures Curly makes with his hands. It's been over 41 days since I've laughed that hard. It was absolutely priceless.

We've had a little problem with the Audio/Visual techs at the hospital getting it set up. The guy that came to the room last night said it could only be done for Pediatrics or ICU patients. Oh, really? Hmm...we'll see about that. This morning, a few phone calls were made and the Supervisor of the AV unit stopped by and is working now to get the DVD player hooked up.

Yesterday, Taylor volunteered to sit in the chair for 1.5 hours. He now fully understands that he must sit in the chair often to build muscles so he can get the Trach out and begin to swallow liquids. Sitting in the chair is painful, so the Dr. prescribed a little Dilaudid before he gets in the chair. Late this morning, he told us he wants to "watch the 3 Stooges while I'm in the chair on Dilaudid".....then smiled. I laughed.

Taylor's sense of humor, even now, is something else. He truly is one of the funniest guys I know.

We got the DVD working, and I put in a 3 Stooges movie. As soon as he saw the introduction, he looked at me and mouthed "It has Shemp in it". Good point. Shemp sucks. So, I found one with Curly and within a few minutes Curly did something that made Taylor laugh. It was a real laugh, without the sound. The Trach keeps him from making sound, but his face and body made it clear that he was laughing. For forty one days he hasn't laughed. He's smiled, but not laughed. I only wish everyone was here to see it.

1:35pm

I told him I was going to update the blog with what he did this morning. He said when I was
finished with the computer, he wanted to use it. I told him he could tell me who he wanted to email and what he wanted to say, but he said he wants to try it himself. He's sleeping now so we'll see what he has to say when he wakes up. Whatever it is, it will be interesting.

6:55pm "I feel like ET"

Since Day 1, Taylor has had an oxygen sensor on an index finger. It glows red 24 hours a day and is really noticeable at night, in the dark.

Tonight, Taylor has several friends visiting. They talk to him, and he answers by pointing out letters on the alphabet chart. Out of the blue, Taylor said "I feel like ET" His friends looked at him kinda funny...then he pointed his right index finger in the air. As it glowed red it did have an "ETish" look to it.

What a way to start a Monday

1:05am

After Taylor got over the pressure hurdle, we were told the next major things to watch for were infection and pneumonia. Sometime around Black Tuesday, Taylor developed pneumonia but it has been managed well. In the past week, x-rays have shown the pneumonia was on its way out, and his secretions have, in the past couple of days, decreased significantly.

Early this morning, Taylor was being cleaned and rolled on his right side as he normally does while his linens are being changed. He's able to throw his left arm over me and hug me, so I always look forward to any excuse to get him on his right side. I hug him, he hugs me, the nurse finishes up and Taylor rolls back over. That's the way it works. But, this morning was different. Within a few seconds of turning on his side, he coughed a couple of times which is pretty normal. But, he then began to vomit. It was very, very scary. It's a very serious situation, given Taylor's condition. He can't just jump out of bed like the rest of us. In fact, just to sit him up to help him takes pressing a button to raise the head of the bed. That seemed like minutes instead of seconds. I did what I could to help the nurse until the medical Cavalry arrived. The first person in the room was the respiratory therapist who had just given Taylor a breathing treatment at 12:30am. He was able to assist the nurse until others arrived, then he was able to do a "deep suction" into Taylor's lungs to help remove anything he may have inhaled. A real danger in situations like this is the development of aspiration pneumonia - a really bad thing. He said Taylor did a good job of expelling matter that he may have inhaled and his lungs sounded pretty good. Taylor has done this a couple of times before, but this was the first time I was in the room. No one there knew the panic I was feeling.

Taylor has now been removed from the feeding tube to give his stomach time to process the contents that remain. For now, he'll get what he needs from an IV.

