Memorial Day

10:15am

Taylor had rehab yesterday....no grilling out on Memorial Day for him. I watched him use the walker at a pace twice the speed I saw last time. He can walk at a "mall crawl" speed - about 1/2 the speed of a normal walking speed. He also did (2) 5 minute rounds on the treadmill at .8 mph. They're working up to a 1.8 mph goal.


He also got to eat an individual serving of applesauce to exercise his throat muscles, and washed it down with a thickened apple juice. He describes it as "apple flavored motor oil" ...it's about the same consistency, maybe a little thicker.

Taylor had 4 visitors yesterday afternoon who spent a couple of hours with him.....the J's and a K....Justin, Jason, Jordan and Kaitlin.

Every time on of the crew comes to visit, I hear another "Taylor story" that makes me cringe. It's becoming clear that Taylor's life was not unlike a Jackass movie.

NOT a fish story

12:43pm

An old friend of Suzie's, Herb Branham, is the Senior Communications Manager and Strategic Writing/Managing Editor for NASCAR Insider Magazine. He's been keeping with Taylor and noticed on the Blog that Taylor is into fishing.

So, he got with some friends at ESPN Sports/Bassmasters and sent Taylor a very nice "care package". He is now the very proud owner of a Pflueger President bait casting rod/reel combo, lures, hats, a Bassmasters Monopoly game....all kinds of really cool stuff.

Fifty feet outside the back door of the building Taylor is in is a pretty nice lake with a covered dock. As soon as he can walk without a walker, I can tell you his first destination will be to the dock to test out his new gear.

7:55pm

GIVE TAYLOR A CALL!! We just found out that Taylor has a direct line to his room. The information flow here is a little slow. You can call him at 863.767.4492. He's out of his room M-F from about 9am until 3pm , but has a noon to 1pm lunch break in his room. He gets medications at 8:30pm, so he's usually asleep between 9pm and 10pm, so if you call at night, make it the early evening.

The Opthamologist

10:00am

Taylor's trip to the Opthamologist went well. He said the issue with the double vision in appears to be muscular, and will likely correct itself over time.

Taylor's friend Lucky, Lauren and I took him in his mother's van. We will now start transporting him to medical appointments so he doesn't have to ride in a wheelchair strapped in to a medical transport van.

Taylor's left eye does not track perfectly with the right, but we have seen a major improvement in the last 4 weeks. On Wednesday, I could not even detect the problem. Both eyes also quivered...shook left to right very quickly....but that has also diminished until you can hardly detect it. If both problems continue improving like they have, it shouldn't be long until the problem resolves itself.

CAT scan, EEG and struttin' with the walker

8:03pm

Taylor traveled to a hospital in Highlands County today for an EEG and CT scan of his head. Apparently, the people that do the scan got all distracted by his collar and decided to scan his neck instead. When the Nurse looked at it on the way back to rehab, she noticed it was so bad it had no value. Hello? Scan the noggin', ya'll.....not the neck.

He has a scan of his fracture set for a week or so from now, so it will all be done at Lakeland Regional Medical Center where he was treated for 2 months.

Tomorrow, his friend Lucky and I will transport Taylor to the Opthamologist to examine his left eye. Although the rehab facility has transported in the past, he has to sit in a wheelchair in a large van and the ride is rough on him. When I learned we could transport him our self, we signed up to take him. The rehab folks didn't like the idea but, oh well. He'll be MUCH more comfortable in Suzie's Odyssey than he would be in an F350 Ford transport van.

I watched Taylor stroll about 500' with the walker today. And, stroll he did. He walked quicker and better than I have ever seen him do. He still has a long way to go, but if he continues to improve like he has so far, he may try to start a soccer team at the facility. He knows there may be some plateaus in his progress, but his drive and determination to improve is truly something to experience.

He continues to eat soft foods under supervision by the speech therapist to strengthen the muscles in his throat. It will be at least another month before another camera will be inserted in his nostril and to the back of his throat to watch how he does, but now that he's able to swallow thick liquids and soft solids he'll just improve each day. He's counting the days until he can drink Gatorade Lime Rain. It was one of the first things he wrote with his left hand while in the hospital. We have a case of it waiting for him at home.

