| June 30, 2006 I received the Vital- Stim yesterday. It is an electronic muscle stimulator that can be used for a variety of things including relaxation of muscle spasms, increasing range of motion, reduction and prevention of muscle atrophy, reeducation of muscles and increasing local blood circulation. It does get the muscles moving, that's for sure. Michael has school today; I hope it is a pool day. Brooke is on vacation this week, so it has been a little more hectic these days. Take care Dave June 29, 2006 I received the Vital- Stim yesterday. It is an electronic muscle stimulator that can be used for a variety of things including relaxation of muscle spasms, increasing range of motion, reduction and prevention of muscle atrophy, reeducation of muscles and increasing local blood circulation. It does get the muscles moving, that's for sure. Michael has school today; I hope it is a pool day. Brooke is on vacation this week, so it has been a little more hectic these days. Take care Dave June 27, 2006 Having Michael in the pool is an experience. With his flotation belt around his chest, I hold him with one hand under his head and the other one under his back. He relaxes and lets his head rest in the water. On one hand, it breaks my heart to hold him as he floats in the pool, seeing him in this condition. On the other hand, holding him while he smiles and looks at the sky makes me feel so close to him. It reminds me of when he was much younger and would sit in my lap and actually hug me. Take care Dave June 24, 2006 Michael got in the pool yesterday. Since it is an above ground model, I thought we would have a hard time getting him into it, but it went very smoothly. Laura, a long time friend of the family, stopped by just as we were about to get him in. She brought a flotation belt with her. It worked out great. I held him in the pool and he seemed to really enjoy it. He is sitting on a massage pad in his recliner now and he is laughing. Thanks, Jeanne. I put the message board back on the site. June 20, 2006 Michael slept about 12 hours on Sunday night, so he was very rested yesterday. He was also in a great mood, with a lot of smiles and laughing. He was even in a good mood while in the stander. He was still awake when I went to bed at 10:00 and woke me up at 12:30 voicing. He will be tired today, I'm sure. I hope he is not too tired because he has school and may be able to get into the pool. Take care, Dave June 18, 2006 Michael stayed up past midnight last night and woke up early this morning. He is quiet and not moving much; I imagine he is tired. He got some outside time yesterday and seemed to enjoy it. Sue and Vince, Michael's Grandparents stopped by for a visit yesterday. I know it tears them up to see Michael in this condition, but they try to be strong while they are here. Michael brought a Father's Day card home from school on Thursday. It was a very nice card with the words " I love you Dad" scrawled on the inside. I am sure that either the teacher or one of the aides helped him write it, but the words still got to me. I wish I could hear him say the words. The Okaloosa County Anti-Drug Coalition meeting went well. This group of people are dedicated to keeping kids from using drugs and alcohol. They feel if they can save one kid, then their efforts are worth it; I agree. I will provide contact info for the Coalition for those who wish to help. Happy Father's Day. Spend the day with your kids and let them know how much you love them. I will be spending the day with Michael, but I don't think he will ever know how much I love him. Take care, Dave June 16, 2006 Michael finally got into the pool yesterday. In the pictures that they took of him, he seemed to be content. He looked worn out when I arrived home after work. He still had to get in his stander and did well with that. While he is standing, I let him taste a banana Popsicle. I wait until he opens his mouth, then I put it on his tongue. I have to be quick or he will bite down on the treat and may aspirate. He does not have school today, so I am sure that Brooke will take him to a park or the mall or somewhere fun. I officially withdrew from Ft. Walton Beach Medical Center Therapy Center yesterday. We will give him therapies at home. I will be attending a meeting today of the Okaloosa Anti Drug Coalition. They will be planning an alcohol prevention activity for the next spring break. I don't know if I will be of much help, but I will try. Take care, Dave June 14, 2006 The nights all kind of run together, but I think Michael's pulse ox monitor went off a few times. The clip just came off of his toe and all I had to do was put it back on. He woke up early and seemed to be in a good mood. He was supposed to get in the pool today at school, but he got screwed again. I showed up with my camera and there he was in his chair in the classroom. This poor kid can't catch a break. I hope tomorrow he will get a chance to at least get his feet wet. Take care, Dave June 13, 2006 Insurance allows 60 visits to therapists per year. The 60 visits are divided between the 3 disciplines, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. 