There were at least 6 people in his room helping at one time or another, and it seems like the whole event lasted at least 30 minutes from beginning to end. Although the staff is always as cool as a bunch of cucumbers, I can still tell when they are a little distressed. Some of these folks were a little distressed. I knew the danger was over when I heard someone in the room laugh. My panic was quickly replaced with relief.

It's important that you continue to pray for Taylor. While he has had a remarkable recovery so far, we are still helping Taylor find his way through the woods. I remember a nurse telling us in the first 10 days of this trip that our journey had just started and there would be "some scary things in the woods on your way to seeing light at the end of the tunnel". Tonight was one of those scary things that just jumps out at you completely unexpected but is very serious and very dangerous. So, as positive as his progress sounds - and it IS great progress - please remember he's not out of danger yet. He still needs all the prayers he can get.

Easter Sunday

6:58am

Taylor didn't make it outside yesterday. He was only awake for short periods of time, and when he was awake he was pretty groggy. We had planned to entertain him yesterday to help him sleep at night and stay up more in the day, but he complained of pain so he slept a lot.

Sometimes figuring out what Taylor wants us to do is like playing charades. He'll often spell some things out on an alphabet chart, or write them on a pad, but if it's something that he thinks we should be smart enough to get with a couple of hand gestures, he does that. He slept well last night until about 3:00am. He motioned for me to come to his bed, then touched my nose with his finger, and then his ear. I began to guess "smell?" "you can't hear?" "are you asking if I can smell what you hear?". I just couldn't get it. It was apparent he was embarrassed at how stupid I must have sounded, so he asked for the alphabet chart. He spelled out s-n-o-r-e. Oh. My nose, his hearing. My snoring is keeping him awake. I get it.

So, off to Walgreen's pharmacy I went in the wee hours to buy a 50ct pack of earplugs. He likes them.

Even when Taylor is suffering from an injury like this, he is still way smarter than his parents.


11:07am Bunnies visit Taylor
Taylor has the coolest bunch of nurses ever. Some of the crew from MICU, where Taylor spent his first 35 days, came to visit him this morning in proper Easter attire.....bunny ears and cotton ball tails. It was a hoot. No one ever wants to be in a hospital, and certainly not in MICU or anything that rhymes with it. But, if you have to go, THIS is the crew (along with the others they work with) that you want watching over you.


3:00pm More of the Chair

Taylor sat in the chair in his room today for 2 hours. A new personal best. More importantly, he's helping to strengthen muscles that haven't been used much in the past 5 weeks. He is asking daily now about rehabilitation and wants to go now.

5:36pm Frank, Part III

Taylor's cat, Frank, has been in his room all day just kinda running loose. OK. So, he doesn't do much running, but he has been loose. After 3 visits, Frank FINALLY jumped in Taylor's lap and went to sleep. Taylor petted him until he too drifted off. A perfect Kodak moment.

Lazy Saturday

2:30pm

So far, Taylor has crashed for most of the day. He slept through the night with the exception of 1 time when he was up for 1/2 or so. That was a first for him in a very long time. Because he slept all night, we expected him to be up most of the day. But, he complained earlier of a headache and of being anxious so he was given medication for both has been sleeping like a rock for hours.

We hope to get him up and in a portable chair this afternoon for a trip outside. As of the last time we talked about it, he wanted to get out of the room for a while. And, he's now realizing the important exercise aspect of getting in a chair and sitting up. He continues to let us know that he wants to get to the rehab center as soon as possible.

It IS a Good Friday

The REAL Easter Bunny and Sheriff Grady Judd

12:00pm

This has been a Good Friday for Taylor. He had a visit from the Easter Bunny, Sheriff Grady Judd and others from the Polk County Sheriff's Office. I warned him earlier today that he'd have a visitor he'd get a kick out of. He was a good sport and thought it was pretty funny. Taylor needed a good laugh this morning. He had a bumpy night and didn't get much sleep.