Taylor's comedy routine

1:37pm

Taylor has always been one of the funniest people I've known. Now that I'm averaging 60-65 hours a week with him, he's moved to top place. He really is a laugh a minute.

He recently had a friend say "Dude...you got to ride in a helicopter?" Taylor fired back "Where in the Hell do you think I was...the State Fair?"

I try to remember some of the funny things he says so I can tell his Mother, but they come rapid fire.

Yesterday, Ryan Welz and Jessica Kent spent the afternoon visiting and watching Taylor in rehab. He continues to master the Walker and build strength. He's now on a 3,000 calorie a day feeding through the tube, in an effort to replace the 30 pounds he lost. He's also eating applesauce under supervision to work on strengthening the muscles in his throat.

Tomorrow, he goes to the hospital in Sebring for a CT scan and EEG. Then, Thursday it's to the Opthomologist for an eye exam. He has double vision problems that may correct over time. There are interventions available to help treat that, and he may have to wear glasses for the time being that have invisible prisms that will help align his vision.

"Wish You Were Here"

1:30pm

Long before the accident, Taylor put the slow, somewhat haunting guitar introduction to Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" on his cell phone as his ringtone.

The day of the accident, the Deputy gave me his wallet and cell phone. We were so glad to have his phone, since it was his connection to all of his friends and we now had a way to get in touch with them.

The only downside to having the phone was listening the the guitar intro every time the phone rang - it rang a lot and it was a constant reminder of better days.

Last night, Taylor and I were talking about music and we both drew a blank when we tried to remember which Pink Floyd song he had as a ringtone. Today, it came to me - "Wish You Were Here." I downloaded it so I could play the whole song for him when I got to see him this morning. As soon as the song started, he cried. Naturally, that caused my tear flow to go into high gear. So, we hugged one another and listened to the song.

How fitting the song title is for the 23 days that his mother, sister and I lived in the ICU waiting room, sleeping on the floor and in chairs. Along with his friends, our friends and family, we wished he was here - standing with us, not laying in a bed unable to speak.

There is no doubt Taylor is here. What everyone loves about Taylor, his intellect, his personality and his wonderful humor is here 100%. He still has some physical rehab to do to get some other things working 100%, but the days of wishing Taylor to come back to us are over. The horrible dark days are gone. Now, every day is a good day. Even if he only sits for an additional 10 minutes at a time, it's a good day.

Wish You Were Here

So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,
blue skies from pain?
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl,
year after year,
running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears,
wish you were here.

More feeding tube problems; Swallow study goes well

10:00pm

Taylor has had recurring problems with the feeding tube.  The main "G" tube had a smaller "J" tube inserted at LRMC that carried the mixture to his intestines, bypassing his stomach.  
That was done after some vomiting problems in Lakeland.  Shortly after he got to rehab, the "J" tube clogged. He was transported by ambulance (due to being on a Trach) to LRMC where it was cleaned out. 12 hours later, it clogged again.  

The Doctor at LRMC approved trying just the "G" tube, which worked well.  He was switched to a thicker mixture that is introduced by pouring from cans instead of the continuous feed he had been on.  Because it wasn't thinned, it took forever to get a small can through the tube - sometimes as long as 50 minutes.

Yesterday, the medical folks called to say they were making plans to take him back to LRMC to have everything removed and put a new tube in.  I asked why the smaller "J" tube couldn't be removed, since it was no longer being used, thereby freeing up 50% of the available space.  I got some song and dance why that wasn't an option.  Today, the staff came up with a great idea.....get approval to remove the "J" tube.  They did and it works great.  Problem solved.

Today, Taylor did the swallow test.  Another camera was inserted into his nostril and his swallowing monitored as he tried several bites from a banana, chopped turkey and green beans.  He was also given "thick liquids" like an applesause type drink, and some pureed something.  Finally, he drank his favorite - milk.  When they said "last bite" of the banana, he took advantage and almost bit off more than he could chew - literally.  But, he got it down with no problem.

The food and thick liquids did well.  A little of the milk went the wrong way.  Overall, they were very pleased with how he did.  Now, he'll be able to snack while monitored so that he can begin to strengthen the muscles in his throat that are not cooperating.    After 2.5 months of having no food or liquids, he was really glad to finally have some liquids in his mouth.

