First Week at Heritage

Brian has been at Heritage for about a week and a half now and he really seems to like it. I visited with him on Saturday and Jessica had a long visit with him on Sunday. He really looks very relaxed and comfortable there. And the nurses are really in love with him. They are treating him like a superstar!!

Jessica had a good visit with him and he even winked at her a few times! We are hoping that means that he's liking his new room. His roommates are very nice and are watching out for him.

He does have a touch of pneumonia but they are treating him with antibiotics and the fever he's been running has been going down each day.

I'm sure everyone is relieved to hear that he has made the move and it has been a great success!

Of course we are still praying that Brian will become more and more responsive. They are going to start getting him up in his chair this week and hopefully that will make him feel better and give him a feeling of accomplishment. He has been laying in the bed for over 6 months now so even this tiny step forward should help his attitude. Before this move he had been looking a little depressed.

Olivia is also going to visit this weekend. This will be her first time seeing Brian since the accident. There are several reasons why Jessica kept her from the hospital -- One, Brian's health was always the most important thing. Little kids carry germs that could have tremendous consequences for him. So the doctors never really liked the idea of exposing Brian to those germs. And plus it was a very traumatic place for a kid -- especially when it's your dad.

Now when she sees him, he'll be dressed and sitting up and looking more like himself. Jessica just feels that it is time and Livi could not be more excited. She misses her daddy.

Livi has also been going to a child psychologist that has been helping her prepare for the visit and helping Jessica to know when is the right time. And the psychologist and the doctor think it's a good time. So we're going!

Please keep Jessica and Olivia very close to your hearts and in your prayers this week. Please pray that Livi will have a good visit with Brian and that everything will go smoothly.

This has been a very weird week for Jessica -- it's sad not having Brian close by. But we know that he is being very well cared for and that is the most important thing right now.

Thanks so much for your prayers.

Heritage Inn

Brian was moved on Monday morning and is getting settled in his new room.

We have not been able to visit him this week but my mom (Bonnie) went on Tuesday to make sure everything was OK. She said that Brian looked really good and comfortable and that the people there are really taking care of him. He was tired after the move and was resting most of the day.

They have ordered a special chair for him so that they can get him up out of the bed and take him around. We'll let you know when they start doing that.

He started running a fever yesterday and the doctor that came and checked him put him on an antibiotic. We're not exactly sure if or where there is an infection -- it may be just a precaution.
They are suctioning him often.

We have met one of his roommates -- Howard Pennemen and he is very friendly. He will be able to call for help if Brian has any trouble breathing, etc.

Please continue to pray for Brian. And especially for Jessica -- it's very difficult not being able to see Brian every day.

Thanks,
Jamie

The Last Weekend at Kennestone!!!

We are so happy to say that Brian is scheduled to be moved to Heritage Inn at 9:00am on Monday.

So long Kennestone!!

Jessica and I are driving down to Barnesville tomorrow to visit Heritage Inn and make sure everything looks good for Brian's arrival. We couldn't be more excited to finally have Brian out of the hospital.

Brian would love to see you all before he goes -- He is still in Room 403 at Kennestone. So many of you have kept up with Brian's journey and we know you may want to tell him "see you later" -- it's not goodbye. He'll be back. We will also be visiting Brian as much as we can on the weekends and would love to have people along for the ride.

We will keep everyone posted on his move.

Keep us all in your prayers as we (especially Brian) go through this transition. It will be very hard for Jessica to have Brian so far away, but she knows this is the best thing for him right now.

We still have hope that Brian will come back to us.

Thank you for your prayers.

Finally some Good News (maybe)

Jessica just called with her report from the evaluation:

The ladies that evaluated him said that he can go to Heritage Inn!!! Maybe as soon as tomorrow -- they have to switch his Medicaid to Medicare but they don't think that will be much of a hassle. Of course, poor Brian has had everything to be a hassle so we are keeping our fingers crossed that his luck may be finally turning around.

At Heritage, Brian will be in a room with 2 other men. We are actually excited about that because he'll have people talking around him and stimulating him. But most importantly, there will be someone there all the time to call for help if he needs it. During his time in the hospital (besides ICU), he was in a room all alone and no one knew if he started to have trouble breathing.

They also told Jessica that they will do various activities with him during the week and will get him up in a wheelchair and take him around. That will be the first time in 6 months that Brian will be out of the bed!!!! What a great thing!!

And the first thing they will do will be to heal his bedsores. He has 6 bedsores on his feet from laying in the bed.

There are some drawbacks -- mainly that he's going to be in Barnesville. But the positives definitely outweigh the negatives!!

Please keep us all in your prayers especially over the next few days. Please pray that this transfer will go smoothly and that Brian can get settled into his new room quickly.

And please pray for Jessica and all of us that have grown accustomed to going to Kennestone everyday. We are definitely glad to not have to go to the hospital but it will be weird not visiting with Brian after work.

We will visit on the weekends and call every day for updates so we will still keep you all posted.
Those of you that would like to take regular road trips to Barnesville -- we'd love to have you! Just contact me or Jessica and we'll try to organize a schedule so that we can carpool.

The more the merrier!

Although Brian is moving and getting settled, he still needs us. And he would still love to have visitors.

Thank you again for all your continued prayers.
--jamie

Brian's Evaluation

Brian is being evaluated by the Heritage Inn this morning. The rep was meeting Jessica at the hospital at 9:30 this morning.

I will post her update as soon as I hear from her.

Heritage Inn is located in Barnesville, GA which is south of Atlanta. We don't love the idea that Brian will be farther away from us but it is definitely in his best interests to be moved out of the hospital. Once he is settled in Heritage we can start trying to get him transferred to a place closer to Jessica. Not many places are qualified to care for the type of injury that Brian has and those places that can treat him, don't have available beds right now.

Keep praying that Brian can be transferred anywhere -- then we'll pray that he can move closer.

One good thing about Heritage Inn - one of the doctors that will be in charge of Brian is my cousin. So we have spoken with him and he knows Brian's condition. If he gets accepted into the facility, at least we'll finally have a doctor that will talk to us.

Keep Brian in your prayers this morning -- we need him to give his best performance!

--jamie

Latest Update:

Hi Guys,

Sorry we haven’t posted anything new in almost a month. I do have some good news:

BRIAN’S MEDICAID CARD / NUMBER / LETTER HAS COME IN!!!!!!!!!

Now the hunt is on for a Sub-Acute Rehab/Nursing Center that has a bed open and will accept Brian. I want to make sure he can get into a place that will really work with him and give him the chance to recover every bit of himself he possibly can. He’ll need range of motion exercises, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy. I hope to find a place by next week. Feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions.

Brian’s condition has remained the same over the past several weeks. His fevers are under control and the swelling in his head has really stayed down. He looks great. His tech Jani gave him a hair cut last week. He looks like a Marine with his new look. Many of his nurses have commented to me recently on how alert he has been and that he really seems to be doing well. He has been fitted for some Wrist/Hand braces that will help to keep his fingers straight- he was starting to fist his hands and these new braces will help prevent that. Aside from that we continue to wait and be there for Brian.

Please keep visiting and don’t give up on him. He’s still in Room 403 at Kennestone.

Thank you once again for your prayers, thoughts, and support.

Jessica

Here's the link to an interesting article about traumatic brain injuries and the struggle to get back to "normal."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17508770/