Sorry there was no blog yesterday, not much change from the day before to report on.
It’s now Monday afternoon and Dad is having a little nap before we go back in. Mark Harland is down from Toowoomba today to see Bryan after he got a call from Derek last night. Its good for Dad to see other people besides his immediate family. Friends are just as important in this process!!
He was in high spirits this morning, probably because he really likes the nurse that’s looking after him at the moment. It really makes a difference to his mood depending on who is looking after him. He sign-languaged this morning that he wanted to give “FLOWERS” to Kate (his nurse today) and Mary (the nurse that looked after him last night). We know straight away if he is happy or not with the amount of care he is getting. It is becoming easier to read the emotion on his face and in his eyes.
The nurse got a little bit more muck off his chest this morning, which was really annoying him. I had a listen to his chest through the stethoscope and it was very wheezy but has gotten better throughout the day as he has been having physio.
One of the ICU doctors came and spoke to Dad this morning about his plan to remove the tube. Hopefully if Bryan’s stats remain stable and with the strength he is showing today it can happen tomorrow, or Wednesday at the latest. They did try earlier in the week to take it out but with no avail. The doc assured us this time round when it comes out, it will stay out!
Dad has been having some of his own thoughts about this dreaded tube down his throat. He reckons he’s invented something to replace it / or make it more comfy. I am very interested to hear about it when he can talk to us. Grant – he said that you are going to play a part in this new design!
After it’s out Bryan will then be concentrating on healing his throat, which is going to be very swollen and irritated. They said Dad probably won’t be able to talk or eat few a days until the swelling goes down. As a protocol they keep the food tube in his nose until they are certain he can eat through his mouth without inhaling it into his lungs.
Dad was complaining about his bed “HUMMING” (after much guessing and pre-empting on the ABC board). Mark and I made up a donut ring from a towel to put under his ear, lifting it off the bed. The humming comes from the pressure straps around his legs that inflate at intervals and vibrate to keep the blood circulating in his legs. The vibrations must be carried through his air-mattress and up through his pillow.
We rounded up the TV again today but he wasn’t too fussed about watching anything on it. Not even the MOTO-GP! I think he would be happier to be out in the sun for a bit.
Will let you know if anything major happens between now and tomorrow when the tube comes out. Fingers crossed it will all go to plan and that my next blog has some exciting news!
Love to you all
xo
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Lots of love to Bryan and Julie and Girls... we are thinking of you and hope and pray that each day brings good news and much improvement!! We are thinking of you all the time and are so grateful that you are keeping everyone informed as we all care so much. From Karen, Scott, Lydia and Charles Griffiths x
ReplyDeletehi bryan, julie and girls,
ReplyDeletebrett and i were very sad to hear of your accident. we are thinking of you all everyday and we know that you will get through this and be home soon. thankyou for keeping us updated via your blog, it has kept us in the loop with how bryan is doing, and we feel better knowing about his progress. stay strong.
love and best wishes
brett and ginny and family x
It was great to get the call from Derek last night, and spend the day with Rebecca & Bryan. Rebecca is a pillar of strength and only for the fact that she’s not wearing a nurse’s uniform can you tell that she’s not actually on the PA staff. She’s busy all day tending to her Dad, stretching his fingers, rotating his wrists and helping him with his arm movements and exercises, massaging and flexing his feet and ankles. From watching the nurse, she just does what needs to be done. “Dad, do you want your mouth drained?” Bryan nods, so she gets the tube and the attachment, turns on the suction valve and pokes and prods in Bryan’s mouth until he’s happy. Bryan seems happy to get this done fairly regularly, whether he actually needs it or whether it’s just another means to pass a little more time. Rebecca commented that he likes the nurses. You can see why. They are young and gorgeous and they fuss over him all day. What’s not to like? Bryan is adamant that Kate and Mary receive some flowers as a gesture of the appreciation he has for the way they look after him. Rebecca and I initially struggled understanding Bryan with the alphabet board in the morning. The letters are grouped in a box of three, so while you could tell what box he was pointing to, you couldn’t tell what letter in the box he meant. It was taking too long for us to decipher the message so he would roll his eyes and give up in frustration. Then things improved when I held his hand with no resistance and pointed with my finger. He could move my hand around quicker and easier to the letters and he was spelling out words quicker. Mostly he was asking about things in the present, like ‘write a message on the card’’ (the nurse’s flowers) ‘gravity’ (his head was leaning uncomfortably on the pillow...a little cryptic) ‘Ed – Moto GP’ (he will eventually get to watch this). First thing this morning Bryan was fairly awake and alert. You could tell by his eyes and facial expressions. I asked about his pain, holding my hands apart so he could indicate where he was feeling. He indicated around the middle, so I said, “There, but bearable” and he nodded in agreement. He even gestured in a joking manner with another nurse that popped in to borrow the box of DVD’s. After we got back after lunch, he was more sedated from the medicine they were administering. He seemed a little emotional, perhaps after overhearing some comments by staff about the guy in the next bed. He asked us a question, via the board, about him. We couldn’t answer what he was asking about, but he then gestured to us, wanting us to give him a hug. I think maybe he was just glad to see us after us being away while he had a nap. By late afternoon, early evening, he was into the routine of having a shave, and wash etc and seemed fairly content knowing that Julie would arrive soon.