Taylor has partial paralysis on the left side of his face, and it's believed the C2 neck fracture may be contributing to his problem swallowing the thin liquids.

I learned today how to escort him while he uses the walker, and what to do if he begins to fall.  Now, we can take him for short walks at night and weekends to help him build stamina.  Today he walked about 500' without taking any rest breaks.  A MAJOR improvement from the 15 steps that were so hard for him during his first week.  

Yesterday Tim Valdez spent the afternoon with him in rehab and today his brother Nick spent the afternoon with him.  His rehab is open to having visitors hang with them during rehab, so he enjoyed having them there.

Party time!

12:10pm

Six of Taylor's friends made the trip last night to visit him and stayed the evening. Now that the Trach is out, it is SO much easier for him to talk. And, he can finally laugh. Really laugh...and he did a lot of that last night. They got so loud at one point , as you would expect 7 guys to be, I walked outside to see if they could be heard. His room is so soundproof, I could hear nothing 3' from the door. Party on!

Taylor and I have talked a lot about the "new Taylor" that will emerge from this. He fully recognizes how lucky he is to be able to visit and laugh with friends, and knows that his daredevil personality will change. He agreed that the first thing we do is sell his motorcycle. And, his skateboarding days are probably over for quite a while...if not forever. Instead of doing everything at Taylor-speed (around Warp 9), he knows he needs to just chill.

He has the best friends on the planet. They have not only recognized how quickly Taylor could have been taken away, but I know some have learned from this experience as well. Many have confided that they have just stopped engaging in reckless behavior that they never gave a lot of thought to. Most have. One friend visited recently who was slightly injured from riding on his skateboard while being pulled by a car. Hopefully, he'll think about Taylor the next time he thinks.."hmmm...I bet it would be fun to travel at 30mph on a skateboard".

Taylor's rehab yesterday went well. He's now using a walker with 2 wheels on front. He'll next use a walker with all wheels which will give him much more mobility once he masters it. After that, it's WALKING.

Soon, I'll probably update the blog every few days instead of every day. The only 2 remaining medical accomplishments will be when he gets the Aspen collar off of his neck and when the feeding tube is removed. The collar will hopefully go on 5/29, but no clue when the tube will come out, but it will likely be more than a month from now.

He continues to do well in rehab, but since he's done so much in such a short time, I think thinks will slow down a little as he just slowly gets better at everything.

That Trach is OUTTA here!!!!!

10:55am

Taylor's greatest source of discomfort, the Trach, is a done deal. He wore it capped for 24+ hours, kept the oxygen level up and handled secretions on his own. He's finished with that. He can now breathe much easier and sounds just like the old Taylor. He said it had been like having a Sharpie stuck in his throat.

Later this week, he'll have another swallow study....although I was corrected and told it was actually an "endoscopic study'. OK. Whatever. It's a swallow test. There. Either way, it will be easier for him to do it without the plastic in his throat. Taylor is looking forward to doing well, but hated having the camera shoved up his nostril at the ENT and is dreading that part of it. Fortunately, it will only last 15 minutes or so.

Taylor's first rehab report card

2:40pm

I attended Taylor's first assessment session today, and Suzie monitored it by telephone.

Although a grade wasn't given, it sure sounded like he got a "A" in everything. He is ahead of where they thought he would be in most areas and right where he should be in others. There was nothing he was deficient in.

This week, the physical therapist will teach me how to monitor Taylor while he uses the walker so we can have him use it on weekends. That will probably come in handy for me when I get to my nursing home!

This morning, Taylor's Trach was capped. If he can breathe without the need for suction of secretions, and his oxygen levels stay up until Friday, the Doctor at rehab will pull it.

Later this week, Taylor does the swallow test. Keep your fingers crossed for that to go well.

One step closer to decannulation

6:05pm

Taylor had a bumpy day.  He visited the ENT today, a 3 hour round trip and 2 hour office visit.  He got the Trach downsized, so if he can wear it capped for 24-48 hours, it can come out completely.  The new Trach is not stiched, so he can be decannulated (medical speak for "take the Trach out") by the staff at the medical center at rehab.  With any luck, that will happen this week.

The ENT had to scope his throat and look around, which meant Taylor had to snort a 12" or so camera so she could check out everything. He wasn't real thrilled with that procedure.  

