July 30 Thurs.

Melinda started her day at 8:30 this morning and stayed busy till 4:00. She is exhausted and very much ready to get in bed and rest. She continues to work hard in OT, PT, ST and MT(music). Yes, "Melinda has music therapy twice a week and is singing her favorite songs, which she knows word for word." ST and MT are trying different things to get her to talk louder. They want her to use an Incentive Spiro-meter(IS) that will help expand her lungs. She places her mouth around a mouth piece and tries sucking as much air in as she can. The IS will register the amount and St said, "Teenagers lungs should be able to hold in air around 1500 ml. and Melinda is doing less than 500." The IS was left with us and ST said, "We have homework." Yea! Melinda will add it to her growing list. This afternoon, Melinda had various tests run to check her vision. She has double vision and some other things going on with her eyes. OT can work on some eye exercises here, but later she will be referred to an eye specialist. Melinda will wear a translucent eye patch and alternate the patch every 2 hours to help with the double vision. Melinda said, "It helped and now I have 1 mom and not 2". We laughed so hard. Thank you for your prayers and support. God Bless.

July 29

Melinda is feeling well and is in good spirits. She woke up at 8:30 this morning to OT telling her it's time to get out of bed. OT helped Melinda transfer into her wheelchair to get dressed for the day. At 9:30 PT wheeled her down to the gym where they used the walker(rjo). Melinda seizes to amaze me, so hold on to your hats! She walked a total of 277 steps today. The longest walk was 124 steps and she is exhausted and ready for bed. I need to clarify Melinda's walking that she isn't able to stand or walk on her own w/out total assistance. She is getting stronger and is able to help with her transfers to bed, wheelchair etc., but is still very weak. At 10:00 ST worked with Melinda and her memory notebook. She received a good evaluation from the medical staff and they are pleased with her progress. Her first week at Jim Thorpe she was rated a level 1 - total assist. and this week she progressed to level 2 - maximum assist. Her goal is a level 4 - minimal assist. w/24 hr. supervision. I fed Melinda her lunch and she did well eating and swallowing. ST Jenny said, "She will have breakfast and lunch starting on Friday." The Psychologist Jeff asked, "Is Melinda getting in the pool?" I told him she contracted a blood infection from the picc line over 2 months ago. It was cleared up with antibiotics and is now under control. He will check to see if we can't get her in the pool. Melinda and Jon have come a long way in their recovery and we give God all the glory!! Please continue to pray for Melinda and Jon that God gives them the strength to get through this battle to win the war. God Bless You!

July 28

Melinda had a good night and was wide awake this morning to start her therapy at 8:30 am. The Occupational therapist Jenna came in and helped her get dressed and ready for the Physical therapist session with Theresita and Elizabeth. We all went down to the gym to do some more walking. Theresita said they will use the same walker from yesterday since it was so effective. We start with Theresita walking behind Melinda and holding on to her in case her legs start to buckle. Elizabeth sits on a foot stool with wheels and follows along the side to help with her right leg. I stand in front to guide the walker and encourage her to keep going and don't give up. Melinda pushed herself and she amazingly walked 70 steps! Yea!!! Melinda said, she will try to do 130 steps tomorrow and we believe she will. The Speech therapist Jenny asked, Melinda are you hungry? She said, Yes! She had pureed mashed potatoes w/gravy, green beans, peaches and custard pudding. Melinda was very excited and handled swallowing all her food correctly. Jenny said, sometimes with a brain injury it doesn't work properly and can't let the person know they are full. Jenny said, she will monitor Melinda closely. OT is doing stretches on Melinda's right arm and hand to loosen up the muscles. The therapist and doctors will have their weekly meeting tomorrow and will talk about Melinda's progress. We are truly blessed and thankful for everyone's continued prayers and support. God bless!!!

Weekend & Monday

Melinda had a good weekend and rested after a long week of therapy. Her oxygen is good at 96% and up and she hasn't had any problems breathing since the trachea was removed. Melinda is getting stronger in all therapy sessions and we are seeing big improvements. Melinda went to the gym and used an assisted walker that allows her to have support under her arms and walk. She walked 14 ft... took a small break and walked 20 ft. She is a trooper and we are so proud of her!! Speech therapy is working with Melinda to accentuate her words to make the words sound clearer. She is doing so well eating applesauce that the therapist is letting her eat lunch tomorrow for the first time. Yea!! She will have pureed mashed potatoes and vegetables. MM GOOD!! OT asked her, do you want to work in the gym or take a shower? She said take a shower. I said, the only reason she wants a shower is so she doesn't have to go down to the gym and work. OT asked her, is that true? "She grinned really BIG and said yes". The therapist said, you are ornery. Since she wanted a shower they went to the gym and worked on strengthening her right arm. We ask that you continue to pray for Melinda and Jon and we appreciate all the prayers, love, support we have received. God Bless you.