ReplyDeleteJust a few hints. Take the ‘Blue Lift” to level 3. - Parking. You can pay $20 in the car park, or take your chances on the streets. I got back to my car with a $50 parking infringement attached, even though, I was three blocks away, and there were no signs suggesting you couldn’t park there. Ed received one the other day as well. I checked it out when I got home. Here’s links to the map of the where you’re likely to get a fine if you park longer than 2 hours.
http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/bccwr/lib261/dutton_park_parking_control_area_map_.pdf
http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/BCC:BASE::pc=PC_2123
cheers Mark
Dear Bryan, Julie, Rebecca, Erin, Skye;
ReplyDeleteIt's great to hear things pitched so positively! As you know, and its been commented on before, Bryan loves a challenge. Remeber that once you emerge from each and every one of them, you achieve an amazing sense of achievement and fulfillment.
So challenge by challenge, let them come and work your way through them together, as a family, because with each outcome, you will gain a complete feeling of accomplishment, and eventually, will end up looking back at this time, thankfull for what you all got out of it. There will be many, many positives, and this is what we need to keep focussing on.
Bryan - We're excited and motivated by your continued recovery and think of you and your family each day. We have no doubt you'll get through this momentary tough time and that you'll be cooking the BBQ again with a beer in the hand in the near future.
Love to you all and hope to see you soon,
Damon and Rach!!
Hello to you all, thanks Girls for such a great job keeping us all up to date with news on Dad.
ReplyDeleteGood luck today Bryan with that horrible tube.
Thinking about you all
Love
Jen, Doug, Justin and Kyle
Just hello to you all and love from Tommy More's
ReplyDeleteBoyd, Sue and all the Yung Family (extended) and the team from Boyd Yung Motorcycles wish you all the best in your journey to recovery. We are all thinking of you and are very happy to hear of your daily improvements via your blog. Good Luck Bryan, we look forward to having you back home in Toowoomba soon.
ReplyDeleteGreetings to all in Brissyland. Keep up the great work Bryan. Thanks for the wonderful blog is terrific to be kept up-to-date. Lovely having a few minutes with Julie today. Bryan, I can't wait to get down there and give you a little massage!!!! Ok - here is my joke of the day (it's a beauty!):-
ReplyDeleteOne night a police officer was staking out a particularly rowdy bar for possible DUI violations.(Probably the Fed on a Friday night!!!) At closing time, he saw a fellow tumble out of the bar, trip on the curb, and try his keys in five different cars before he found his. Then he sat in the front seat fumbling around with his keys for several minutes. Everyone else left the bar and drove off. Finally he started his engine and began to pull away. The police officer was waiting for him. He stopped the driver, read him his rights and administered the Breathalyzer test. The results showed a reading of 0.0. The puzzled officer demanded to know how that could be. The driver replied, "Tonight I'm the designated decoy.” Hope you got a laugh out of this one!!! Until tomorrow's installment, Deb x x
Hi Bryan Julie and girls great to read the daily blogs. The news sounds fantastic on your progress and I am sure with your determination and strength you will be back on the road before we know it. I will get to see you soon buddy, take care
ReplyDeleteJoe, Lyndel and family
Hi Bryan Julie and Girls,
ReplyDeleteWe have been checking the blogs daily. Great progress Bryan in such a short period of time. No surprise to anyone that knows you mate. Everyone says hi. Jarrod,Loki and Leah are also keeping up with the blogs and say hi.
All the best to you guys.
Cheers Browne family.
Thanks for the informative post...
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