Taylor also had an assessment to get transferred to a rehabilitation facility. He is REAL anxious to go and keeps asking "when?". The assessment went well and he can get transferred just as soon as we can get the insurance company off their a$$es. It can't happen soon enough. Even though he still has a Trach, there is an acute care center at the rehab facility so his treatment there can continue and get some rehab at the same time. When he can, he'll be able to go fishing at one of the lakes on the property.

7:58pm

Taylor had another test today to see if he can swallow liquids, but still didn't get an A+. A small amount went into his lungs, so he'll have to try again later. As he gets stronger, he'll be able to. Yesterday, he used the alphabet chart to spell out "Gatorade Rain". He's getting very specific with his wants. We're waiting for him to rattle off "baby back ribs".

He keeps asking us to get him to rehab. He's getting REAL tired of the hospital, although he's only been REALLY aware of his surroundings for a few days.

"Well, we're movin' on up....to the east side"

OK. So, it's not a "deluxe apartment in the sky", but Taylor's move last night from the Medical Intensive Care Unit to the Trauma Unit WAS another good step in his progress. He is now at "4 West", so if you visit that's where you'll need to go. His room is easy to spot...it's the one with the beach theme. The only thing missing is some guy in the corner playing steel drums.

Today Taylor took over the remote control to the television. I'm sure it gave him a sense of having some input into his own comfort. He only watched for about 45 minutes, then wanted it off.

We are working to get Taylor transferred to the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation.
It seems this is the best option for Taylor. As fate has it, this facility is about 30 miles from our house, so we'll be able to visit him easily. We don't have all the details yet on when we can see him, but our suspicion is that he'll be real busy during the day so we'll probably see him in the evenings. and on weekends. We're still working out the details with the insurance company, so not real up to speed on the other issues.

Tomorrow, Taylor will try again to swallow liquids. We're really hopeful he can do it this time. For now, the only water he gets is on a small sponge on a stick that is dipped in water and used to moisten his mouth and lips. But, in anticipation of the test, he can have nothing. So, for 2 days he hasn't had anything. The IV's keep him hydrated, but it's not the same.

FINALLY.... a hug

It took 35 days, but today was the day Taylor hugged us.

The ventilator, IV's and monitors are all gone. Only a feeding tube and a little Oxygen remains. The medication that kept him in conscious sedation is gone, so he's becoming a lot more alert. This morning, I talked to him a long time about how far he has come, and the plan for his rehabilitation. I told him that it would not be easy, and his rehab would seem like Boot Camp at times. He seemed okay with everything.

Taylor's vision is still a little fouled up, but he tried to watch television for the first time. He's unable to focus using both eyes, but if he closes one he can apparently see well enough to watch.

His friend, Julian, and his sisters made a poster for him with some photos of a trip he took with several friends to the Bahamas in December. I tried to show it to him before, but he wasn't interested in seeing it at the time. Today, he pointed to it and wanted me to bring it closer. Several of his friends wrote comments on the poster, and Taylor indicated he wanted me to read them to him. All of the comments were about how much his friends missed him, and how they looked forward to having him hang out again when he got out.

Taylor began to cry as I read to him, then extended his left arm and motioned for me to come closer. He hugged me tightly, and we both had a good cry. We both cried for different reasons. He's obviously upset at his current condition, but I was getting the first hug from him in 35 days and didn't want to let go of him. He is a little hard to hug back, since he has a collar on his neck for a fractured vertebrae. But, I managed. There must be something about the 10 o'clock hour. It was at 10:20am today when he hugged me, and it was 10:39am on March 11th when we first saw him open his eyes. When his mother came in, I couldn't help but say "I got the first hug". She quickly got the second one.

Tomorrow he will probably be tested again to see if he can swallow liquid. Hopefully, he'll pass this time so he can begin to drink.