"Melinda wants to thank everyone for all the prayers, visits and cards she has received. She really appreciates it."

July 24

Melinda is working very hard and very exhausted by the end of the day. She is ready to get in bed to relax and sleep. Melinda's tube feedings and medicine is still put through the peg tube that is in her stomach. The tube feedings had been a 24 hr. continuous feed. They started her on a bolus feeding and she will get 1 can of feeding 3 times a day and then a continuous feed from 8:00 pm - 4:00 am. They want her to get used to feeling hungry. OT said she is dressing herself better but it's a struggle for her to dress with one hand. OT is having Melinda wear a splint on her right hand to keep her fingers straight. They will continue to modify the splint to keep the muscles stretched out to reduce the pain. PT got Melinda cinched up with the harness and walking on the treadmill. She walked 30 seconds longer than yesterday. Yea!! ST brought Melinda some more Dr. Pepper, applesauce and ice cream. She really enjoyed it. ST threw away the ice cream because it was melting and to thin.. Melinda was not happy. I told her she was lucky to get ice cream and she said... if you get it out of the trash we both can eat it. I laughed so hard! Melinda's voice is getting stronger and she has been busy talking to her friends and family on the phone. It's amazing hearing her voice!! Melinda is working hard and I am so proud of her. All the therapist said she is the best patient because she gives 150% and never gives up. Melinda needs your continued prayers. Thank you for all your support and prayers. God Bless you!

July 23

Melinda had another good day. Melinda's back is getting stronger and she is able to sit up straighter and not fall over. Melinda had a good session with PT this morning. It is difficult for Melinda to walk even with the help of 2 therapists because she is very weak and this causes her extreme pain. PT decided to use the treadmill so she could walk. They used a harness that is above the treadmill and then they raised her body up to where she could stand on both legs. Melinda was able to walk on the treadmill for 5 minutes. Yea!! The good news is she was lifting and stepping with her right leg 50% of the time. This is the leg that wouldn't move at all. ST gave Melinda thickened Dr. Pepper and applesauce and she loved it. Her voice is getting stronger and this morning she said she wanted out of here. I asked, where do you want to go? I want to go to the mall. I said keep working hard and we will and she said yes. OT stretched her right arm and fingers and this is very painful because all her muscles and tendons are tight and this feels like a pulled hamstring. Melinda is working very hard and getting stronger and GOD is answering our prayers and we are so thankful!!

July 22

Melinda was given oxygen during the night and she was alert and had a really good day today. During the OT and PT sessions there are always two (2) therapists helping transfer Melinda to her wheelchair or back to her bed. Melinda told PT that she did not do very well today but all the therapist said Melinda is doing well and it is all in baby steps. She is working 6-7 hours a day and is very exhausted. ST gave Melinda thickened lemon water and applesauce but she didn't like it and made horrible faces. She did like the thickened Dr. pepper and was only given 8-10 spoon fulls. For now they will thicken her drinks with a powdered corn starch so she won't aspirate. We don't want any setbacks since the trachea was just removed. All evening Melinda said she was hungry and wants to eat and drink water. It breaks my heart that I have to tell her no and she asks why. I explain to her that soon she will eat and drink when she gets stronger and then a few minutes later she will ask again and then again. Melinda's voice is getting stronger and most of the time we can understand what she is saying and sometimes she is talking and seems a little confused. The pulmonary doctor said the hole in her throat looks good and will take 2 weeks to completely close up. The doctor said Melinda's knee showed no breaks. The x-ray doesn't show if she has any torn ligaments. Melinda is having a lot of pain all over her body and is very uncomfortable. She is very weak and it will take a long time to gain back her strength. Melinda is doing so well and it is amazing how strong she is. She is staying positive with all the uplifting encouragement's from the doctors and therapist. We are thankful for all the prayers and support. Please continue to pray for Melinda.

"Melinda said she is happy that her family and friends are coming to visit her and all the cards and letters she has received." She is also enjoying talking to her big sister on the telephone.