The Trach was stitched around the opening when it was first put in, so those had to be removed before a smaller one could be put in.  There was some bleeding that didn't clot right away so the Doctor cotterized it.  During all this, Taylor was coughing really hard, and for a long time. When a lot of lung volume comes out the Trach, interesting things happen.  Taylor made a bit of a mess of the room's wall up to the ceiling.  When things calmed down, he looked at the Doctor and said "I'm sorry about your wall".  It was apparent that was probably the funniest thing she had heard all day.

When he got back to rehab, he got his evening feeding and some medicine.  He got a serious headache during the 5 hour trip.  About 30 minutes after the feeding, his stomach decided it just didn't want anything inside anymore, so we went through another episode of Let's Scare The Hell Out Of Dad.  Unfortunately, because there is no way to know how much medication was absorbed, it will be hours now before he can have anything more.  He's resting now, and said his head is feeling a little better, so hopefully the headache will go away soon.

So, it was a good day on the Trach front, but the rest pretty much sucked for him.

"My Son, the Survivor"

8:40am

Suzie wrote a Mother's Day story about Taylor. For those who check the blog, it's probably old news, but here's the link if you want to check it out. My Son, the Survivor.

This picture has nothing to do with the story......it's just a favorite of mine. It was taken back in the day when Taylor would actually let you take his picture. Once he became a teenager, he became too cool to sit still for a minute.


6:35pm

A couple of Taylor's friends, Julian Barnhart and Ryan Rady, came down to visit him this afternoon. Taylor wheeled outside in his wheelchair to check out Julian's 4 wheeler.
The picture below answers the question we've heard a couple of times about the lake behind Taylor's building....."Do you think there are 'gators in there?"

Taylor worked hard at doing nothing all day - and he deserved it!

9:15pm

I got to Taylor at 9:30am, and found him still sleeping.  He finally woke up about 10:00am.  That is a record for him since the accident.  He has had trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep, but last night he got plenty of rest.

In fact, all day he got plenty of rest.  He chilled in his room all day watching DVD's and visiting with friends and his aunt and grandmother that came down to see him.  Taylor spent a lot of time doing nothing today, but he's worked his behind off for 2 weeks here, so he has earned the right to sleep late and do as little as he wants to today.  Tomorrow, we'll get him up and moving so he's ready for Monday morning exercise.  His Trach appointment is at 1:30pm on Monday, so he won't get a full day in rehab.

Week 2 wrapup

7:35pm

I walked into Taylor's room at 4pm and he said "I've got a few surprises for you", then began to rattle them off. Four important things happened to him today.

Today he walked with a regular walker instead of the chest high style he had been using. On Monday or Tuesday he'll get on the treadmill. He may be walking much sooner than any of us had hoped.

The daily shots he was getting in his stomach to prevent blood clots ended today. He was REAL happy with that.

His continuous feeding tube was traded for bolus feeding. He'll get this 4 times a day and it's the next step closer to him eating real food.

A PIC line was previously inserted into his left arm to allow for blood to be drawn and medications to be introduced without having to stick him all the time. But, it's a source of infection, so they don't like to leave them in too long. Today that came out. Taylor and I both were surprised to learn that it was 18"-24" long and dropped in somewhere around the heart. He said when it was removed it was like a "hand over hand" pulling of a little rope. He was pretty creeped out by the sensation of it coming out.

It was a great week for Taylor. We've been told repeatedly that his progress would be very slow. If this is slow, we're ALL okay with the pace. He's really shown everyone what he's made of. His drive and determination impresses everyone here. He continues

Taylor is doing the same thing here that he did at Lakeland Regional Medical Center - demonstrating just how motivated he is to get better. The physical, speech and respiratory therapists have all commented on his drive and determination. His Nurses mention how much better he looks and how he improves during their days off.

Jessica Kent and Aaron Adams made the drive down this evening to visit Taylor, and he has several visitors lined up throughout the day tomorrow to hang out.

Taylor was a little concerned that his friends may not want to make the trip to rehab. It's not really all that far - about 30 miles from our house. But, they've proven that a little drive won't get in their way of visiting him. The real payoff for them is to be able to see the improvements he makes between their visits. It's a lot more dramatic for them than it is for us, since we see him everyday. Still, I almost get giddy (and I don't get giddy too often) every time Taylor kicks it up another notch.