Today, the order was written to move him to the Trauma Unit and out of ICU. It's a bittersweet moment. We're thrilled that after 35 days, the Doctors have determined that he's well enough to get "promoted". But, the nurses that have cared for him are the most amazing humans I think I've ever met. They are not just experts at what they do, but they helped save his life. Their dedication to patients and their families is something you would have to witness as long as we have to understand what a difficult job they have. And, they've become friends. We will miss them terribly, but can't wait for them to see Taylor walk back there one day so they can see the reward for all they've done for him.

The Chair

Each morning, Taylor has physical therapists come in to help him work his muscles. Today, he stood beside his bed, with help, for the second time. That is a really big deal right now.

We had planned to take him outside today in "the chair". This chair looks like an understuffed electric recliner. It folds flat and when Taylor's bed is lowered to the same level, it makes moving him to the chair very easy. Then, the Staff changes the chair to the sitting position and Taylor can then go outside.

Taylor's bed is like a big "transformer" toy. With the press of a couple of buttons, it folds into the biggest chair we've ever seen. Yesterday, the bed was reconfigured into a chair and he sat upright for 1/2 hour. A pretty big accomplishment.

Today, he was to take his third trip outside in The Chair. But, when we woke up from a nap this afternoon, within moments he mouthed the word "chair" and made it clear that he couldn't do it today. We need to keep him motivated, and don't want to make him do anything he's not ready for, so we passed on taking him outside today.

This afternoon, one of the trauma Doctors stopped by to tell us that Taylor will probably be getting moved from Medical Intensive Care to a room upstairs in the next day or so. That means, of course, that he no longer needs the constant care that he receives in Intensive Care. It's another major milestone in Taylor's progress.

We talked to Taylor a lot today about the progress he has made, and how well he is doing. He does not really have a firm grasp on what has happened. The medications he is on keeps him pretty foggy. We know that once he learns how far he has come in such a short time, that will help motivate him to really kick it up a notch in rehab. We're already seeing his drive. Throughout the day, he asks us to exercise his right arm that is substantially weaker than his left.

NOT AT EIGHT O'CLOCK!!!!!

6pm

Taylor's been really alert today when he's been awake, but he's hurting a little in his stomach and head. He's slept off an on most of the day. We've learned how to help him exercise his arms and legs, and he's getting into it. He's even exercising his right arm by using his left to help out.

One of his Nurses was talking to Taylor's mom about getting him on a schedule so he's more awake in the daytime and sleeping more at night. She commented that she may be able to get physical therapy to make him the first stop of the day - at 8am. Otherwise, there's no telling when they'll show up. Taylor, who we thought was about asleep, mouthed some words, then pointed out on the alphabet chart...."Not at 8." So much for that part of the routine.

Taylor never was much of a morning person.

"Will sit for foot massage"

3:29pm

Taylor agreed to go on another trip today, although it took some negotiating. The final deal made was that I'd give him a foot massage when he got back if he'd just go. He agreed, but probably knew that I'd do it even if he wouldn't go. It's easier for him to become more mobile now, so short trips outside are a lot easier.

The total time, from moving him out of the bed until back in the room, was about 30 minutes. He only lasted outside about 10 minutes, but getting him moved from the bed and the trip out there and back ate up some time....and caused him to sit upright. It does good not only for his muscles, but his psyche as well. He's been in the same room for 32 days, so we will now work daily to get him to do something; sit in a chair, go outside...something.

Taylor's cat, Frank, made a repeat performance today. He was able to pet and love Frank for a little while, but Taylor is not in to too much stimulation at a time right now. There is something good to be said for "pet therapy".


5:55pm If Taylor can't go to Spring Break, bring it to him!

As one might expect, Taylor has the coolest room in the MICU area. He also has about the most seniority.

His sister, Lauren, and their friend Jessica Kent decided if Taylor couldn't make it to Spring Break, then they should do something to bring it to him.




OK. So, the last photo had nothing to do with the beach, but it gives you an idea of how many cards he's received.....over 50 so far.

The only thing missing from Taylor's room is a little Jimmy Buffet in the background, some shrimp and sand.