July 21

Melinda slept well and woke up very tired but managed to get through her morning therapies okay. The last few nights when Melinda goes into a deep sleep her oxygen is dropping to the low 80's and the pulmonary doctor ordered her to have oxygen through the night. Melinda had her swallow test at 11:30 this morning. Melinda drank several different liquids okay but did not handle eating thick pudding. Her tongue wasn't strong enough to push it down her throat and she got sick. The test also showed that the vocal cords are working properly. The speech therapist said she will be the only one to give Melinda pureed foods. The pulmonary doctor reviewed the results of the swallow test and ordered the trachea to be removed. Yea! Praise God! We are still waiting for the results from the doctor to have her neck brace removed. Melinda is so MUCH!! better and we give god all the glory! Amen. Please continue to pray for Melinda. She will be coming home soon!

July 20

The doctor came in this morning and said Melinda is progressing well. Melinda understands she will have to work hard in her therapy sessions to get better. Melinda is having pain in her left knee when she stands up and is not able to stand very long. PT decided to work on stretching Melinda's muscles and will let the doctor know about the pain in her knee. Speech therapy said that Melinda will have the swallow test tomorrow morning to see if she can start eating and drinking. Melinda said she wants chicken and chocolate milk. Melinda had a doctors appointment at OU Physicians this afternoon to review the cat scan of her spine. We weren't able to get any results from the doctor today but will know tomorrow if Melinda's spine has healed and if the neck brace can be removed. When we arrived back to Jim Thorpe and got Melinda back to her room radiology was ready to x-ray her left knee. We also missed the pulmonary doctor to remove the trachea. Melinda will have another busy and exhausting day. Thank you for all the love and support and please keep praying that Melinda will have the strength to stay strong and positive.

July 18 & 19

Melinda continues to get a little stronger with each day. The weekends are resting days and Melinda is not complaining at all. The trachea has been capped off since Friday morning and Melinda's oxygen and breathing is good since she is taking medicine to help control her secretions. The doctor said the trachea will be removed on Monday and we are counting down. Amen! Melinda is aware of what is going on and is very frustrated and sad. Melinda said she doesn't want to do her therapy and that it hurts everywhere. Melinda also said she wants food and a drink of water. The Speech therapist said on Wednesday they will do a swallow test. Pray for Jon and Melinda for they have a long road ahead. God is answering our prayers. Thank you!

July 17

Melinda slept all night long and was still tired this morning when the nurse came in to get her ready for therapy sessions. She was tired, had a head ache and her body is sore from working muscles all week that have not been worked for such a long time. Melinda had a hard time concentrating and giving a strong effort during the morning sessions and the therapists noticed her change but still worked her. Melinda received some Tylenol and got to lay down during lunch hour and she seemed to do much better during the afternoon. After her afternoon sessions she layed back down and has slept all evening. She is very tired but she is working hard and giving all she can to get better. Melinda will still have some therapy sessions over the weekend but not as much so she will get a chance to rest and get ready for next week. Melinda has made huge strides just in the first week of being here. Please keep praying for Melinda and J0n.
God Bless.

July 16

Melinda had a peaceful and restful night last night. She is sleeping more and more every night. She actually slept the whole night.
Melinda had an appointment this morning at OU Medical Center with Ortho. Dr. Smith wanted to make sure her pelvis was doing ok and that she could handle all of her rehab. Dr. Roberts (Ortho) said her ex-rays showed she was healing and that he was not going to put any restrictions on her. This was wonderful news.
They put Melinda in a wheelchair at 9:00 to go to her appointment. After her appointment the transport people were called and we had to wait on them to come pick us up. We waited an hour before they showed up. When they showed up and got us loaded up and taken back to Jim Thorpe it was about 12:30. Melinda had enough time to lay down for a few minutes before her therapy groups started coming in at 1:00. Melinda usually starts therapy sessions at 8:30 in the morning and goes till about 2:30 or 3:00. Today everyone arranged their schedules so they would be able to work with Melinda in the afternoon. They worked until almost 5:00. Melinda was exhausted. She had her trachea capped off at 8:30 this morning and it remained in all day and evening until about 9:00 p.m. and she had no problems all day. Melinda was given oxygen tanks for her transport this morning but she did not need them. When she got back to her room we put her on a very small amount of oxygen by the nasal tubing. Melinda's stats were still good and not having problems so I think we put the oxygen on her just to make me feel better.
Melinda is coughing less and having less problems with her throat and secretions. I think Melinda could have kept her trachea cap on all night but respiratory said they had to follow orders and put the hoses back on her for the night.
Melinda is healing every day and getting stronger every day. Please keep praying God bless.