"O, Say But I'm Glad"

7:30pm

Suzie and I came to see Taylor first thing this morning, so we could see what we've been missing. It was great. Taylor walked another 150' or so, then sat in the wheelchair to rest for a few minutes. When he sat down, he looked at Suzie and said "Happy Mother's Day". From now forward, Taylor will be our Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthday and Christmas present. There is nothing greater he could give to us than what he already has, and will continue to give - him.

We also watched Taylor do leg exercises, and do some fine motor skill work. Watching him get stronger is just the coolest thing. He does things today he just couldn't do 2 weeks ago. This morning he dressed himself. That's a first since the accident. He can't quite master the socks and shoes, but that will come. He also brushed his own teeth this morning. Another first.

He visited his Neurosurgeon today and will return on the 30th to get a CAT scan of his neck and see about losing the collar. When he saw Dr. Campanelli and his Nurse Practitioner, Melissa Bryant, at the end of the hall, Taylor said "I'm going to get emotional". I told him I probably would too, so not worry about it. We both held it together, but it was great to see them and show Taylor off. He shook their hands and told both of them how good it was too see them. We all five just sat around and smiled for a while.

Dr. Campanelli reminded Taylor that he operated on him 5 times, and told him that one was "the hardest I've ever done". He also told Taylor how lucky he was, and how terribly close to death he was on March 6th. We've told him that before, and he knows it, but it was good for him to hear it from the Doctor. He also told him of a couple of patients about his age that have come in since Taylor left - not quite 2 weeks ago. One is a 19 year old with a spinal fracture like Taylor's, but was much worse and he's paralyzed from the neck down. The other is a 22 year old who lost a portion of his brain.

Taylor's trip today took about 4 hours total, including travel. He had a Respiratory Therapist, Nurse and driver with him. Tonight he said, with a smile, the ride in the transport van wasn't as bad as having to listen to three women talk the whole way.

Tonight I told him that Jack Horner left a message on the Blog. Jack is the Music Director at Suzie's week long annual family reunion in west Tennessee. It's attended each year by 500-600 people (LONG story that I really couldn't explain in under 1,000 words). I told him Jack said that Taylor "might not remember me from "Adam". Taylor looked at me with his "do you think I'm stupid?" look he said "He's the music dude from Camp Meeting...Little Jack Horner" (sorry, Jack) then broke into a chorus of "O, Say But I'm Glad" a Camp Meeting standard that Taylor has heard every year that he has attended. He's only missed a couple in his lifetime. It was so funny to suddenly hear Taylor break into song. This year will be one family reunion he misses, but next year he'll be there and we'll show him off to everyone like some kind of trophy. One thing is certain - I'll always request Jack lead the congregation in "O, Say but I'm Glad" in Taylor's honor each year from now on.

O, Say But I'm Glad

There is a song in my heart today
Something I never had;
Jesus has taken my sins away
O, say that I'm glad

CHORUS:

O, say that I'm glad, I'm glad
O, say that I'm glad, I'm glad
Jesus has come and my cup's over run
O, say but I'm glad

Wonderful, marvelous love He brings
Into a heart that's sad;
Thro' darkest tunnels the soul just sings
O, say but I'm glad

That was a sneeze - not a seizure

10:34pm

Taylor cranked it out in rehab again, walking about 150' with the walker, then later walking another 100' or so. It will still be a while before he can walk on his own, but he increases his stamina daily.

Head injury patients have a risk of seizures, so he gets medications daily to help prevent that from happening. Taylor said that during speech therapy he had to sneeze, but had 3 or 4 false starts right in a row. He said during the false starts the speech therapist looked panicked when his face contorted as he tried to get the sneezes out. She said "Are you OK????" and then he finally sneezed and he said "Yea, I just had to sneeze". She said "My heart sank to my feet....I thought you were going to have a seizure - waive your arms the next time you're going to sneeze so I know you're ok". He got a big kick out of that.

Tomorrow we meet him in Lakeland for an appointment with his Neurosurgeon for a check up. After a serious game of Who's on First with rehab, we rescheduled his appointment to see about the Trach coming out until next Monday. He was a little bummed about that, but after this long, another few days won't matter. He may not get it taken out then, but it will at least be replaced with a smaller one that should make things a little easier for him.

