Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Day 810 - Aug 17, 2010

Today the speech pathologist from the VA came to our house for a session and it went so wonderfully. Kevin just did so well. She was doing word pairs (salt & ______, cat & ______) and Kevin got most of them without needing any help. She was also giving him instructions (touch your ear, point to the door) and he was able to do more of that than he could do previously. I was just so impressed at the gains he has made. It is so thrilling to hear him say words that no one has ever worked with him on.

It reminded me of the day last week (I don't think I mentioned this - sorry if I did) when we were driving down the road and he looked down at the clock and said "three o'clock". Now he knows his numbers and says them no problem, but we have never even tried to get him to say "o'clock". It just came out on it's own and we are seeing more and more of that lately. Exciting, huh? I told him tonight that I expect he will be talking pretty well within the next couple of years.

So we also discussed apps for aiding him in talking and today we downloaded one that looks good so far. It doesn't allow for customization though so I emailed the developer and asked if that option was going to be available in the near future. The problem with most of these apps is that you need to know how to read and type fluently and Kevin is just not there yet. He is reading fairly well, but he can't seem to spell - only recognize words. It makes it difficult at this point, but I feel sure as time goes by it will get easier for him.

So I am going to answer a few more questions as I am still so far behind:

To anon that asked if they have ever prescribed a sleeping pill to knock Kevin out - the answer is no. I don't really want him becoming dependent on any more drugs anyway, but the main thing is that they mostly make you groggy and unfocused the next day. We have enough trouble with his thought process and I would rather stay up all night that have him even more messed up.

It's not to say that he has never had any sleeping pills - we did use them a few times at the VA in FL, but they didn't always work for him anyway. Some nights it made things worse and he was wound tighter than tight.

Janna - I am hoping the nauseousness goes away when the plate is put in, but I am not holding my breath. It's a common symptom of TBI so it may be here to stay. Poor Zach (and you!) - I am so glad that things are better now!

Karen - how is your mom doing? And I would appreciate it very much if you could find out if that app Glenda uses has some sort of 'try before you buy' option. I just worry with him not being able to read/type as mush as necessary. If you don't have the time, don't worry about it - I will do it when we get out of the hospital.

Chalkie and Carol - Kevin is ADDICTED to that Fruit Ninja game you sent him! He and Lea played it for over an hour today and they were laughing and having a blast! I owe you an email and will try to get to it soon! Hope Carol feels well!

Hallie - Kevin isn't allowed to get on a skateboard until his plate is put in. We can't have him falling while his brain is unprotected, but once it's in - I suspect he and Johnny will hit a skate park as soon as they can, lol. And how is your husband doing? And one more question - you mentioned a Marcy - does she work at Kittanning hospital? I know a few Marcys that used to hang out at the store, but only one that works in radiology at ACH. If it's her - tell her 'hi' back! Or even if it's not tell that person 'hi' too, lol. But you'll have to email me her last name as I just am not sure who else it could be.

Ok, I have a few more, but will wait for another night.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Leslie, I'm so happy for you guys! That is so great that Kevin is making such strides in his recall of words and all. I'm with you, I think in a couple of years, he'll be going "great guns".... I bet Kevin is proud of himself when he does it too. Makes me smile to think of it!

Have a wonderful day!
Anita

Anonymous said...

Wonderful news about Kevin saying more words on his own!!! Like the one lady said, it's all there and that it just needs to come out. How exciting! You know it's like teaching your kids early on- trying to get them to say words and understand them. Then one day they are just talking up a storm! Kevin has the advantage though as he already knows all of the words. How exciting! :)
Have a great day!
Kathy in IA

Heather said...

About sleeping pills: How about taking melatonin? Its what the body makes naturally to let your body know its time for sleep. You can buy it at walmart even. I've often wondered if the part of his brain that tells his body to produce that chemical was injured when you talk about how hard it is for him to fall asleep.

Cathy M said...

It is nice to to hear you sound so "up". Makes me smile...

Anonymous said...

I'm wondering about vitamin D. With those burns, there's no way Kevin can or will get the sun exposure he needs to produce enough naturally.

I live far enough north where everyone has to use supplements, even during the summer. And when I'm low on my vitamin D, I have a really hard time getting to sleep or going to sleep at any regular time.

I wonder if someone could test his levels for you. It's one of those things that could fall through the cracks . . . but vitamin D deficiency has a whole host of bad symptoms (including mood problems.)

And the 400 ius in a multivitamin are not nearly enough. I take 3,000 in winter and 2,000 in summer. If I take any less I can feel it.