July 15

Melinda slept well through the night and woke up early to OT getting her out of bed and dressed. Melinda was very sleepy and did not want to get up. Respiratory again capped off the trachea to let Melinda breath on her own. PT took Melinda to the exercise room to work on using her trunk muscles to stand up. During the session Melinda had a pained look on her face and we asked Melinda where it hurt and she touched her left pelvis down to her knee. PT said they will discuss it with the doctor in their team meeting today. ST worked on breathing techniques to help Melinda start talking. I can't tell you how amazing it is to hear Melinda's voice even if it is a whisper. Before we know it Melinda will be back to talking non stop. The pulmonary doctor wants Melinda's trachea capped for a longer period of time and when she wears it for 48 hrs. the trachea will be removed. The medical staff assigned to Melinda will have a weekly meeting to evaluate her progress. The medical team said Melinda's rehab will be 6-8 weeks but this can change with each weekly evaluation. Our family wishes to thank everyone for their continued support and prayers for Jon and Melinda. May God Bless you!

July 14

Melinda is sleeping through the night and doing well. OT came in around 8:30 this morning to get Melinda out of bed and continue working with her daily life skills. Respiratory capped off Melinda's trachea so she could completely breath on her own. PT worked with Melinda showing her how to use her muscles to stand, sit up and hold her head up straight. They said she is improving a little each day. ST worked with Melinda to strengthen her vocal cords and breathing to help her find her voice to start talking. Around 3:30 Melinda was put back on the oxygen and humidity because the secretions (saliva) in her lungs and throat were too thick and dry and she couldn't cough it out. Once the trachea is removed Melinda won't have any problems handling her secretions. Yesterday Melinda's neck and pelvis were x-rayed. The doctor said it looked like everything is healing but on Thursday Melinda has an appointment with the orthopedic doctor to check her over and review the x-rays. We want to be very certain that Melinda's neck and pelvis is healed and not re-injure her and have a set back.

We take for granted the simple things we can do in our daily lives like; wave, laugh, talk, eat or even pray. As I update Melinda's progress you can see that she is having to learn to do all those simple things and by the grace of God and all the prayers she too will again. Please continue to pray for Melinda and Jon as they progress each day towards their full recovery. God Bless!

July 13

Melinda is doing well. The doctor ordered Melinda to stop taking her 24 hr. insulin shot since her blood sugar has been in the normal range the last 5 days. Melinda had a really busy day with all of her therapist and is very tired this evening. Each therapist comes in the morning and afternoon for their session with Melinda. Occupational therapy comes in and works with Melinda to do every day daily living skills... brush her hair, brush her teeth and getting dressed. Physical therapy is helping Melinda to use her muscles, motor skills and be able to control her body. Speech therapy tested Melinda this morning to see if she would recognize objects and she passed with flying colors. The St. used an erase board to see if Melinda could answer some questions. The St. wrote 2 words on the board with one being the answer and Melinda needed to point to the correct answer. Melinda made a 100%.. she knew today's date, that today is Monday, she is in the hospital in OKC and that Obama is the president. The therapist are all smiling and very pleased with Melinda's progress. The pulmonary doctor said they will cap Melinda's trachea tomorrow morning and monitor her oxygen levels. If Melinda doesn't have any problems in the next 24 hours the trachea will come out. Praise God!! Thank you everyone for praying for Melinda's full recovery.

July 12

Melinda had a peaceful night and is more relaxed today. Pt. dressed Melinda this morning and wanted to see if she could breath on her own while sitting in a chair and Melinda tolerated this for 1 hr with her oxygen staying above 90%. Pt. is impressed with Melinda and said she is going to be their best patient. Speech therapy came by with some pictures of a bed, tv etc., the alphabet and numbers. They wanted to see if Melinda would recognize by pointing to the picture or letter that was asked... and Melinda did a great job! Soon Melinda will be able to talk and tell us. Melinda's back, pelvis and chest were x-rayed and will know the results tomorrow. God Bless.