He's got a million of 'em

9:50pm

I made it to Taylor at about 4:30pm today. Shortly after I got here, he started being funny. He's always funny, but today he was on a roll. Unfortunately, some may be offended by the things he said so I won't repeat them here. Nothing too off color, but the kinds of things I imagine he and his friends sit around and say. He cracked me up off and on all night until he finally closed his eyes to try to sleep a few minutes ago.

He said he rode the stationary bike in rehab for 15 minutes, sat upright on a flat surface for 30 minutes, and walked more with the walker. He said he can feel himself getting stronger every day. And, he's finally able to see the progress we have enjoyed watching for many weeks.

Every day he talks about how badly he wants to go home, but he understands that he can't leave here until he's the best he can be. And, he knows he'll continue to improve even after he leaves rehab.

The appointment to get the Trach looked at is this Thursday about an hour after his appointment with his Neurosurgeon. Worst case is the size will be reduced, which should help him breath a little easier. Best case is it comes out completely.

Another great day at rehab

10:13pm

I couldn't get to rehab until 5pm today, so I missed seeing Taylor working out. What a bummer....especially after Taylor told me about his day.

After his regular workouts, the physical therapist had him stand from a sitting position. She had HIM stand - no help. He stood up, then sat, stood up again and sat again. Later, using a tall walker that is designed to allow him to use his forearms to help support his weight, he walked approximately 50', turned around and walked back completely unassisted. Last week he took 15 steps. Today he walked 100'. MAJOR improvement. He was obviously very proud of himself, and he should be. Those are both really big accomplishments for him. He said he felt like a sober Drunk trying to walk.

During his 2 hour midday break, his girlfriend Jessica came to visit. Her total round trip drive time took longer than the time she had available to visit, but she had to get back to get to work. He is very lucky to have her.

This Thursday we're hoping to get an appointment with an ENT to see about getting the Trach out. He has an appointment at 2pm with his Neurosurgeon in Lakeland to check on his healing from surgery and to see about getting the collar off. Hopefully, his neck fracture has healed well enough to get it off. Since he'll be a mile from his ENT, we're crossing our fingers that he can go there after his first appointment and get it out.

He wants the Trach out in the worst kind of way. We do too. I've already warned him that once speaking becomes easier, we're just going to sit back and listen. There is no sweeter sound now than to hear him talk, but it takes a lot of his energy to get the air past the Trach and over the vocal cords. Once that big hunk of plastic is out of his throat, it will come much easier. I told him when he runs out of something to say, I may just have him read the newspaper to me so I can listen - and enjoy.

First Official Phone Call

9:03am

My cell phone rang a few minutes ago and I heard Taylor say "Good Morning, Dad. I love you." That was the best telephone call I've ever received. We talked for a few minutes and I told him I was on the way to see him. His voice was so clear, it almost sounded like he had no Trach.

Hopefully, the Trach will come out next week. He has an appointment with an ENT to determine if it's time. As far as Taylor is concerned, it's way past time.

8:14pm

This afternoon, a childhood friend of Taylor's that he hasn't seen in many years, Garrett Waldron, made the drive to visit. Taylor was pretty tired and a little relaxed after getting medication, so he wasn't able to talk much. That will come much easier once the Trach is out. But, they had a good visit and it was great to see Garrett after so long.

Last night, it rained pretty hard where Taylor is. He said "I love to watch the rain". Tonight, it again rained pretty hard again and there was some lightening. Taylor and I sat in his room, holding hands, watching it rain. There are things we do with Taylor now, and enjoy every second of, that we would have given not much thought to before March 1st. As we watched it rain we talked about how great it is for us to be able to do that together. I told him that just seven or eight weeks ago we didn't know if he would ever see it rain again, and now we can sit together and talk about it. His mother and I have both learned to cherish every moment we have with Taylor and Lauren. We have learned the hard way just how quickly things that we always thought would be there.....hearing "I love you", hugging, holding hands, laughing.....can be taken from us. We thank God every day that we got that back. There are many parents here that will never hear their children say "I love to watch the rain".