3 therapies a day will eat up the 60 visits in 20 days. I think we are out of visits. We have wasted 36 visits by going to Ft. Walton Beach Medical Center. This group of people are used to working with adults that are minimally impaired, they do not have the patience or skill to deal with someone at Michael's level or age. The OT and ST have given up on Michael and feel that it is unethical to take our money since he is not showing any improvement. This decision was made after a few weeks. It takes someone very special to work with children, and the therapists at FWBMC do not have what it takes. We will do the therapies ourselves. Guess I get to deal with another bill collector, because I am not paying this bill. Michael was asleep when I got home from work yesterday and woke up at 9:30 PM. He was still awake at midnight when I checked on him. He is awake this morning which is a surprise. I am sure that he will nap at school. He will have some pool time tomorrow and Thursday. I will try to get some pictures of him in the water. Take care, Dave June 12, 2006 Another weekend. We didn't do much; we haven't been very active over the past year. We went to a park and sat under a some trees for a while. Michael got a chance to lay on the grass instead of sitting in his chair. He seemed to be very relaxed. Somebody stole Michael's bike from our porch on Saturday. It takes a real scumbag to steal a bike from a house with a wheelchair ramp. I have learned a lot about people over the past year; nothing surprises me anymore. I spent some time trying to figure out if Michael is in a Minimally Conscious State or Persistent Vegetative State; I never figured it out. Take care, Dave June 9, 2006 Michael does not have school today, he only goes 3 times a week. He has therapies later today and we will end up at a park so that he can have some outside time. Michael's speech therapist and occupational therapist feel that they do not benefit him and feel that we can do just as much for him at home. I will discuss the situation with them today. Michael once again woke up at 3 AM to do his voicing. If he wants speech therapy at that time, I will get up with him and talk about whatever he wants to talk about. He is still asleep this morning, but there is no rush to go any where. He seems to enjoy being in his stander and the blood flow in his legs is improving. The stander has wheels and sometimes I roll him around when he is in it. I hope that it will remind him of walking. I think about it alot and keep meaning to mention it, so now I will; we could not make it without our van. It has been a lifesaver. Thank you, Vince and Sue, you are the best grandparents in the world. Brandon, I use the weights that you bought Michael to keep his left arm straight, it is easier on him than a brace.June 7, 2006 I popped in on Michael at school yesterday and as I walked into the building, he was sitting in his chair surrounded by some of the staff. It seems that one of the classroom aides likes to roll him through the halls, especially one area that has a ramp that looks like it is fun to roll down. I think that the aide was having as much fun as Michael. They were also trying to stimulate him with a vibrating Mr. Potato Head. Today, he will get to get into the pool. He has been waking up at about 3 AM and stays awake for about an hour. As a result he is tired during the day. He fell asleep at 6:30 last night and woke up at, you guessed it, 3 AM. He has therapies today and I am sure he will be tired afterwards. One year. Today won't be any harder than any other day of the past year. When your world is destroyed, when your pride and joy is taken from you, when you lose your reason for living, nothing can get any worse. The hurt, anger, and hate has not faded one bit over the past year. I have not forgotten how Michael was nor have I forgotten who was at the beach that day. I have not forgotten the hell that they have put us through and what they have taken from us. I have not forgotten the people that have supported us, nor have I forgotten the people that made it their business to cause us more pain. I will never forget and I damn sure will never forgive. Michael, you have to get better, you have to come back to me. I love you, son, and I am right here with you every step of the way. Take Care, Dave (Dad) June 5, 2006 The weekend was about the same as most of them. We got a little outside time which Michael seems to enjoy. He woke up this morning at 3:00 to do some voicing. This lasted for about half an hour. He went to his therapies today and was not that cooperative with the therapists. He is starting to grind his teeth and he chose to do this during speech therapy. I need to get him to a dentist; that will be an adventure. School tomorrow, I hope he gets to get into the pool. This was on the local television station this morning. It was not a top story and did not receive much press. I hope she will be ok. 15 Year Old Hospitalized for Alcohol Poisoning A Santa Rosa Sheriff's Spokesperson says a 15-year-old girl passed out from alcohol poisoning, and was taken by helicopter to a local hospital. Her name has not been released. Take Care, Dave Michael finally got into the pool yesterday at school. He, of course, can no longer swim, so the P.E. coach drags him around the pool. I was told that he seemed to enjoy it. He was in his stander last night and tolerated it well. He holds his head up well while he is standing. He slept well through the night, but he seems a little tired this morning. He will have therapies later today; I hope that he is well rested. Take Care, Dave June 1, 2006 Summer school started for Michael yesterday. His teacher, Cori, is taking the summer off, so he has someone different. I was unable to go to school yesterday at lunch, but I will try to make it today. After school, Michael had his therapies. Physical and Speech Therapy went well, Occupational Therapy was not that great. It takes someone special to work with brain injured kids; some therapists have it, some don't. June 1st. Coming up on 1 year since Michael drowned. One year of hell. One year of living that day over and over. The pain never stops. Take Care, Dave |
June 2006
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