July 11

Melinda is a little restless but is doing well. All the therapist are coming by to meet Melinda and are anxious to start working with her. P.T. came in this morning... dressed Melinda and sat her in a wheelchair. Melinda became nausea and got sick. The pulmonary doctor ordered chest x-ray since Melinda's trachea cuff had been deflated and wants to make sure she did not aspirate in her lungs and also ordered blood gases. The doctor talked about removing the trachea and said will cap it off to see if Melinda can breath through her nose. Please say an extra prayer for Melinda that her trachea, catheter, picc line and neck brace will be removed this week and that she has the strength to endure the many hours of therapy. God Bless.

July 8 - 10

Melinda continues doing well breathing on her own. Even though she is not on the ventilator she continues to get oxygen of 40%. They attached a tee on the end of the trachea and oxygen is pumped through a hose to her trachea and is also humidified to keep her throat moist. Thursday they began weening her off the oxygen and moved it to 30 percent and then to 28 percent by evening. That is the setting that she has to be on when they shut off the oxygen. Melinda was moved today (Friday) to Integris Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Hospital 4219 S. Western, OKC OK 73109 Rm#5306. The team will begin doing evaluations and determine tomorrow what course of action to work with Melinda. We appreciate all the prayers and support.
Coninue to pray for Melinda and Jon.
God Bless.

July 4 - July 7

Melinda had a very good weekend. On Saturday at 11:00 am they turned off her ventilator to see how she would respond. The plan was to turn off the ventilator for a couple of hours and put her back on it and then repeat this each day for longer amount of time. Melinda did so well for those couple of hours that the nurse called the Dr. and he advised to leave it off a while longer to see if she can handle it. Well, here we are on Tuesday and she is still not back on the ventilator. PRAISE GOD, PRAISE GOD, PRAISE GOD. Melinda is breathing on her own.

Today (Tue.) the doctors came by and were very pleased with Melinda. They said they were going to move her up stairs to a room this afternoon. MELINDA IS MOVING OUT OF ICU.
PRAISE GOD, PRAISE GOD. I asked Dr. Smith what Melinda will have to do now to qualify to go to Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Center. Dr. Smith said basically she can go now but they are going to leave her in a room for a few days and make sure her lungs are strong enough and to watch and evaluate her more. The plan is to move her to Jim Thorpe on Friday.

We are truly witnessing one of God's miracles right in front of our eyes. Please continue to pray for Melinda and Jon. They are both getting stronger every day and I truly believe they will both make full recoveries. We thank everyone that is praying daily for them. Everone's prayers, cards, words of encouragement, visits, etc. has given us strength and kept us going. Our words of thanks just doesn't seem enough and we are humbled by the support that everyone has given. Thank you and keep praying, Melinda and Jon still has a long road ahead of them but they are going to get there. May the Lord bless you.

Thurs & Fri

Melinda is doing very well and is moving forward with each new day. The ventilator was changed to 5 pressure support last night and we have waited for this day to happen and we praise god. Melinda continues to not have any apnea since she was taken off of her sleep medicine and we are so happy is was not caused by the brain injury. Melinda is still sleeping well during the night and seems more relaxed. Saturday morning Melinda will start a 2 hour trial on breathing on her own and with each day it will be a little longer. Melinda's chest was x-rayed today to see if the lungs have cleared. Dr. Smith ordered Melinda's back and pelvis x-rayed on monday morning. Dr. Smith said we might be able to take the neck brace off. Please continue to pray for Melinda's full recovery.

6/30/09 Tues. & 7/1/09 Wed.

Melinda is doing really well and all her vitals are staying stable even with all the moving, rolling and getting up. Melinda is awake and very much alert of whats going on just can't tell us yet. Melinda's blood sugar has been normal the last 2 days and this shows her body is healing. Dr. Huff has changed Melinda's pressure support settings these last few days and she is at 7 and doing great! At 12:00 tonight Melinda will be down to 5 "Praise God". Dr. Huff said they will see if Melinda can totally breath on her own and will start doing trials until Melinda can breath on her own for 24 hours and this could take several days. Melinda has not had any apnea spells in the last 3 days and this is very good news. Respiratory said Melinda is handling the changes on the vent and not having any problems breathing and everything looks good. Dr. Brown has stopped the antibiotic for Melinda's lungs and her lungs sound good. Melinda is sleeping peacefully through the night and mornings and getting lots of needed rest which means I am getting some rest.

Please continue praying for Melinda to keep fighting and the medical staff that is treating her. I am so eternally grateful and thank the lord for all the love and support we have received and all the prayers... thank you! God Bless yous!