More feeding tube problems

6:05pm

It happened again. When I got to FINR this morning, Taylor told me his feeding tube was clogged. Efforts to dissolve the blockage failed. He has the main feeding tube, called a "G" tube, with a smaller "J" tube inside of that one. The "G" tube was the original that carried the solution to his stomach. But, after several vomiting problems, the "J" tube was inserted inside that, which carries the solution to the intestines. It's the smaller "J" tube that keeps clogging. We called the Doctor that did the original work, and he said the "G" tube can be used, so the flow now goes between the two tubes. Hopefully, that makes sense. So, the bottom line is he gets medicine and food through the tube and hopefully it won't clog. If so, it's back to the hospital.

In the midst of all this during the morning, Taylor looked at me and said "One day we'll look back on all this shit and laugh". Taylor's positive attitude through all of this has really been remarkable. He has every right to bitch and complain all day, but he doesn't do it. He has yet to say that he can't or won't do anything. He's been full steam ahead for weeks since he became more alert and since he found that he would be going to rehab.

Taylor also had his first shower in 66 or so days. He took it in a plastic wheelchair that can be rolled into the shower, but it worked. When I turned the water on he said "make it hot". It wasn't as good as the real thing, but he sure was glad he was able to do it.

Taylor had two friends, Lucky and Ben, show up around 1pm and stayed until about 5pm. He didn't know they were coming, so it was a nice surprise.

Mission Completed

1:56pm

After a false start this morning (the ambulance was an hour late), Taylor go the issue with his feeding tube corrected. Rather than replace the tube, the Doctor was able to run a Roto Rooter down the line and unclog it. Hopefully, that's the only time that will happen. The problem is likely to be crushed medication that is diluted with water that isnt' diluted enough. The tube is very small, so some of the medication apparently clogged it. As always, Taylor toughed out more discomfort with no complaining.

While we were waiting for Taylor to get to the hospital, we visited some old friends from MICU and saw several others around the hospital that we got to know over the past 2 months. We can't wait for Taylor to walk in there and meet all those who worked so hard to help him.

Hopefully, he'll feel well enough this evening to get up in the wheel chair and roll around outside. Now that he's mobile, he likes getting out of his room if only to sit on the porch and look at the lake.

Back to the hospital tomorrow

4:25pm

Taylor's feeding tube got clogged early this morning and efforts to clear it haven't worked. So, tomorrow morning he'll be transported back to Lakeland Regional Medical Center to have a new one inserted.

He's also lost a lot of weight - almost 30 pounds - so he'll be put on a higher calorie mixture tomorrow to help him gain weight.

This afternoon, Taylor was able to sit upright unassisted for 2 15 minute intervals. Yesterday he only did about 10 minutes. He was worn out when he finished, but his endurance is building daily.

Taylor walked!!!!!!!!!

4:55pm

Every day Taylor says "I want to walk again". Today, he did. Using a device designed to allow him to support most of his body weight with his forearms, he took 15 steps today. He was pretty wobbly, but he did it!! More importantly, it was his first attempt.

Rehab is going to be long and grueling for him, but he is SO motivated. Everyone here comments on how anxious he is to do everything.

He's still in the assessment phase, so he'll have a plan put together in the next few days that will outline the course he'll follow here.

Taylor kicks ass in rehab

8:00am

Taylor started rehab yesterday at 9am and finished up at 4pm. He was pooped when I visited at 5pm yesterday. He said it was hard, but that he liked doing it. His physical therapist stopped by and said that he id remarkably well, and was able to do things that she really didn't expect him to be able to. She said his determination was apparent, and that he was already way beyond where many with similar injuries are at this stage. She also said he told her that he REALLY wants to walk, and she thinks he's ready to start working on that, so today they'll work on standing him up and helping him get use to that. Dropping blood pressure is an issue for those who haven't stood in a long time, so they'll work on that today and do exercises to strengthen his leg muscles.

I'm on the way there now to learn how help him "stand and pivot" so I can get him out of bed and into a wheelchair when we visit at night and weekends. He likes to go to the lobby or outside to visit, so this will help give him mobility when we or his friends visit.

This week, Taylor's trach will be capped off for long periods of time to see how he handles it. If he can do it continuously for 24-48 hours, he may get the Trach out this Friday. He wants that gone, so let's hope he can pass the test.

Last night, four of Taylor's friends showed up to visit. He wasn't expecting them, so it was a nice surprise.